Lessons From the Best in the World

Last year I had the opportunity to meet and train with some of the world’s best powerlifters. This post is about the things I repeatedly heard from the top guys, and they can be applied to any goal you wish to pursue, not just lifting. Success leaves clues, and these are some of the ones I have picked up from them and embraced in my life:

1. Perfect Practice Makes Perfect
This one I have heard in one form or another from every world record holder I have met, and every lifting seminar I have been to. Every time you grab a bar, dumbbell or move your own body is a chance to practice your technique. From your first warm up set to your last work set, focus on mastering your technique. You may have heard it takes roughly 10,000 hours to become an expert at a task. Mindless reps without focus do not count towards this total.

2. Always Be Learning
GPA Worlds last year was my first time being around so many world class lifters at one time. It was cool to see them sharing training methods and ideas, all learning from each other. No one person knows it all, and with social media and such these days there are so many opportunities to learn from people you look up too.

3. Just Keep Working
World records are not broken by simply wishing for them. Everyone I met had different journeys to the top, but a commonality was that they found ways to keep pushing through the hard times, be it injury, pleateau or whatever. You can insert your own quote abut hard work here, but the truth is that working hard some of the time will not get you to the top. It takes years of consistent ball busting work to get to the pinnacle.

4. Surround Yourself with People Who You Want to Be Like
One thing I noticed was that the top guys seemed to have their own network, and would either regularly talk and/or meet with each other. Who better to learn from than people who have achieved what you want? When you spend time around people you admire you start to pick up on the little things which can make a difference.

If you have any of your own tips you have picked up from successful people, drop a comment we would love to hear them.

Nick