In the warmup room at last month’s powerlifting meet, I had a good conversation with a gentleman who was competing in the sport for the first time. He had previously competed in strongman, but had come to enjoy training the squat, bench, and deadlift enough to step on the platform. He asked me about my background, and I told him about my “hybrid” approach to running and powerlifting. I explained that I wasn’t particularly great at either of them, but training for both strength and endurance allowed me to maximize my fitness and have fun.
His reply was simple, saying something to the effect of “Those last two words right there are it. Have fun.”
As far as my performance in competitions, I am an above average runner and a below average powerlifter. Now, I don't think I'm significantly better at running than I am powerlifting, but far fewer people are willing to compete in a sport where they have to put on tights, stand on a platform, and lift in front of dozens to hundreds of people. In any case, I am not an extraordinary competitor in either of the athletic disciplines that I enjoy.
The argument could be made that those two sports are so opposite that I am doing myself a disservice by training and competing in both–that I should just pick one and stick with it. There is probably some merit to that argument, but how significant? I could give up running and level up to being an above average or maybe even a "good" powerlifter; I could give up the heavy weights and become a better runner.
Let's face it: even if I were to take one of those two routes, I would likely not improve to some higher plane of "world class" or "professional" or "elite." Growing up, I was always a good, but not great, athlete. I made the teams, but I was never the best on them–although I was usually picked to be the captain. I made the state tournaments, but I never won them. And that's okay. Sports build character and healthy habits. As a powerlifter and runner, the only person I'm truly competing against is myself; and I'm having fun and staying healthy while doing it.
I’m reading Ryan Holiday’s Discipline is Destiny right now, and came across this quote during my morning reading:
"We don’t need accomplishments to feel good or to be good enough. What do we need? The truth: not much! Some food and water. Work that we can challenge ourselves with. A calm mind in the midst of adversity. Sleep. A solid routine. A cause we are committed to. Something we’re getting better at."
I’m healthy. I’m having fun. I’ve got commitments and practices in place that yield notable improvement. What more do I need?
Bio: For over a decade, Hunter has been running and performing compound barbell lifts. He did so in high school to become a better wrestler and soccer player, continued during and after college to meet the demands of being an Infantry Officer in the US Army, and now runs trail races and competes in powerlifting meets for fun. Outside of training, Hunter works full-time as an IT recruiter; Hunter is also an ACE Certified Personal Trainer.
You can find more from Hunter on Instagram: @Squatters_Rites (https://www.instagram.com/squatters_rites/), his blog (https://squattersrites.substack.com/), or on EliteFTS (https://www.elitefts.com/author/hunter-richardson/)
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