If you want to write an article on the internet or in a magazine, please do me a favour...
GET SOME EFFING MUSCLES FIRST!!!
If I want my car fixed I go and see an experienced mechanic, someone who has a good reputation and has been around a while.
If I have something wrong with me I go and see a Doctor, someone who has a good reputation and has been around a while.
So...if you want to get stronger and bigger and faster what do you do?
You go and see a trainer/coach who has a good reputation and has been around a while!
You DO NOT go and see the skinny guy who runs marathons or does crossfit or who trains the yummy mummy's and has a nice clean certificate from his recent PT course even if he can do some really wierd exercises on one leg!!
If you are a trainer, get some strength and build some muscles before teaching people how to lift...please...pretty please with sugar on top!
A few more things in absolutely no particular order...
One arm pushups are NOT better than the bench press for upper body strength.
Lifting weights is fun and can be serious but it is NOT your life...it is a part of your life.
If you want to do gymnastics go to a gymnastics club. They kinda know how to teach that stuff.
Olympic lifting for high reps is dangerous.
Trainers who write articles after less than five years of training know nothing and should not be trusted.
Don't get cocky and drop a smith machine incline press on your nose.
Doing some log lifting and farmer's walks doesn't make you a strongman.
If you've never done 20 rep squats hard and heavy then you've never pushed yourself mentally in the gym.
If something hurts it's probably a niggle or a strain not a full on injury. Taking time off for this kind of thing means you should probably take up flower arranging instead.
If you 'Don't want to get too big' then please - join a girls gym and get your privates parted so you can wee like a girl.
There will be more.
BST
And for your viewing pleasure...a manly performance from Stan Efferding...check out the psyche!
World of Grip - World's Strongest Hands Series 2010 - Leg 2 results
Saturday 11 Sept, 2010 Venue: Around the world Promoter: World of Grip, and 9 promoters All weights in kilo's
Overall results (47 competitors)
1 Steve Gardener – 6.5pt 2 David Horne – 11pt 3 Nick McKinless – 13pt 4 Aaron Corcorran – 15.5pt 4 Paul Knight – 15.5pt 6 David Thornton – 16.5pt 7 Jedd Johnson – 22.5pt 8 Jouni Pakarinen – 29pt 9 Tim Struse – 30pt 10 Stew Killick – 36.5pt 11 Eric Milfeld – 38.5pt 11 Adam Glass – 38.5pt 13 Andrew Durniat – 41.5pt 14 Chris Rice – 42.5pt 15 Matti Heiskanen - 47pt 16 Frank Snyder – 48pt 17 Brent Barbe – 49.5pt 18 Kevin Emery – 53pt 19 Richard Scott – 54pt 20 Jeff Parker - 55.5pt 21 Timo Tuukkanen - 56pt 22 Brian Amundsen - 66.5pt 23 Greg Griffin – 70.5pt 24 Elizabeth Horne – 78.5pt (Female) 25 Mark Martin-Dye – 80pt 26 Paul Sippola - 80.5pt 27 Taylor Wilson - 83.5pt 28 Derek Graybill – 86pt 29 Ryan Pitts – 89.5pt 29 Dave Delgado – 89.5pt 31 Ed Livesey – 93.5pt 32 Kris Wragg – 94.5pt 33 Zach Coulter - 98.5pt 34 Adam Sagers – 99pt 35 Eric Lentner – 101pt 36 Mike Puchalski – 104pt 37 Mark DeSousa – 110pt 38 Ben Thornton - 110.5pt (15 yrs.) 39 Crandall Smith – 117.5pt 40 David Sandel – 118.5pt 41 Yvonne Häkkinen – 119.5pt (Female) 42 Mary Anne McKeague – 122.5pt (Female) 43 Mike T Nelson – 125pt 44 Brad Ellingson – 127.5pt 45 Sherrie Wheeler – 130pt (Female) 46 Jerri Larkin – 134pt (Female) 46 Don Larkin - 134pt (67 yrs.)
Women’s Overall results (5 competitors)
1 Elizabeth Horne – 3pt 2 Mary Ann McKeague – 8pt 3 Yvonne Häkkinen – 9.5pt 4 Sherrie Wheeler – 11.5pt 5 Jerri Larkin – 13pt
Event 1 - Two Hands Pinch Lift
1 Jedd Johnson – 110.49k 2 Steve Gardener – 106.3k 3 Aaron Corcorran – 105.04k 4 David Horne – 104.6k 5 Nick McKinless – 102k 6 David Thornton – 99.73k 7 Chris Rice – 98.16k 8 Paul Knight – 98.1k 9 Brent Barbe – 96.74k 10 Tim Struse - 95.84k 11 Jouni Pakarinen - 95.7kg – 11.5pt 11 Matti Heiskanen - 95.7kg – 11.5pt 13 Frank Snyder – 92.52k 14 Eric Milfeld – 91.4k 15 Timo Tuukkanen - 90.7kg 16 Stew Killick – 88.84k 17 Andrew Durniat – 86.67k 18 Mark DeSousa – 85.3k 19 Adam Glass – 85.27k 20 Jeff Parker - 83.83k 21 Brian Amundsen - 81.60k 22 Paul Sippola - 78.54k 23 Kevin Emery – 78k 24 Richard Scott – 76.8k 25 Greg Griffin – 74.6k 26 Elizabeth Horne – 74.3k (Female) 27 Mark Martin-Dye – 72.11k 28 Eric Lentner - 68.32k 29 Taylor Wilson - 67.88k 30 Dave Delgado - 66.2k 31 Kris Wragg – 64.8k 32 Derek Graybill - 63.89k 33 Ed Livesey – 62.60k – 33.5pt 33 Mike Puchalski – 62.60k – 33.5pt 35 Ben Thornton - 56.49k (15 yrs.) 36 Adam Sagers – 54.88k 37 Mary Anne McKeague – 51.59k (Female) 38 Crandall Smith - 50.08k 39 Ryan Pitts – 45.81k 40 Yvonne Häkkinen - 45.7kg (Female) 41 David Sandel – 44.45k 42 Don Larkin - 43.75k (67 yrs.) 43 Sherrie Wheeler – 42.2k (Female) 44 Mike T Nelson – 37.19k 45 Brad Ellingson – 32.65k 46 Jerri Larkin - 32.36k (Female) 47 Zach Coulter – 0
Event 2 – Wrist Developer
1 Stew Killick – L10 Gold – 2pt 1 Steve Gardener – L10 Gold – 2pt 1 Nick McKinless – L10 Gold – 2pt 4 David Horne – L9 Gold – 4.5pt 4 David Thornton - L9 Gold – 4.5pt 6 Adam Glass – L8 Gold – 6.5pt 6 Paul Knight – L8 Gold – 6.5pt 8 Jedd Johnson – L7 Gold – 8.5pt 8 Aaron Corcorran – L7 Gold – 8.5pt 10 Jouni Pakarinen - L6 gold – 11.5pt 10 Eric Milfeld – L6 Gold – 11.5pt 10 Andrew Durniat – L6 Gold – 11.5pt 10 Tim Struse - L6 Gold – 11.5pt 14 Chris Rice – L5 Gold – 17pt 14 Kevin Emery – L5 Gold – 17pt 14 Matti Heiskanen - L5 gold – 17pt 14 Richard Scott – L5 Gold – 17pt 14 Brent Barbe – L5 Gold – 17pt 14 Jeff Parker - L5 Gold – 17pt 14 Brian Amundsen - L5 Gold – 17pt 21 Frank Snyder – L4 Gold – 22pt 21 Ryan Pitts – L4 Gold – 22pt 21 Greg Griffin – L4 Gold – 22pt 24 Mark Martin-Dye – L3 Gold – 24.5pt 24 Ed Livesey – L3 Gold – 24.5pt 26 Taylor Wilson - L9 Orange 27 Elizabeth Horne – L8 Orange (Female) – 27.5pt 27 Dave Delgado – L8 Orange – 27.5pt 29 Adam Sagers – L7 Orange – 30pt 29 Paul Sippola - L7 Orange – 30pt 29 Zach Coulter - L7 Orange – 30pt 32 Timo Tuukkanen - L6 orange – 32.5pt 32 Derek Graybill – L6 Orange – 32.5pt 34 Eric Lentner – L5 Orange – 35pt 34 Kris Wragg – L5 Orange – 35pt 34 Mike Puchalski – L5 Orange – 35pt 37 Mike T Nelson – L4 Orange – 37.5pt 37 Ben Thornton - L4 Orange (15 yrs.) – 37.5pt 39 David Sandel – L3 Orange – 39.5pt 39 Crandall Smith – L3 Orange – 39.5pt 41 Brad Ellingson – L2 Orange 42 Mary Anne McKeague – L5 White (Female) 43 Jerri Larkin - L1 White (Female) 44 Yvonne Häkkinen - 0 (Female) - 45.5pt 44 Mark DeSousa – 0 - 45.5pt 44 Sherrie Wheeler – 0 (Female) - 45.5pt 44 Don Larkin - 0 (67 yrs.) - 45.5pt
Event 3 - Vulcan Gripper - 20mm block
1 Paul Knight – L20 Gold 2 David Horne – L19 Gold – 2.5pt 2 Steve Gardener – L19 Gold – 2.5pt 4 Aaron Corcorran – L18 Gold 5 Jouni Pakarinen - L17 gold – 6pt 5 David Thornton – L17 Gold – 6pt 5 Nick McKinless – L17 Gold – 6pt 8 Timo Tuukkanen - L16 gold – 8.5pt 8 Tim Struse – L16 Gold – 8.5pt 10 Jedd Johnson – L15 Gold – 13pt 10 Frank Snyder – L15 Gold – 13pt 10 Andrew Durniat – L15 Gold – 13pt 10 Eric Milfeld – L15 Gold – 13pt 10 Kevin Emery – L15 Gold – 13pt 10 Adam Glass – L15 Gold – 13pt 10 Richard Scott – L15 Gold – 13pt 17 Stew Killick – L14 Gold – 18.5pt 17 Matti Heiskanen - L14 Gold – 18.5pt 17 Chris Rice – L14 Gold – 18.5pt 17 Jeff Parker - L14 Gold – 18.5pt 21 Zach Coulter - L13 Gold – 21.5pt 21 Derek Graybill – L13 Gold – 21.5pt 23 Brent Barbe – L12 Gold – 23.5pt 23 Greg Griffin – L12 Gold – 23.5pt 25 Elizabeth Horne – L11 Gold (Female) 26 Brian Amundsen - L9 Gold – 28.5pt 26 Taylor Wilson - L9 Gold – 28.5pt 26 Paul Sippola - L9 Gold – 28.5pt 26 Ryan Pitts – L9 Gold – 28.5pt 26 Kris Wragg – L9 Gold – 28.5pt 26 Mark Martin-Dye – L9 Gold – 28.5pt 32 Dave Delgado – L8 Gold 33 Adam Sagers – L6 Gold 34 Yvonne Häkkinen - L5 gold (Female) 35 Ed Livesey – L4 Gold – 35.5pt 35 Mike Puchalski – L4 Gold – 35.5pt 37 David Sandel – L3 Gold – 38pt 37 Ben Thornton - L3 Gold (15 yrs.) – 38pt 37 Eric Lentner – L3 Gold – 38pt 40 Crandall Smith – L8 Orange 41 Brad Ellingson – L7 Orange - 41.5pt 41 Sherrie Wheeler – L7 Orange (Female) - 41.5pt 43 Mike T Nelson – L5 Orange - 43.5pt 43 Mary Anne McKeague – L5 Orange (Female) - 43.5pt 45 Jerri Larkin - L4 Orange (Female) 46 Mark DeSousa – 0 - 46.5pt 46 Don Larkin - 0 (67 yrs.) - 46.5pt
Well done to Steve Gardener for picking up the pace and winning Leg 2. I am again suprised but happy to have gone up one place to take 3rd overall. Thanks to David and Elizabeth for having me stay and for putting on another great event.
World of Grip - World's Strongest Hands Series 2010 - Leg 1 results
Saturday 14 August, 2010 Venue: Around the world Promoter: World of Grip, and 9 promoters All weights in kilo's
Overall results (59 competitors)
1 David Horne – 6pt 2 Aaron Corcorran – 11.5pt 3 Steve Gardener – 12.5pt 4 Nick McKinless – 13pt 5 David Thornton – 17pt 6 Jedd Johnson – 26pt 7 Brent Barbe – 29pt 8 Jim Wylie – 31pt 9 Chris Rice – 33.5pt 10 Adam Glass – 36pt 11 Tim Struse – 37pt 12 Stew Killick – 39pt 13 Eric Milfeld – 41.5pt 14 Jouni Pakarinen – 45.5pt 15 Nick Rosendaul – 47pt 16 John Eaton – 51pt 17 Timo Tuukkanen – 52pt 18 Matti Heiskanen – 53.5pt 19 Richard Scott – 55.5pt 20 Jonathan Williams – 60.5pt 21 Jeff Parker – 65.5pt 22 Kevin Emery – 68.5pt 23 Dave Johnson – 70pt 24 Casey Emery – 70.5pt 25 Bob Lipinski – 74pt 26 Lol Owen – 81pt 27 Greg Griffin – 82.5pt 28 Elizabeth Horne – 88pt (Female) 29 Russ Farver – 91.5pt 30 Jason Horne – 94pt 31 Brian Elam – 94.5pt 32 Mark Martin-Dye – 95pt 33 Ian Gillaspie – 96.5pt 34 Austin Acree – 106.5pt 35 Jess Reiman – 110pt 36 Dave Delgado – 110.5pt 37 Steve Callahan – 112pt 38 Kris Wragg – 113pt 39 Ryan Pitts – 114pt 40 Taylor Wilson – 119.5pt 41 Jordan Simmons – 123pt 42 Mike Gura – 125pt 43 Mark DeSousa – 130.5pt 44 David Dellanave – 132.5pt 44 Mary Ann McKeague – 132.5pt (Female) 46 David Murray – 137pt 46 Crandall Smith – 137pt 48 Carl Wells – 140.5pt 49 Stephen Haessler – 141pt 50 Eric Lentner – 144.5pt 51 Paul Gillio – 146.5pt 52 Mike T Nelson – 148.5pt 53 Sherrie Wheeler – 152pt (Female) 54 Jenny LaCoss – 155.5pt (Female) 54 Brad Ellingson – 155.5pt 56 Breck S. – 156pt 57 Sam Chavez – 163.5pt 58 Kate Wells – 165.5pt (Female) 59 Jennifer Higgins – 168.5pt (Female)
Women’s Overall results (5 competitors)
1 Elizabeth Horne – 3pt 2 Mary Ann McKeague – 6pt 3 Sherrie Wheeler – 10pt 4 Jenny LaCoss – 11pt 5 Kate Wells – 14pt 6 Jennifer Higgins – 15pt
Event 1 - Two Hands Pinch Lift
1 Steve Gardener – 110.4k 2 Aaron Corcorran – 109.35k 3 David Horne – 107k 4 Chris Rice – 103.96k 5 Nick McKinless - 102k 6 Jedd Johnson – 100.55k 7 Tim Struse – 99.52k 8 David Thornton – 97.06k 9 Brent Barbe – 96.81k 10 Timo Tuukkanen – 95.7k 11 John Eaton – 93.52k 12 Eric Milfeld – 92.48k 13 Nick Rosendaul – 92.31k 14 Jouni Pakarinen – 90.7k 15 Jim Wylie – 88.9k 16 Stew Killick – 88.56k 17 Matti Heiskanen – 88.2k 18 Lol Owen – 87k 19 Mark DeSousa – 85.5k 20 Adam Glass – 81.64k 21 Dave Johnson – 80.3k 22 Jeff Parker – 79.02k 23 Jonathan Williams – 78.7k 24 Elizabeth Horne – 77.5k (Female) – 24.5pt 24 Jason Horne – 77.5k – 24.5pt 26 Richard Scott – 74.6k 27 Greg Griffin – 73.48k 28 Casey Emery – 72.57k -– 28.5pt 28 Kevin Emery – 72.57k -– 28.5pt 30 Jordan Simmons – 72.43k -– 31pt 30 Brian Elam – 72.43k -– 31pt 30 Ian Gillaspie – 72.43k -– 31pt 33 Eric Lentner – 70.12k 34 Bob Lipinski – 69.79k 35 Mark Martin-Dye – 69.5k 36 Kris Wragg – 67.1k 37 Dave Delgado – 63.64k -– 39pt 37 Steve Callahan – 63.64k -– 39pt 37 David Murray – 63.64k -– 39pt 37 Russ Farver – 63.64k -– 39pt 37 Carl Wells – 63.64k -– 39pt 42 Paul Gillio – 59.09k 43 Taylor Wilson – 58.44k 44 Mike Gura – 54.55k – 44.5pt 44 Breck S. - 54.55k – 44.5pt 46 Crandall Smith – 50k 47 Mary Ann McKeague – 47.58k (Female) 48 Stephen Haessler – 45.45k 49 Ryan Pitts – 45.35k - 49.5pt 49 Austin Acree - 45.35k - 49.5pt 51 Sherrie Wheeler – 44.45k (Female) 52 Sam Chavez – 43.19k 53 Jenny LaCoss – 43.18k (Female) 54 Kate Wells – 38.64k (Female) 55 David Dellanave – 34.01k - 55.5pt 55 Mike T Nelson – 34.01k - 55.5pt 57 Jennifer Higgins – 31.82k (Female) 58 Brad Ellingson – 31.75k 59 Jess Reiman – 0
Event 2 – Wrist Developer
1 Stew Killick – L9 Gold – 2pt 1 David Horne – L9 Gold – 2pt 1 Nick McKinless - L9 Gold – 2pt 4 David Thornton – L8 Gold – 5pt 4 Adam Glass – L8 Gold – 5pt 4 Jim Wylie – L8 Gold – 5pt 7 Aaron Corcorran – L7 Gold 8 Steve Gardener – L6 Gold – 9pt 8 Jedd Johnson – L6 Gold – 9pt 8 Brent Barbe – L6 Gold – 9pt 11 Eric Milfeld – L5 Gold – 13pt 11 Chris Rice – L5 Gold – 13pt 11 Nick Rosendaul – L5 Gold – 13pt 11 Richard Scott – L5 Gold – 13pt 11 Jonathan Williams – L5 Gold – 13pt 16 Kevin Emery – L4 Gold – 19pt 16 Dave Johnson – L4 Gold – 19pt 16 Jeff Parker – L4 Gold – 19pt 16 Jess Reiman – L4 Gold – 19pt 16 John Eaton – L4 Gold – 19pt 16 Tim Struse – L4 Gold – 19pt 16 Austin Acree – L4 Gold – 19pt 23 Jouni Pakarinen – L3 Gold – 25.5pt 23 Matti Heiskanen – L3 Gold – 25.5pt 23 Greg Griffin – L3 Gold – 25.5pt 23 Casey Emery – L3 Gold – 25.5pt 23 Mark Martin-Dye – L3 Gold – 25.5pt 23 Brian Elam – L3 Gold – 25.5pt 29 Bob Lipinski – L10 Orange 30 Ryan Pitts – L9 Orange 31 Russ Farver – L8 Orange – 31.5pt 31 Dave Delgado – L8 Orange – 31.5pt 33 Taylor Wilson – L7 Orange – 33.5pt 33 Elizabeth Horne – L7 Orange (Female) – 33.5pt 35 Lol Owen – L6 Orange – 36pt 35 Timo Tuukkanen – L6 Orange – 36pt 35 David Dellanave – L6 Orange – 36pt 38 Ian Gillaspie – L5 Orange – 38.5pt 38 Steve Callahan – L5 Orange – 38.5pt 40 David Murray – L4 Orange – 42.5pt 40 Mike Gura – L4 Orange – 42.5pt 40 Crandall Smith – L4 Orange – 42.5pt 40 Jason Horne – L4 Orange – 42.5pt 40 Kris Wragg – L4 Orange – 42.5pt 40 Mary Ann McKeague – L4 Orange (Female) – 42.5pt 46 Mike T Nelson – L3 Orange – 46.5pt 46 Stephen Haessler – L3 Orange – 46.5pt 48 Brad Ellingson – L2 Orange – 49pt 48 Jordan Simmons – L2 Orange – 49pt 48 Paul Gillio – L2 Orange – 49pt 51 Carl Wells – L1 Orange 52 Jenny LaCoss – L2 White (Female) 53 Eric Lentner – 0 – 56pt 53 Breck S. – 0 – 56pt 53 Sam Chavez – 0 – 56pt 53 Kate Wells – 0 (Female) – 56pt 53 Jennifer Higgins – 0 (Female) – 56pt 53 Mark DeSousa – 0 – 56pt 53 Sherrie Wheeler – 0 (Female) – 56pt
Event 3 - Vulcan Gripper - 20mm block
1 David Horne – L19 Gold 2 Aaron Corcorran – L18 Gold – 2.5pt 2 Steve Gardener – L18 Gold – 2.5pt 4 David Thornton – L17 Gold 5 Jouni Pakarinen – L16 Gold – 6pt 5 Timo Tuukkanen – L16 Gold – 6pt 5 Nick McKinless – L16 Gold – 6pt 8 Jedd Johnson – L15 Gold – 11pt 8 Bob Lipinski – L15 Gold – 11pt 8 Matti Heiskanen – L15 Gold – 11pt 8 Adam Glass – L15 Gold – 11pt 8 Jim Wylie – L15 Gold – 11pt 8 Brent Barbe – L15 Gold – 11pt 8 Tim Struse – L15 Gold – 11pt 15 Eric Milfeld – L14 Gold – 16.5pt 15 Casey Emery – L14 Gold – 16.5pt 15 Chris Rice – L14 Gold – 16.5pt 15 Richard Scott – L14 Gold – 16.5pt 19 Kevin Emery – L13 Gold – 21pt 19 Stew Killick – L13 Gold – 21pt 19 John Eaton – L13 Gold – 21pt 19 Nick Rosendaul – L13 Gold – 21pt 19 Russ Farver – L13 Gold – 21pt 24 Jeff Parker – L12 Gold – 24.5pt 24 Jonathan Williams – L12 Gold – 24.5pt 26 Ian Gillaspie – L11 Gold – 27pt 26 Lol Owen – L11 Gold – 27pt 26 Jason Horne – L11 Gold – 27pt 29 Elizabeth Horne – L10 Gold (Female) – 30pt 29 Dave Johnson – L10 Gold – 30pt 29 Greg Griffin – L10 Gold – 30pt 32 Jess Reiman – L9 Gold 33 Ryan Pitts – L8 Gold – 34.5pt 33 Mark Martin-Dye – L8 Gold – 34.5pt 33 Kris Wragg – L8 Gold – 34.5pt 33 Steve Callahan – L8 Gold – 34.5pt 37 Austin Acree – L7 Gold – 38pt 37 Mike Gura – L7 Gold – 38pt 37 Brian Elam – L7 Gold – 38pt 40 Dave Delgado – L6 Gold 41 David Dellanave – L5 Gold 42 Taylor Wilson – L3 Gold – 43pt 42 Mary Ann McKeague – L3 Gold (Female) – 43pt 42 Jordan Simmons – L3 Gold – 43pt 45 Sherrie Wheeler – L7 Orange (Female) 46 Mike T Nelson – L4 Orange – 46.5pt 46 Stephen Haessler – L4 Orange – 46.5pt 48 Brad Ellingson – L3 Orange – 48.5pt 48 Crandall Smith – L3 Orange – 48.5pt 50 Carl Wells – L9 White – 50.5pt 50 Jenny LaCoss – L9 White (Female) – 50.5pt 52 Eric Lentner – 0 – 55.5pt 52 David Murray – 0 – 55.5pt 52 Paul Gillio – 0 – 55.5pt 52 Breck S. – 0 – 55.5pt 52 Sam Chavez – 0 – 55.5pt 52 Kate Wells – 0 (Female) – 55.5pt 52 Jennifer Higgins – 0 (Female) – 55.5pt 52 Mark DeSousa – 0 – 55.5pt
I was very happy and surprised with my result. It's sparked my interest in the geeky, grip world again! I did 5 sessions of training before the contest, which was held in 9 different venues all over the world. The next leg is September 11. If you are interested in having a go please contact David Horne and he can give you all the details.
I was trolling YouTube and found this incredible old footage of the legendary Steve Reeves.
Steve, along with Reg Park, was one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's inspirations to start lifting weights and to also become an actor. Both Reg and Steve played Hercules in movies during their careers. I've seen footage of Steve posing before but never the training montage with the antique globe barbells and rock lifting.
Steve was and still is a true icon for Physical Culture.
Nick
July 15, 2010
Earlier this year I did an interview for Bare Essentials
e-magazine. Check them out they are a really cool, forward thinking
group and I have been a fan of theirs for a number of years.
Here's the interview.
E-interview: Nick McKinless ʻTrain like a Titanʻ - the secrets strategies of a stunt professional
18/10/10
Nick
McKinless has been a stuntman and stunt coordinator since 1996. He has
worked on many of the biggest films ever made and continues to work in
both film and television at the highest level. In 2008 and 2009 Nick
was part of the winning teams responsible for the explosive scenes in
Bourne Ultimatum and The Dark Knight, both of which won Screen Actors
Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a
Motion Picture. Nick just finished filming on Centurion and the highly
anticipated remake ʻClash of the Titansʼ and is currently working on
the final Harry Potter installments plus Ridley Scottʼs Robin Hood. A
specialist in combining strategy, stealth, strength and stamina Nick is
often utilized as a performer and a personal trainer. Aware of his keen
insight and intense training methods producers hired Nick to prepare
both actors and stunt crew for the physical demands of playing Greek
Gladiators. Throw your weight belts out the window and get ready to
grip granite using the secret strategies of a stunt professional to Train like a Titan!
1. How did you go about designing a training routine for the Titans?
I knew most of the guys on the stunt team and although already in
shape many of them were detrained from working so much and not being
able to find the time to train. We work long hoursand often itʼs sleep and relaxation that takes emphasis over training, especially when you consider the physicality of our job already. This job was no different so the workouts had to be short but effective. We were often training at 6am or squeezing something in between lunch.
2. What are the key concepts to your program?
It
is always about a combination of functionality, athleticism, strength
and conditioning. Usually if you combine that with a good diet then you
will look good too. Training to look good has never made any sense to
me if you canʼt perform well physically. Most of the guys ate really
well and managed to get under 10% body fat. Thatʼs a TRUE 10% which is
much more difficult than people think.
3. How do you address the different disciplines (conditioning, strength, agility etc.)?
I
challenged the guys with exercises I have used for many years that I
knew would produce the best results. Usually a workout would have an
element of strength followed by some repetition work, some speed or
agility work like knee jumps or rope climbs and then weʼd end with
something unusual like the wheelbarrow ab wheel or carrying a heavy
sack for distance or planks with someone kicking you.
Yes, we really did fly on Titan Airways!
4. What about equipment what is essential?
We
were pretty limited but you can always make do! We had a chin and dip
station, dumbbells up to 85lbs, one adjustable bench, an Olympic
barbell and about 300lbs of weights plus I brought in things like
strength bands, a climbing rope, the power wheel, a sack, grip
equipment and a core blaster. The guys would usually hit the pads 2-3
times a week as well.
5. What did your Titans struggle with the most (most wicked workout)?
You
know these guys are real athletes. Most of us have won National or
World titles at some point over the years. I had various stunt doubles
from Bond to Batman to Brad Pitt on the team so we werenʼt short of
talent! With that in mind you really have to push yourself otherwise
these guys are going to just think youʼre a pushover.Anytime you put
the body into oxygen debt you are going to have a tough time. However,
you have to be careful not to do this too often as it will lead to
overtraining and results will suffer. Once a week we would have a tough
one. It might be a H.I.T style workout moving from one exercise to
the other without rest and me screaming at you or it might be high sets
of chins and dips followed by partner resisted band sprints.
5. Which exercises were emphasized and why?
Shoulder
pressing be it seated or standing. Static but unstable abdominal work,
such as planks with a heavy weight on the back or someone kicking you.
Chins, dips and pushups. Jumping drills. Since we didnʼt have a rack
nobody except myself was really doing any heavy squatting or
deadlifting. We did Goblet squats, swings and core blaster work though
which keeps the hips, legs and lower back strong.
Nick as 'Medusa' for a Visual FX shot
6. What was the key to progression?
We
looked in the mirror and took photos every now and again. We really
only had 6 weeks so in that time you have to just go hard, keep an eye
on the calorie intake and pinch your belly now and again to see if
thereʼs less fat there. We actually did caliper body fat percentage
tests twice during this period as well to keep an eye on specific fat
deposits as everyone carries fat differently.
7. Did you advise on nutrition also (what would you recommend)?
Itʼs
the usual things like cutting out carbs after 4pm, donʼt eat anything
man hasnʼt killed or grown on the land and reducing alcohol intake.
That last one isnʼt easy for stuntmen! Seriously, nutrition these days
should be a piece of cake (pun intended). Just buy good quality meats,
fruits and vegetables (preferably Organic). Stay away from ʻwhite
deathʼ foods like white bread, white sugar, white rice and donʼt eat
anything with saturated fats. Drink more water. Having said that,
eating less healthy foods isnʼt going to kill you as long as itʼs in
moderation. If you eat 21 meals a week then 3 of them could be junk
food or ice cream or whatever floats your boat. The rest should be
things like steak and salad, salmon or chicken and brown rice or eggs
and spinach.
8. What did you use as a benchmark to indicate your Titans were ready for battle?
Lean abs and strong quads!
Two weeks out - getting there.
9. How did you maintain momentum and motivation amongst the men?
When you know you are going to Tenerife to shoot for 4 weeks on a Volcano with incredible scenery then the incentive is there!
11.What scenes in the movie best showcase the efforts undergone in exercise?
Probably
all the fight scenes with the Scorpiox and Calibos and Perseus. I had
two actors who were not in the best shape at the beginning of the film
but I think the physical and fight training we put them through every
week made their particular fight with the scorpiox one of the best.
12.Which stunt proved most challenging?
That would be the Calibos run down the hill. ʻCalibos Hillʼ as it became known to the crew was incredibly steep. Rigging that stunt was an effort in itself. Just climbing the hill all the time at that altitude was crazy!
13.Are actors as disciplined as athletes (stunt crew) when it comes to training?
It depends on the actor. I know that Brad Pitt was incredibly committed for Troy because his trainer
and I were always discussing his routines. At the moment I am training
Ralph Fiennes for his next film and his discipline is second to none. I
think when actors know they are going to be centre stage on the big
screen then they have no choice but to be 100% committed to their
training.
14.What is the most difficult part of coordinating a stunt?
It depends on the stunt but usually
watching the performer and hoping that all the rehearsals, rigging and
technicalities work on the day. You want your guys to be safe more than
anything and I would rather call it a day than hurt someone for a film.
Thatʼs not to say I like people to back off. I want commitment but I
want them to be level headed not wild like a daredevil.
15.How did you unwind after a long-day shooting?
Oh
that doesnʼt quite fit in with health and fitness! Usually at the bar
having a few cold beers. I would usually train at the weekends when we
were on location which I always find relaxing.
16. What was it like working with Sam Worthington?
Sam
is that rare actor who is just one of the boys. He came into the first
rehearsal wearing beat up work boots, surf shorts and a Metallica
t-shirt! However, he is extremely serious about his work and his
intensity is incredible.
On location at the top of Mt. Teide
Additionally can you provide an example routine for us.
The “TWO WEEKS TO TENERIFE” Routine
Work on two exercises plus abs for 20-30 minutes. (That’s all we had during this period)
Pick two exercises that you like a lot and do them everyday. Pick one pull and one push.
Pull – power clean, swing, deadlift, chins, curls, rows Push – military press, seated press, dips, pushups
Day 1 3 sets of 8 reps of each exercise with 1 MINUTE rest Finish with Planks
Day 2 4 sets of 4 reps with 2 MINUTES rest Finish with Toes to the bar
Day 3 Work up to a maximum of 3 reps for each exercise Finish with a Side bend drop set
Day 4 Same as day 1 but with more weight!
Day 5 Work up to a top MAXIMUM in each exercise. Then drop to 75% and go to failure. Planks, side bends and situps to fail.
And for anyone who missed it...here's the training video...
The views and articles expressed on the Beyond Blogs section are those of the authors and BEYOND STRONG accepts no responsibility for their comments and writings.
