In the first two installments of our special edition Table Talk with Dan Green, Dave and Dan discussed two very important topics for powerlifters hoping to climb the ranks of the sport:

In this third video, Dan and Dave discuss a specific problem that lifters may encounter at some point in their powerlifting careers: an extended period of time away from training due to health. They respond to the following question:

"What is the best way to minimize strength and muscle loss on an extended health-related break from training?"

Dave begins by assuming "health-related" means injury and not something such as serious disease or illness. He points out that the key thing to be aware of is that, if you're seriously injured, you are not going to be able to maintain 100% strength. Furthermore, even if you aren't injured, your off-season strength mode is not going to be 100% strength. After a meet, your strength levels aren't going to be at 100%; you may aim for something more like 80% as you go through off-season training, and then ramp things back up once you start preparing for another meet.

Dan then talks about his experience dealing with injuries. He explains that, when coming back from injuries, his goal is to recover and come back to be able to train for a meet. Once he's healthy and able to fully train for competition is when he begins to shift his focus to beating his old numbers. He points out that muscle memory and good technique will allow the strength to come back quickly once you're healthy.

The final thing they talk about is perspective. Dave says that if you're currently in rehabilitation, you shouldn't be primarily worried about maintaining strength and size — you should be primarily worried about your rehabilitation. Once you're healthy, it will all come back. In the long-term, it's more important to simply focus on getting healthy.