BEYOND STRONG

Merry Xmas and Happy New Year

I am sure many of you are busy writing New Year Resolutions which involve lifting and training. My personal goals are are very simple - stay injury free!

There will be no competing this year, no chasing weights I don't need and no pushing to the limit when it's not required. I will work hard of course but the need to push my body is really not required at the moment.

I still intend to lift 3 times a week. This will be basic as usual. However, I will include some of the bodybuilding I have been doing recently as it's made a nice change and has taken the stress off my joints a great deal. I will be continuing with my mobility and hope to do more yoga. I also want to push to get in a couple of cardio or high intensity interval training sessions in each week. This I hope will keep my body fat lower than it has been.

The only time I will be pushing hard is during my work environment when 100% is required to produce a solid performance. I am hoping this will keep the injuries to a minimum. I have also been getting regular osteopathic treatment and I will continue this as it has helped a great deal.

I still feel as a competitor in Strongman I have much more in me. I don't think I ever really peaked as a lightweight strongman. I hope to make a comeback of sorts in my 40's (2 years away now!) and take on the younger guys on the world stage.

As I get older I am really interested in pursuing sport as recreation and not so much competition. Feeling good is more important to me than aching and creaking and popping pain killers all the time.

We'll see where this takes me.

As for you guys - let's give you something to think about over the holiday period.

Older but wiser training tips for 2009

Feel strong. Back off!

When everything feels strong and is going well in your training, consider backing off. The body likes to peak and then recuperate. Enjoy the strong times without the fear of injury or pain.

Get your technique down in all of the main lifts.

Ugly lifting is way too common these days. I personally hate it! Get your squat, deadlift, press, clean, bench and chin form perfect and reap the rewards. Give me a smooth 500lb deadlift over an ugly, hitched 550lbs deadlift anyday.

Compete in competitions not in the gym.

Frankly, no one cares what you lift in the gym if when you compete you come last or middle of the pack. Friendly competition is fine but save the psyching up and aggression for when it counts.

Don't be an internet hero.

YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! I've said it before and I'll say it again - NO ONE CARES WHAT YOU LIFT!!!

Try something new.

There are so many avenues to health and strength that sometimes the gym seems a bit redundant to me. Here's a few things to consider trying in 2009. Squat with a different bar (Safety, Cambered, Top Squat etc). Go on a PROPER diet. DO some mobility work or yoga or pilates. Try some light strongman events. Lift a rock. Climb a tree. Try training like one of the greats such as Vince Gironda or Reg Park. Specialize on a weakness such as those spindly legs or pencil neck. Take a barbell to the park and do lifting and sprinting. Try EDT, Tabatas, HIT, 20 reps squats, Dogg Crapp training, Isometrics, Pre-exaustion, Chains, Bands, Complexes, 3x3, Smolov, German Volume Training, 50 reps sets, Pack of Cards, Speed Work, Heavy Partials, Ladders, The Transformation Program and the list goes on and on. Don't just read it or think it DO IT!

Beyond Strong wishes everyone and safe and happy Christmas time and successful 2009.

Nick

From my good friend Spike Cherrie for Xmas.

Beyond Strong - past, present, future

Since it's inception in May 2007, Beyond Strong has gathered a loyal, cult following and a reputation for honest, tried and tested training advice as well as more obscure articles in areas such as stunts and films. Rick, Steve and Theo have contrubuted massively during that time and have in turn each created a loyal following in their respective specialist areas. However, life does begin to catch up on you and so for 2009 we have collectively decided to amalgamate the blogs into two main blogs.

The main blog will stay the same. I will keep this as varied as possible with stunts, films and training articles with the other guys chiming in with new stuff as and when. The second blog will be all training based. This will include everyone's current routines and ideas. Hopefully with this there will be more frequent blogging for our loyal readers to keep a track of.

I am heading to Australia for the New Year where I will spending my time with my wife (she has already gone) and catching up with old friends. I cannot wait to feel the sun on my lily white skin!

Over the past few weeks with work easing off I have been training more frequently. The 'bodybuilding' has been great fun and it has actually helped some of my nagging injuries. Today I trained with my friend and World's Strongest Man competitor Laurence Shahlaei. We did the following fitness based workout...

20kg KB Swing
Cable Punches and rotations
Crunches
Sandbag Rows
Clean and Press w/40kg
Squat with 40kg

This was repeated for 5 circuits done for 30 seconds of work and 10 seconds rest. This was then followed by 20 mins on the Cross Trainer.

I'm not one for cardio but I do enjoy this type of training. Tomorrow we are throwing barrels!

Till then...

Nick

 

Equipment review - OrbiGrip

As many of you know David Horne and I have been friends for some 15 years now. David has always been extremely innovative with strength training gear that is simple but highly effective. I think apart from his classic 'Iron grip Course', the first piece of equipment I purchased off David was the old Whale Bone Gripper which I still have and use from time to time. Since then David has gone on to produce some of the most innovative pieces of strength training equipment in the world. I should also mention that Dave Johnson is the master engineer behind David's mad scientist drawings, plans and visions! Dave Johnson is no slack Harry when it comes to strength either, having lifted succesfully in many competitions and most recently crushing down the infamous Iron Mind Red Nail with ease.

The two David's most recent and perhaps most important device to date is the OrbiGrip. I was first shown this early last year at the Midland's Strongest Man in Birmingham. David had the prototype in the back of his car and I gave the wierd looking thing a few spins and wondered what I was going to ever use it for!

6 months later and the OrbiGrip has arrived and is a dynamic piece of kit that has more than one use to more than one set of athletes. Basically the OrbiGrip is held in one hand where an apposing loading pin sits upon a bearing that spins. This creates a centrifugal effect and thus forcing you to hang on hard to keep the rotations of the apposing loading pin to spin smoothly. As with all great tools it is easy to load weight on. I should reiterate, you won't need much weight! In fact you could start with just the unloaded OrbiGrip and get a perfectly good hand, wrist, forearm, bicep and shoulder workout. 

This is my first day and first time using the OrbiGrip properly. I put a 1/2kg disc on and managed 200 revolutions on each hand, spinning the weight in both directions. WOW! Let me tell you now why you want one of these.

• Hand Strength. Particularly endurance is tested massively and in a very (I hate to say it) functional way. 
• Elbow health. Sore elbows? The amount blood (nutrients) rushing into my elbows made them feel spongy and not the usual creaky, inflamed feeling I have from old tendonitis injuries.
• Rotator injuries? Again, this is quite brilliant. It taxes the shoulder joint but in a very small range of motion. This small amount of mobility is having a very positive effect on those little muscles that support the shoulder joint.
• Forearm size? Struggling to add size to your forearms are we? I think we have the answer right here gents.

I think this tool would be an amazing addition to just about any sport from tennis, golf, squash and all raquet sports to cricket, baseball and hockey to all combat sports like MMA and boxing and really anything where the forearm, hand, bicep and shoulder are used in unison - which is pretty much EVERY sport!

As with all David's products it is extremely well made and very good value for money.

Highly recommended not just for the strength and grip guys but for ALL SPORTS.

Nick McKinless

David Horne's Video shows you more about incredible OrbiGrip

Whey '08

Yesterday was the 2nd Whey Power Challenge. This is a competition that basically I arranged at the Whey Consortium gym to allow people to come and set PBs without the pressure of full blown competition. I set the rules and the lifts, people can do all of the lifts or just one, it's up to them. There are no winners or losers. Afterwards we headed off for a nice meal and a few drinks with old and new friends. Once again it was a great day. I run the competition FAST! If you want to warm up I give them about 5-10 minutes and then we are off with a rising bar. Those lifting heavier weights can warm up in between the lifts as well. This makes for a fast paced but more interesting to watch competition. We did 5 lifts in 5 hours with around 12-15 competitors in total.

Everyone lifted well and the results can be found here...WHEY RESULTS AT SDF

One of the more amazing feats of strength after the competition was Laine Snook attempting to lift not one but TWO MILLENIUM dumbbells! The Millenium Dumbbell was made by Steve Gardener and Alan Radley. It has a 2 3/8" handle and weighs a massive 228lbs! Lifting two of them is almost 460lbs!! Then add the huge handles and then the difficulty is off the scale. Only a handful of men have ever lifted this beast. Laine attempted to lift TWO of them. Here's a photo from my dodgy phone camera and I can tell you he got them a good six inches higher than this!

6ft7" Laine Snook lifts TWO Millenium Dumbbells weighing 460lbs in total!

 

Nick

BACK!

Sometimes life just comes at you full speed and you have to get on board or you get left behind! Things have been great recently and despite the lack of input here I have been very productive both in my work and personal life.

Physically I am feeling pretty weak right now. However, that's a relative term. I've decided to do a 3 week onslaught of agility, bodybuilding and mobility work to get the blood flowing in my ever aching bones. Previous to this workouts were scarce but I have managed to not add too much weight and stay around 10-12% bodyfat. My shoulder is at last beginning to heal up as well. So far this week...

Plyos and agility and upper body bodyweight work. I trained at Thames Valley indoor athletics track monday. This is a great facility and better still - it's quiet in the day! We did various jumping drills, sprint drills and some plyos of which I didn't push too hard. I even managed a few 95% sprints to test out my hip as well. After that we did some Power Wheel work, some rope climbing, flag practice and used my new Universal Strength Apparatus from Bodyweight Culture. This is basically a ladder system that folds up into a neat bag. We did various climbs which proved really challenging. Loved it.

Chest - pure bodybuilding now! Incline work, flys, cable flys, dips and some pullovers. Finished with a nice ab set of various planks, toes to bar and russian twists.

Back - Pulldowns, Kelso rows, Machine Pullovers, Hammer Rows and some shoulder rehab work.

Shoulders - military and Bradford press, side delt cable raises, rear delt incline raises, more abs and shoulder rehab.

I've also been following short circuits of the mobility work too. It feels really good to be trained again and the shorter, frequent, bodybuilding stuff is a nice change.

Part of the plyo work involves a fellow stuntman who is testing out a new jumping program I put together for him. I will let you know how he goes with this. This is the same guy who did the jump in Casino Royale and the Bourne Ultimatum so improving his jumping will be difficult as he is at the upper end of the spectrum with regards to this.

I've also been asked to write another article for Bare Essentials magazine which I should try to get done over the Xmas break.

2009 is looking like a good year for movies. Here's one that looks like well worth checking out. Till next time!

Nick

BACK!

Sometimes life just comes at you full speed and you have to get on board or you get left behind! Things have been great recently and despite the lack of input here I have been very productive both in my work and personal life.

Physically I am feeling pretty weak right now. However, that's a relative term. I've decided to do a 3 week onslaught of agility, bodybuilding and mobility work to get the blood flowing in my ever aching bones. Previous to this workouts were scarce but I have managed to not add too much weight and stay around 10-12% bodyfat. My shoulder is at last beginning to heal up as well. So far this week...

Plyos and agility and upper body bodyweight work. I trained at Thames Valley indoor athletics track monday. This is a great facility and better still - it's quiet in the day! We did various jumping drills, sprint drills and some plyos of which I didn't push too hard. I even managed a few 95% sprints to test out my hip as well. After that we did some Power Wheel work, some rope climbing, flag practice and used my new Universal Strength Apparatus from Bodyweight Culture. This is basically a ladder system that folds up into a neat bag. We did various climbs which proved really challenging. Loved it.

Chest - pure bodybuilding now! Incline work, flys, cable flys, dips and some pullovers. Finished with a nice ab set of various planks, toes to bar and russian twists.

Back - Pulldowns, Kelso rows, Machine Pullovers, Hammer Rows and some shoulder rehab work.

Shoulders - military and Bradford press, side delt cable raises, rear delt incline raises, more abs and shoulder rehab.

I've also been following short circuits of the mobility work too. It feels really good to be trained again and the shorter, frequent, bodybuilding stuff is a nice change.

Part of the plyo work involves a fellow stuntman who is testing out a new jumping program I put together for him. I will let you know how he goes with this. This is the same guy who did the jump in Casino Royale and the Bourne Ultimatum so improving his jumping will be difficult as he is at the upper end of the spectrum with regards to this.

I've also been asked to write another article for Bare Essentials magazine which I should try to get done over the Xmas break.

2009 is looking like a good year for movies. Here's one that looks like well worth checking out. Till next time!




Nick

12/06/08- First bench press workout since June 08'.

Felt awesome to be back at the basement of pain training with the crew again.  Of course, Cullen and Big Lance were there.  I missed those big bastards a ton!  Old head Greg was there, he hasn't missed a beat and is still a strong old bastard!  There is also some new blood aboard, a young man named Elliot who is big and strong and has a very bright future is he can stay on track.

We started with 3 board presses.  I had no intentions of putting on my shirt, but that changed.  Worked up to 275 x 1 off my chest raw.  I have not benched with a straight bar free weight since the summer, so I was expecting this to be a lot harder then it was.  It came up decent, but I was a little shaky under the weight.  Then hit 315 x 1 raw off 3 boards.  Added the Rage X and did 345 x1, 365x1, and 405x1.  All of them were very easy and explosive and effortless.  Was going to go 455 and up, but decided 405 was decent for the first time back with the bench.  Dont want to get to aggressive too quick and get hurt.  Of course, Big Lance smoked 585, he hasnt been in a shirt since the summer either!  Elliot hit 455, once he gets his technique down he is going to be scary strong and well into the 600s very soon.

Beakers with kettlebells hanging were next, used 135 + 36 pound kettlebell hanging off each side with a mini jump stretch band.  X 5/5. x5/5, x5/5.

Kettlebell elbows out ext: 52s x25, x19, x13.

Chest supported row: 45 x20, x20, x20.

Done.

Had a great time.  They are going to the high school football finals next Saturday, so we wont be lifting till the following Saturday.  Stoked to be back to slinging weights!

Good to see an old friend Dan Cenidoza stop by.  We have had our differences in the past, but I would like to think that we can bury that hatchet and start new.

Beer thirty....

-Rick

Back in BLACK

Cullen sent me a text message letting me know that they are benching this Saturday at 9 am.  I am very excited about this...time to get back on the fucking bull and get my head on straight again.

The last 4 months of my life have been a complete and total whirlwind of ups and downs.  I bought a bike, got a bunch of tats, made advancements at work, came VERY close to getting a divorce, and had to say good bye to someone who meant a lot to me.  Very stressful and very painful.  Life goes on though...tomorrow is a new day.  The best way for me to forget and move forward is to get back under heavy ass weights, and that is exactly what my plan is.

No meets on the horizon, all of the abuse I have been putting myself through in the last few months will be hard to overcome.  I figure it will take a solid 3-4 months of consistent and heavy training to get back to where I am ready to start a meet cycle.  I am more stoked about getting back with the boys, Cullen and Lance!  I need those guys in my life right now, as incredibly gay as that sounds it is true.  They keep me on an even keel and I miss the hell out of them!

So starts another chapter in my crazy, sometimes out of control life.  I will start logging my workouts again after this Saturday's training session.

-Rick