Coach's Corner
Tips from Leo Totten

The "Secret" of Weightlifting
08.1999

Working with the best in the United States at the Pan Am Games was an awesome experience! To watch them train and to discuss training philosophy was, as always, an enlightening experience. Their work ethic and mental approach are always fun to explore.

There was one incident that stuck in my mind that I wanted to share with you in this Coaches Corner. It is nothing ìearth shatteringî, but something that needs to be discussed. Robin Goad has always been one of my favorite lifters - besides being a World Champion (and now she can add Pan Am Gold medalist to her resume), former World Record holder and many time National Champion and record holder, she is also an outstanding representative of our sport and always is extremely competitive no matter what the conditions. In spite of all these glowing credentials, she is still trying to learn more and more to make herself even better.

Menís National Team Coach Dragomir Cioroslan and I were walking down the hall of the dorm in Winnipeg when we passed the room of one of our lifters. In the room were a group of our girl lifters just hanging out and talking. Dragomir and I stopped in to say HI when Robin asked Drago - ìWhat is the secret to weightlifting?î Here was one of the best lifters in the USA as well as the World and she was asking for the ìsecretî of weightlifting!

What intrigued me about this seemingly simple question, was that it was coming from one of our best all time. As good as she is, she still wants to get better. As good as she is, she wanted to have any information out there that others might be utilizing for improvement that she is missing out on.

Well, the bottom line is that there is no secret. If there were some magic formula that would make great weightlifters, we would have tons of them. The only so-called secret to success in weightlifting (or any endeavor for that matter) is hard work, discipline, determination and persistence. Having the discipline to work on weak areas and doing what it takes to get the job done. As Vince Lombardi once said, ìThe difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of willî. These traits are the ìsecretî to success. We all have within us the ability to succeed!