What a great weekend. Before diving into the main part of this post, I want to thank Randy Martin and the POWER Fargo team for inviting me to speak and for being fantastic hosts at the 3rd Sanford POWER Strength and Conditioning Clinic. The event was two busy days of top-notch training and nutrition information for fitness professionals, with about 200 attendees—mostly strength coaches, personal trainers, and physical therapists, plus a few Bert Blyleven fans.
The food was on point too. All-you-can-eat deviled eggs and chicken/pineapple skewers—meathead heaven. The only thing that would have made it more over-the-top would be creatine as a condiment or John Cena showing up for a pig roast. Note to future planners: that would be a hit.
Saturday was a full day for me. I spoke six times—two presentations (one on squat assessment and the other on shoulder “stuff”) and four 30-minute hands-on sessions where I shared shoulder-care exercises we use with our overhead athletes at Cressey Performance. You can learn more about the latter in a linked resource. You can also watch a video of that session here; the lighting gets better as it goes. By the end of Saturday my brain was fried and I even lost my voice.
Now I’m in the hotel lounge Sunday morning writing this before I head back to POWER for a quick lift with a few coaches, then it’s off to the airport. If you’re reading this Monday, I’m home safe and sound.
Quick aside: I’ve found the Midwest to be wonderfully friendly. It’s refreshing to make eye contact, get a smile, and hear “good morning.” In Boston you might get a glare or worse just for saying hello. Thanks, Midwest, for restoring my faith in humanity.
The X-factor in getting women to lift weights
I’ve long believed that women should lift substantial weights—not just light, decorative dumbbells. Real weights bring real benefits: better performance in sports and daily life, healthier bodies with more lean mass and stronger bones, injury prevention, and, yes, feeling and looking great. And some people train simply because they enjoy it.
My partner Lisa is a serious lifter—deadlifts, squats, hip thrusts, push-ups, and even strict bodyweight chin-ups. People often ask if she’s training for something. Her answer: “Yes, for life.” I love seeing women train just to train.
But many women still hesitate to use the free weights. Part of the reason is intimidation—the noise, the crowded feel, even the smells. There’s more to it, though. There are gender differences in how people judge progress. During a talk at the Fargo clinic, registered dietitian and strength coach Dave Ellis explained that women tend to compare themselves to other women, while men compare themselves to their own past performance. In other words, women measure progress against peers; men measure against their own history.
In the weight room, athletes push to lift more each time, comparing to their own past achievements. Women, however, can be influenced by comparisons to other women, which can become toxic. I once had a client in her 50s who trained hard but wouldn’t celebrate progress because she didn’t look like a younger former Division I athlete training nearby. A key lesson: progress isn’t about looking like someone else—it’s about getting better than you were yesterday.
What about beginners? The issue isn’t just the gym’s atmosphere or a learning curve; it’s how much they compare themselves to others. If we as coaches can nudge women to compete with themselves, we’ll see more positive shifts. I try to do this from day one with my female clients: focus on personal progress. If you can do a push-up from the floor now when four weeks ago you struggled from an elevated position, that’s a win. If you can squat cleanly now when you used to wobble, that’s a win. If you added 20 pounds to your deadlift, that’s a win. If your jeans fit again, that’s a win. If you can finish a training session without needing a long break, that’s a win. If you’re less likely to hear you’re an asshole during a session, even better. All of these wins matter because they show you’re getting better.
The Bert Blyleven moment
For those who don’t know Bert Blyleven, he’s a legendary Minnesota Twins pitcher and the franchise’s all-time leader in many pitching categories; he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011. Since I was in Minnesota, I tried to win the crowd with Twins lore rather than Red Sox references, tossing in names like Kirby Puckett, Gary Gaetti, Kent Hrbek, Danny Gladden, Tom Brunansky, Jack Morris, Chuck Knoblauch, Joe Mauer, and Frank Viola. I’ll keep going, dammit.
