9 Great Secrets of Training Success
by Dave Tate


I got an e-mail this morning that got me
thinking.

"Dave, you did very well in Powerlifting and also have made
remarkable progress in getting shredded and overcoming many
injuries. I've read your book "Under The Bar," and you
write of the lessons in the gym that have a carry over to business
and life. Based on your experience, what would you say are the
secrets of training success?"
Reading this e-mail made me think back about my years of
training, and it hit me that I've spent over 10,000 hours of my
life in the gym. This doesn't count all the hours I've spent
spotting, lifting in meets, coaching at meets or training others.
I've also trained every style, ranging from progress overload, HIT,
Westside, high volume, DC training, and a host of other principles,
templates, and methods.
I've also spent thousands of hours speaking with other lifters,
trainers and coaches in regards to the betterment of my own
training and that of those I worked with, so I guess I've picked up
some secrets along the way. I'm also pretty confident in saying if
I don't know the answer to any training problem, I know a few
others who do.
What follows, then, is a list of what I consider the nine great
secrets to training success, based on my experience and that of my
peers. They represent the cold hard truth that many would rather
avoid. They're pretty easy to understand, and very hard to
implement. You might think some of them don't have anything to do
with training, but you'd be wrong.


1. Set Your Goals High, and Keep 'em to Yourself.
At one of his seminars, Jim Wendler asked how many of us had set
training goals. Out of 60 people, only fiveraised their
hands, myself included.
You can't know where you're going without good goals. However, I
just want to mention one aspect of training goals that you may not
have considered: your goals can limit you. You should set
that goal out there, not to work toward, but to smash. Too
many times, I've seen people say, "my goal is to bench 300 pounds."
Then when they finally get there, they could have done so much
more.
That's why Louie Simmons always taught me to break my PR by five
pounds on my second attempt (in a powerlifting meet you get three
attempts), and go for broke on my third. It's also why when I was
dieting for fat loss, I also set a timetable based on a number of
weeks. If I reached my desired percent bodyfat early, I keep going.
If I didn't reach it in time, I shut it down for another
cycle.
The other thing I suggest when setting goals is to keep your
goal specific to yourself and a select few, and general to all others. In other words, if your goal is to
bench 400 pounds, keep that as a marker in your mind, but if others
ask just tell them, "I'm training for a bigger bench," or "I'm
working toward a new PR." Your goal may be to get your bodyfat down
to 6%, but all the masses need to know is, "I'm dieting right
now."


Just tell 'em you're dieting.
The reason for this is simple: 90% of everyone you meet are
negative pricks who will go out of their way to tell you why you can'tdo something. Once they know your goal, they'll try and
tear you down. Just keep it vague, and all they can do is wish you
success.
Of course, they may still try and tear you down once you've
actually accomplished your goal, but who cares. You've done
the work and have the results to show for it. Theycouldn't
have done it. So fuck 'em.
I do feel it's important to still put the goal out there to make
you accountable, but I'd only tell those who know you can do
it and will hold you accountable. Take a good look at the
people around you, and consider yourself lucky if you know even a
small handful of people like this. But all you really need is one:
you.


2. Build Yourself Up, Don't Tear Others Down
Here's something that always comes to my mind when I think about
people who try to tear you down, especially online. Years ago I
made a trip to the Show of Strength in Atlanta where I was going to
help Chuck Vogelpohl, Brian Schwab, and Ano Turtiainen, all great
lifters and multiple world record holders.
During one of the breaks I found myself having lunch with a
small group of people, one of whom just didn't fit in at all.
Granted, he had an opinion on everything, but nothing to show for
it in the way he looked, his lifts, or who he coached.
Later, I discovered he couldn't even cut it in three well-known
powerlifting groups in his area. He got no respect from all the
local lifters on account of his big mouth, his inconsistency, and
his not having the balls to train hard and help others in the
group.
About a year later, I see the same guy talking shit about
everyone on a powerlifting forum with an "I'm the man" attitude. A
few phone calls later and there were three of us on the phone just
busting up laughing about this. I no longer have the time to read
all the forums, so I have no idea whatever happened to this guy,
but I can pretty much guess he's the same crappy lifter he always
was.
I'm pretty sure that most of these people have done nothing of
value in their lives, so all they can do is find fault in others.
It's always easier to tear others down than it is to build yourself
up, and easier to demand respect than to earn it. Of course, the
easy way isn't always the best way.


3. Let Your Program be Your Guide, but be Prepared for
Detours.
While programming does not play as high of a role as many people
claim, you still need to have a solid program designed to help you
achieve your training goals. The difference between a general
program based on what an author perceives to be effective is a far
cry compared to a programmed designed around your own strengths and
weaknesses. Time and experience will give you the best training
know how to do this for yourself.
For beginners I'd suggest jumping on some of the pre-designed
programs to help get your feet wet. While they are still not as
effective as a personally designed program they are much better than what you'll come up with on your own. That's why they
were written in the first place: not to be the Holy Grail of
programming, but to serve as a launching pad.
For the intermediate and advanced lifters you need to think
about your program as you're a car driving on a highway. You need
to get on the right one that will get you where you want to go. If
you need to go north, then it's not a good idea to get on a highway
going south regardless of what anybody tells you. The difference
between getting there or being broken down in the middle of nowhere
is knowing how to read the signs. In any long trip, there'll be
slowdowns, stops, construction, and detours.
As travelers we expect this, and while we still get frustrated,
we know they'll be there.
Similarly, as a lifter you have to expect detours. They are part
of the game. There will be things that will screw up your training.
No training phase ever goes as planned. You have to be ready and
expect for the detours and find ways to keep moving forward. To
think everything will go smooth is a false reality. Actually, if
you find you're ahead of schedule and things are very smooth, be on
the lookout. The old saying "if it ain't broke, break it!"
applies here.


4. Do the Stuff You Suck At
You ever wonder where your weak points come from? They're a
combination of your strengths overpowering the rest of your skills,
and you simply not doing the stuff you hate to do.
Think about it, if your abs and core stability are your weak
points, is it because you're training them too hard or too often? Not on your life. Show me a weak point, and I'll
show you a movement that isn't being trained because the athlete
doesn't like to do it.





Is this something you hate to do? Then do
it.
Let me tell you about how I discovered this secret.
It was at the IPA Worlds (a.k.a. the York Barbell Hall of Fame),
my first meet after a nine-month hiatus. I had taken some time off
to heal up, regroup, and push my bodyweight up higher. I was
looking forward to this meet, because my training was going very
well, and things seemed to be going my way. My warm-up for the
squat attempts felt great, fast, and very explosive. I was
definitely getting jacked up about the meet.
I was on deck, next up. My wraps were on, tight as hell, and I
was ready. The moments right before I hit the chalk are the best
moments of my life. The anticipation, the aggression, the work it
took to get to this moment are unmatched.
Finally, over the loudspeaker came the words I'd waited nine
months to hear, "Load the bar to 860 pounds for Dave Tate." It was
a weight I'd squatted several times before, and it was to be my
opening attempt. Full of rage, I began chalking my hands.
This is the moment with every big lift that I "detach" from
myself, and go on autopilot. Rarely do I remember anything from the
time I leave the chalk box until after the lift.
However, this lift I do remember, because I couldn't get
it out of the rack.
I remember trying to stand up with the weight, but I couldn't
budge it. It felt welded to the rack. I tried a few times and still
nothing. This pissed me off to no end, so I stepped back and
increased my rage as high as I could, got back under the rack, and nothing.
My helpers stepped in and pulled me from the rack. Needless to
say, this was not a good moment for me. Nine months of
training and I couldn't get my damn opener out of the rack.
Just then, I heard Louie Simmons call out, "Dave, you're done.
Pull out." I glanced back at him, figuring he was just trying to
piss me off. But he looked straight at me and said, "I'm serious,
Dave. You're done. Pull out, and we'll talk later. It's not worth
what could happen right now."
Now, Louie Simmons is one of the best coaches in the world, and
I was part of his team, the Westside Barbell Club. This club is
known to be the strongest gym in the world and I was one of Louie's
boys. I respect this man and trust him with my life.
So I pulled out, and spent the rest of the meet watching the
rest of my team lift well, sitting there eating hot dogs and
wondering what the hell my problem was.
On the drive home, I told Louie, "I don't understand what
happened today. My training went well. I was strong as hell on
everything in the gym."
Just then he stopped me and said something I'll never forget:
"That's exactly your problem."
As we turned onto the Interstate, I sat there thinking that
Louie was out of his mind. How could being strong in the gym be a
bad thing?


How can being strong as hell in the gym be a bad
thing?