# Advice for the Young Lifter by Matt Kroczaleski



## wogihao (Jun 15, 2007)

This was aimed at powerlifters but the advice is good for bodybuilders/strongman as well as its a common problem...

Advice for the Young Lifter

by Matt Kroczaleski

EliteFTS - original article here..

After training with and viewing a lot of the newer lifters at meets I think there are some things that a lot of younger lifters need to put in perspective. First off even though powerlifting may be an individual sport the way guys train and compete (and this applies to almost everything in life) is as a team. That means everyone helping everyone. Don't expect help without offering something in return. There is nothing wrong with asking for help or advice but if you are always on the receiving end and rarely offering to help other people they will resent it and after a while cease helping you. Everything in life should be give and take.

Secondly and this is a big one, show respect where and when appropriate. This does not mean kissing ass or being a nut swinger (which most accomplished lifters hate) this means showing the respect that is due to the people that have earned it. I see so many new guys having one good meet or training cycle and talking **** to everyone around them about how they will break their records and PRs. No one appreciates that especially when they have been around a long time and have been where you're at and know what lies ahead of you. Think of it this way. How would you expect a freshman football player walking on at a division one school to act towards the guys that are seniors there? The same thing applies to a rookie in the pros. Knowing how to treat those that have been around longer than you goes a long way towards getting respect yourself. You must give respect in order to get it.

This past weekend we went out to dinner after the state meet and there was a young kid there that just started training with us and this was his first meet. He had a good meet and was very pleased with himself. At dinner he started talking **** to both my brother and I. We put him in his place but he is lucky that either of us didn't get up and knock him the **** out. This is a perfect example of someone's head getting way too big way too fast and not knowing where you rank in the big scheme of things. The point is he hasn't earned the right to treat us that way. He hasn't earned our respect and he obviously doesn't respect us enough. When I was younger and I trained with a group of guys that were bigger and stronger and been training longer than I had I kept my mouth shut and listened to what they had to say and never ever talked **** to them. I didn't always agree with everything they had to say and it didn't mean that I worshiped them it just means that I gave respect where it had been earned.

A good saying that I try to adhere to is "If you really are good at something you don't have to tell people they will tell you." This is totally true. If you do well at something people will know it and they will talk about it even if that never gets back to you. Talking about yourself and your accomplishments excessively just makes you look like an egomaniac and a tool. Don't do it. People may congratulate you to your face but I guarantee you they are mocking you behind your back. Work hard, achieve your goals, show respect to your fellow lifters and keep self aggrandizement to a minimum and people will respect your accomplishments not resent you for them.

Now of course I am generalizing with this article and there are many older lifters that may not deserve tons of respect and younger lifters that do but I think the idea I am trying to get across is fairly plain to see. I don't know if it is due to the current social culture or if I am already becoming one of those "old timers" but it troubles me to see so much arrogance and lack of respect in many of the young kids that are up and coming in the sport and these are my thoughts on that subject.


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