Reflections On The Super Total Event

​​​Reflections on the Super Total Event

​After every event, I ask myself several questions. What went well? Where can we do better from an organizational standpoint? How could we have provided a better experience for the people who had the courage to participate? The first event that I helped to organize was at Denison University with Mark Watts, and I fell in love with the process of creating something for people to enjoy. An idea that you can put your spin on to make a difference for the people involved. The excitement of organizing a group of people to help make the vision come true and then the stress of wondering if it will work out. Since 2009, I have helped organize close to 100 different events ranging from bodybuilding shows, softball clinics, strongman, powerlifting, and conferences. They all present unique opportunities and issues to overcome. The Super Total was held on March 21st, and there are some big takeaways that have been in my head since we left the gym that day.

​​​​Our Gym Has Amazing Support

​We had many sponsors step up—big time—to help make the event possible. Whether financial or donation based, they all helped to make a better experience for the people in the event. We wanted sponsors involved that are already involved with our gym and believe in the mission of Showtime. We have support that would be hard to find in many other gyms, and that is something I think about quite often.

​​Most People Are Nervous, Do The Thing Anyway

​“I’m not strong enough”

​“Other people will lift more than me”

I always think back to my first powerlifting meet where I competed under Westside Barbell. It was a giant room in the convention center and every top lifter was there. Josh Gutridge could see I was anxious about being there. He simply reminded me to just stick to the plan, lift weights how I know to because no one there actually cares what I do. They’re only concerned with what they’re doing. I find this repeating often in different aspects of life. The thought of a competition or new thing can seem overwhelming, but stepping into the new thing will bring new opportunities for you.

​​​Training Doesn’t Go to Plan, Stick To It

​In the 12 weeks leading up to the event, I was sick 3 different times and strained my bicep and lower back. At three weeks out, I was able to do bodyweight squats and some band exercises. I kept doing my rehab and training what I could leading up. I was able to deadlift 530 lbs., 10 pull ups, and squat more than I have in about a year. These aren’t PRs, and they weren’t what I had originally set my sights on, but they were much better than I thought given the events leading up. Trust in your training, do what you can, and stick to your plan. There are no perfect paths.

​​​​​Build A Base

​With our adults at Showtime, we almost never do a 1 rep max (pretty much never but there are a few exceptions each year). It just doesn’t fit into any of our client’s goals. We had members hit PRs on every single lift, and some of them were pretty large PRs that even shocked me. Most our training is base building. This means we’re just stacking good training sessions, keeping everything moving well and trying to add 1-2 reps, add 5 lbs., or improve movement control. We should feel better when we walk out the door than when we came in. Everyone’s results helped confirm to me that our training is in the right direction.

​​​​Strength is a Cheat Code

​As a society, we lack confidence. Comparison is now at our fingertips, and we can see 100 examples of people doing better than us in seconds. When you see people hit a new PR, lift a weight that might have scared the shit out of them, that feeling will never get old. I’ve never seen anyone lift a new weight and be upset about it. I’m biased, but strength will unlock more in your life than buying any material item. Improving strength is long game and shows discipline. Strength can be the key to changing something in someone’s life.

​Part of wrapping up an event is creating the next steps. I love using these times to shift gears into another discipline. For me, my focus is shifting on preparing mountain bike races this summer meaning more endurance and dropping some weight. For some of our clients, they’ll be doing more single limb or lateral movement to improve some imbalances. Dan John talks about seasonal training a lot and I think for the non-competitive athlete it makes a lot of sense. It keeps things fresh. We avoid overuse risk, and it helps make you a more balanced person. Take some time to plan your next steps in training. If you want help, our coaches can help you roadmap your training.

‍