Since studying Arthur Saxon I’ve been doing a number of the exercises he outlines in The Development of Physical Power and Text Book of Weight Lifting.

One of them is the bent press done Arthur Saxon style. Considering he put up more weight then anyone else in the bent press I think it’s a good idea to listen to him about this exercise.

Here is my newest personal record, a 135 lbs. bent press.

Watching the video I still see lots of room for improvement in my bent press technique. The hardest part by far is going from the arm resting on the side to a complete lockout. I could have gotten lower instead of just struggling to press it out a little bit. But hey, I was successful.

If you look closely you’ll see me firing an anchor before commencing with the lift. After using this tactic this lift actually felt easier then my previous reps with 125 lbs.

I have to say, having been doing this regularly, I understand why so many of the oldtime strongmen loved this lift. Go ahead and try it out yourself. Just start light and realize that this is a very technical lift. Of course using a kettlebell for it makes it easier to do.

If you want lots more details on the bent press and many other “oldtime” exercises I highly recommend you check out the Arthur Saxon Power Pack.

In strength,
Logan Christopher

P.S. I’m going to start training with the two hands anyhow as well. When I break 200 lbs. in total I’ll post a video of that too.

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Can you even comprehend it? 370 lbs. overhead with one hand!.

It boggles the mind.

Just pick that weight up off the ground (if you can!) and feel how heavy that is.

Just try to shoulder the weight into place. Much harder than you might think.

Since diving into the Saxon material I’ve been doing a whole bunch of new exercises. I honestly feel like I was missing out on something big in my training, and these forgotten exercises provide just what I needed.

Perhaps you need them too?

Plus I’m having a blast doing them. Today I was doing 120 lb. dumbbell clean and jerks followed by press lockouts. What fun!

You see the one of the main principles I gathered from studying the Iron Master was that overhead lifting is one of the big keys to overall strength. That’s why at least two thirds of his recommend exercises involved just that.

There’s two more major principles I gathered as well just as important at that one, which brings me to something I hadn‘t done in years.

Yesterday I was working on the bent press. Set a new record for myself of 115 lbs. which I did pretty easily.

Taking it slow as I improve my technique (Though I’m not a stickler for “correct” technique, the difference here is this is a highly technical lift). By the end of the year I plan to hit at least 135 lbs.

Arthur claims that this is the best lift, and he says his success in it did not sway this opinion.

If you‘re looking for something new and different for your workouts…

If you want to handle barbells and dumbbells in ways that will stop most others cold…

If you want to broaden your shoulders and beef up your back and arms…

If you just plain want to become FREAKISHLY STRONG…

Then check this out.

In strength,
Logan Christopher

P.S. The Arthur Saxon Power Pack is one of my new favorite courses.

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Hit a new big PR yesterday during my workout – Bending a Grade 8 Bolt.

It sort of happened like my 505 lb. deadlift. Coming into the workout I just had a feeling I could do it. So I warmed up with some lighter bolts and nails then went into it.

Here’s the video.

This has been a goal of mine for over a year, although I haven’t been completely focused in on it.

The Grade 8 bolt is just one step away from Ironmind’s Red Nail, which when you can bend that you are considered world class at bending.

I did a lot of work with the Wrist Developer for a time. Although it mimics the reverse bending style I found it didn’t quite carry over my short bending. There may be some but it is quite a different feel to it.

So in the last two months I switched gears and started bending again.

Since one day in the future I want to certify I realized I’m going to have to start bending in Ironmind’s wraps instead of the leathers I’m familiar with. Let me tell you for me there is a world of difference.

So I started training with the much smaller wraps, that inflict more pain with bending. I worked on some easier and harder 60D nails. I was working up to being able to do a Grade 5 bolt in these wraps but didn’t quite get there…yet.

However, yesterday I decided to go back to the leathers and try my hands at the Grade 8. As you can see I was successful. I had never gotten beyond the kink before.

Check out the un-centered bend of the Grade 5 I did before the Grade 8.

It’s kind of like doing partials which can desensitize you to heavier weights. Only in this case I was using a lighter “weight” but less wraps for the desensitization.

Now I’ll continue to work with both the leathers and cordura wraps, back and forth, as I work my way towards the next goals. These include:

• Bend a Grade 5 Bolt in Ironmind Pads
• Bend a Grade 8 Bolt in Ironmind Pads
• Bend a Red Nail in Leathers
• Bend a Red Nail in Ironmind Pads
• Bend a Red Nail for Certification

If you want to bend steel, tear decks of cards and many other feats of strength I highly suggest you make your way over to here to learn from the best of the best, Dennis Rogers at our upcoming workshop.

Also if you want more tips like these (including the mental tactics I used, for this one I call ’Weakening the Steel’, and know I wouldn’t have been successful without it) then sign up for my new Peak Performance Elite Coaching. The few remaining spots are filling rapidly.

As what always happens with feats like these, once the first one falls, the rest are soon to follow.

In strength,
Logan Christopher

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As you well know I’ve just released my newest project, which is a joint DVD course, with Bud Jeffries.

Feats of Strength: How to Train and Perform Like an Oldtime Strongman.

(Right now you can get it for a cheap price, but this is only for a couple more days.)

So today I wanted to dive into the reasons why you should train to do feats of strength. But let’s be honest here. If you have no interest in this subject these will not change your mind.

More likely if you are someone that this fits, then you already KNOW that is something that you want to, or rather HAVE to do. If this is the case then read on, but definitely pick up the set today so you can get started on your path.

1 – Strengthen your whole body

Feats of strength strengthen your entire body. Even the ones that don’t appear to be full body at first glance tend to still generate power in many of the major muscle groups. And there are other feats that are obviously full body in nature. There is nothing quite like pitting your body against steel and seeing who comes out the victor. Not only will you be stronger with the training, but also in long bending for instance, you’ll improve your endurance too.

2 – Strengthen your hands and wrists

Many of the common feats of strength are centered on the hands, like phonebook or card tearing and short bending. Why is this? Especially in this day and age, although a person may have big or even strong muscles, they lack strength in their hands and wrists. So when they try many feats they are bound to fail. That full body power they might have can’t get transferred through the weak links that are their hands.

To be strong all over, and to do feats of strength, you must have strong hands. There is no doubt about it. And by doing feats you’ll further develop your strength to great levels. The hands can move in so many different ways that you’ll always find new ways to challenge them. Many feats offer unique grips that aren’t often trained except in those specific ways.

3 – Amaze your family, friends and any crowd

People love to see feats of strength. As we talk about in the DVD’s what feats of strength are is a method to make a clear communication of strength with the crowd. The average person doesn’t understand how much strength it takes to lift a heavy weight. But you bend a nail and they go wow. You tear a phonebook in two in 5 seconds and they’ll forever think of you as superhumanly strong. With feats of strength you can get the interest of people that don’t workout at all.

Amazing the crowd...and the press!

4 – Make money off of it

And by this means you can also turn it into a profitable hobby or business. Once you can do a number of feats of strength you can turn it into a show. Then you go out and get paid for doing just that. Performing at events, churches, businesses, birthday parties or just downtown on your street corner. You may get paid directly for your performance (and the accompanying message with it). Or you can use your feats in ways to get paid indirectly like I have for a lot of promotional purposes. The choice is yours once you become a strongman with the power to amaze.

5 – Become known as a strongman

This is a side benefit that comes about when you start performing. Often your first shows don’t make you money but they give you practice, developing your skills, showmanship and confidence. Still to all the people who see this you’ll will become known as the local strongman. Watch out though, you will suddenly be ‘volunteered’ to help out for moving services often. “Oh that’s heavy. Have Logan do it. He can probably lift it with one finger or just using his hair.”

6 – Impress women

Many displays of authority tends to be helpful in attracting a woman. Performing on stage is no different. I’m not saying once you can bend a wrench into a U all you’re woman troubles will vanish. When I showed my girlfriend a few feats for the first time she was impressed. She also says she thought I was crazy but I know the truth.

Unfortunately, I don’t think this works the opposite way. For a woman to bend steel bars it would tend to emasculate her would be suitors, unless they enjoy doing the same thing. In that case it might be a turn on.

7 – Its fun

This may be the greatest reason of all. I always tell people that when it comes to exercise they have to find something that they enjoy. That I too wouldn’t exercise if it meant I had to spend an hour each day running on the hamster wheel, excuse me, treadmill. There are so many options available for being active and building strength and health.

Feats of strength just happens to be one of the things that is most fun, at least to me. Part of it is the destruction. Part of it is the challenge. Part of it can’t be easily explained. If you bend a nail for the first time and too you its like having your first child then you’re hooked and will be for life. If you don’t have that much fun, I say too bad for you.

Destruction is Fun!

8 – Join a relatively small group of exclusive people

Strongmanism is not hugely popular. While everyone enjoys feats of strength, few people are even aware they exist. There is a very small number of performing strongmen out there. That means that when you get out there its not too hard to rise to the top. (It’s not like running out to Hollywood to become an actor.)

And just about all the strongmen are really nice people that will be happy to help you on your way up. When you enter into the oldtime strongman world you join this exclusive group and get to help spread the message, encouraging others to do the same thing.

That’s everything for now. I’m sure there are other benefits, and if you think of any, please post them below.

And most importantly, if you want to experience all the benefits for yourself then pick up Feats of Strength: How to Train and Perform Like an Oldtime Strongman to get started right away.

In strength,
Logan Christopher

P.S. Our introductory offer on Feats of Strength goes away after Wednesday so be sure to grab it now.

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At long last its here. A collaborative project with Bud Jeffries.

Feats of Strength: How to Train and Perform Like an Oldtime Strongman

This is the most complete instruction on feats of strength, training for them, and performing shows that is available.

And we’ve got a special deal for you to kick it off.

If you want to become ridiculously strong…

If you want every group and function you go to refer to you as the local strongman…

If you want to put on shows for fame or fortune…

Then this is where you should start.

In strength,
Logan Christopher

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If you want to be strong then there is nothing quite like feats of strength.

To your average person, they don’t understand the strength required lift a heavy weight. But you tear a phonebook in half in front of them and they go WOW!

(Even though tearing a phonebook is not that tough. With proper training, and some time devoted to practice, anyone can do it.)

Back in April Bud Jeffries and I taught a segment at the Super Human Workshop on how to do Feats of Strength. According to all the attendees it was the most popular part of that whole workshop.

We even had 100 lb. Melody bending steel so yes, you absolutely can do it too.

If you just want the phenomenal strength that comes from doing feats of strength during your workouts that’s great. There is no other way to build the kind of power it takes to bend steel (and the other feats).

But you can also leverage your feats into much more. Like getting press coverage for your gym, or going on a nation wide tour.

We want to give you details on how to do all of the above.

In a week or so we’ll be releasing a new course that shares everything. But I would be remiss if we didn’t give you enough info before hand to get you started.

So that’s exactly what we’re going to do.

On the following page you’ll get to watch a video I had lots of fun putting together. It pumps me up every time I watch it.

And once you sign up there you’ll get the first of several more videos that give you information on how to get started.

In strength,
Logan Christopher

P.S. You might be asking why you have to enter your email again. This is just to get the people that are most interested in this topic on one list so I can email them separately. Seriously go watch the video on this page and if you aren’t inspired to start destroying cards, phonebooks and nails, then this isn’t right for you.

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I just had an awesome weekend in Minneapolis at the Smarter Strength workshop. What I learned there will have some big changes for the future. Look for a full review later on.

There I taught others the basics of hand balancing as you can learn in the Secrets of the Handstand Quick Start DVD.

People were loving the progressions and different movement patterns then many aren’t use to. I even taught Adam Glass how to do a cartwheel (look for a video sometime soon).

I’m extremely happy about this video where I juggle a 70 lb. kettlebell behind my back.

Now I plan on getting back into juggling kettlebells regularly. Want to join me? Then I recommend you check out The Definitive Guide to Kettlebell Juggling.

I hit several other big PR’s. A 485 lb. deadlift. A 645lb partial deadlift.

Holding back levers easier than ever before.

Tearing a Mini Deck of Cards in half for the first time ever.

Doing a bridge lockout of 325 lbs. as is described in the Advanced Bridging Course.

I don’t say this to brag. I say this to inspire and show you that you too can achieve great things if you put your mind to it.

And if you want to get there faster having quality instruction is the best way to do so. That’s why I put together all my programs. To help you achieve your goals faster.

I taught Dave the progression I’d been using towards a one arm chinnup, described in the Advanced Bodyweight Training Course. Considering he’s busted out a chinnup with 56kg of added weight for two reps I predict he’ll be able to do the real thing soon.

Whether your goal is holding a handstand, lifting heavy weights, snatching a kettlebell for 10 minutes or anything else.

Right now my Moving Sale is going on where you can get every single one of my programs at a substantial discount.

I’ve received 57 orders from people all over the world looking to get stronger and gain more crazy skills. Everything from my $1 digital video offer to the whole package for $997.

There is a lot to learn.

But this sale won’t be around long. Just a few more days then its gone for good. So grab what you want right now.

Sincerely,
Logan Christopher

P.S. Plus everything on the sale still comes with my 3 month guarantee. So you can try it and if you don’t like it for any reason just let me know and you’ll get all your money back. There’s no risk.

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There’s just nothing quite like destroying perfectly good items in your own two hands. It’s a lot of fun, builds tremendous power, and can impress others.

Today, I want to take you a little deeper into the world of oldtime strongmen.

Did you know that one item is not equal to another even though they may look the same?

The 60D (pronounced 60-penny) nail is the standard among strongmen for short bending. But not all 60D nails are created the same.

At a recent workshop we were teaching the attendees how to bend. I had just purchased a new box of 60D nails. And a good number of attendees were able to destroy these with either ease or a lot of effort.

But as far as 60D nails are concerned this was a batch of some of the easiest 60D nails I had ever come across. The ones I had at home (that had collected a bit of rust) were probably about 30% harder.

And Bud Jeffries happened to have on hand a 60D nail that is equal in difficulty to a Grade 8 Bolt. That’s a huge jump.

(As a related side note: Did you know that many weight plates may be off up to several pounds in either direction? Unless you have calibrated weights then what they say may not be completely accurate. So while this may not be as drastic in weights it can still happen there too.)

My next example is cards. I’ve been working lately on my card tearing to make it even stronger.

I knew the cards I had been working with were strong, but I didn’t know just how strong they were until recently.

In working the progressions I was up to about 40 cards tearing fairly easily on these decks.

Then I’m over at Chuck Halbakken’s gym and tearing a bunch of cards. (We probably went through 100 decks that day).

The cards he had were a bit easier then mine. Enough so that I was able to do about twice as many. This video here shows my first attempt ever at a deck and a half.

I also hit some other PR’s that day. A deck behind the back and a deck torn vertically (which is ridiculously hard – all the more props to Chuck as that’s his preferred way to do it).

The gold standard among card tearing is usually using Bicycle decks. I was able to go through that easily too.

So it turns out I’ve been working on some of the hardest decks out there. And there is something to be said for working the hard way so that when you need to perform or do other things its much easier.

As you get more experienced you’ll be able to tell the difference just by looking and feeling items. And in the end you should be able to destroy them all.

In strength,
Logan Christopher

P.S. If you want to get started on bending nails or tearing cards click the pages for more details.

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Wow, what a weekend.

This last weekend was the first ever Super Human Training Workshop.

For three days Bud and I delivered a whole lot of top training information covering everything from partial lifting to qi training, health and nutrition to mental training, feats of strength to bodyweight exercises and kettlebells. And that just scratches the surface.

It was great to get together with a small group of guys (and gals!) that were willing to put in the work and try some outside the ‘standard’ box fitness approach too many people are caught in.

It was a unique event with PR’s (including big ones) falling by the wayside daily. The pile of torn cards and phonebooks, plus bent and scrolled steel was bigger than I’ve ever seen with everyone getting it done.

Stay tuned for some cool more info about it.

In strength,
Logan Christopher

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This is a guest post by Jedd Johnson, co-founder of the Diesel Crew and The Grip Authority, the foremost internet site for building lethal hand, forearm and grip strength. Jedd holds the world record in the Two Hands Pinch and enjoys helping others accomplish their strength training goals.

The hands and lower arms are often a forgotten aspect of a well-rounded strength training program, and they also are something that can hold us back from attaining what we want to accomplish if we fail to train them properly.

For instance, try holding a Hand Stand with weak wrists or fingers. Although not the primary limiting factor in the success of the feat, they still contribute quite a bit, especially in holding the position for time.

The same can be said for variations of the Pull-up and the Deadlift. While both of these movements are mostly limited by the strength of the back and arm muscles, a weak grip will also be a hindrance.

With that in mind, it is important to include Grip Training in your routine regularly.

When speaking of Grip Training, there are several common questions that often come up…

How much training should I do?

When does it become too much?

Should I buy a bunch of equipment in order to train my grip?

These are questions I am asked all the time, but the answers truly come down to what exactly your training goals are. You can’t write one program and have it work for everyone.

Instead, when I work with my clients and coach the the members of my site, The Grip Authority, I try to offer examples of movements and exercises that are high impact, meaning that you get a lot of benefit out of them regardless of your individual training goals.

One High Impact Grip Training Movement is Around the World’s. This movement is often overlooked but it is actually a fantastic movement for ANYONE to include in their training. Here’s why:

1. Open Hand Movement – The best Grip Training movements for complete hand strength involve an open handed position. This is beneficial because since you can’t close your hand around the implement, you have to fire your first two fingers (the strongest ones), the last two fingers (the weakest ones) and the thumb very hard in order to complete the lift.

2. Full Body Engagement – Just as Muscle-ups, Hand Stands, and even Deadlifts require coordinated strength generation from very large portions of the body, so do Around the Worlds. At first glance, this lift may look like something that hits the hands only, but it actually will leave your wrists and forearms, biceps, shoulders, lats, back and glutes tired, if you do it the right way.

3. Endurance Based – Many Grip Training drills involve just picking something off the ground, but Around the World’s are different. With this drill, you have to be ready to put forth effort for anywhere from 5 to 30 seconds, depending on the intensity (% of 1 Rep Maximum) you are training.

4. Bonus! – You probably already have ALL THE EQUIPMENT YOU NEED to do this lift, which means you can save your money and put toward Detailed Grip Training Instruction.

I could go on about why you should do this movement, but instead, let’s look at How to do Around the World’s.

The movement is so named because you will be picking up two plates (from 25 to 45-lbs) positioned together smooth-sides-out in a Pinch Grip (thumb opposing the fingers) and working all the way around the plates.

Below is a video clip of myself and some people who traveled to my location to find out more about Grip Training for a day.

One of the main drills I put them through was Around the World’s, because it requires your whole body to work together as a unit. Observe:

Keys to Watch For:

Full Body Engagement: Notice as you watch the video how the legs and glutes are brought into play in order to transition grips placed on the plates. It is not an easy thing to control 90-lbs in your hands while keeping your body limp! You have to keep your core braced and fire the hips repeatedly in order to propel the plates upwards and shift them around…

Hand Speed: Take note that the movement involves a series of rapid firings of the body and the hands. Transitioning quickly around the circumference of the plates helps you keep moving steadily, while fumbling around will cause you to drop the plates and have to start over.

Concentration: Around the World’s also require hand-eye coordination. You’ve got to make sure you move far enough on the plates to make progress around them, but not too much, because you might miss and drop the plates. Take note that I continually cue the guys to involve the lower body. Newer trainees will become engrossed in executing strength with their hands and forget about keeping the rest of their body active. They will either relax their lower body and crumble or stiffen too much and not get the spring needed.

Loading: Two 45’s may be too light for some trainees. One easy way to load them further is with chains, as you can see done in the video. Chains are usually incorporated in lifts for the benefit of Accommodating Resistance, but in this case they are used as a way to increase the N-Planar Force demands of the lift, randomizing the movement of the implement.

Execution: Most trainees will be more comfortable executing this lift in just one direction, either clockwise or counter-clockwise. Don’t fall prey to this trap – make sure to work both directions.

As you can see, there is much more to this lift than you may have first thought. This is exactly why I consider it one of my High Impact Grip Training Movements.

Training of this nature no doubt will increase your performance in the Strength Game, regardless of your desired outcome, whether you are looking for a big bench press, fantastic bodyweight maneuvers, or feats of strength like bending and tearing.

If you are serious about strength, then check out The Grip Authority. All aspects of lower arm strength are covered, in order to take your grip strength from being a liability you worry about to being an asset you are glad to have.

Join The Grip Authority today = > http://www.thegripauthority.com.

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