What are your training crutches?

Good first night back at PTC Perth post flu with a nice crowd of regulars working hard under the watchful gaze of coach Aaron.

Couple of minutes into the session Aaron dutifully kicks on the sound and immediately old school nineties tunes are pumped around the gym. This playlist is clearly the work of Paul (one of the owners) and the older lads of my vintage are more than appreciative especially when Kenny Logging belts out the Top Gun theme (by the way if you don't think that is cool then FUCK YOU). Credibility slides a little when this is followed by what sounds like the Back to the Future 3 theme?!?! (Paul we need to talk!!).

So 15 mins later one of the young bucks rolls in for training and asks instead to put his playlist on...now before the tunes hit the waves I could pick what that would be. Some death metal derivative with a few Foo fighter like wannabes...average tunes not bad not good obviously something that floats his boat though.

Interestingly as I watched him train it was was clear this wasn't a limit session so while the music might of be comforting for him it wasn't required for a 1RM attempt. However it got me thinking about the crutches that we all rely upon, those things that each of us prefer to have in place for our training. Now for some its a certain t-shirt, or the pre-workout powder, or as in the case above your own tunes.

My thinking is a little different: you have to build resilience to train well regardless. For example once you are on the platform at competition time you don't necessarily get all of that shit particularly the music. Or like me you may be away from home for work training at an unfamiliar gym. So in these situations does it mean because you don't have your favourite playlist or t-shirt you will have a bad workout? Of course not, it means you should learn to grow a set go internal and focus on the work not on the shit that doesn't matter.

In fact the only thing I learned from this is that the best guys to train with often have some of the dumbest and lame music taste.

Stay Strong
Thomo