- Use Chalk
- Loud Music Only
- Work Hard or Go Home
- Do Not Lower Deadlift Quietly
- Grunting Allowed
- Put Weights Away When Done
- Break Your Last PR
- TRAIN, Do Not Work Out
- Respect The Equipment and Staff
There is a buzz right now in the pool here for Water Polo Canada. Recent World League Champions Serbia is in Calgary for joint training with the national team. There is a sense of awe surrounding the Serbian team. The way the guys talked about the Serbs, I figured when the jumped in the pool they would either walk on the water or part the waters upon entrance. They show up with 18 players… and when basically the only sport in your country is Water Polo, then you have the pick of the best. They are LARGE men. When you are a player born in ‘94 and you are hovering on 6’5” 100 – 105 kg, that’s a mountain in the pool. They are impressive, but what impresses me is not the Serbian’s, it the amount of work that was accomplished by our Canadian team this year. Hell, we beat USA for the first time in 40 year, not once, but twice to qualify for World Championships. I would challenge any country to have put as much work in as our Canadian team.
So today, Canada and Serbia start their joint training. We take out usual spot in the weight room and Serbia takes up some realestate at the other end of the building. As I make my way over to return some equipment to the other side of the building I watch a little of what the Serbians are doing. Now I cannot make an opinion on their program and periodization based on a 5 minute viewing (however there a a tonne of “experts” on the internet that can watch a YouTube clip of training a think they have a sniff of what’s going on), they were not doing anything revolutionary. And I can make an educated guess that they are following RULE #8. They train!
There is no magic to training. Do some F##king Work. That is it. Sure when it come to a team and competitions then there is calculated F##king Work. But it is not something revolutionary, or entertaining. If I were here to entertain athletes I would wear a clown nose and balance on a ball. I can guarantee that that they are not doing Cleans and then burpees over the bar or what ever else is used to “just make someone sweat”. They are picking things that are heavy up and putting them down… and repeat. They are swimming hard and fast and swimming long and slow. They are doing WORK in an organized fashion. It is that simple. But RULE #8 will require RULES #3, 4, 5 and 7… and sometimes 1 and 2 to be used at all times. And then I told the guys that, my concluding comment was, “ and that is what we did all year.” The Water Polo team completed a lot of calculated work. And now with World League Champs in town, we will see how that work paid off!