I've not been able to get to the gym till today but with the pressure off competing that isn't a problem. Also when I was at work the wardrobe department noticed I had lost weight. Good news!
Hip belt Squat - 135x20, 200x15, 265x10. First time at the new gym. Set up in a power rack was good.
Alternate DB Press or Seesaw press - 60'sx10, 77.5lbersx8x8x8
Seated Calves - 2platesx15, 3platesx12, 4platesx10
Jump training.
Nick
Another beautiful day here in England.
Military Press - 135x10, 180x5x5x5. Different grips on each set.
Chins - 45lb platex8, 90lbs (2x45lb plates)x5x5. Again different grips.
Dips - 110lbs of platesx8, 180lbsx5x5.
Some jump specific work.
Boxing - bag work. 7x1min30sec rounds with 45 seconds recovery.
The jump specific work is the second part of my jumping experiment that will lead to a full program. If you need agility you are gonna want to hear about this!
Have a great day!
Nick
I have known Randall Strossen now for over 10 years. We first spoke when David Horne, Lee Morrison, Mike Thompson and myself took the first trip to Scotland to lift the Dinnie Stones in 1998. Randy is a man who understands strength in all forms and someone who has helped changed the face of strength over the last 20 years with Ironmind strength equipment and his hugely successful MILO magazine. If you've heard of grippers, neck harnesses or axles you'll have heard the brand name Ironmind mentioned. He also wrote one of the best books on strength training ever written in his classic text 'Super Squats'. Here's a rare interview from the man himself.
Nick
As well as the usual articles, observations and general talk I have decided to move my training log from the Power and Bulk to here. I love the P and B. It is a home away from home and the guys I know there are true Iron Game hard heads. However, I wanted to add some more personal content here and since I am not competing right now it seemed a nice idea to include my training thoughts here instead.
This was todays training...
Hip Belt Squats - 135x20, 200x20, 231x20. All solid and quite easy. My quads and hips (upper butt) were pumped but otherwise this was no big deal.
Incline DB Bench press - 80lb dumbbellsx10, 100lbersx10x10
Knee Jump progressions. Jumping off a kneeling position to a standing or squat position. This went from bodyweight, to an Olympic bar on the shoulders, to holding a 15kg plate, to 40kg on the shoulders, to holding 30kg of plates, to 5" blocks and finally a rebound to a 45" box.
Here's the video of the knee jump progressions...
Remember to use the arms, extend the hips, bring your legs through fast and STOMP the ground!
Nick
I've had a few well wishes from Rick, Steve and others regarding my change of training focus. Thanks to everyone. I probably should have made it a little clearer that strength is and always will be my main concern. Let me clarify.
In the meantime, set your goals, stay injury free and train with purpose!
Nick
Here's a nice tribute to the one and only Steve Reeves
Over the last 22 years I have pushed my body HARD! I started weight training in 1985 and since then I have been obsessed with strength. I have striven to maintain a good level of conditioning and since the age of 30 I have watched my weight as I noticed some changes with what and how I was eating. Now at the tender age of 37 and counting, I have decided to ease off on certain parts of my training.
At my heaviest I was 109kg/240lbs or 17 stone. This was last year and it was too heavy. I am now back to 16 stone and am aiming to get down to 15 stone over the next few months. I am backing off the heavy squats and deadlifts. This is going to allow me some much needed time to rest the posterior chain and heal some injuries all round. Most people have not done nearly enough work on their lower body. I'm the opposite.
The focus will drop off of pure strength for the lower body. I know from previous training that the Hip Belt Squat will maintain large amount of lower body strength without the stress of a bar on your back. I hope to use this exercise and really make a full study on its benefits. My workouts will become more focussed towards the performance I require from my job and also to 'feel good'.
Things I will be looking at including will include the following:
Hip Belt Squat
Chins and Dips
Overhead pressing
Curls and Tricep work
Grip work
Boxing and kick boxing
Tabatas
Dragging (heavy and light)
Loading
Jumping and plyometrics
Yoga and Pilates
Calf and hamstring work
Bench Press work
Any upper back work I do will be more for restoration and prehab. My upper back doesn't need any more muscle. Again this is unusual. Most people I see in the gym are chest and arm dominant.
I experimented last year with some of this training. A workout may look like this but remember I tweak as required depending on time, energy and stress.
Hip Belt Squat - 1x15, 1x10, 1x5, 1x10
Leg Curls - 4 sets of 10
Weighted Chins - 1x10, 1x5, 1x3
Weighted Dips - 1x10, 1x5, 1x3
Boxing (bag work or pad work) - 5x2minutes
Knee Jumps - 5 sets of 2-3 reps (usually with extra weight)
Another variation might be:
Seated Press - 5x5
Band Face Pulls - 4 sets of 15-20
Bench Press - 1x10, 1x5, 1x3, 1x2, 1x10
Weighted Planks - 1 set of 3minutes
Kick Boxing - 1x30 secs rest 30 secs, 1x1min rest 1 min, 1x2 mins rest 2 mins and repeat
Other times I may do one main exercise such as the bench press and then superset loading and boxing. These types of workouts provide good conditioning as well as strength. This is probably as functional (don't be afraid of that word!) as anyone will need for any sport or activity where strength and short term endurance are needed.
No doubt the most successful and impressive coach to implement these types of ideas is Ross Enamait. So until I can get something on video check out Ross in action.
Nick
Laurence Shahlaei was the winner today of the Midland qualifier for Britain's Strongest Man. With well known names like Spencer Hyland, Simon Flint, Dave Meer, Wayne Russell and Dean Slater this was going to be a tough competition for everyone.
Laurence, Big Loz, started superbly, winning the 300kg Deadlift with an almighty 13 reps. Spencer Hyland and Mick Ashhurst tied for 2nd with 12 reps followed by Dean Slater with 11.
The Viking press was HEAVY! This was probably the heaviest Viking Press ever in the UK. The athletes were told 140kg and I can believe it. Dean Slater powered out 10 reps for the win with Dave Meer close behind on 9 reps. Big Loz in his least strong event pushed up 5 excellent reps to tie for 4th, a great result.
The tyre flip sorted the guys out with their conditioning. 14 reps were lifted by both Dean and Loz with Wayne Russel putting in an excellent 13 for 3rd.
By now Loz's back was cramping bad but digging deep he stepped up for the Farmer's Walk and Drag. He blistered through this event for another win and a now a place in the Britain's Strongest Man with one event to go. He now had to stick with Dean on the stone load for reps to go for the win. Dean made an impressive 10 reps being equalled by Dave Meer. Loz stepped up and managed a solid 9 reps for the overall win.
This is another excellent result for the young strongman and a good friend of mine. I have assisted/coached Big Loz and some of the other lifters at the Whey HQ but without their effort and dedication anything I or anyone else says means nothing. I believe Laurence can go all the way and make a full career from Strongman. Only time will tell but his toughness is building all the time and his strength is already up with the best.
It was also great to see so many people supporting a great event run by former World's Strongest Man competitor, Ade Rollinson.
Nick
Big Loz takes the Deadlift whilst Dean Slater looks on
Top 2 and BSM qualifiers Loz and Dean
One of my all time favourite lifters of any era is the amazing Marvin Eder. For those of you who don't know about Marvin here's a brief bio from the great physical culture writer David Gentle.
"For decades recognized as one of the most powerful bodybuilders of all time MARVIN EDER a star of the 1950's and pre steroid era, used poundages in basic exercises and trained with an intensity that few even of today's over supplemented or drug assisted bodybuilders, complete with well padded lifting suits can approach, let alone excel. Examples will follow, but consider for now the power of being able to side press single-handed more than your own bodyweight (220lbs at 200lbs b/w) or complete 8 wide grip chins with an extra 200lbs attached ….a real 'lat' stretcher.
Although I was well accustomed to seeing and reading of the ‘Biceps from the Bronx' Marvin Eder in my early training days, it was to be 45 years or later before I actually met him in person in London, at an earlier OHF awards, yet he still radiated keenness and sustained a high interest in bodybuilding and lifting although he was unhappy with the abuse and misuse of steroids. 'Marvin always trained 'naturally' and of course it is a lot tougher than using chemical aids to energize and assist rapid recovery. Natural recuperation takes longer, when your own individual body physiology is ready, but it also builds life long vitality, rather than short term stimulation. Delighted to meet him after such a long time of admiring him from afar, the very first question I asked Marvin, aware of his awesome prowess and power, was "Where the hell did you get your energy from?", and he replied casually, "Just natural I guess. I was full of energy, often trained several times daily' (note we do not recommend other bodybuilders, especially newcomers, attempt to follow his example, Eder was unique).
Although being pictured in many muscle journals of his era, Marvin Eder featured most often and prominently in Joe Weider's 'YOUR PHYSIQUE' and 'MUSCLE POWER' magazines of the late 1940's and early 50's displaying phenomenal power, being one of the first to bench press close to 500lbs at under 200lbs bodyweight. A terrifically strong Olympic presser, i.e. the two hands MILITARY press, his supposedly 'professional' status denied him the opportunity to compete in the USA OLYMPIC team or the AAU Mr. America, both being the losers, as Eder would undoubtedly have won many other top titles in bodybuilding and the Olympic games for America if given the chance.
Earle Liederman, famed 'Muscle By Mail' merchant and author of note said of Marvin on seeing him for first time: 'Under the lights, I particularly observed Marvin's arms which performed a most unusual biceps contraction. His biceps would become fully flexed and remain in that state for a moment, and then with a faint forearm movement, the same biceps took on another contraction so that the belly of the muscle seemed to roll, or creep, towards his deltoid. He did this with either arm. This cannot be fully explained, nor appreciated with words, and must be seen for better wonderment. Anyway you can imagine seeing an 18-inch arm, such as he owns, become bent and then firmly flexed so that the huge baseball size biceps knots up into exceptional height. Right there you become satisfied and your hands applaud, yet right before your eyes, and when you feel that no greater contraction could be made with such a biceps, this same biceps begins to move, starting from the highest point, which apparently separates itself from the mass, to creep inwardly toward the shoulder, thereby causing the biceps to become even larger, though not any higher.”
That should have wet your appetite whether you know about Marvin or not. To read more click HERE
Even today there are few men of any weight that could live with Marvin's lifts. Here's a run down from the Osmo Kiiha's excellent 'The Iron Master' (December 1993).
Clean and Press - 355lbs
Snatch - 285lbs
Clean and Jerk - 345lbs
Clean - 365lbs
Squat - 665lbs (not a max effort)
Bench Press - 515lbs
Floor Press - 530lbs
Dips - 434lbs (with two men hanging from his legs, see picture below)
Dips - 400x7
Chins - 250lbsx1
Strict Curl - 210lbs
DB C and Press - 120lbs for reps
Crucifix - 100lbs Db's
Pullover SA - 210lbs
Remember Marvin always weighed around 200lbs and this was back in the 1950's!
I would be overjoyed with those lifts wouldn't you?
Marvin was never able to fulfill his true competitive talents due to being declared a professional (You'll need to read the full article for that story) but I wanted to show you what can be done by the genetically gifted with the right attitude.
Nick
In shape or what?
Marvin, with his never beaten by anyone, 434lb dip!
My apologies to everyone for the lack of content over the past month. I have been moving house, getting a new car and my wife is in Australia so it's been quite a stress. I still don't have internet access at home so it will likely be another week of interruptions. I have managed to find a new gym though which has 10 International Powerlifters and some top ranked Bodybuilders. I spoke to the owner today as well and he seemed super keen for me to help organize some strongman training there as well. Here's the workout from today...nothing too heavy, basic as always. It still mazes me how many people in gyms don't do the basics!
Front Squat - 135x5, 220x5, 265x3, 310x2x2x2x2x2.
Military Press - 135x5, 180x3, 200x1x1x1x1x1x1x1x1x1x1.
Hammer Pullover - 180x12, 265x8x8x8
Dips - 90x10, 135x6x6x6
Hangs with 110lbs 3 sets
Stay strong,
Nick
I see a lot of gurus and strength 'experts' giving out tips on the internet. I sometimes pick up one or two things that get me thinking about my training but nothing that I hadn't done before or am doing in my training now. This got me thinking about things that REALLY count. Now I am no guru but I do have 20 plus years of training behind me and I have been the guinea pig for all that time. So here's four ideas to get you thinking and hopefully make a difference in your training goals.
It's not the routine
The training routine you pick or design is not the deciding factor for success. STOP RIGHT NOW! Stop looking for the secret workout to get that 400lb squat or 17" arms. It's not the routine that will make the difference. You are the only person who can make it happen. You could hire Dan John, Dave Tate and Dorian Yates to design the ultimate routine for athletic, size and strength but guess what? If you don't WANT it it won't happen.
Knowing is not enough
We ALL want to be strong(er). Even those people who don't train want to be strong, They want nice physiques and they want to be better. I know you want to be bigger, stronger and better. However, that's not enough. Before the internet there was two ways you could 'brag' about your strength. You could write about it in a magazine or you could prove it on the platform in competition. Let me tell you something. No one cares what you lift. NO ONE! The only person who should care is YOU! Can you dig it? Get in the gym, lift. Go home, eat and sleep. Repeat. Grow. Compete. Be happy. End of story.
Dangerous liaisons
Are you training with weak people? Do they belittle your efforts? Is your gym full of gifted meatheads who offer nothing but snide comments and foolish pride? GET OUT! Find a proper gym. Find somewhere that you can learn from the other guys. Find strong people. Train with them. That alone will make you stronger.
It's not the exercises
There are lots of good exercises but there are only a handful of truly GREAT exercises. Some 'gurus' seems to be putting up new videos on YouTube and writing some bizarre e-book about this stunning new exercise for your (insert any muscle group here) every single week! Do yourself a favour. STOP READING THIS RUBBISH! You want the GREAT exercises? SQUAT! PRESS!! PULL!!! Everything else is just gravy.
Nick
Now watch Ed Coan Behind the neck Press 400lbs.
