I think this goes unaddressed a lot of the time, and I'm convinced it's one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve the quality of your training. It doesn't mean rushing. Rushing is bullshit. A sense of urgency means you get into the gym and the moment you start training, you're working. Not chatting, not dicking around. Working. You got an eye on the clock, because you've got shit to do. Same way as when you're at work you know you've got to get a certain amount of shit done before knock-off, when you're in the gym you got work. Bottom line is, outside of peak most people don't need to be in the gym any longer than 90 minutes or so, and usually 60 to 85 is plenty. If that seems like it's too short, maybe you need to look at how you're spending your training time and how much discomfort you're prepared to tolerate.
When you train with a sense of urgency, you focus. When you focus, you work better. You perform better. You think better. You practice your focus so on meet day when it matters most, you don't need to switch on because you've never switched off.
Indicators
That's another one that can get overlooked, but is useful AF. It also takes more time to find what they are. After a few years, if you train halfway consistently you'll notice that your max correlates pretty well with reps you can do at a given weight as well as your performance on some accessory lifts.
Just for some examples, what I can hit for a hard but clean wrapped squat set of eight relates pretty accurately to my fatigued max wrapped squat. I know that my max standing overhead press is around 65% of my fatigued bench max, and that 65% relationship also applies pretty consistently across the board for my bench and standing overhead press. I also know that what I can bench for a clean 10 reps with at most one rep left in the tank gives me a very close idea of what I can hit for a fatigued max single. What I can deadlift for a set of five with one or two reps in the tank gives me a good idea of what my fatigued deadlift max is.
If I do the maths, the estimated max formula of Emax = (weight × reps × 0.033) + weight actually works pretty well for me within five kilos or so across the competition lifts. What it doesn't do is relate to my peaked performance. Which is fine.
This helps a ton because it means at any given point during training, you'll have a pretty good idea of how you're going. It won't be gospel, but it's a very decent yardstick. The only drawback is that it's one of few very individual aspects of training and indicators take a few years to become apparent. Keep track. You'll be glad you did.
Take emotion out of your training - until you have total control over it
Show me a good powerlifter and I'll show you someone who has learned how to use and manipulate their emotional state. That takes time. It also takes effort. Being able to switch on and off is a huge advantage when you're looking at a max. Here's the thing though: you likely won't get good at it by getting fired up every session. You need to learn when it's needed, and when it isn't; what the difference is between focus and arousal.
Focus? That's a sense of urgency, you need that shit every damn day and it's more about discipline than anything else. Arousal is opening that little door at the back of your head and letting the adrenaline flow when and only when you decide it's time. You need to be able to shut it off too, just as easily as you can turn it on. You need to be able to take the fight or flight response and direct it so it works for you, not against you.
Don't be the powerlifter who yells and screams and works themselves up into such a state that they get to the bar and can't execute the lift because they're so fraught technique goes out the window. Be the one who calmly walks to the bar with a storm boiling inside that they have total control of.
Love the process
I get it, there are plenty of people who train because they like training. They find it fun. That's fine, until it's not. After a while, powerlifting training stops being fun. You've done it all, really, so it becomes monotonous. You won't be getting that rush from maxing out because you don't max outside of a peak. Or you shouldn't. Not if your performance in meet is what you're focused on, and I'm sorry but if you're not focused on your meet performance you're not a powerlifter. You're a tourist and I don't give a shit about you.
So what happens when it isn't fun? You got to fall in love with the process, marry it and build a loving relationship. Seriously, you got to love the process, because the individual sessions are mostly boring and shitty. You've got to enjoy showing up for every shitty, boring session because it takes you one step closer to being better.
If you can't let go of needing enjoying the actual training you might be in trouble, because you'll need to keep seeking new stimuli. That means constantly changing methods, changing exercises and that means usually screwing your progress. You're not gifted and not a freak, so you can't get away with what they can.
Love the process. Forget everything else.
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