Learning From The Best

When you are looking for people to learn from in a field rife with phonies it always is refreshing and invigorating to learn from those who have done way more than most. It was my privilege earlier in my career to be able to learn from and spend some time with many great powerlifters and powerlifting coaches. These included but were not limited to Matt Wenning, Donnie Thompson, Boris Sheiko, Mikhail Koklayaev, Andrey Malanichev and Richard Hawthorne. There are always interesting athletes and coaches to learn from and I don't believe that this was the end of my education by any stretch but these individuals have added incredible depth to my personal and professional knowledge.

From Matt Wenning I learned how to program from a conjugate perspective. I had read all of the Westside materials years before we ever met and I had some deeper questions than I readily had answers to. The opportunity was one that I could not pass up. Matt is a multiple time WR holder in PL and a student of the sport as well as someone who understands the adaptations to various forms of strength and conditioning periodization. As a coach and as an athlete he has excelled in the industry in many different contexts. It was a privilege to learn from him on multiple occasions.

Meeting Donnie Thompson was a lifetime goal of mine. I was privileged to get the opportunity on three different occasions. His wisdom, knowledge and insight will leave permanent marks on my understanding of strength training and strength preparation as long as I live. I had heard about him from many people in the RKC community because of his interest in KB's. He was spoken about with such a reverance and awe that I had to take the opportunity to learn from him in person. Not only was Donnie the first person to total 3000lbs in PL he has also created many different fitness related tools as well. Body tempering is definitely a one of a kind strength preparation modality and I was privileged to get certified under his guidance on two separate occasions. He is a living legend that inspires me to this day.

Meeting and learning from Boris Sheiko was a profoundly deep privilege and honor. I had read his name in Supertraining and other training texts amongst many other great Russian sport coaches like Verkoshasnky, Ozolin, Bondarchuk and Zatsiorsky. When I learned he was going to be in the PNW I jumped at the chance to learn from him. It was a life changing, thought provoking and sincere privilege to learn from him. He was as insightful as you could imagine him being. As much as it was humbling to be learning from one of the few actual master level coaches in sporting history it was also just a completely surreal experience. Sheiko has coached 39 world champions and 117 medalists in elite level powerlifting competition.

Mikhail Koklayaev has been Russias strongest man for nearly a decade. Learning from him was as as unique an experience as it was insightful. It's not every day you get to see someone wake up from a nap, do zero warm ups and methodically work up to pulling 800lbs for 5 reps in under 30 minutes. He was an extremely rare athlete to get the opportunity to learn from. Even Boris Sheiko couldn't help himself and muttered under his breath "Russian monster....."

Andrei Malanichev was another interesting athlete to learn from. He walked in the gym did 20 unloaded reverse hypers on the GHR and then proceeded to work up to 700lb squats. He was extremely methodical in his preparation between sets and rehearsed every lift in the exact same way. The wrist wraps, the knee wraps and the lifting belt came off and got put back on after every set in exactly the same order. He was very frank about his preparation for competitions and he hated assistance work. Fortunately for him this worked as he has squatted over a thousand pounds raw.

Richard "The Ant" Hawthorne was probably the most surprising lifter that left a lasting impression. He began the seminar by engaging in a philosophical discussion of what limits progression? He responded that EGO was the limitation for everyone in every pursuit. It certainly left a mark. Humbly approaching the process of becoming stronger and physically more capable is definitely the best way forward since it allows you to do all the little work necessary in order to improve. If you approach the process with a lack of humility you will eventually be limited by the work you are too proud to do. He was a quiet example of what is possible when you humbly approach the process and bring your full strength to the table when it matters most. He is pound for pound the second strongest deadlifter of all time. However, the way that he carried himself and the way that he spoke you would never know it. His influence on me was profound and I often am reminded of his example to pursue greatness through humility.

These are just a handful of the coaches and athletes that I got the opportunity to learn from. As a coach and as an athlete I have always found it to be important to listen to many different people who are approaching the same problem from many different perspectives. Through these opportunities I have been able to add to my knowledge and comprehension base of how to approach the problem of assisting people to become the strongest version of themselves. It's an honor and privilege that I don't take lightly.