Legendary Strength Blog

Today we feature two rising stars in the small world of performing strongman. You may never have heard the name Chris Rider before. But you will now and definitely more in the future.

In just over a year of practicing these feats he is already one of the top guys. Here are a few pictures of him destroying a big horseshoe. This thing was a beast.

Pat Poviliatus is known as the best horseshoe bender in the world, but that title may soon fall to Chris. You can see the determination of his face. But you don’t get to see the full effort he put out in order to complete this bend. Or hear his yells.

It was awe-inspiring and gave a glimpse of why these guys are so good. They’re willing to push themselves to levels that would scare most people.

He also has strong hair. Although there’s no picture we all witnessed him snap a chain in half using his hair.

Mike ‘the Machine’ Bruce is the other. He has the World’s Strongest Neck but that’s not all. Here we have Tim Fox jumping off a ladder onto his stomach. Yeah, he’s got strong abs too.

But one of the most amazing feats involved both Chris and Mike. Combining their abilities as only they could. Chris bending a horseshoe across the throat of Mike. Another picture of intensity.

These guys were good, no doubt. But they’re also some of the friendliest people I know (everyone at the event was). It was a pleasure to meet and get to know them.

Check out their blogs at the following to find out more about them and their feats:

Mike the Machine
Chris Rider

In strength,
Logan Christopher

Where do I begin?

How about a brief synopsis. I was in Houston to learn from one of the strongest men in the world, Dennis Rogers. Even among the students there we had some very strong guys. Like ‘The Human Vise’ Pat Povilaitis, Mike ‘The Machine’ Bruce, and Chris ‘As of yet no real nickname’ Rider.

And everyone else was strong too but these men stand out. When you get around this caliber of individuals you’re pretty much expected to tear phonebooks and decks of cards in half. To mangle various sizes of steel with your bare hands.

Today I share a few pictures of the materials in the strongman trade. Here’s a few prize pieces signed and kept by Dennis.

It’s hard to tell the size of some of the objects but the common objects (like the coffee cup) should give you a frame of reference. Here’s a close up of the ‘S’ wrenches.

Here’s a hammer done by Chris Rider in the same manner. Very cool looking.

And now for a before and after shot of tearing through many phonebooks.  And no, we weren’t quite done yet. I believe everyone was destroyed. One great thing about the seminar was we all had the opportunity to not only do a feat but get one-on-one attention and all our questions answered.

That’ll give you an idea of some of the feats the best can perform. Next time I’ll show you a few feats as they’re being performed.

In strength,
Logan Christopher

P.S. This kind of training isn’t for everyone. But if you want to do be able to do any of these feats or similar there is one man to turn to, Dennis Rogers.

Just flew into Texas. Here to learn from one of the strongest men in world. Dennis Rogers is putting on a seminar to teach the art and business of strongman.

He is labeled as pound-for-pound the strongest man in the world at the feats he performs. Having seen videos of many of his feats, this is no joke.

I’ve learned a great deal from Dennis already through his various videos but have yet to meet him in person or see him perform. In just a few hours that will change.

It was his DVD that got me first into ripping phonebooks in half. And since then, roughly two years ago, I added a number of other feats to my repertoire from card tearing to bending horseshoes.

But something tells me that all that won’t compare much to even this single weekend.

Of course I’ll be reporting to you from the front lines. Depending on how much time I have available, if any, to write to you and get setup online.

In any case you’ll get a full account after its over.

Here’s to an exciting weekend. Although you may not be doing anything so grand, you can still put together a few great workouts.

And if you’re feeling it, add in a few old-time strongman feats.

In strength,
Logan Christopher

People like to make things more complicated than they have to be, especially when it comes to training.

I can understand calculating percentages and cycles and whatnot for the competitive athletes at the very top, but what about for the rest of us? In my opinion none of that’s necessary.

All you need is the simplest of arithmetic. Adding.

Adding weight, adding reps, adding time.

Nothing crazy and you don’t even have to remember anything if you keep a training journal. (You do keep a training journal, don’t you?)

Simply look at the last time you did the workout and shoot for adding weight, reps or time. However you plan on progressing. Just stick with it.

Now watch out I’m about to make this slightly more complicated.

Here’s the extra step that can add so much to effectiveness. Make it doubly progressive. Meaning you take two factors to progress with instead of just one.

So instead of always striving to do more weight you shoot for a target number of reps. Once you reach that number than you increase the weight and work back up to that number of reps. Then you’ll increase the weight again and so on.

The double progressive system works for all things but it’s especially useful when you can’t easily progress in one dimension.

For example, I’ve been adding weight to chinnups recently. I use kettlebells because I like the feel of belting them on vs. a backpack full of weight. Now I could increase the load little by little with the backpack but instead I shoot for 5 sets of 5.

When I reach the 5 x 5 I up the weight which will bring me down to about 5 x 3. From there I work up again.

That’s just one example of many I could give you. Without a doubt the double progressive system of training is effective. Use it and gain.

In strength,
Logan Christopher

I’ve been reading the Purposeful Primitive, a newly released book by Marty Gallagher.

Now before I go on, this book isn’t for everyone. Mainly it’s for power lifters and those people who want to follow a power lifting template to get strong and in shape.

That being said, there is much of interest to someone like me who hasn’t benched pressed in years. From the mini-biographies of some very strong men to the articles on mind power there is lots of gems in this 400+ page tome.

One thing I found very interesting was in the section on cardio exercise.

Of course I do anything but your conventional cardio. I haven’t stepped on a treadmill in even more years than since the last bench press.

But this confirmed a bit of my experience. In essence, anything that involves the use of four limbs rather than just two is going to make your heart work all the faster.

This is common sense if you think about it, but you know that common sense ain’t always so common.

Not that it just makes the heart work faster, but it’s easier to raise your heart rate higher. It feels like less of an effort overall to attain the same rate with two limbs as opposed to four.

If you take something like running, it takes a lot of work to jack the heart rate through the roof. Like sprinting all out for a distance or running up a hill.

Just a normal jog or run, if you are in good shape, isn’t enough to really test your heart.

But take something like a burpee. Something that uses the whole body. Even if you go at a relatively slow pace, you’re going to get out of breath faster.

Simply because your heart needs to pump oxygenated blood to all the limbs rather than just two (for the most part).

And if you add in a bigger muscular component you’re going to be even more out of breath.

Just something to think about. And if you want some more check out the Purposeful Primitive.

In strength,
Logan Christophe

Was on the phone with John Brookfield yesterday. We had an extremely interesting and enlightening conversation.

If you don’t know who John Brookfield is let me fill you in. He’s strong. Really strong. And not just in his grip (though he’s written not THE but THE TWO books on hand strength) as he’s well known for.

He’s extremely well conditioned and strong all around. In fact he’s set a number of world record’s that are crazy in strength and endurance.

The best part is I recorded it and am going to make it available to you soon.

A few of the things he said, opened my eyes to some new possibilities. Just one thing we talked about concerning kettlebell juggling that I applied today, kicked my butt.

At it was all across the board in what we covered.

Even though I was interviewing him, I can hardly wait to re-listen to it and take down more notes.

So consider this a head’s up and look for my email about it next week.

In strength,
Logan Christopher

Saw the new Batman movie this weekend, The Dark Knight. Simply amazing. And I can say Heath Ledger as the Joker is one of the best villains ever in movie history, right up there with Hannibal Lecter.

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

Here’s a question about one of the strongest men who ever lived.

Hello,
I was wondering what all you know about the Mighty Atom?  Is there
any videos of him? Please let me know.
Thank You!
Lee

Most of what I know about the Mighty Atom I learned from his biography, The Spiritual Journey of Joseph L. Greenstein. Unfortunately, the book is out of print but you can still find some used on occasion like at Amazon, if you’re willing to pay the price.

I have never seen any film of the Mighty Atom performing, though I imagine somewhere some exists.

If you haven’t heard of this man, here’s the short version of his life. He grew up as a sickly little boy and was not suppose to live for very long. Under the tutelage of the circus strongman, Volanko, he became healthy and strong.

Some years after moving to America he got involved in vaudeville performing his various strongman acts. His most famous stunt probably was holding back an airplane from taking off by his hair.

Even is his old age he could bend iron bars that would humble most men. The secret was that the power really is all in the mind. That’s how a small guy like the Mighty Atom is still known as one of the strongest men that ever lived.

Just recently Dennis Rogers put out a new site devoted to the Mighty Atom. Check it out to read even more fascinating stories.

In strength,
Logan Christopher

“Thoracic rotations?!?”

Thought I’d go into another question today. This one is from Olof in Sweden