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Strength Militia Training, 10 Glenand centre, Blackstaff Way, Belfast (2026)

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10 Glenand Centre, Blackstaff Way

13/07/2022

Squat Talk

Not all Squats are equal and shouldn’t be married to the style of the coach who is coaching them.

I work with many different styles of lifters over the years and if I’m being honest there is very few that straight away I was able to prescribe. I don’t think this can be done over one or two analysis.

It takes time to develop and understand the limitations that lifters possess.

You heard the knees have to go over toes for xyz reason but if they don’t have the dorsiflexion necessary in the ankle this is gonna to be a problem. Furthermore it’s like trying to force a square peg into the cylinder space.

Coaching is problem solving it’s not to be the head of a cult to say their way is the only way..

To think like this only holds back the lifters progress.

Squat will come in all shapes and sizes.

Some are Narrow
Some Wide
Some Med
Some super wide.

There is no right or wrong stance. Unless there is a major deviation in bar path I think you should trial out different stances and figure out what one will be the strongest for you.

In terms of frequency I like to suggest 1-3 per week. If the intensity is higher you would aim for the lower end.

Good old RPE 5-6 work is under rated and would serve people well for learning what works for them and how to execute the bigger RPE

We have some spots available in our academy and PL team for people who are serious about making progress

Drop us a DM

11/07/2022

The Meetday approach that guarantees results.

When you think of training and competition. It should differ really other than the fact you’ve judges, cameras and an audience. The actual lifting part never should change and yet if lifts are being missed most of the time it’s not a strength failure. It’s a mindset one

Now with that being said I think that everyone is capable of hitting PBs and progress at every comp if you follow a simple strategy.

1st attempt 7.5
2nd attempt 8.5
3rd attempt 9.5

Simply put if you follow this you should make progress and leave a little in the tank for the next block.

This means keeping a close eye on your RPE in training and not overshooting. A 7 does not mean an 9.5. Otherwise the strategy doesn’t work.

When doing the RPE single work it is important to think about

Ex*****on
Upholding the judging standard

As said before there’s no point in increasing weight when your squat is high. It does you no favours so keep that in mind for the next preparation

People get lost in translation with RPE but the best way to understand it is to record everything until you get a feel for your own personal RPE.

Then you’ll know you 7 range 8 range and so on

Once your learn the art of RPE it makes gameplan easy for coach and understandable for athlete.

Hope you take something from this and hit us up with any questions you have

🙌🙌🙌

09/07/2022

Ceiling talk!!

I use this analogy all the time when explaining the outcome of our system for our clients.

Stay away from the Ceiling!!

When you reach the ceiling your progress will stall and you have a decision to either run yourself towards an injury or bruise the ego and strip everything back.

That’s it. If your anywhere close to the ceiling you generally have ego issues. Otherwise you’d be in a accumulative spot and making good progress comp on comp.

Now that’s talking about the people who are residing close to the ceiling.

The other group are making progress comp after comp because where they are at vs their ceiling never changes. They will accumulate strength and understand that the big meet days will come to them and they won’t force it.

This is why I think 4/9, 5/9 or worse bombing only happens when your out of touch with your expectations for the meet. Understand if your cutting to a lower class the numbers from the heavier class are invalid for the time being. It’s completely how the warmups feel

In our experience when we sit down and actually ask what the lifters expectations are. The general consensus is this

PB, Go close to 9/9, Have fun

We aim to deliver on all 3.

What we lay out is this

Don’t expect to hit a 50kg total PB all the time. Yes you might get lucky and do that one time then what. The next 2 years have no progress

Instead make smaller progress ie 10-15kg on the total as a beginner over 5 comps will bring upto 75kg on your total. That’s 5 comps making progress instead of 1 monster and 4 no progress

The aim we have is to ensure lifters stay grounded and most importantly COACHABLE. If they can do these 2 things. SM is a place you will make progress. That is our guarantee!!

29/06/2022

Team Mates

This sport is an individual sport when it comes time to be judged but the other 99% of the time is a team sport.

With that comes a responsibility and a unwritten rule. If you have my back I’ll have you back.

The support from teams across the world in any sport is what makes us show up every single day to get better. Then we we get better we cheer for the new people who are just getting in the sport because we want to show them what passion is all about.

That’s why no matter what we install a culture of togetherness and being supportive no matter if it’s a small milestone or a deciding lift to win a championship.

Pep Guardiola when he took over Barcelona introduced the culture concept. An example was if a sub on the bench didn’t celebrate when a goal was scored they got transfer listed as it was seen they didn’t care about the team and more about themselves.

People who notoriously show up late to training, don’t come to support at comps. Often miss sessions and focus on other crap that doesn’t matter will be left behind when you zoom out.

What’s left is a team culture who will go the extra mile for one another and make sure to celebrate when they win together.

Look around the country and it’s the faces you see at every comp represented by every team.

A strong team is not defined by their skill or ability. It is defined by togetherness support and desire to be the best that they can be.

Within each team there are strengths and people who will do whatever is necessary to make sure we all succeed.

We move forward together …

16/06/2022

Trust the Process

Something you always must do with anything in life. You gotta believe in it to be motivated to do it. If you don’t you will lose focus pretty quick

The process is not a short term one. It takes years to call yourself an expert and when you take on a coach it is you entrusting them to get as much out of you as they can and that you follow all the things that they prescribe.

For the most part they have a long term plan for each athlete and they are all different. I always loved the coaching movies like Miracle and coach Carter and in those movies the coach had a unique way of getting the best out of each athlete.

The 16 national champions in Ireland all have a coaching style that is unique to that person and the respective coach got the very best out of the athlete. I think from 2023 on if you can call yourself an open National Champ in Ireland your doing pretty damn good. The standard is ridiculous got.

The traits in theses champs for the most part is that they trust the process and the plan coach has laid out for them. It’s on them to be accountable with program and everything outside. They Definately to coach hop more than a Dublin hop on hop off bus tour.

Most importantly they give 100% and trust the process.

14/06/2022

Happy birthday

One of the stars of the SM show. Still hard to believe it’s 6 years since you walked into the gym and couldn’t hold a bar upright.

Now 21 (16+5 🤣🤣)

Hope you enjoy your day. 🎉🎉🎉

12/06/2022

A Real One.

is one of the most loveable characters on our team and the

Last year we probably weren’t getting back on a platform again. Tried everything and always ended in pain.

Her first win was perseverance and never giving up because for some people lifting isn’t always about the Wins and Losses. It’s a way of life. It’s the fact you spend more time with your gym family than your actual family. It’s about going to competitions and screaming for people who were strangers once upon a time. Most importantly it’s about finding the place you belong in life.

Emotionally and teared up as Hannah was today. She comes of the back of 2 perfect comps.

18/18 lifts

Today setting 3 lifetime PBS

Squat 147.5kg
Bench 92.5kg PB
Deadlift 162.5kg PB
Total 402.5kg PB

What a story. We are so proud of you.

Most importantly. You never tapped out when things got hard 💙💙

07/06/2022

5 years

This place has seen some of the best times.

16 National champions
European Records
World/Euro Medals
National Records

Sometimes it’s good to see memories like this to remind you of the Journey. The destination is always about the Pursuit and in most cases the Journey will build your character.

Every person that steps on the platform for the first time is like a Rabbit in a headlight whether they want to admit it or not. It’s the environment and the people around them that make them what they are.

Powerlifting is hard and it’s not for everyone. People who don’t have the capacity to understand this are better suited in a different activity. But when I look at the 1% in Ireland and even further the World. Everyone of them work there Ass of to be the best they can be. No weak ass mindset. Just hard work..

That is part of the winning formula. Show up Work hard and progress.

Working hard doesn’t mean RPE 9.5 every week. It means having the understanding and humility that working within the ranges and recovering week to week will stand by you longer than hitting gym single PBS which mean nothing.

Everytime we jump of program and hit a 9 instead of a 7 will have a detrimental affect on meet day.

If you can be consistent and make good training decisions you will make severe progress year on year

26/05/2022

It will be there on the day is accepting average!!

That is something you hear in every gym weeks before comp.

Yes I think it can be there when you go out there. But only if you believe it and if you can do a few things along side it

- Own your S**t
- Don’t Crumble under pressure
- have High confidence that you can nail any lift set in front of you.

I’ve seen lifters at comps fail 3rd attempts 6/7/8 comps in a row. What is really going to change about that 9th comp. By saying something they don’t believe in..

For the most part I think a few things can make your next comp successful

1. Let the ego go. A 9.5/10 complete grinder in the gym means nothing if you can’t do it when it matters and that 9.5/10 is the limiting factor between going 8 or 9/9 to a 4 or 5/9. So check yoself before you wreck youself..

2. Take a cycle in complete sub max, I guarantee you won’t be in a worse position than you started but a better one.

3. Rpe 5 and 6’s to work on Technical Proficiency will serve you better than making mistakes in the RPE 8/9 range. Save these ranges to the peak..

So next time you say It’s there on the day. Deliver on that promise and smash it 🔥🔥🔥

16/05/2022

Handle Business!!

Over the past few years the biggest lesson for me is that running programs and meet day are 2 different beasts entirely.

I mean you can literally go on the internet and pull 1000s of templates and make pretty decent gains but… when you go to a meet and don’t know what you are doing you set up for failure.

There was a time in the beginning where you could get away with it but now and going forward in the irishPF I can see a bigger emphasis on meet day handling and that involves so much more than simply adding 2.5/5/7.5 etc to the next attempt. There is an element of strategy that is involved and that experience comes from watching meets and seeing how people lift both with no pressure and under maximum pressure.

could’ve done any comp especially up North which would’ve been on her doorstep but I wanted her to test herself against the best in the country. That old saying of “if your the strongest in the room, your in the wrong room” you need to constantly be in uncomfortable spots to progress

What Jordan got was probably the most competitive flight I’ve seen in a non international. It seem the U69 Jr squat record broken 5 times which is unreal..

Handle business means flushing out the negativity and focusing of the job at hand. No room or margin for error except executing the lift with precision and confidence. No place for losing the nerve now, the hard work has been done and this is all or nothing right here right now in this moment

The outcome was a 9/9 day and a JR record in her first comp.

The last time I saw someone put in this type of performance early on she went on to claim 5 National titles.

Future is bright

10/05/2022

158kg - National Squat record

What a flight of squat, probably one of my favourite in recent memory. The record changed hand 5 times during. It was like an international flight

Nice to see the standard growing. One thing I noticed this weekend was the sheer quality across the weekend and some Juniors and Masters will be pushing for open championships next year

09/05/2022

Reunited with my best mate after a long weekend of coaching. Always amazing to see him again.

Nearly a big 1. Best year of my life 💙💙

Strength Militia Training

13/07/2022

11/07/2022

09/07/2022

29/06/2022

16/06/2022

14/06/2022

12/06/2022

07/06/2022

26/05/2022

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