Why are we so concerned with maxing out?
I really want you to think about that for a moment. Why does your average person concern themselves with how much weight that can lift a single time?
Unless you compete in powerlifting or Olympic lifting your max attempt doesn’t really matter. So why does the average trainee concern themselves so much with this?
(Before we go further, I must tell you I am guilty of this in a big way.)
Part of it has to do with exposure. Power and Olympic lifters do that in competition. They’re strong, so we think we need to do the same. I bet if we had competitions in max weight for ten reps more people would be doing that.
Part of it has to do with ego. To lift the most amount of weight you’ll only be able to do a single. Oh, how we love to see those numbers get higher and higher. And how we enjoy comparing our numbers to those of others.
Part of it has to do with fun. And this is alright. If you enjoy singles all the more power to you, just like if you enjoy running long distance? But is that necessarily the best way to train?
Let’s say you can’t get over the ego-trip and want to be able to put up the most weight for one rep even if you don’t compete. Should you only do singles of ever increasing weight in order to increase your max? Anyone who has tried that knows that you’ll get so far in the beginning before hitting a plateau.
But the SAID principle says you need to do exactly what you want to be doing. Does that mean struggling for and even missing reps is going to get you there?
Instead let’s look at a different way. Let’s look at a little mathematical physics equation. Cast your mind back to your high school days with me.
F = MA
This is an easy formula. Force equals Mass times Acceleration.
Strength is movement against a resistance. The ability to move (accelerate) a weight (mass). How good you are at this is the force you can produce.
When you lift a max attempt you are encouraged to lift as fast as possible, however this turns out to be quite slow. Your force output is just enough to accelerate the weight barely past gravity’s hold.
Let’s take a lighter weight instead. With this weight you can just about lift it as fast as you can move. Although the mass is lighter the acceleration is much higher. Does this equal more force production?
I’ll leave the mathematically inclined to plug real numbers into that equation to find the results.
Now I’m not going to stop doing singles, cause I enjoy them and I may compete some day. But I am doing more with lighter weights were I can move as fast as possible. Seeking to accelerate those weights.
Sure there is a time for slower movements but in general faster is the way to go.
After all there is the idea that I first heard from one of the oldtime strongman’s books, though I can’t recall which one. There is a difference between an exercise and a lift. One you use to train to get stronger the other you do to demonstrate your strength.
Now I’m off to go do some fast exercises. In the words of Ricky Bobby, “I wanna go fast!”
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Barbells and Dumbbells, Lifting Technique, Oldtime Strongmen, Strength Training Concepts by on Jun 4th, 2010. Comment. 
I already linked to the story, but Roger LaPointe of Atomic Athletic sent me a hard copy of the newspaper (yes they still do exist).
Besides the write-up there’s a great picture of me in action on the front. This makes it the second time ever I’ve been on the front page of a newspaper. (The first time had to do with hemp foods at the health food store I worked at but that’s another story.)
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Feats of Strength, Oldtime Strongmen by on May 29th, 2010. 2 Comments.
As was previously mentioned this event was covered in the press. Here’s a link over to the BGNews with the full story.
Also over on the Kettlebell Juggling Blog I uploaded a video of Andrew Durniat and myself going head to head.
I’ve been interview on a couple radio stations too. If you’re interested in hearing those I’ll get the link up when they’re available.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Feats of Strength, Oldtime Strongmen by on May 25th, 2010. Comment.
You’ve seen my performance from the Atomic Athletic Strongman Picnic. But what about everyone else?
This is Scrolling
There was Olympic lifting. There was ‘regular’ vehicle towing (because towing a semi-truck with a harness is regular compared to doing it by the hair). There was lots of stone lifting.
There was all kinds of metal being bent from horseshoes to bars of iron and even scrolling.
There was martial arts demonstrations, Indian club swinging, people lifting, and even a circus sideshow.
One of the highlights for me was K.C. Gittleson and his sledgehammer finger walking. If you’re not familiar with this exercise it involves holding a slegehammer upright, with the head below you, by the four fingertips of each hand (no thumbs). You then walk your fingers down the shaft until you get to the head of the hammer.
Stewart Rosendaul lifting his daughter, Brianna
Andrew Durniat amazed the people as usual with his barbell juggling. But he didn’t stop there. He also flipped and tossed around a 50 lb. stone padlock and a 45 lb. plate. If you think any of those are easy give it a try and you’ll find out otherwise.
As previously mentioned, we went head to head in kettlebell juggling trying to out do one another. And we both did in different ways.
I’ll have more video of these events in the coming days and weeks. And later on there’ll be a DVD released that shows it all.
In the end it was worth the trip out to Ohio. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. And if at all possible it would be great to organize a similar event to do over here on the west coast.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Feats of Strength, Oldtime Strongmen by on May 20th, 2010. 1 Comment.
I’m not sure if I can claim the title world’s strongest hair…at least thus far, but there’s no doubt that my hair is strong.
If you’re following me on Facebook or Twitter than you may have read about what happened at the Atomic Athletic Strongman Picnic. Either way, here’s the video.
Here is the full story at least as far as my own performance is concerned.
I got set ready to pull. Well over a hundred people ready, watching and cheering.
I strained and pulled. The fire truck rocked forward but with its massive wheel it was difficult to get it to turn over.
After a couple futile attempts we took a break to make some adjustments. Changing the chains to get a more even pull on each side. Moving the truck to get it out of any dip it may have been in. The tires were filled with air the previous day but without a pressure rating they were skeptical of adding too much!
This time I knew I couldn‘t fail. I had flown across the US just for this. Once I started pulling I didn’t stop ‘til the end. Not only was this the biggest vehicle I’ve done but it was also the longest distance, my guess being at least 50 yards.
No Small Task
Hope you enjoyed that. I know I did. And it won’t be the last, nor the biggest vehicle I pull with my hair.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. Thanks to Andrew Durniat for filming this for me. You’ll see some more video of the event later, including when Andrew and I went head to head in kettlebell juggling. I think I enjoyed that even more than the hair pulling.
Filed under Feats of Strength, Oldtime Strongmen, Videos by on May 18th, 2010. 19 Comments.
As you’re reading this, unless you’re unlike me and don’t check your email several times a day, I’m on a plane to Ohio.
The day of reckoning is upon me.
Tomorrow is the Atomic Athletic Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic. Wow, that name is a mouthful.
Tomorrow I perform.
Tomorrow I pull a fire truck with my hair.
(As a side note I ran into a couple old friends a couple days ago and told them what I was doing this weekend. What else would I be doing on a Saturday afternoon? Watching sports and drinking a beer? No. Going to the beach? Nope. Pulling a fire truck with my hair? Of course. Typical for me. The more I think about it the more absurd it seems even to me.)
I’ve trained hard. I’m as prepared as I can be.
There’s going to be hundreds of people. Radio and TV coverage. Even now I can hear the play-by-play action going on in my head…and yes its in John Madden’s voice.
…He’s getting set for the pull. The chains are taught. He’s straining but nothing’s happening…oh…wait a second…yes there it is! The firetruck is moving! Slowly but Logan’s gaining momentum. He…could…go…All…THE…WAY!!!!
The pressure is on.
Wish me luck.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. Thanks for everyone who sent me Happy Birthday wishes yesterday. I’ve never received that many in one day and it was quite overwhelming. This is certainly a new way to celebrate!
Filed under Feats of Strength, Oldtime Strongmen by on May 14th, 2010. 11 Comments.
Oh no, here it comes again.
Every single time I train for this, right before the pull, I’m swearing like a sailor. Its because its painful, very painful. And as I get ready I’m thinking about how painful its going to be.
I’m talking about pulling vehicles by my hair. As mentioned in a recent post, Strongman Picnic, I’m set to perform in less than two weeks from know.
I’ll be pulling a fire engine. Its big. Much bigger than what I’ve been pulling. So in training for it I do what you do in any other training. I make it progressive. More weight at first then I had do switch to more of an incline when I was pulling the biggest vehicle I had available.
I’ve also played around with the setup and my technique as its not likely something I’m going to get coached in.
Back to the pain…
This is an area familiar to strongmen. Pain tolerance.
Bend a piece of steel or a horseshoe across your leg? That’s going to hurt. And the first few times you do it, it’ll leave bruising (sometimes massive amounts). You’re might even be strong enough to bend that steel if only your leg could take the drive.
One tip I received in learning to bend nails is once you get to the point where its starts to hurt and you want to quit, that’s where you need to double your efforts and crush it. That’s the point were the nail WILL bend.
You’re not seeking this pain. In some feats of strength its not so painful. But in some it is. Many feats can cause rips in skin, various bruises, just plain pain or much more.
Dennis Rogers once drove a nail through his hand…backwards. Usually the feats works without much effort. In this case it was not so.
It comes with the territory.
This is just the first batch that came out after the pull. I lost more in the shower later.
Whatever the reason this one hurt more. And I lost more hair. I always lose some when doing this stunt. (I like to think that all the weak ones must go.) But this time there was more. Here I could hear the hair rip from my head at one point in the pull.
When I finished a few large chunks came out. Nothing noticeable as far as how I look is concerned and I seem to have plenty left. But certainly not comforting.
Such is the life of a strongman.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. I wrote an article over at Straight to the Bar. Lift weights? So what? Check it out.
Filed under Feats of Strength, Mental Training, Oldtime Strongmen by on May 3rd, 2010. 10 Comments.
While I believe everyone (except a select few with spinal problems) can and should get the benefits of bridging exercises I recognize that this move is certainly not for everyone.
I’ve taken to bridging skills over the years supporting ever increasing weights while in a wrestlers bridge. This move is just a support, holding the weight in place. The limitation before was getting the weight into place. Unless I had a training partner this was impossible for me to do as I increased the weight I could hold. Now that I have a power rack my previous limitation is gone.
Though to be honest with you I shouldn’t have gone for this weight. Although I had kept up in my neck work I hadn’t really worked the support in awhile. And normally when I do this I hold for time, usually 30 seconds.
But I had the power rack and I got excited. After a few warmups sets I did this. With 275 lbs. it was much closer to a max attempt than I should have gone. Oh well. I pulled it off with some effort, but no problems.
Like I said before, this isn’t for everyone (and I do plan to support more weight in this move than anyone else.) But if you want a strong neck and spine there’s plenty of work to do before you even approach this level. My Advanced Bridging Course will get you going building the needed strength and flexibility.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Barbells and Dumbbells, Bodyweight Exercise, Feats of Strength, Oldtime Strongmen, Videos by on Mar 13th, 2010. 3 Comments.
Sometimes you have to push the limits.
I didn’t plan this workout ahead of time. I just started bending and kept going.
In the end I had bent 50 60D nails in just under 30 minutes. This video shows the aftermath.
Now I know I’m a bit crazy for doing this. My hands have open wounds on them right now where the skin tore and blistered in many places. (It ain’t the first time and won’t be the last.)
Looking back in my records my previous best was 22 nails in 42 minutes. That was one year ago. That means I did over twice the volume in just over two thirds the time. That’s improvement.
Do I recommend doing this for everyone? No.
But sometimes you have to push the boundaries of what you’re capable of, even if that’s through comfort and pain. In your training and in life.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. If you’re interested in bending nails, get this must have resource from the Diesel Crew.
Filed under Feats of Strength, Hand Strength, Mental Training, Oldtime Strongmen, Videos by on Nov 28th, 2009. Comment.
Over two years ago my friend and I first pulled a truck by our hair. It was a feat of strength designed to pay homage to one of my favorite oldtime strongmen, The Mighty Atom.
For several reasons its been that long since we revisited our feat. That was until this past week. Here’s one small clip of the several sets done that day.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT76FWM-xXc]
You can see the strain especially in getting the van moving from a stand still.
And if you happen to be crazy enough (stupid enough?) to want to do the same feat here’s what you’ll need:
Long hair, a vehicle, and a way to attach the two. From there it takes a strong neck and a high pain tolerance. And if you can get a good scalp massage later that day, all the better.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Feats of Strength, Oldtime Strongmen by on Aug 6th, 2009. Comment.
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