In my last email I talked about how structuring your workouts can make a big difference in how you progress.
Today, I want to talk about why having that structure there in the first place is a huge thing.
You may have heard this analogy before. If you lived in Los Angeles and had to get to New York by car what would be the first thing you do?
Get a map!
You wouldn’t just set out driving (unless of course you didn’t really care if you got there and were just looking for some random adventure).
By having that map you can get there much quicker then you would have otherwise not knowing where you’re going.
Yet when it comes to training, most people don’t get a map first. They just set out.
Your map is not only where you want to go but how you’re going to get there.
If your goal is to run a marathon then you should be running progressively longer distances. If you goal is power lifting you have three lifts to focus on.
Doing heavy squats when you’re trying to run long distances is like heading in the wrong direction. And vice versa.
Most people aren’t off to this degree. But have you ever entered your workout thinking what am I going to do today?
Sure, there’s a time to have a random workout, but for the most part you should know exactly what you are going to do. Not only what exercises but how much weight, sets and reps you should be getting.
You don’t need to be anal about it but overall you should know what’s going to happen.
With this sort of plan there is only one direction to move and that is forward.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Strength Training Concepts by on Feb 3rd, 2009. Comment. 
I’ve received many questions about various feats of strength. Mainly what is the best way to get good at doing them?
The answer is of course to work on the feat itself.
There are other exercises that can build your strength and transfer over but nothing takes the place of actual practice of the feat itself.
And that means you are going to need the materials to do it. Just yesterday I plunked down $60 at the hardware store for a bunch of nails and bolts. (Grade 5 Bolts and 12” Spikes in case you’re wondering.)
Considering progress here is one of my main goals it was an easy decision to make. I had some easier nails but I needed these exact bolts and nails as that’s what I’m primarily working on.
Without these tools I wouldn’t be able to do what I have to do to get stronger and better. There is nothing I can do with a barbell, kettlebell, or bodyweight exercises that would help me as much as bending these nails.
Now you may or may not be interested in doing feats of strength. But the same thing applies no matter what you’re doing. Do you have the right tools for the job?
For a lot of purposes this is an easy answer. Everyone has access to bodyweight exercises of all kinds, and as long as you know what you’re doing, you can achieve most purposes.
However, bodyweight exercises cannot help you achieve everything and anything. Other training tools have their place. Each one can be more or less effective depending on the end result you’re looking for.
Make sure you have the right tools of the job. That way you have no excuses.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. One of my favorite tools is the kettlebell. In fact, I currently own 14 of them. If you want to get one tool that’ll last forever and has huge benefits check out Dragondoor kettlebells.
Filed under Barbells and Dumbbells, Bodyweight Exercise, Feats of Strength, Kettlebells, Strength Training Concepts by on Feb 6th, 2009. Comment.
I received a great question the other day and figured you’d like to hear the answer as well.
Logan,
I’ve been researching and looking through everything I can find on Old Time Strongmen (Sandow, Saxon, etc) and I haven’t found this information yet.
How did they train all these attributes? I’ve only heard bits and pieced. Lift heavy as practice is the common one. However, with handbalancing, how did they factor all that in? It’s a bit baffling.
The reason I ask because you are always honest, knowledgeable and accessible.
Also, I have a children’s fitness program I’m running here in Louisville called Handstanding Around. Your materials that I’ve bought have come in handy. Someday I’ll have you out here to show off your skills.
Thanks again!
Yours in fitness,
Demond Thompson
Its something I’ve looked into as well. The first thing you need to realize is they all didn’t train the same way. As today, each person was doing his own thing. There wasn’t just one system.
I know Saxon and his brothers pretty much trained all day. Like a circus performer or gymnast. Really just practicing the moves when they weren’t on the road.
A lot of the guys who were good at hand balancing had a background of it. Started doing it as a kid and later did weightlifting and everything else. When you have acrobatic ability it doesn’t take that much effort to keep up the skills. Its just that building up that skill can take more time.
Sig Klein for example liked to include freestanding handstand presses and tiger bends in his workouts. You can read a great story about this in Brooks Kubiks new book, Legacy of Iron can be found here.
For more skill related training the more time you spend the better you’ll be. Then for really building strength a basic program is all you need. But you have to find balance in the two.
For the most part, many of the strongman had basic strength training programs. Using that as a base you can build up any other attributes you want and need.
And there are many ways you can do it. The skills training can be a part of your workout. Or it can be separate.
Personally, I usually practice hand balancing and other acrobatic moves by themselves. But feats of strength are mixed in with more basic strength training exercises.
I hope that helps you. And I’m sure I’ll talk more on this subject another day.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. One thing that blurs the line between skill practice and strength training is kettlebell juggling. Find out how to get started with this fun training with The Definitive Guide to Kettlebell Juggling.
Filed under Feats of Strength, Oldtime Strongmen, Strength Training Concepts by on Feb 10th, 2009. Comment.
Just a quick note today to let you there are three new feats of strength up on the site. Go check ‘em out.
The Muscle Out is a classic challenge when it comes to feats of strength. You take a weight and hold it out at arms length either to your front or to the sides.
The Human Link as a feat of strength comes in many shapes in sizes. The basics of it are to stop two opposing forces going in opposite directions from breaking your grip or hold.
Finger Lifting is a feat of strength involving lifting any objects just using the fingers.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Feats of Strength by on Feb 13th, 2009. Comment.
Today starts the Russian Kettlebell Certification in San Jose, California. This will be my third time as an Assistant Instructor at the course and I’m excited as ever.
It’s not just that I get to see some people I haven’t seen in awhile and am surrounded by a bunch of like-minded individuals. Not even the fact that I have a blast doing the whole thing.
The biggest reason for my excitement is I get to teach people about kettlebells and training.
And if you want to learn something the best way to do it is to teach it.
I was watching videos of a seminar on an unrelated matter the other day. One of the presenters talked about going out to teach something as soon as he had learned it from reading a book.
Now some people might think this is bad. They’re thinking you can’t possibly teach something if you haven’t been studying for half your lifetime! And I’m certainly not condoning you teach people bad or incorrect things.
But when you seek to teach someone you have to be clear on what you have to do. You have to be able to make it clear to them.
You’ll also bring out any weak points you have. If they ask a question you can’t answer you’ll surely go out and find that answer as soon as you can.
By showing others you get better yourself. If you really want to get something, after you read a how-to book, watch an instructional video or attend a seminar, seek out someone you can teach the material to right away. You’ll retain and use the information that much better.
Every time I’ve gone through this event I’ve gained from it. I’m not just talking about a little refresher but much more than that. You can always get better and refine your technique further.
Not to mention many of the instructors are a wealth of knowledge on other related topics.
I’m going to try to take some video from the three days of training. Get you some insider info. We will see how it goes.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. A firm foundation in kettlebell training is a must if you want to start juggling them, but once you’re there this is the faster way to get good – The Definitive Guide to Kettlebell Juggling
Filed under Kettlebells by on Feb 19th, 2009. Comment.
Just finished up at the RKC yesterday. And what a time it was!
Here’s a video with a few shots from the workouts as well as myself playing around during breaks. I even hit a new PR at 88 lbs. with the one leg squat.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vLKV9KY5zk]
The more I go to these events the more I learn. There is a huge emphasis on technique. After all, with only six exercises taught over three days you have to go pretty deep into them.
Even after you’ve done thousands of reps yourself and taught others how to do it, there is still room for improvement. One big idea taught was to ‘go an inch wide and a mile deep with your training.’
Just one small technique I learned for pressing, applying downward pressure with the other hand, is sure to be a big help in the future. And a big thanks to my Team Leader, Mark Toomey for teaching it to me.
Its amazing the transformation the attendees go through. Some come in with pretty decent technique. Others not so much. But by everyone is doing much better.
Going back to the press it was amazing to see how many hands raised when Pavel asked who hit a new PR in the exercise after working on the tension techniques. Proper technique is not only safer but it’ll allow you to do lift more and for longer.
I highly recommend going through the course even if you don’t plan on training other people. At the very least find a good trainer to help you out.
If you want to sign up for an upcoming kettlebell certification click here.
Its money well spent. Unfortunately, I won’t be at every single one, but the caliber of teachers there is always very high.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. Go sign-up for an upcoming RKC here
Filed under Kettlebells, Lifting Technique, Strength Training Concepts by on Feb 23rd, 2009. Comment.
Last night I held a closed doors tele-seminar for my Strength Mastermind members. The topic of the call was progression.
When you understand progression and how it works your workouts will never be just an act of spinning your wheels.
You will always be moving forward. Combining the concepts of progression along with setting training goals and you’ll not only progress but quickly.
There are times when you want to train just for the sake of it. To have some fun. But for the most part training is a means to an end. A way to get stronger, faster, bigger, or smaller. And once you reach that goal you set a new one.
I covered everything I could think of on the call but I’ll share with you one tip here.
There are many ways to train progressively, the two most common being increasing intensity and volume, which come in a number of varieties themselves.
If you ever feel yourself getting stuck, you don’t have to abandon your entire program. Usually all it takes is to change up one of these factors.
If you’ve been doing low reps start doing a higher rep range. If you’ve been doing a single set of an exercise, switch to three or five sets. After you’ve followed this new progression for awhile you can switch back and see how much better you do.
Many people think that you have to change up what you do every six weeks. Sure at the elite levels, periodization definitely has value, but for the average trainee you can stick with a similar plan for a much longer time.
These small changes are all that you need to keep progressing for a long time.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Strength Training Concepts by on Feb 26th, 2009. Comment.
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