I got this idea from Josh Hanagarne. To write a history of my strength training and lifting. Beware this is a longer story than I normally write but I think you’ll find it entertaining.
My beginnings
Me as a skinny kid, long before I ever picked up a weight.
In eighth grade I went out for the basketball team. We had ‘Camp Rambo’ which was to get us in conditioning and build skills before try-outs ever took place. The beginning of each practice was a mile and a half run. It took me about 13 or 14 minutes to run it. Then I got a pair of running shoes which magically cut minutes off my time. Despite this I didn’t make the team. That was a shot to my fragile ego.
Later that year we had the Presidential Fitness Test. I remember hanging on a pullup bar not being able to move an inch, wondering how it was possible to do so.
School finished. My brother was ‘making’ me go out for football in high school. He put me on a basic lifting program which I did in my backyard. I don’t remember the full details. I do remember the first time I deadlift over a hundred pounds and how happy I was about that. I also remember hitting myself in the chin cleaning a barbell one time.
I joined the football team at under 100 lbs. We lift heavy. We ran a lot. I make some progress but really not much. I was still weak and scrawny. We focused on the power lifts plus power cleans and snatches mostly. I’m sure there were curls involved.
Bodybuilding
In the off season I bodybuild getting routines out of the muscle mags. Typical routines involve four sets of squats, four sets of leg presses, three sets of hamstring curls, three sets of leg extensions. Part of me enjoys it. Part of me doesn’t. I make progress on the squats, until I realize each time I add weight my range of motion decreases and I have to start over. (That’s not the proper way to do partials.)
I do it for awhile then stop, only to return later on. I play football for all four years and this cycle continues. I would say in that time I became marginally stronger, but was still scrawny weighing in at about 140 at 6 foot.
In my senior year I become friends with another guy who likes to bodybuild. We become training partners. We did some crazy routines, like working out for an hour, going out to the parking lot and drinking a protein shake, then going back into the gym for another hour and a half. We take a lot of supplements and get marginally stronger.
Somehow my friend stumbles across an Ironmind magazine and orders some grip stuff. We mess around with it a little infrequently. I couldn’t even close the Trainer the first time I tried.
Bodyweight Training
My brother, who got me into football and bodybuilding, tells me about this guy Matt Furey who has some crazy bodyweight exercises. I read about them online and give them a shot. They whoop my butt. I start doing them regularly between gym workouts. After a period of time I stop going to the gym and focus on the bodyweight exercises exclusively.
I’m getting results. I’m progressing quicker than before. One of my first goals was to do a handstand pushup. After several weeks (months?) of training I hit that goal. I continue onwards and upwards until I can hit the lofty goals of a 3 minute wrestlers bridge, 500 Hindu squats and 100 Hindu pushups. I keep going. At this point I believe weights are for people who don’t know that there‘s a better option of just using your own bodyweight. I can start doing things others can’t. One arm pushups, handstand pushups, bridge kickovers, one leg squats and more.
Kettlebells
My friend buys kettlebells. I scoff at the idea of using weights but put that idea aside and give it a try. Its fun and it kicks my butt. I start training with the kettlebells too. About a year later in 2005 we head off to the RKC. I remember training hard to hit my thirty snatches with each hand to pass the test.
At this point I’m doing lots of bodyweight stuff and lots of kettlebells. At this point I’m really into training. Buying all kinds of courses, studying all different systems and trying to do it all. One guy in particular, Bud Jeffries, is the first person that I see that talks about combining it all in an intelligent way. I follow his advice for a time.
I assist several times at the RKC studying more from Pavel and all the other top kettlebell trainers. I learn about competitive kettlebell lifting and get certified at the AKC. I continue to study Matt Furey and even go on to win his Combat Conditioning Athlete of the Year.
Strongman and Everything Else
Depending on the latest thing I read, and to a smaller degree my goals, I’m doing different things all the time. The world of physical culture is quite wide.
I start hand balancing. A little later attending a gymnastics class.
I read a biography of the Mighty Atom. I get inspired and want to become a strongman. So I start to get heavily in grip strength, especially bending steel. I remember the first time I bent that Yellow Nail bracing it against my leg and taking 10 minutes to complete the bend. I learn more feats, primarily from Dennis Rogers, who I later get to study with down in Texas. I begin perform small shows demonstrating my strength.
I’ve done it all. Dinosaur Training, Combat Conditioning, Twisted Conditioning, Kettlebells, Clubbells, Strongman, Powerlifting, Crossfit, Partials, HIT, GTG, EDT and things that don‘t have a necessarily a name or acronym to them. There was training to failure, training beyond failure, not training to failure, and not training to effort. There’s club swinging, joint mobility, gymnastics, slow movements, fast movements, isometrics and more.
In ‘07 I also start my own personal training business which later evolves into the online entity it is today, all starting with a book on hand balancing.
In certain things I make progress, even good progress overtime. Other things I let backslide and get nowhere over the course of a year. This continues for years. The overall trend is upwards though never as quick as I would have liked.
I start to finally get it. I can come up with a good training plan that moves me towards my training goals. I can stick to this plan and get results from doing so. I make progress in just about every workout with occasional plateaus.
Biofeedback and Now
Then this weird concept called Biofeedback training comes along. It makes sense to me. And why would I stop trying everything that comes out? I put it to the test and after an initial breaking in period I go to learn from Frankie Faires and Adam Glass to learn more about it. My progress starts to accelerate.
This was my evolution. This led me to where I am now. Where I am now will continue to evolve. This is by no means complete and I‘ve got much further to go. More experiments to run. More training to do. More people to learn from. Much more progress to make.
Every system, every tool has its advantages and disadvantages. Some are better than others depending on your goals. Some are better than others period. Of course, I wish I would have had all this knowledge back when I started but what fun would that have been? In this case, the journey was worth it, and the truth is, it wouldn’t be the same if I hadn’t taken the journey.
Want to share your story? Comment below.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. We’re getting ready to start the Super Human Training Teleseminar Series. The first call features Andrew Durniat and you won’t want to miss it. Sign up here.
Filed under Barbells and Dumbbells, Bio Feedback, Bodyweight Exercise, Feats of Strength, Hand Strength, Kettlebells, Workouts by on Jul 19th, 2010. 10 Comments. 
I was only going to open this up to customers but I’ve decided to let anyone who wants in, as far as filling the last couple spots.
Maybe you’ve seen my recent results about my work on the kettlebell snatch. (All multiple hand switches.)
- 250 reps in 10 minutes with 24kg
- 160 reps in 10 minutes with 32kg
- 100 reps in 5 minutes with 32kg
- 200 reps with 24kg in only 6:45
I plan to hit my goal of 200 in 10 minutes with the 32kg by the end of July.
My question is who wants to come with me?
I know what I’m doing works but I could use some case studies.
Here are the requirements:
1. You have kettlebells or access to kettlebells you can train with (preferably of three different sizes, light, medium, and heavy).
2. You have done a kettlebell snatch before. Certifications are not required.
3. You can follow directions plus your own body in your training.
4. You can record yourself on video and get it online (even if its crappy video). I can help you with the uploading part if necessary.
5. You have a goal and desire to increase your kettlebell snatch numbers and will work towards that goal.
6. $97 one time fee to pay me for this coaching.
Here is what you’ll get:
1. Videos online that demonstrate technique, training methods and much more as I shoot them and put them online. No stone is left unturned regarding the kettlebell snatch.
2. Critiques on your form via your videos.
3. Any and all of your questions answered by email. Plus we’ll schedule a half hour one-on-one phone call. More on the kettlebell snatch, how to integrate it with your other training goals, or anything you want to discuss.
4. A copy of the DVD set ‘Kettlebell Snatch Domination’ when it is released most likely in September.
The only reason this is so cheap is that I’m going to use your results when I end up selling the DVD’s later. Plus your questions may help me cover something I may have missed. Therefore it’s very much in my interest to give you the best results.
Also I reserve the right to kick you out and refund your money if you don’t fit or aren’t doing the work.
If you’re interested you can sign up right here.
This is guaranteed. Your numbers will go up dramatically or I’ll refund your money and let you keep everything.
I will deliver. My numbers are going up faster than ever before with much less effort.
Join me.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. This is limited to only five dedicated people. The shopping cart is automatically setup to stop accepting after five people signup so don’t delay. (And half the spots are already gone!) Sorry I can’t keep this open longer or for more people but I’m eager to get started and need to keep it small due to the private access. Sign up here.
Filed under Kettlebells by on Jun 10th, 2010. 2 Comments.
I wanted to let you know about a workshop I’ll be attending in just a couple weeks. Its put on by some of the top trainers in the RKC and is well worth the cheap price of admission.
There’s Mark Reifkind presenting on the lat muscles and all the goes into building a powerful back.
The Iron Tamer, Dave Whitley will be teaching the lessons of the old-time strongman and how to apply these to your training whether you do feats of strength or not.
He’ll also be drilling deep into pressing movements with many variations and how to balance out your left and right sides.
And lastly, the Queen of Kettlebell Swings, Tracy Reifkind will show all she knows on the kettlebell swing. And if you haven’t seen the numbers she’s done you’d be impressed.
I won’t be presenting, but I’ll be there taking notes. Plus I’ll be an open book to any questions you have for me, whether its kettlebell juggling, my latest techniques on the kettlebell snatch or anything else.
Plus I’d like to meet you. 
Its on Sunday, May 2nd in Sunnyvale, California
For those who are around the area, or if you want to make the trip, I’d highly recommend you check this out.
Full details can be found here.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. I am not compensated if you sign up. There’s just so much value here I had to tell you about it. So if you can make it you need to be there. They’re even giving you DVD’s of the event to review afterwards.
P.S.S And if you do sign up, or if you already have, let me know and I’ll see you there.
Filed under Kettlebells by on Apr 15th, 2010. Comment.
The kettlebell snatch is one of my favorite exercises. And the kettlebell snatch test is one of my favorite tests of endurance and mental toughness.
Several minutes into a kettlebell snatch test
I didn’t stop there.
My next goal was 250. I hit that a couple months back (actually got 251).
Now my goal is 200 with the 32 kg. Its tough work. My best so far is 160 and I’m making my way up step by smooth step.
Of course, I’m not trying to brag. If I was I wouldn’t tell you just how hard snatching was for me in the first place. But I’ve come a long way. I no longer tear my hands up doing this and I make progress each and every time I set out to do it.
I know there are many others out there who want to add numbers to their snatches. And believe me there is a lot that goes into that, from techniques to pacing, programming and more.
I’m thinking about putting a DVD together that shows you everything I know about the kettlebell snatch test in its many forms. And I mean everything.
So here’s what I want you to do. I have a two question survey.
Kettlebell Snatch Test Survey (survey is closed).
Even though its tiny I still want to give you something for completing it. I shot a video showing you two tips that you can start using right away to increase your snatch numbers.
If you want it all you have to do is answer my easy questions and you‘ll get access to it.
Sound fair?
Kettlebell Snatch Test Survey (survey is closed).
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Conditioning, Kettlebells, Mental Training by on Apr 12th, 2010. 2 Comments.
Looks like this was all new information to many people (referring to my previous post) after watching my friend Adam Glass’ video here. Here’s one from Bill.
“OK, I’m trying to get it here. A simple comparative toe touch looking at ROM after doing certain selected exercises/drills will tell me which of those drills (e.g. KB press, DB press, bar press) will give me the best result(s) not only for training that day, but will have the biggest longitudinal (over time) payoff for my general pressing strength irrespective of implement used? My pressing strength with all 3 of these tools will increase? (maybe not equally, or even proportionately, but all 3 will improve better than with other methodologies, such as Bill Starr’s 5X5, or Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1?) If so, how do I know the appropriate test to determine the best implement/drill to select for working on say, DL strength, or pressing strength? Toe touch or arms overhead, ROM to ears, or behind ears, etc.? I’m not trying to be an asshole here, just trying to understand, and as I’m sure you understand what you are presenting here is a complete paradigm shift. I’m trying to see this free and clear of the things I’ve “learned” over a lifetime of working out/lifting, etc. and this is a BIG change. Thanks, Bill.”
You have some great questions here Bill. And I’m sure you’re not the only one. And I’ll take them one at a time.
The Toe Touch ROM Test
Yes. In my experience I’ve been working on the double kettlebell press recently. If that tests well I may just go with it. Or I may decide to test barbell presses, or single kettlebell presses to see if any of them test better. If they do I go with that exercise for the day. When pressing in any form doesn’t test well I don’t press.
My pressing strength with all 3 of these tools will increase? (maybe not equally, or even proportionately, but all 3 will improve better than with other methodologies, such as Bill Starr’s 5X5, or Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1?)
Yes. Pressing however you do it should improve all pressing even if there isn’t 100% carryover between tools. The idea is to listen to your body rather than force a program onto it.
If so, how do I know the appropriate test to determine the best implement/drill to select for working on say, DL strength, or pressing strength? Toe touch or arms overhead, ROM to ears, or behind ears, etc.?
If I am not mistaken it does not matter which test you use as long as you compare it to the same test done in the same way. I’ve been exclusively using the toe touch now for sometime. And as stated in Adam’s video you’re not stretching but testing your ROM until you feel tension.
I’m not trying to be an asshole here, just trying to understand, and as I’m sure you understand what you are presenting here is a complete paradigm shift. I’m trying to see this free and clear of the things I’ve “learned” over a lifetime of working out/lifting, etc. and this is a BIG change.
I agree that these concepts to represent a paradigm shift. Every once in awhile something comes along that changes the game. Is this one of them? Its too early for me to say for sure. However, results so far have been good.
Imagine if your body could tell you exactly how you should be training in order to improve. It makes sense that you should listen to it rather than try to force it into your plan.
And if you did listen, what would that mean? It would mean faster improvement. In fact, the idea is to hit a PR in one form or another every single time you train. Plus, instead of forcing a movement to the point of collapse, or a movement unnatural to your body, your body is much less likely to suffer injuries or nagging pain.
Based on the idea that it might be that good I’m going full bore into it. Next month I’ll be attending the (very) limited certification by its creator and all the top people. So I’ll have much more to report soon
Until then if you haven’t be sure to check out the videos available here.
There is no reason you can’t get started right away.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. I want more feedback. Leave your comments and questions here.
Filed under Barbells and Dumbbells, Bio Feedback, Kettlebells, Strength Training Concepts by on Mar 24th, 2010. 22 Comments.
This weekend they held an RKC in nearby San Jose. While I was not an assistant this time, my friend and I decided to stop by just to say hello. Great to get to see and chat with guys like Pavel Tsatsouline, Dave Whitley and many others.
While I was there I decided to see how my training was going. As you may know one of my goals is to do the Beast Challenge which is to lift a 106 lb. kettlebell in a one arm press, pullup, and pistol. I hit the pistol for the first time the other week and I’m working towards the other two.
After focusing on the one arm press for a significant amount of time I decided to switch it up and focus on double presses. As this move is harder I had to drop down in weight regularly working with the 70 lbs bells. As I’ve only done two arm presses for a few weeks now I was curious if it was making my one arm press stronger.
Now I found out it was. I had access to a 44kg bell which I don’t have at home so I decided to attempt a press.
This video shows the second rep. After pressing it once each side I decided I should have got it on film. The second rep was not as nice as the first. While both had side action going on this one was a bit more.
Just one step closer on my path. Are you moving forward?
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Kettlebells, Videos by on Feb 25th, 2010. 2 Comments.
What time is it? Time to train!
We sent out a survey at www.Strongerman.com the other week and the results we’re quite interesting.
One of the most insightful questions was “What would you say is the biggest thing holding you back from getting as strong and enduring as you want?”
As this was an open ended question there were many responses but they could be broken down into a number of categories.
You know what the number one answer was? That over one forth of all people attributed to holding them back?
TIME
I must make a distinction. There is a difference between having enough time to get a decent workout in versus having enough time to do all the training you would want.
If you’re in the second group that’s good to be reaching for an ideal. Not everyone’s a professional athlete whose job it is to train. But I think most people fall more towards the first group.
Does it take time to train? Yes. Some people work a full-time job or even more than that. And then you have other responsibilities like family or friends. At that point working out can seem like something you just don’t have time for.
Here’s the thing. Workouts shouldn’t take long. I’m a big proponent of doing short workouts. I’ve done effective workouts shorter than 10 minutes. And if you don’t have ten minutes you need to take a good look at your schedule and find out where you can find that time.
Now not every workout is that short, but to be honest most of my workouts are under 30 or forty minutes. I haven’t done a workout longer than an hour in a long time. Not only are those marathon sessions unnecessary but they can be counter-productive.
As a concrete example, last week I did a kettlebell snatch test. The goal: in ten minutes to do as many snatches as possible. With a 32 kg bell this is an absolute brutal workout. I not only got 160 reps but I did it without setting the bell down (but with multiple hand switches) a new record for myself.
Ten minutes is tough. For beginners even with a lighter bell you won’t be able to last that long. Do eight minutes or even five. Since this is such an effective exercise working the entire body that’s all you need.
Now if you’re after certain goals you’ll have to play around with what you do and the timing in order to reach them. But it can be done.
Don’t tell me you don’t have time to train. That’s the worst excuse there is used by the lazy to mask their laziness. I can guarantee that you have the time somewhere
Stop making excuses and do it. If you train smart and effectively everyone has the time to train.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Kettlebells, Strength Training Concepts, Workouts by on Feb 18th, 2010. 3 Comments.
Hill sprints are always an excellent choice
There are many possible circuit training ideas. I’m going to list some just off the top of my head.
- Pick three exercises. Do each one for a minute before moving onto the next with no rest. Repeat this all for five rounds.
- Pick a strength exercises that you can only do for one to five reps. Have a conditioning move you can do a hundred reps in. Go back and forth between the strength exercise and conditioning exercise for a number of rounds. (This builds the ability to apply maximal strength while fatigued. Great for fighters.)
- Have 10-20 exercises of varying difficulties. Do as many reps of each before moving onto the next. Keep track of the reps for each exercise and your total time.
- Have an implement like a kettlebell on one end of a field. Do a set number of swings with it. Sprint to the other side of the field. Do a bodyweight exercise like pushups. Run back and repeat.
- Pick a number of exercises to work the whole body. Do a set followed by jumping rope for a minute. Go onto the next exercise then jump rope for a minute. Continue in this pattern stopping after you’ve done each exercise or just going once through them all.
There you have five potential workouts. With variations of each you could use these for the rest of your life.
Personally I like to mix it up with my circuits. Plan something then go after it. As long as you keep track of your workouts you can do something similar a month down the road and see how you’ve improved.
Alternatively, you can add a few reps or a bit of time to each exercise thus making each circuit harder. Do this on a regular basic and you have a formula for improvement.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. As for calve work as David mentioned about his Convict Conditioning Routine I haven’t directly worked my calves in even distant memory. Sprinting and/or jumping rope is all you need.
Filed under Bodyweight Exercise, Conditioning, Kettlebells, Workouts by on Feb 11th, 2010. Comment.
I figured I would do something special for the end of the year and that would be to list my top 5 training tools of 2009. It was hard to pull from all the things I use and do but I believe this is a fair list, when I look at what has been my focus in training, what have I seen results in, and what I believe has benefited me in ways that aren’t as simple as pounds and reps.
Great for shoulder and arm flexibility and health
#5. Indian Clubs
I picked up a pair of 1 lb. wooden clubs from John Wood over a year ago and I’m glad I did. I’ve used them steadily in the past year usually for sets done between presses and pullups. I find this helps to keep the shoulder girdle and elbows healthy especially when you’re lifting heavy.
You’ll also be amazed at the coordination you develop from swinging these light clubs. For me it seems like the swinging patterns I do are easy but I’m always reminded that that’s not necessarily so when my friends give them a try. I’d rank Indian Clubs as essential for working on some of the smaller muscles and attributes of fitness.
I’ve also worked some this year off and on with heavier clubbells which I enjoy too, but that’s quite different from the light wooden clubs.
Ideal tool for pullup training and more
#4. Gymnastic Rings
I would list bodyweight as a tool but some might construe that as cheating so I’m selecting a tool that is used for bodyweight training, and that’s the gymnastic rings. I haven’t delved into doing an Iron Cross or Maltese or anything that major yet, I just love them for pullups.
The natural groove of being able to rotate the hands and arms as you pull makes this exercise better then on a straight bar. You can lift more and its also better for your joints as you’re not locked into one path. This is important when you do heavy weighted pullups as I do.
My ideal tool for brute leg strength
#3. Trap Bar
Some people love squats. Some people love deadlifts. Using a trapbar is more like a combination of the two. And I find it suits my body and long limbs better than squats or deadlifts with a barbell. I have never hurt my back on the trapbar, which I can’t say the same for barbells.
I only really use it for two exercises, the deadlift and shrugs. Even if it was just for the first exercise it’s a must own piece of equipment for me. I was able to pull 200 kg. or 440 lbs. on it this year which is good progress for me.
Strength and Fun in one small nail
#2. Nails
I love short bending. Other bending like horseshoes, scrolling and braced bending is great too but I’ve stuck with short bending the longest and gotten the most out of it. In 2009 I went from barely bending Grade 5 bolts occasionally to killing them with a fair amount of ease. My best so far is to bend 15 in a workout. I also did 50 60D nails in half an hour this year.
If you’re familiar with bending you can probably guess my goal is to bend the red nail and I’m working up to it. I just got Grade 8 bolts and while my first attempt stopped me, I know I’ll get it soon.
Bending is great for not only hand and wrist strength but developing whole body strength that you can channel towards one single thing. It’s an addictive training and it can be over-done so know what you’re doing. I recommend the Diesel Crew’s Bending eBook to get started.
So many kettlebells, so many uses
#1. Kettlebells
Considering my main goal has centered around completing the Beast Challenge I’ve been using kettlebells steadily in presses, pullups and pistols throughout the year and am continuing to do so. These same moves could be done the same or similarly with dumbbells but I find that kettlebells are just plain fun. I own a lot of them so I might as well put them to good use.
However the real beauty of kettlebells comes in the ballistic exercises. Obviously I’m a big fan of kettlebell juggling but I’ve been concentrating on the 10 minute snatch test recently and just hit a big goal. More on that later. This is a place where dumbbells can’t come close to matching kettlebells.
I hope you gained something out of reading this list. If you’re inspired to go out and get one or more of these training tools all the better.
You don’t have to go into as much details but comment below and list your top five of 2009. I’d love to hear from you. Plus it may have to be something I go out and try.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Barbells and Dumbbells, Bodyweight Exercise, Conditioning, Feats of Strength, Flexibility/Mobility, Hand Strength, Health, Kettlebells by on Jan 14th, 2010. 8 Comments.
I’ll cut straight to the chase.
This Wednesday I’m being interviewed by Geoff Neupert on one of my favorite topics, kettlebell juggling.
I won’t hold anything back. And you can even submit your questions for the call.
It’ll be a great time. Go to the Kettlebell Interrogations page and sign up for it now if you haven’t already.
Geoff has been interviewing a whole bunch of kettlebell experts and generally strong dudes. I’m honored to get to follow the likes of John Brookfield and Zach Even-Esh (the last two interviewees in the series).
If you’ve missed the past calls, just be sure to get on board for this one.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. On the page I am billed as ‘One of the World’s Leading Physical Culture Renaissance Men.’ I like that title!
P.S.S. Oh yeah, if you want everything there is to know on kettlebell juggling be sure to check out The Definitive Guide to Kettlebell Juggling.
Filed under Conditioning, Kettlebells by on Nov 23rd, 2009. 2 Comments.
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