BEYOND STRONG

Quick note

After a lot of serious stuff, I think it's time for a laugh. I have some good stuff lined up for the near future as well. If you have stuff you would like to see in here, I gladly welcome any input here, and I see if I can get it done.

-Theo B.

 

For laughs:

On a more serious note, I got word from a certain somebody that there will be an interview coming next week. That certain somebody is nobody less than Kevin Nee. Yes si-re, that's right! I got a hold of him, so keep watching this blog because things just got more interesting ;)

                                                                            

courtesy of Kevin Nee

Kevin at the World's Strongest Man in China

Triceps

I was tired this am as well, but I managed to shake it off and get up.  It helps on these days when I just don't feel 100% to slam back a couple scoops of NO-Explode.  That stuff really wakes you up and gets you ready to tear the walls down.  I am still sore all over, and this is not going to get better until the meet is over.  One thing about lifting in gear, the poundage's you handle wreck you physically, and if you let it, mentally.  I am sore all over, it hurt to take a 45 off the weight tree this morning!

-Close grips: 240 x5, x4, x3.  Should have stayed at 235 since I didn't get 3x5 last week, but I went up.  Ah well, I will stay here next week.  Fairly happy thus far with how my close grips are coming up.  I have never been very good at them.  It also doesn't help that I hit chest on Tuesdays so my pecs are still pretty sore today which = poor performance on close grips.  Amy did 110 for 3x8 which I thought was pretty damn good.  She is also about 2" from a complete pull-up, which is huge.  She has never been able to do a pull-up, not even in high school, so the goal is pull-ups by August.

-Skull crushers: 105x10, 115x8, x8. 

-Seated OH ext. with cable: 160x8, x8, x8

-Dips: 25 pound plate x10, x8, x8. 

-Push-downs: 180x10, x10, x10

Good workout.  Quick and dirty.  For shits and giggles I measured my arms last night and just from the triceps work alone I have added almost 1/4".  Nothing to write home about, but I don't train much for size and I NEVER train my biceps, so I was pretty stoked about that.

My weight manipulation skills are on par.  I ate and drank my way to 232 by Monday night, and today I am back down to 224.  By Saturday morning I will once again be 220.  I have been testing it so I know what to do for my Saturday weigh ins.  Would like to be 6-8 pounds heavier come lifting time.

New article coming.  I am just awaiting word from Nick as to where he wants me to post it.  For now I leave you with this:

LMFAO!

-Rick

 

Training wisdom

My good friend Steve Gardener has been in the strength world for a loooong time. Having done and accomplished great things himself: Certified Captain of Crush, Inch Dumbell Lifter, Millenium Dumbell Lifter (one out of 5 people in the world!), World Record on the One Hand Lift and owner of wheyconsortium he knows his stuff, and is not afraid to voice his opinion.
We met eachother in Sweden at the European Grip Chamionship, where he nearly talked my ears off..
This last February, we went head to head in a supermatch against eachother, where he came out victorious.. Grrr!

                            Steve and me                           

Anyway, he wrote a few articles, and I thought this would be a good read for all you guys.

By Steve Gardener

Is training going stale? Are you going through the motions? The old fire you had, not there any more? Hopefully I'll offer you a few ideas to get things moving again.

Set short medium and long term targets No miracle cure here but suprisingly effective. Far too many go to the gym with a vague idea of what they are trying to achieve 'I wanna get big' or 'make myself stronger' but with no plan and certainnly no targets. Sometimes the simple act of writing down in your log or better still on a note to pin to the gym wall, with your targets for next month, by Christmas or next year will allow you to see what you are there for and focus on it. Write down what you want - see above I keep a training diary. I write down in the diary what I want from the session before I go. Let's say 4-5 x 1 with 140-kilos on the close grip bench press (as per tomorrow). If I do what is written nothing is changed but if I do more or less the, the tidy written plan gets scrawled over by a tired hand and a biro. It then becomes easy to see what was done and write down what I want for the next session with the same weight. So keep a log!                                       

Get the 'little gems' working   

Less of a focusing technique and more of one helping you to get more reps and more weight thus wringing every ounce from a plan and so keeping you on track - and thus focused :D (just don't end up like the guy on the vid ;) )

Put your name down for a competition

This makes such a difference that everyone ought to compete in their chosen sport or hobby at least once. Never mind seeing how good you are compared to the others on stage or in the arena, now you have a real reason for doing what you do. It is one of the best ways to make progress. Change gyms, equipment or exercises The analogy, oft used, of 'change is as good as a rest' is so true in training. I will work and work and work a movement for months. Yet article after article says 'try shaking things up'. They try and convince you that the body needs it for 'all round development and strength' but that's horse shit. Your biceps don't care a fig what you do anymore than your lats, triceps or quads. No it's for a mental change. Instead of the challenge of seeing how well you can do on lets say, dumbbell rows, you can change to seeing how much of the stack you can use doing one arm cable rows using a low row pulley or any number of other similar back movements. There is some argument to this idea with DC training which has you rotating chest movements (as well as more frequent chest etc sessions due to the changes) every workout using 5 core movements (so 5 different chest workouts rotated). Change routines. If you use low reps, go high, if high go low. Look at other trainees routines and adapt them for your use and give them say 12 weeks before coming back to yours.

Drugs and alcohol                                                               530kg on the leg press

'How much does my drinking/drug abuse affect my training?'. A lot of people who train 2,3,4 times a week will go berserk and will take alocohol and recreational drugs or whatever they use to abuse themselves with at weekends. I'm hoping most here are not in that group. It's not for me to judge on what YOU do (after all you ain't here annoying me with it are ya ha ha) but if you think you are serious about your workouts and the effort you put in then when you go off on one and 'cane the gear' or do a 'I work hard so I play hard' then you are effectively doing little more than standing still and worse, for some, taking steps back (esp those that use speed and similar drugs).

Diet

By the same token there are many who train as hard as they can but do not apply the same effort to their diet and nutrition. Even some of my closest training buddies let themselves down in this area. It's no good you training like demons and really pushing yourself if, when you should be eating or drinking a protein shake you are working, busy or finding yet another reason not to follow up. These same people can even have as much knowledge on the subject - if not more - than me. But they are not applying it. As a member of many sites and one who doesn't need to restrict my bodyweight for any classes for competition I can indulge. Like anyone there are times when it is a struggle but I have been consistent (there is that word) with my food and shakes to the point where I feel guilty or will even go as far as to double up so as to ensure I get in the same amount every day. This means, for the most part, breakfast followed by an 11am shake, 2pm lunch, 5pm shake, 8 pm supper and 10pm shake.

Rest I'm both very fortunate and not a little selfish that I can rest and catch up on my sleep. I am a light sleeper at the best of times so overnighters when away tend to mean less sleep than usual. I am now at the age where I LOVE my own expensive and cosy bed above any other. But I also understand the massive variation people have in this area. That said by reading, reading and reading some more I have noticed that from Jay Cutler on down (Ronnie is an exception as he seems to need 4 hours a night) most pro athletes and those aspiring to get to that level REST. This can mean a nap or siesta in the afternoon, 40 minutes post workout with their feet up or similar but it also includes the minimum they need at night (as stated from 4 in Ronnies case to 9 in Jay Cutlers. There IS such a thing as too much rest (I think my bad back agrees with me on that score) and so I'll look at that in a future 'Active Recovary' article. Sufficent to say you need to keep an eye on ensuring you get the rest you need.

Expect a plateau now and again It's gonna happen - you cannot training full bore, full of piss and fire each and everytime you workout. It's just not gonna happen. The key is to not allow it to go on and on. But it can and will happen from time to time. Plow on through and keep training hard. By doing so you'll be better than 95% of those in the gym just going through their paces without thinking.

Fini

I've given you some ideas so now you have no excuses :D

Here is Steve at an exibition for school children lifting the Millenium Dumbell, a 228lbs, 2 3/8" thick handled dumbell.

Ass to the grass squat!

Now this is some seriously deep squatting..

Please, leave your ego out the door..

Sometimes you get the bear...

Sometimes the bear gets you.  Today the BEAR got me.  I knew I was due, can't fly high for that many weeks without a downfall.  When I was still asleep when the alarm went off, and I had to drag my ass out of bed, I should have known better.

When I got up and my hamstrings and glutes were still sore and still cramping when I sat on the shitter, I should have known better.

Nah...I still went to the gym.  Was supposed to do box deads, but after 475 I realized that today was not my day.  Before, I would have plowed through, done the workout, probably tweaked something, burned out, and been shit at the meet.  The new me knows better.  I called it a day at that, packed up, and went home.  The new me realizes when it is an 'off' day and just calls it.  The new me will not get injured anymore from pushing through bad days and burning out.

Instead, I will pack the Marathon suit up and do deads after squatting on Sunday.  Should hit a fairly easy double with 675.  If I am not recovered enough on Wednesday from the squats getting heavier and heavier, then I will simply just deadlift after squatting these last couple weeks.  I always seem stronger after squatting anyway.  4 weeks ago when I smoked 700 it was right after squats.  Strange how that works, but that is when Cullen pulls and I usually just load the bar and watch his form.  Instead, I will insert more rest days by pulling on Sundays these last few weeks.  Wednesdays I might still get up and go to abs, superman's, and some other shit.  Like I said earlier, I am not real concerned as I have been doing well thus far with my deads.  Back in March, before the Pittsburgh meet, I was killing myself trying to get a raw 605.  Now, 605 jumps right to lockout, so I am not concerned in the least bit.  Still plan on smoking 725 at the meet.

I leave you with a scene from one of my favorite movies. 

Take care, be safe-

-Rick

Jimmy 'the Beast' Laureys: Belgian's Strongest Man

Interview by Theo Burggraaff:

At just 26 years old, Jimmy Laureys is currently Belgian's strongest man. He came from a powerlifting background, and is just a plain strong guy. He is an admirable and humorous guy, and dealt with some major setbacks in his life. But this didn't stop him!

Time for an interview with the Beast!

                         
BeyondStrong: Hello Jimmy, first of beyond strong would like to thank you for taking the time to talk with us. You have an impressive list of performances already at the young age 26. Have you always been strong?

Jimmy Laureys: If i must believe my parents yes :) . I always had a nag for strength . I started training when I was 15 years old , but it was for fat loss (I already was a big boy ) Starting  with the gym programs for a year. I never followed a  program, I just trained chest 2 times a week, arms 2 times, shoulders once and some abs, almost no legs. Well, maybe once a month and then only leg presses , leg extentions and leg curls.  Food program? " Whats that....? " I ate what my mother cooked, nothing more, nothing less. I didn't even know about the excistence of supplements, I just took a shake from the gym   (I believe it was a protein shake ). But still, I was strong bencher, pressing 150 kg raw , barbell curl 50kg, military press 105 kg , not bad for a young guy right?
One time a man came up to me and asked if I wanted to train with him ( Tierry De Ryke ) , he trained me to be like Franco columbo , he learned me the basis strength training (bench press, squat, dead-lift , c&j , snatch , and so on.... ) At 18 years old,I won my first power lifting competition in belgium, with a 280kg deadlift, a 200kg bench and a 275kg raw squat. I didn't use a suit or belt. I got the buzz, and I wanted more! So Thierry introduced me to Patrieck De Wiest (he was known to be te best trainer for body-builders in Oost-Vlaanderen ). They talked and Pat was very interested, but he didn't know much about strength or power-lifting. Eventually he learned all there was to learn, and put his knowledge on me and at the age of 19 I was at the next level! 330kg squat, 220kg bench and a 320kg deadlift and all done raw. 
I  was growing quick without suplements and good food and I was doing things that most people didn't believe..

BS: What other sports did you do?

JL: I did 2 years of karate, then some boxing. Now I only do some sparring at the gym ones or twice a week with a friend who is into all kinds of different combat sports. You can learn a lot this way!
On tuesday I practice American Wrestling in Antwerp, and occasionaly on saturday. It is just for fun with some friends. I know it's show but it's hard work! The hardest part is not to get hurt by your partner that you are up against. In 2008, around easter time I'm thinking about entering my first competition. But I'm hooked on strongman and that is what comes at 1st place :D

BS: When did you first start with strongman?

JL: When I was 19 years old  I entered my first strong man competiton, the 2001 Strongest Man of Vlaanderen (Flanders). Pat did this to test my capabilities and see how I would come out of it. I was the youngest together with an other guy ( Tom ). 12 Competitors were all above 28 years, the oldest being 38. It was a strong field.. There I did a car dead-lift that was loaded to 650kg,  no one believed what they saw, not even myself! I was amazed at what I did. Pat just stood aside and smiled...
I came in second place with 1,5 point short (damn!) but in 2002 I was back, but still no luck. I came 2nd again with just 0,5 points short.. Then something happend that I didn't expect, I had a motorcycle accident, and had to go into surgery. 4 Operations and 1 year of total rest, then 6 months rehabilition to learn how to walk again.. The doctors told me, with my right leg being so banged up, that I wouldn't be able to do any more sports again.. ( power-lifting and others strenght competitions ) .
1 month total meditation and consulting with friends and family.. My girlfriend was a big support and me to go back to the gym and there I was! Within two weeks I was squating, dead-lifting and everything else. I built myself up again with my trainer Pat and the help of my girlfriend Kelly.In summer 2004 I competed agian in strong man, in the Strongest Man of Ridderkerk in The Netherlands. Why Holland? In Belgium it strongman was dead, there were no competitions for 2 year..  I was reading articles of how to become strong and so forth and came across Real Dutch Power, a Dutch strongman site hosted by Jan Haaring. They were kinda talking down on the Belgian athletes. Are there any strongman left in belgium? do they still have competitions? If there are, do they dare to enter a strongman competition in Holland???  So I picked up the glove and came in 2nd place, again..:) I started to grow a strong urge to compete and win, to go on a long quest and try to build up strongman in Belgium, and I did.

BS: Can you tell us something about your current stats? Weight, height, etc.

JL: Height: 1.93 m. Weight: 148 kg. 3 Times Strongest Man of Belgium. (no one is my equal in Belgium so far..) and Strongest Man of Vlaanderen (Flanders). I have some titels in holland as well, but then u must check out my site ;)

http://thebelgianbeast.atspace.com/index.html

BS: What are some of your best lifts?

JL: Dead lift: 365 kg, partial DL: 405 kg, Squat: 345kg, bench: 230kg, C&J: 165kg, push press behind the neck : 205 kg.  ( I will put it on youtube later on )
Hammer curls: 50 kg, leg press: 850 kg, log lift: 165 kg (150 kg 1 leg like Jarno Hams, did that on a demonstration) car dead lift: 750 kg. Too much to tell you everything, you should just come and see my lift!

BS: A lot of people want to do strongman, but don't have acces to all the  equipment. What do you think are some of the most important lifts?

JL: You have to look at what they use in most strongman competitions, DL, farmers walk, log lift, stones, yoke, medley, trucks, tire flip, carry and drags. A strongman must be extremely strong but must also have a great endurance and spirit. You can do a lot in the gym, but not everything. Look around and ask around, some people are happy to get rid of some stuff, for example a farmer or garages have big tires we can use, they have to pay to get rid of them, so the are very happy to give them away for free. Or construction sites, look trough the scraps (iron bars ,big and small , big rocks or boulders ). A car graveyard is also a cool place to plunder hahaha!! Or just ask the man that is walking around. For some things you have to pay but it's not expensive , mostly it's for free ).

BS: What does your current training schedule look like?

JL: I'ts a mixture of power-lifting and body-building  (I respond best to this.) 2-3 Strength exercises and 2 mass and 1 isolation exercise. 3 Times in the gym and 1 time at home doing event training ( we have build a lot of stuff ourselves haha!). So  4 times of intense training ( I always go all out even in training).
I always try to keep changing my gym and event training schedule, so that your body doesn't get used to the exercises and always gets shock therapie, hahaha!

BS: Who is your favorite strongman from the past?

JL: Like most people Jon Pal Sigmarson and Bill Kazmaier. But I also was fond of Manfred Hoeberl and Hugo Girard, as well as Svend Karlsen. (I love these guys, the karma and power they bring is great to see).

BS: How about today? Who do you admire in the strength field?

JL: Zydrunas and Mariusz (simply wow !). There are other guys too, but they come and go, so I'm not sure of them. 

BS:How much accessory work do you do? GPP, cardio stretching?

JL: Once a week cardio at the gym for 30 min, but most of the cardio comes from my medleys ( it's breath taking..OUCH!) Stretching I do a lot, it is inportant to be big and strong, but also flexible. Grip training, I almost do not do this , but I toy with weights a lot, like deadting 300kg and let the bar rest only on finger tips. I know this gives me a great grip. I'm good with Farmers walk , and it improves my grip as well. I just toy with weight to see how far my grip can go and what I can indure , no special exersises for the grip ,just for lower arms some wrist rolling and reverse barbell curls.

BS: What will be the next event where we can see you in action?   

JL: 17th of June in the Dutch Grand Prix 28th of July in the Strongest Man of Vlaanderen, 19th of August in the International Strong Man Competition the Schweizer Meistershaft. Maybe there will be more we will see.

BS: Before we part, do you have any advice for our readers who want to become a strongman?

JL: Keep doing the hard work and the basis of strength is still the best way to gain strength, eat good , and take care of your supplements. Look at what you are taking in and what it does to your body. Keep your mind on the job, do you want to be strong or just go with the flow? For no heart comes only the sun, for the rest sweat and blood brothers. Thanks Theo good luck to you and the readers of this blog!

Greetz   Jimmy " The Beast " Laureys      

 

Chest work

I was tired this morning when the alarm went off, but I shook the sleep off and got up.  Long day yesterday, I was outside for 8 hours and the sun always seems to wear me down.  Thanks to the 45 SPF and the shade umbrella, I didn't even get a tan!  LOL!  Amy really didn't feel like getting up, but I managed to talk her into it by reminding her that we have our week long beach trip at the end of August and if she wants to be buff by then she cant be missing workouts.  That always seems to work!

-Incline bench press: 200 x5, x5, x5, x5.  Added a set here.  Wasn't bad, all the reps came right up, but by set 4, I was pretty well pumped.  Back in 01-02' when I was training with a friend from college, I hit 300 x 1 in the incline.  That is still my pr today thanks to the pec and shoulder issues.  I think if I keep training smart, don't worry about pushing the weight up too fast, I can do 5s with 300 by Jan. 08'.  I did jump 10 pounds from last week, but 190 was so easy last week I knew it wouldn't be a problem.  I am just going to go to 205 next week.  Climbing the ladder one rung at a time!

-Flat bench dumbbell presses: jumped to the 80s since I got all four sets of 15 last week with the 75s.  Wouldn't you know it, I got 4x15 with the 80s today as well.  Next week: 85s.  These felt good, and by the fourth set I was cooked.  On another positive note, Amy jumped to the 45s today and got 4 sets of 8 with them!  HUGE WEIGHT!!!  I don't know any other woman that lifts at that gym that can come close to doing the 45s at all, let alone for 4 sets of 8!  I am so proud of her for working her ass off these last 4 months.

-Cybex Pec Deck: 150 x10, x8, x8, x6.  Fried.  These really finished me off. 

This was one of the best chest workouts I have had in months, great pump, and I felt like I could have kept pushing the dbs and the inclines.  I am excited to see what kind of carry over I get from the inclines to my raw flat bench.  There is a raw meet in Bigler, PA (about an hour away) in October and I am thinking of doing it and getting my raw elite total as well.  That will wrap up my goals at 220 (besides the Ed Coan deadlift record of 902! ;))  220 raw Elite is 1551, which for me translates to, at the very least, a 550 squat, 351 bench, and 650 deadlift.  That would be the least I would have to hit, and quite frankly, besides the bench, those numbers would be a very easy going cycle for me.  I would like to hit 600-375-700 for 1675 which would be good for not only 220 elite, but 242 and 275 raw elite as well!  The only number there that concerns me at all is the bench.  The strength of the bench will be determined solely on how well this pec and shoulder handle the weights.

After October, I have a couple things I can do.  I can run a 4+ month training cycle into the next Pittsburgh Monster Deadlift/Bench meet and go for a deadlift PR at 220.  I would like to see 800 in 08'.  Or, I can make the decision to change weight classes again and go for new elites.  The choices are, go back to the 242 class (a light 242, maybe 230 or so) and get 242 elite (1890) and 242 raw elite (1654), OR, get down to 198 and go after elite (1731) and raw elite (1471).  I would LOVE to pull 700+ at 198.

This is what needs to be planned out in order to not get the post meet blues, which is when you don't have another goal ready, and you just slump around, lose focus, and suddenly 3 months have gone by and you haven't lifted.  Yeah...I am trying to avoid that.

Here is the thing: when I do decide to go down to 198 and get elites at that weight class, I won't ever go back up.  When I do decide to stop competing in powerlifting, I don't ever want to see 200 again unless it is at no higher then 8% bodyfat.  I am getting older now, so I need to start looking towards the future and being able to run around with the grandkids and such.

Enough rambling for one day.  Here is a video for all of those who think squat suits don't provide any extra muscle fiber recruitment by allowing you to use more weight:

Ronnie smashing 800 for 2 reps.  I have this dvd, he is wearing an Inzer Hard Core squat suit, which is a great suit worn by many IPF/USAPL lifters, as well as knee wraps.  He calls the suit his, "secret weapon."  If Ronnie thinks they aid in adding muscle...I tend to agree.

Have a great day-

-Rick

Matt Kroczaleski, 655lbsx5

In quest and spirit of my road to 600lbs deadlift, this one will be viewed over and over for some inspiration. Damn!

Laurence Shahlaei

Congratulations to my training partner Laurence Shahlaei for making it to Britain's Strongest Man heats next month. At just 23 Loz has a long way to go but his work ethic and natural abilities are already seeing him making a mark on the UK strongman scene. Laurence will be featured on the first BEYOND STRONG DVD magazine and you can see how we've trained him and just how hard he trains.

Loz and Nick contemplate the next event at the Whey Consortium during winter training. (Photo courtesy of Duncan Williams)

Saddler does 10!

Here's 'Dazzling' Darren Sadler lifting a 5 stone series twice!

The stones are 100kg, 125kg, 140kg, 150kg, 160kg...