Sometime around New Year’s, an ad for a local powerlifting seminar appeared in my Facebook feed. I clicked on it to discover that Ed Coan was going to be giving a powerlifting seminar in my home province on Good Friday. This was like learning that Jack Nicklaus was coming town to give golf tips or Stephen King was planning a workshop on writing horror novels. I signed up right away.

If you are not in the know, powerlifting is a strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift. Ed Coan is by many accounts the greatest powerlifter to ever get under the bar. He holds over 71 world records and his best result in a drug-tested international competition is 1,035 kg (2,282 lbs) in the 100 kg weight class at the 1994 IPF Senior World Championships. Do the math and you’ll realize – yup, he lifted over 10 times his bodyweight.

Good Friday came and I headed out to the seminar. Along with two competition benches, a mono-lift, and a power rack, there were about twenty of us crammed into the back of a hotel ballroom. In attendance, there was the to-be-expected collection of seasoned lifters (both men and women), a local competitive strongman who also runs Ironman triathlons, an aspiring special olympian (who set more PRs throughout the day than anyone else) and his coach, a gaggle of fanboys, and me with my pen and notebook. The day began with Ed sticking his head in the door telling us to warm up and get ready to lift as this was to be a hands-on seminar. Following the format of a powerlifting meet, we were going to start by working on squats, then bench press, and then finish up with the deadlift. There was no set end time for the event. The organizer simply informed us we would lift until Ed was done with us. I was ready to lift heavy and soak up as much knowledge as possible. The seminar lived up to and surpassed my expectations and I want to share a few of the things I learned that day.

10 THINGS I LEARNED TRAINING WITH ED COAN

1. “Relax your hip flexors when you squat”: If you read my blog, then you already know that my squat sucks. I have had lots of help with my squat and it still sucks. I stepped up to the mono-lift and got in position and did a few reps with the bar. When Ed asked me “Is that how you normally squat?” my response was “Yes.” He replied, “We are going to change that.” I was pessimistic, but I was also looking forward to having Ed coach me. I have trouble hitting depth. I have always thought that his was a product of poor hip mobility. But that turns out not to be the case. If I hold on to a rack or a TRX or Ed’s finger, I can easily go ass-to-grass. I am not impinged, impeded or otherwise inhibited. Ed explained that in my attempt to get tight under the bar and create tension, I was unintentionally clenching my hip flexors. This clenching of the hip flexors is what has been keeping me from constantly going below parallel. Like any other inhibition, my inhibitions about squatting were all in my head. Ed pointed this out and told me to work on building up comfort and consistency with the new motor pattern and habit of relaxing my hips and dropping smoothly into the bottom of the squat. I wasn’t the only uptight squatter at the seminar. As it turned out this clenching of the hip flexors is not that uncommon.

2. “Spread your taint.” This is another cue Ed gave for squatting. You have undoubtedly heard the cue to push your knees out when you squat. Well when some folks apply this advice, they bow their legs and place great lateral force on the knee joint. This is not an ideal situation for the ligaments that cross the joint. To remedy this, Ed suggests that you open up from your taint rather than your knees. Fancy folks call this part of the body the perineum. By pushing your legs apart from the perineum and groin area, you can create tension in the legs without placing undue stress on the knees. I also found it easier to keep the hips relaxed when pushing out through this area rather than the knee.

3. High or Low Bar Squats? The high bar back squat places the bar on top of the trapezius muscles. The low bar squat puts the bar about 3-4” lower on the back, right above the rear deltoids. Ed uses and teaches the low bar squat for competition lifts, but he told us that he has used the high bar squat as an assistance exercise. The lesson here can be applied to gear, stance, shoes, and many of the other nuances of squatting. Practice lifting the way you compete. After all, you’re practicing for your sport. But don’t be afraid to use other variations of the big three lifts as supplemental exercises.

4. Should I arch my back when I bench press? This was a big question that many folks had for Ed. His answer: “If you like to press with an arched back, go for it.” Throughout the day, I learned that Ed Coan is a pluralist about a lot of the big debates surrounding lifting. He told us that he has benched with a flat back and with an arched back and that he knows many lifters who use the different techniques to great success. He has been around long enough to see trends come and go and look at the big picture rather than follow the dogma of this or that guru. His attitude seems to be: if you are comfortable, confident, and progressively moving bigger and bigger weights with a particular technique, then feel free to use it. If you don’t like a technique, don’t feel obliged to use it just because it’s the hot new thing. You are responsible for becoming the best athlete you can be, so don’t let other people’s preconceptions limit your performance.

5. Keep your shoulders healthy. The fanboys at the seminar were great. They knew every program Ed ever followed and every assistance and accessory exercise he ever did. When they asked him questions about this or that accessory exercise he did in this or that year, you could see in Ed’s eye that had forgotten more lifts than these young guys have ever put up. One such question was about his choice of the seated, behind-the-neck, barbell shoulder press. Coan explained that he chose this assistance lift for the bench because he liked the feel of it and hated doing military presses. There was no magic to it but the lift kept his shoulders feeling good and mobile. He also stressed the importance of using accessory lifts to balance the musculature of the shoulder joint. Again, he was open to using the pulling exercises that work best for you. I was actually surprised to hear him endorse the use of Indian clubs as accessory training for shoulders.

6. Hands, Hands, Feet: Ed might be willing to let a thousand flowers bloom when it comes to many of the debates that get people hot under their lifting belts, but he also stresses doing what works regardless of whatever else you might be playing around with. When it comes to bench pressing, this is Hands, Hands, Feet. Hands: take a wide grip on the bar. This will reduce the overall distance you have to push the bar from your chest, which in turn means less work and more weight on the bar. Hands: grip the living hell out of the bar. A strong grip on the bar will cause you to contract your forearms, upper arms, shoulders, and lats. This is how to make your upper body tight on the bench press. Feet: you want to drive your feet into the ground as hard as you can. The bench press is a full-body exercise and you create tension in the lower body by driving your feet into the ground as hard as your can. Back flat or back arched is up to you, but you better take a widish grip, squeeze for all you’re worth and drive your feet into the floor.

7. Start your deadlift by squatting down to grab the bar: Ed Coan’s Deadlift Program is as famous as he is. Thus it was a bit of shock that he didn’t say too much about deadlifting. The main point he keet returning to is that you should start the deadlift by squatting down to the bar as opposed to simply bending over to put your hands on it. I think Ed coaches this approach in order to nip bad habits in the bud. If you just bend over, then you are more prone to pull with just your back muscles and ignore your legs than you would be if you loaded up your legs first by squatting down. There are two moments in the deadlift. First, drive your feet forcefully into the ground to lift the bar above your knee. You need to load up your legs to develop this driving force. In this first portion of the lift, the hips and the shoulders stay in one constant position; it is not until the bar passes the knees that you begin the second part of the lift by driving your hips forward and raising your chest to come to an upright standing position. If you don’t squat down to the bar, it is likely that you will start pushing the hips forward from the get-go.

8. Sometimes the problem is you don’t know how to lift: If you have a sad squat, a bad bench, or disappointing deadlift, it might be because you have poor technique or you are still discovering the technique that works best for your. You need to spend some serious practice time learning to use your new and improved technique. It’s not enough to identify problems; you have to ingrain the solutions until they become second nature. You have to unlearn your old motor patterns and learn new ones. Coan suggests that you check your ego at the door: drop the weight down, do some repetition work, and don’t go above your 5RM. His reasoning here is pretty straight forward. When the load gets heavy, your form breaks down. The same thing happens when you get too tired. So if you’re learning a new motor pattern, the goldilocks zone is between 8 to 10 reps with 60% to 65% of your 1RM. You want to be fresh and in control of the lift. If your technique is hit-or-miss with a light load, you will never be able to replicate it when it’s crunch time. As Vince Lombardi used to say: “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.” Give yourself permission to practice perfectly.

9. Sometimes the problem is you need to get stronger: Ed was pretty happy with my bench press technique but disappointed by my max. He told me that I just need to become stronger. Once again, he suggested starting in the 8-10 rep range, then working up to sets of 5 for a few months and only then doing triples and doubles. No magic formula; just some time under the bar developing a good base of strength. Serious lifting isn’t about following an eight- or sixteen-week competition peaking program; it is about spending years developing patience and paying your dues when no one is watching. This is the essence of lifting because, in the end, no one really cares how much you can lift. But they will easily see your dedication and quality of character. And that is why the aspiring special olympian was the most cheered-on lifter at the seminar. He approached every lift with seriousness. He listened to Ed’s coaching and he consistently became better and better. He trained like an olympian. FYI, powerlifting is an event in the Special Olympics.

10. “It’s called getting stronger”: As the chalk dust settled and the seminar wound down, the local strongman asked Ed if he still lifted. I was really happy he asked this question. Ed is a powerlifting legend and part of being a legend means that your glory days are well behind you (cue the Bruce Springsteen). Coan’s arms and legs are marked by scars from the numerous surgeries he has undergone to correct the ravages of competing at the highest levels. No one would fault him for not lifting anymore. And true to form, one of the fanboys piped up and asked what program he currently follows. Ed smiled at us and said “yeah, I still train four times a week.” The only difference between now and the old days, he continued, is that he doesn’t go as heavy and he does a little more bench work to keep from getting “flabby on top”. “My program,” Ed responded to the fanboy, “It’s called getting stronger. That’s the only program I’ve ever followed.”

I want to thank Ed Coan, the Amhurst Powerlifting Club, and all the folks who participated in the seminar for a fantastic training day.

Ever Stronger,

Jason Breen CSCS

10 Things I Learned Training With Powerlifting Legend Ed Coan

The Advanced Lifter's Peaking Cycle for Lower Body

16-Week Powerlifting/Bodybuilding Hybrid Program

Alternatives to Squat Training After Overuse Injuries

Hack Your Internal Clock for Improved Sleep Quality and Sport Performance

WORLD RECORD HOLDER WENNING: “EVERYONE SHOULD SUMO DEADLIFT”

Flipping the Switch: How I Changed My Mental Approach to Lifting

The MUST For a Meet – There is No Freaking Excuse

The Big Nutrition Secret

So, You Don’t Think You Need a Coach?

Jason Breen CSCS