Oct/093
Rise Above Strongman Competition
100 lb. Keg Press
I may not have been writing recently but I sure have been training.
And about a month ago I went to my friend Doug’s gym Rise Above Performance Training.
I was a trainer for Doug when he went through the RKC and we stayed in touch after that. He was holding an anniversary party and strongman competition and asked me to come down.
By the way, if you live near Belmont, California you should go check it out. More info can be found at www.RiseAboveStrength.com.
Right when I arrived, the strongman competition was just getting started. I jumped in no hesitation. Here’s a summary with some lessons learned at the end. Also I hope you enjoy the pictures and videos.
The first event was a keg press. Even with all my training this was actually the first time I ever pressed a keg. At 100 lbs. this one proved difficult. I managed 3 reps, knowing with a little practice I could at least double that number.
The second event was the tire flip. It was a light tire so it was done for max reps in 2 minutes. This one I excelled and taking first place by a single rep.
Rolling Thunder
The third event was weighted pushups. Throwing chains over the body then doing reps between two concrete blocks. This was my worst event of the bunch.
The fourth event was the Rolling Thunder. If you are unfamiliar with this one it’s a grip tool put out by Iron Mind. The thick bar and rotating handle makes it difficult to grip. We kept adding weight to see who could lift the most.
The last event was a medley. Pushing a sled, carrying a 70 lb. keg overhead, doing a farmer’s walk with 120 lb. dumbbells and pulling a rope with a weighted sled on it. All this was done for time.
Overall I placed third or forth out of out of the seven. Not bad when you consider most of the competitors where bigger and more muscular then me. And the fact that they trained there and most of these events were familiar to them.
Would have loved to go there and dominate but the primary concern was just to have some fun. Its great to get to use your training that you work so hard to build every once in a while. And competition is always fun.
And afterwords I did a few of the things I’m known for. Kettlebell juggling, tearing phonebooks, cards, bending nails and even a horseshoe.
Speaking of kettlebell juggling tonight Scott Bird from Straight to the Bar is holding a twitter chat on the subject. To come join the conversation go here for details.
This video will show a couple clips from everything that went on there.
Phonebook Tear
Another good reason to compete or do something like this is it shows you how you’re doing. Even though I had never pressed a keg before I got to see how my training has prepared me to do that. I got to see how my conditioning would hold up in unfamiliar exercises like the tire flip and medley.
And it would point out weaknesses, like my horizontal pushing strength, which I am now adding back into my training. Everything for some time has all been overhead pressing. Not anymore.
So go and compete. Take a different training class once in awhile. Try using a new training implement. This is your call to action. Get out and do it!
And if you enjoyed this post please comment below.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. There’s a big announcement coming tomorrow so watch your email inbox for that.
Apr/090
Rolling a Dumbbell Across the Gym?!?
If you missed my last story about one of the exercises I saw in a commercial gym you can read about it in the post below.
But this one blow even that away. My friend ended up visiting that same gym the next day. And this is what he saw. This is no April Fools joke!
A man came over to the dumbbells and picked a 100 pounder. Using two hands he lifted it off the rack and set it straight on the floor. He then rolled the weight halfway across the gym to the bench he was using.
From there he wrapped his wrist straps round and round to make sure his hand was secured on the dumbbell. And then his set of partial one-arm rows began. They had to be called partial because he wasn’t even getting halfway up.
I wish I had seen this one first hand, but I’m afraid if I did I would have burst into laughter. And it definitely would have distracted me from my workout.
Now I know the chances of this guy reading this are very slim. However here’s just a few pieces of advice I’d give him. Perhaps you can benefit from the lessons.
First off, ever hear of a farmer’s walk? It’s a great exercise and all it involves in carrying a weight hanging by your side. Normally you use two weights, one for each hand, but you could do it with just one. Even a little work on this will save you the embarrassment of rolling weight across the gym.
Secondly, if you can’t hold onto a weight you shouldn’t be using it. Yes, in some extreme cases like a hands and thigh lift I can understand the need for straps, but in general you should be able to HANDle the weights you use. If your hands are weak make them stronger.
And lastly use a full range of movement. Many people like to cheat themselves in the efforts to use a heavier weight. Considering this guy couldn’t even carry or grip the dumbbell, this was obviously too much for him.
There is a time and place for partial movements as part of more advanced training. But in general, always go full range even if you have to use less weight to do it.
If you’ve got any stories of commercial gym insanity I’d love to hear them so send them in.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Feb/090
RKC Review
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.
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
Dec/080
Getting Stronger at Pressing
There are many different ways to accomplish the same goal when it comes to strength.
Let’s say you want to get stronger at pressing. Here’s a partial list of exercises you can do to achieve that goal.
Military Press
Side Press
Two or One Hand at a time
Push Press
Sots Press
Seated Press
Isometrics, Negatives & Partials
Not to mention the tons of different tools you can use: barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, sandbags, odd objects, cables, and bodyweight.
This doesn’t even include any other planes of movement too, like a bench press or incline press.
Of course if you want to get good at one specific thing its good to stick to that. But using these variations its easy to get around any possible plateaus you have. And you won’t get stale practicing just one move over and over your entire life.
Since a vertical press is such an important movement it should always be in your training. But now you can see as far as what form it takes, the sky’s the limit.
Getting a heavy weight overhead is a true test of strength. And a good exercise to set out to improve.
I’ll only be sending you one more message before this year is over. So I wanted to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. However you celebrate this occasion, make sure you spend the time well and don’t neglect to finish off 2008 with some great workouts.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Sep/080
The Boys Are Back In Town DVD Set
Let me start of by saying that I only recommend products to you that I use or have used and find to be helpful in my training. You’ll never see me endorsing an ab-zapper or a treadmill or anything like that.
Only the best will make the cut if I’m going to put in the time and work necessary to tell you about it.
And of that cut, what I’m about to share with you has to be right near the top.
The Boys Are Back in Town DVD Set
What is it? When you click the link you’ll find out. But to keep it short it’s a three DVD set of footage from a once in a lifetime seminar taught by four guys at the top of their game. The combined years of knowledge of the instructors has to be over a hundred years.
Have you heard these names before? Steve Maxwell, Mike Mahler, Steve Cotter and Nate Morrison.
All of their knowledge is distilled into seven hours of no-fluff content for you to watch from the comfort of your own home.
The Boys Are Back in Town DVD Set
Though I didn’t attend this seminar I’ve met three of the four instructors at other times. They’re all experienced and the best part about this seminar is you coverage on all different aspects of training.
Everything from joint mobility to chi-kung, kettlebell training for high reps and max endurance to low reps and huge explosive power, maximizing hormones and breathing techniques that are sure to be different from anything you’ve ever seen before.
This is one DVD set you’ll be watching over and over again. Personally, I’ve gone through it twice (and some parts of it more) but I think it’s time to watch it all over again.
The amount of material covered is huge and it’s sure to shock you into new gains.
There is plenty more to be said about it. Just click the link to read more including what other people have gained from this presentation.
The Boys Are Back in Town DVD Set
If you only buy one thing on strength training and physical culture this year this is it.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. The attendees paid $1595.00 to attend the seminar. While it’s usually better to absorb information live, you won’t need to pay anything close to that price now – The Boys Are Back in Town DVD Set.
Jul/080
Batman, The Joker and You
Highly recommended. In fact I’ll probably be going back to the theater to see it again this week.
What does this have to do with strength training? Both everything and nothing.
I don’t want to give away anything from the movie. But one theme is about how far are you willing to go for your what you want to accomplish.
This is something I’ve talked about before in The Strongman Manifesto. (And funny how Batman made a mention in that too but for different reasons)
You can just go through the motions or you can really go after something, even having to suffer the consequences for them.
Reading some stories about Olympic level wrestlers and about how many of them shunned anything that would get in the way of their path to glory like a social life. Even things that weren’t bad, but that were avoided because time could be better spent.
Now this path isn’t for everyone. In fact it is just for a few.
But you don’t need go to this level to see massive success in most cases.
The fact that you train as hard as you do, that you are reading this right now, means that you have more devotion than the average trainee.
I already trained today and it was a good one. My hands hurt as I type this from bending and holding onto some big weights.
But if you’ve yet to go at it, let this serve as a reminder to put every ounce of effort out there.
Make your level of intensity something that would cause even the Joker think you’re crazy.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Jun/080
The Strongman Manifesto
You can get the Strongman Manifesto now, and discover how to become as strong as you possibly can. If you want to learn how to unlock your strength to the best of your abilities click here to read.
Download it, read it and let me know what you think. You can email me or post your comments down below.
One more thing. If you’re working out later today you might want to read it right before hand. This kind of material has a way of adding that little extra motivation allowing you to push yourself harder.
If you do, you’ll really have to let me know how it goes.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Oct/072
Exercise Technique
There is a lot more to getting strong then just hard work. I don’t want to downplay hard work though. Too many people think they are working hard when they are barely pushing themselves. Are you guilty of this? I have been in the past, for sure.
But today I want to talk about the technique side of strength. There has always been an emphasis on proper form in our society. Unfortunately, for some, their conception of proper form is skewed.
What does it mean to have proper form? Basically it boils down to two things.
1. Doing the exercise is a safe manner.
2. Doing the exercise in a productive manner.
Safety first. For obvious reasons this is important. Besides just keeping your health in mind, any injuries will take you away from future training time. If nothing else this should keep you doing things on the straight and narrow.
However, even if you do things properly there is still the risk of injury. Exercise is, by its nature, stressful. Some exercises are worse than others and some people are better suited for certain exercises over others. That is just how it is.
Besides strength training it is wise to balance your body with flexibility and mobility work so you can keep going in the long run. And find the exercises that give you the best results with the least damage.
You can do things safely but they must be done productively in order for you to get results. Can you stop every set just because you are not in a 100% biomechanically optimal position? No.
It is ok to splash some of the bathwater out, just don’t throw the baby out with it, if you catch my meaning.
With decent form you can be getting results from your training while staying healthy.
But technique goes beyond just the safe and the semi-productive. Often times a slight tweak in your form will allow you to surpass your previous bests with ease.
There is a reason coaching, in one form or another, is such a high-paid resource. A good coach can help you dramatically improve your form for safe and productive results.
You learn from those that know the technique (usually drilled in with years of experience and 1000’s of reps).
This Thursday I will be making a big announcement in these regards.
Grow Powerfully,
Logan Christopher
P.S. Lots of new subscribers on board. If you haven’t read the articles on the site be sure to check them out at http://www.legendarystrength.com/articles.html
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