Mastering the Barbell
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You know you’ve found a great personal trainer or coach when their name comes up repeatedly not just among clients, but industry as well.
Alan Romero is a name that is repeatedly dropped for his knowledge, skill, passion and perhaps most importantly, ability to get results.
Earlier this year, I attended a “Barbell Basics Seminar” with Alan, and although I wasn’t even really lifting weights at the time, I still took so much from it.
I was excited to find out that six months later, Alan’s bringing the seminar back, only this time it’s a new and improved “Barbell Masterclass Seminar”.
Why the change?
“The seminar is really for people at all levels” says Alan. “Last time, a lot of people said ‘I’m not at a basic level, I’ve advanced or intermediate’, but they’re still making the same mistakes.”
“It’s about mastering, which is better because people can come in if they’re newbies and know that they’re going to be learning how to do it correctly from the start, and also people who’ve been doing it for a while but haven’t been moving that well, or are getting problems like niggles or knee or back issues, they can come in and clean up their form.”
The seminar focuses on three ‘basic’ movements: squat, bench and deadlift.
“They should be basic movements, but they’re not – people still aren’t doing them right” says Alan.
This begs the question: how do you know if you’re not doing it right?
“If it doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not. If you feel it in your knees, your joints, your back or your neck, it’s probably not right. You should be feeling it in an even spread of your muscles, not just in your quads and your back. Most people never even feel their glutes when they squat, and if you’re not feeling it in your glutes, you’re going to feel it in your back.”
“Everyone thinks they can squat but invariably, I can count on one hand the amount of people who I’ve seen in ten years do it properly, who weren’t professionals. Even people who are power lifters for a hobby still get it wrong.”
Sometimes we can get caught up in our egos and thinking we know what we’re doing, but even if you’ve been squatting, bench pressing and dead lifting for years, almost everyone can benefit from a check up on their form. This is especially the case if you’ve plateaued and aren’t improving, or you’re feeling pain – a situation Alan knows all too well.
“Some people take a step back, but most of the time they’re happy to do that if it stops them from feeling pain, and they can build up from there.”
“That’s what happened to me, with the way I used to squat, every time I got above a certain weight, I could just feel it in my back. It was an annoying cycle until I injured myself quite badly and couldn’t squat in that old way anymore at all.”
“So, I had to find a new way to do it that didn’t hurt, and that’s really how this all evolved. I ended up getting a lot stronger than my old squat, and I thought ‘maybe there’s something to this!’, so I started doing it with my clients, and that’s how it all started.”
I’ve had the pleasure of training with Alan under his brand Romero Athletics in the past, and one thing I really like is that he isn’t ever satisfied with ‘close enough’ – he’ll thoroughly explain the right technique, demonstrating and correcting until you get it right, so as to avoid injury and maximise performance.
If you’re interested in starting weight lifting and have no idea what I’ve been talking about – never fear: this seminar is all about the fundamentals, with a structure designed to answer questions from beginners right through to professionals.
“It’s less of a lecture and more interactive, with more practical elements and making sure that everyone has their individual questions answered.”
For someone with a seemingly endless list of qualifications, Alan is refreshingly humble and down to earth – he never makes you feel foolish for making a mistake or asking a ‘silly’ question. His approach to breaking down complex information and explaining it in a way that’s approachable and applicable to the way you move is fantastic.
Whether you’re just starting out (like me!) or consider yourself an expert lifter, I’d really encourage you to attend next Sunday’s seminar. It’s an investment that you’ll be really thankful you made.
the essentials
What: Barbell Masterclass Seminar
When: 10am-4pm, Sunday 6 December 2015
Where: Fitness First Deakin
Web: Tickets available here
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