BEYOND STRONG

First batch of meet pics

My step-son didnt get a whole lot, and I am waiting on the ones my dad took, the ones my wife took (35mm), and the ones my Cullen's wife took.

Me coming up with 725.

 

Cullen in the hole with 750!

Cullen in the hole with the World Record 827!  He couldn't get it, he was off balance.  Look for Cullen to go 900+ in 08' DRUG FREE and 242!!!!!!

Me, finally locking out my massive 350-pound bench press.  LOL!

Trust me when I say that I will bench AT LEAST 425 in November.  This shirt was so loose, I was able to touch 275 with it. ;)

Cullen hitting 565 dead.  I haven't recieved a photo of his 600 yet, but I can tell you he smoked it with ease, and that is the most he has ever pulled!

Me with my 675 opener and best deadlift of the meet.  John Bott of Elite Fitness got 675 as a 275 pro lifter, but I think I ended up with the best overall since I weighed 217.

Me calling down the Gods of Thunder for my World Record 705 attempt.  It got past my knees and stalled out.  Someone has a photo of it, I will get it up when I get it.

Me, Cullen on the right, my Step-Son Derek in the middle.

Thats all for now, more when I get them!

-Rick

The Drawing Board and getting back to it

Well, the day did not turn out as planned, however I was happy I got a total and I did not get injured.  This was my first full meet since 1998 and my first full meet ever in full gear.  I learned a lot, found out what I need to do to improve, and had a hell of a good time with some great people!  If you don't want to read the long version below, here is the short: weighed in at 217, totaled 1750 via a 725 squat, 350 bench, and 675 deadlift.  Now to the long version-

Got up Saturday morning at 3 am and headed out to York barbell.  I didn't eat or drink after 6 pm Friday, so I was hungry as hell and dehydrated.  Tipped the scales at 217, then went to the job of re-hydrating myself and eating like a PIG!  LOL!

Slept decent Saturday night, no troubles.  I wasn't all that nervous Sunday either, just relaxed, ready to rock.  I noticed right away Sunday  that they were going to make the heavier lifters take their squats deep (the day before they let some high ones pass).  This kind of messed with my head a little, but not bad.  Also discovered there was only 1 other 220 am. lifter, the rest were pros.  I wasn't worried about how I placed, I just wanted the total and the record, neither of which I got. :(

At any rate, we had the rules clinic and we started warming up, however it didn't take us long to realize that there were 50 guys trying to warm up on 2 monolifts.  We were rushed...very rushed.  We hit 135, 225, 315, 405, 495, then realized they were starting in less then 10 minutes, and I was the 4th lifter out.  Oh fuck.  I rush to put my suit on, then find a bar that is loaded to 655 and get under it and hit a single.  I felt like absolute shit!  As a matter of fact, it felt like it was going to crush me!  LOL!  We normally take a good hour to warm up when we train, and plenty of rest between the heavy lifts.  To say the least, it was playing games with my head.  Anyway, the bar was loaded to my opener, 700, and I stomped out to it.

I got under it and immediately realized that the bar was a little bit thicker then one we had trained with and the one we had warmed up with.  Wonderful.  I have a tendency to roll the bar off my back if I don't get it tight on my shoulders, and a bigger bar makes it worse.  I got set up, the took it off the rack.

I took it down to the basement, reversed gears and stood up with it.  3 white lights!  Got my opener and got myself into the meet!  Next up I called for 725, cause taking 700 that deep was hard and I was sluggish out of the hole.

Less then 10 minutes later I am back on the platform (I did, prior to the start of the 2nd round of squats, go out and bitch at the refs for rushing.  It was a smaller flight and they told us when we were warming up that they were going to run it as if there were 5 more lifters in the flight to allow for more rest.  Well they didn't, so I told them about it and told them someone was going to get fucking hurt!)

Anyway, I get set-up under 725 and take it down to the basement.  Right when I reversed gears, the bar rolled and popped right off my back, sending me crashing right into the head referee!  Like I said, someone is going to get hurt!  Luckily, I wasn't.  However, in full gear you cant exactly jump right back to your feet when you fall flat on your face, so I laid there while all the spotters kept asking me if I was okay.  I kept saying yes, just pick me the fuck up!  LOL!

Got my head right, called for 725 again, this time I stomped out, head-butt the bar, took it down, and stood back up with it.  Another 3 white lights, and when the lights lit up, I turned back around to the weight and shook the bar and told it to fuck off.  IF YOU ARE SCARED, GET OFF THE PLATFORM CAUSE SOMETIMES YOU ARE GOING TO CRASH AND BURN.  THE KEY IS ALWAYS GETTING BACK UP AND ALWAYS GETTING BACK UNDER THE WEIGHT.

My training partner hit 750, after missing his first 2 attempts, then tried for the new 242 am. world record but it was not to be.

Bench was next.  I hate the bench, and I can't bench for shit.  Cullen thinks I have a 500 in me some where.  I think he is crazy.  The bench was weird and hard to set up on.  I missed 350, then got it, then missed 375.  Ah well.  I will get better at this. I promise.  Cullen hit 455 and missed 500 twice.  Just got out of the grove and couldn't get set into the bench right either.

Deadlift.  It was now almost 4 and we had been there since 9.  I was tired, sore, hungry, and had zero motivation to pull.  The deadlift bar they use is fucking crazy.  The thing was whippy, which I guess is supposed to help you pull more, and is thinner then a regular bar.  Also, the knurling is large diamond cuts, not small like regular knurling.  This was the sharpest knurling I have ever felt in my life.  The bar didn't roll out of your hands, the bar slid the skin off your hands.  I knew during my warm ups when I hit 565, that I was in trouble.  I am a speed puller, so when I dip down and pull, first the slack came out of the bar, then the weight came off the ground.  It was almost like a 2 pull movement.  Very strange!

I opened at 675, the highest pull of the meet!  I when out and smoked it but the bar nearly tore my hands apart and I struggle at the last inch as the bar was bouncing.  I called for 705 on my second, stomped out the bar, and had it knee high but couldn't finish it.  I was spent, tore up, and just out of gas after a long day.  I passed on my third.  A couple guys attempted 700+ in the heavier classes but they didn't get it, so even with just an opener, I still had the heaviest pull of the day, and it was 3.1 x bodyweight.  I will get the record next time.  Cullen nailed an EZ 600 deadlift (pr) and totaled 1805 IN HIS FIRST EVER FULL POWER LIFTING MEET!!!!!!!!!  He was a 242 am. lifter.

Lessons learned?

-more food, more drink, and more supplements for recovery on meet day

-Speed up our squat training to mimic meet day

-more glute hams, more reverse hypers.  TONS MORE!

-More close stance high bar squats

-TONS MORE SUMO DEADS!

-Alternating weeks between heavy deads and squats

-TONS MORE SAFETY SQUAT BAR SQUATS!!!!

-Box squats and speed squats have to come back

-MORE SHIRT BENCHING!  TWEAKING SHIRT FORM!

-Adding glutemine and creatine back into the diet

-Training my ass off 5 days a week!

Next meet up is the IPA Senior Nationals in mid November.  Goals are 775-405-730 for 1910 at 220 am.  I left 75+ pounds on the platform due to dumb mistakes, first meet (in 9 years!) jitters, etc.  I promise I wont make those mistakes again.  BELIEVE THAT.

Afterwords, we ate like kings, drank some beer, laughed our asses off, then all went to bed.

It was a great time and as of today prep for November begins.  We have some pics and video, but I do not know when I will get it and get it posted up.  As soon as I do I will post it here.

-Rick   

Britain's Strongest Man 2007

Please note. We have nothing to do with Britain's Strongest Man. We have had our athletes enter the competition with one making the final. The athletes don't know when or where the competition will be held until about 6 weeks before the contest. As soon as we hear anything we will post the information up. Thank you.

We managed to get down to Minehead for day one of qualifying for the Final of Britain's Strongest Man. It was great to see past champions like Jouko Ahola and Svend Karlsen helping out with the whole event and to have the strongest men in Britain competing.

Terry Hollands and Laurence Shahlaei go at it in the Duck Walk and Drag. Terry made it look easy with Laurence a solid second place.

Terry being interviewed by Martin Bayfield

Jimmy Marku's crazy calves!!!

Mark Felix prepares for the Log lift

After the first day Laurence is in second place to Terry Hollands in his heat. He needs to stay in the top 2 to make the final...c'mon Big Loz!

Nick

120 kids up in the air!

Yesterday, at science center NEMO, we deadlifted 120 children. Nemo, the science center had a 10 year celebration, and came up with this event to visualize the strength and might of TEN. 10 guys were asked to deadlift 100 children. After this succesfull attempt, 20 children were still waiting to be picked up, with tears in their eyes. So, good guys as we are, we strained one more time and lifted 120kids off the ground! News article in dutch :p

Pics:

Yours truly, as always, is on the right with 3 other guys not pictured... GRRRRR!!!

With Peter de Jong

Johan Langhorst and me chilling..

Yours truly, and Peter staring at what will probably be a hot girl :p

The lifters were: Arno Lauwsma, Gorrit Visser, Johnny Meijerhof, Wout Zijlstra, Jan Wagenaar, Peter de Jong, Theo Burggraaff, Hans Lolkema and Johan Langhorst. Not forgetting Hans Hebbes who helped out and was there for moral support and as replacement if neccesary.

The deadlift apparatus that was made, weighed 2200lbs and had to be carried up a big flight of stairs. Luckily the apparatus could be divided in 4 big pieces, but still.
Here you can see a picture of the museum, the exhibition was held on the roof of the building..

Apologies!

Life has been hectic of late. My wife joined me from Australia a month ago and I have been working long hours all over the country. Then we moved into a new place although we were staying in Dorset for a little while. I also have had very little internet access and am still a while away from full service.

On a brighter note Laurence went off to start his build up for Britain's Strongest Man yesterday. I will be joining him as his coach on Sunday where we will be gunning for him to make the final. Terry Hollands is in his heat but he is well prepared and ready for the challenge ahead.

Here Loz lifts 145kg/320lbs in the log in preparation for Britain's.

Beyond Strong was also at the Severn Valley Strongman Contest ran by The Whey Consortium's Mike Betty who did a tremendous job in running the whole event. Big Keith took the Men's Novice event and Agata Wrobel took the womens.

Agata lifts the 100kg stone! (out of competition)

Rest assured we have lots of great stuff in the pipeline!

Nick

(All photos copyright Beyond Strong)

Update

I don't like to post a lot of my training here, because I feel that I don't have a lot to brag about. I will though, once I can put up some decent numbers that are worth posting.

I can however, tell that I am working hard on the deadlifts, the olympic lifts, presses and squats. Things are going well. Also a lot more stretching and kettlebell work, where I am thinking about entering a comp maybe in the near future to test myself in the snatch with a 24kg kettlebell.

Being a bit lighter in bodyweight, and still getting stronger feels much better. I think I can honestly say now that I was a fatty, or at least too heavy, and that I do not want size for just the sake of being bigger than the next guy.. That is an arrogant approach, and unrealistic.

You can however, strive to be the strongest YOU can be, at your bodyweight. Have an insane strenght/weight ratio is much more appealing in my opinion. Nick McKinless was one of the persons who was responsible for this change of mind. He can do it all, backflips, jumps, probably splits as well, and still get freaky strong at under -105kg. I don't know if he would mind saying it, but on the surface you would not consider him to be as strong as he is.. But I can tell you, he is!

The latest book I read, was Pratical Programming. There was a strength table you could go by to see at what level you are. I have already talked about the strength table Nick put together, but here are the numbers you should be putting up as an Advanced and Elite athlete at 220lbs (around 99,8kg):

Press
Advanced: 183lbs
Elite:            255lbs

Bench Press
Advanced: 306lbs
Elite:            381lbs

Squat
Advanced: 409lbs
Elite:            532lbs

Deadlift
Advanced: 479lbs
Elite:            586lbs

Power clean (this could take a while.. If ever..)
Advanced: 294lbs
Elite:            345lbs

 

I am not there yet, but I will let you know when I reach elite!

The storm on the horizon

Turn on speakers, push play, and then read below:

These last 10 weeks of training have taught me a lot.  They have taught me more then any article, any college class, and any seminar EVER has.  They have taught me a lot about myself, what I am capable of, what my fears are, what my goals are.  They have taught me to keep my head up and keep driving forward, keep getting under the heavy bar regardless of the result, because when the smoke all clears, the loaded bar is the one thing in life that makes sense.  It is the all knowing, all seeing compass that keeps me on the straight and narrow.  The loaded bar can do a couple things, it can make you grow up, or it can crush you into obscurity.  It can show your fear and weaknesses, or it can show your guts and determination.  These 10 weeks have been full of craziness.  Full of heavy squats and deads, full of bumps in the road, full of great times and great people.  I have dumped squats, squatted more then I ever dreamed, and deadlifted weights with ease that used to be max effort weights.  I have managed to push my bench up to 400 on a pec that is barely holding on and a shoulder that is fucked.  The sole reason for this is the people I have been around.  My new training partners are the best thing that has happened to my lifting career.  I thought I was done, I thought I gave all I had to give.  The fire was out and I was ready to fade away.  Along came my new training partners.  They grabbed me up by the scruff of my neck and said, "Hey fucker, you aint done!  You have soooo much more to do in this sport!  Don't you dare fucking quit and don't you dare walk away from a sport that you have yet to leave your mark in!"  That was a kick in the ass, a wakeup call, and a reason to move my ass. 

I now sit here, 4 days out from the awakening.  4 days out from the comeback that will define me.  I sit here 4 days away from my Elite total.  My anger is building and I am ready to take on the loaded bar and show it that I will not be defined as a quitter, I will not be defined by my fucking fear because I DO NOT FEAR YOU!  I will grab the bar, shake it, swear at it, and let it know that that day, gravity is only a theory!  I will overcome and I will stand my ground.

221.4 this morning.  It is slowly but surely coming off and I will be good to go come Saturday mornings weigh in.  This will be my last post until after Monday.  Wish me luck.

Be a simple kind of man fellas-

-Rick   

Best wishes

Go out to Jimmy Laureys, who tore his bicep at the Grand Prix of Holland this last sunday. He will be going into surgery very soon. This will mean he can't defend the title of Belgian's Strongest Man, though he will be there as one of the hosts! Jimmy is a positive guy, so don't think he will take it as a setback, he will only come back stronger!

 

Get well soon, and we at Beyond Strong wish you a speedy recovery!

-Theo

Not much to report

Just pull-ups.  3x7, 2 sets tactical, 1 set underhand grip.  I am having to take about 60 seconds longer rest now, but I am still getting them with ease and strength to spare.

Ready for War!

222 this morning.  Next week I will lower the carbs, add some salads to help with the bathroom duties, and add Dry Shred by Justin Harris, and I will be 220 very easily.

Squats: worked up to my opener, 700, and dunked it deep and came right back up.  Form was spot on and I felt good for 775+!  Felt f*cking AWESOME actually!!

-Speed deads: 405 + double looped average bands, 3 sets of doubles.  Easy money.

-Revers hypers: 250 x20, x20.

-Pull-down abs: 110 x10, x10, x10

Done.  I won't touch another weight until next Sunday at the meet.  I am ready, I feel good, I feel very strong, so the only thing left to do is to DO IT and take home my ELITE total and the IPA 220 deadlift record!

If you are near York on the 24th, come on out and watch the weight fly!  To all the dads: HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

-Rick