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
Filed under Feats of Strength, Hand Strength, Oldtime Strongmen by on Oct 14th, 2011. 7 Comments. 
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
Filed under Feats of Strength by on Apr 20th, 2011. 1 Comment.
The Tactical Strength Challenge (TSC) is a strength competition consisting of three events:
- A three-attempt powerlifting deadlift
- Pullups for max reps
- Kettlebell snatches for max reps in a 5:00 time period
You can find out more at tacticalstrengthchallenge.com
I had the opportunity to participate in my first TSC last weekend. I had meant to do it the previous year but it always fell on days where I had prior commitments.
This time I was definitely going to do it. I had to drive 2 1/2 hours to the nearest place it was held, in Sacramento, CA at Midtown Strength and Conditioning.
And I’m glad I did. This video shows me in all the events. (Thanks to Nick for filming for me.)
Deadlift
First was the deadlift. This was my first time competing on a lift like this. I’m use to the ‘do it however you want’ in the gym approach to training. Being limited to three attempts is quite a different beast.
I opened up with an easy 425. Then I moved up to 455, which felt solid. But then I got a little greedy. I thought the competition would help me so I set my sights on 505. In hindsight I can of course say it was too much as I didn’t budge it much. With my personal record currently at 475 I should have been more modest and gone for that or 485.
Pullups
Oh well, next event. Bodyweight pullups for reps. Here I hit my expectations. My goal was to break 20 reps, which would be a first. I think my previous best ever was 16-18. I cranked out 21 and was pleased. It looks like my recent one arm chinnup work has some good carryover.
Snatches
The last event was my best. The kettlebell snatch. To be honest since hitting 301 I had fallen out of practice on this a bit. (That’s something I do pretty often. Hit a big goal and then don’t want to do it again at least for a while.)
My grip was tiring out at the end. It could have been from the previous lifts. It could have been the slicker then normal kettlebell. Still I managed 146 reps. A little slow for my but I was also striving for a harder lockout then before.
Overall it was a great time and I got to meet some great new people. Competition is fun and something I plan on doing more of. There is a big difference in what you can do on the gym and having to perform on demand back to back events.
I’m still awaiting the final results as this is an international competition. Judging by last years results my deadlift was average, pullups above average and snatch right near the top.
Did any of you compete? What were your results?
In strength,
Logan Christopher
P.S. I’m thinking of redoing the video and making it a standalone product but right now as a special bonus you can get How to Kick Ass at the TSC for free along with Kettlebell Snatch Domination.
Filed under Barbells and Dumbbells, Bodyweight Exercise, Conditioning, Kettlebells by on Apr 14th, 2011. 35 Comments.
I’m regularly getting questions on biofeedback training, almost everyday. So I thought it was time for another report on how its working out for me.
One movement leads another...
Doing any kind of movement (actually anything) will lead to increasing or decreasing any other movement. This is because the body is a whole and what effects one thing, effects EVERYTHING.
Thus you can test any exercise, any movement and see how that affects any other movement. This is commonly done with a range of motion test as this is a simple way to test things by yourself. It’s not without its faults, and there are other methods. But it does work if you do it right.
What I’ve found is that by doing this biofeedback training for a time I got better in tune with my body. That I didn’t even need to test all the time. That I could feel the better or worse movement within the movement itself. That means if I press I can feel whether or not today would be a good day to press.
This is a good thing. And its not even the end point of where you can get.
Progress on that front. However I also ran into a roadblock, created by myself.
Not testing all the time I began to make a slight shift towards forcing my body in directions it didn‘t necessarily want to go. Overtime this slight shift got bigger because I had something on the line.
You know about my progress on the deadlift which has been great. With that goal of 500 lbs. on the horizon, and the fact I wanted to hit it by the end of this month, I starting forcing myself in that direction, rather than letting it happen as it would by itself. I’ve done this by lifting heavier than I should have on many days. Even deadlifting when that wasn’t the best choice. The total effect is that my progress has slowed.
The promise of biofeedback training is that, if you listen to it, you’ll break PR’s without really having to try to do it. Effortless progress. These may not always be exactly groundbreaking PR’s or in the direction you always want but it does happen.
What happens when you don’t listen to your body? When you do things contrary to what its telling you? At best it’ll just be slower progress. At worst no progress, sliding back, or injury.
You can, for a time, force your body to adapt. But it will fight back. The question is why would you fight against your body when you can use it as an ally?
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Barbells and Dumbbells, Bio Feedback, Strength Training Concepts by on Jul 23rd, 2010. 4 Comments.
Hit a 470 lb. deadlift yesterday.
For those keeping track (like me) that’s another 15 lb. increase in 10 days. I was surprised I maxed out again so recently this time, but the journal doesn’t lie. Also, for the record that’s just past the 2 ½ times bodyweight mark. Closing in on 500.
Not world record status but if I keep up this pace how long would it take?
And just three days ago I hit 277 snatches with the 24kg in 10 minutes. Closing in on 300.
You too can have this kind of progress. What does it take? The way I see it there are three keys.
1. Training
You need to do the best training possible. After experimenting I truly believe biofeedback training is going to give you the best, fastest and safest results. Click here for more information on how to get started.
However, that’s not all there is to it. Biofeedback is not some magic pill. You still need ideas on the best exercises in general and for you. You still need to know the best ways to approach your goals.
Training is key, yet it’s only one piece of the puzzle.
2. Health and Nutrition
I’ve just released my book 101 Simple Steps to Radiant Health. This contains plenty of beginner and advanced tips on supercharging your health. Superior health means superior energy and recovery for your training as well as being free from illness.
The book is a great start especially if you haven’t paid too much attention to your health in the past.
Also when you order you have a chance to upgrade to a special program I put together detailing all the food and supplementation I personally take. (Like this video multiplied times 100.) This is only available right now for those who buy the book, but this information can make a dramatic difference. I know it has for me.
This is key number two.
3. ?????
The third component is not hard to guess if you give it some thought. However, for now I’m not going to give it away.
Truth be told, I think this can make a bigger difference than the other two combined. I’ve just started really using it and as they say ‘the proof is in the pudding.’
********
On a similar note, I’ve decided to add another bonus for those who order 101 Simple Steps to Radiant Health. (Everyone who has already ordered gets this too, of course.)
I’ll be holding a special Q&A call to answer all of your questions. What more details on tip 75? Want to know what I personally do with tip 31? How about how I do 66? Want additional tips?
Maybe I’ll even talk a bit about key number three from above?
You’ll receive access information when you order 101 Simple Steps to Radiant Health now. I’ll be holding the call in a couple weeks so that you have time to read, digest and apply the information you get.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Barbells and Dumbbells, Bio Feedback, Health, Nutrition, Recovery, Strength Training Concepts by on Jul 2nd, 2010. 9 Comments.
I just wrote last week how my deadlifts have been going way up. But this is getting ridiculous…
I ended up doing deadlifts once again. Started with 365 for 8 reps.
Went to 415 for a triple.
And ended with a 440 lb. deadlift.
I could’ve kept going but was fine to stop there. At least as far as the deadlifting was concerned.
Riding on the high of setting a new max only 9 days after my last one I started bending. It felt good. After a couple Grade 5 bolts were crumpled I took a step up.
A 5.5” Grade 5 bolt. Half an inch shorter than the standard ones. This was not so easy. Took a bit of a battle but I was victorious.
To quote George Samuelson, “This feels like cheating.”
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Barbells and Dumbbells, Bio Feedback, Hand Strength, Videos by on Jun 8th, 2010. 8 Comments.
This is the second in a series on my progress on biofeedback. Click here for the first post.
I still feel like I need more time to have revolutionary results. So far the results have only been great!
My lifts are going up. By following my biofeedback my body is guiding me to do higher volume most of the time versus what I use to do which was singles or maybe 5×5.
You may have heard about cycling or waving the loads before in periodization or other training plans. It looks like the reason that works is because that’s what the body naturally wants to do!
The question you may be asking is, is this higher volume leading to more strength on the top end? So far it seems to be yes. Still need more time to see the overall and definite trend but I’m starting to see it right now. About once a week or so the testing guides me to work up to a max (in different lifts). As long as the exercise keeps testing better with increasing loads I keep going.
One big change is that I no longer do a daily joint mobility routine. I don’t need to. My body isn’t beat up from training, in fact I rarely get sore and when I do its just a small amount.
I have improved my flexibility without doing static or isometric stretching. Even my hand balancing practice is getting better, when I’ve been stuck for a long, long time.
I leave each workout moving better than I did before the workout. I feel good, if not downright fresh and ready to do much more. Sometimes I feel a little worked after high volume or many exercises but I never feel dead tired or like I need to lay down to recoup.
Making it Hard or Making it Easy? The Choice is Yours...
I saw a comment on another blog regarding PR’s and I want to clarify what that really means. PR stands for personal record. It doesn’t mean you have to max out in your lift in order to get it. It simply means you’ve done more in one way or another than ever before.
Progress is the name of the game in training. And progress comes in the form of PR’s. There is no other way.
So these are my results…so far. I will continue to do this because its working. There is no turning back. I expect over time it will get even better. And I will report on what happens.
On that note, Adam Glass is re-releasing the Grip and Rip DVD’s with even more material that explains how to do all this properly.
When I got started I had lots of questions. It took time to get the feeling and to be doing it right. With these DVD’s you’ll cut the learning curve in half. And then you’ll see these results faster.
No other training information or program out there will give you the capabilities this one does. To listen to your body for your own training. To guide you in how you and only you should be training.
Not to mention I’m actually having even more fun then before with this stuff.
***BONUS***
These DVD’s are going to show you everything you need to get started fast. But I was thinking about what I could offer to complement this and I happened on this idea. You see, I learned best by going through the process myself. You can tell me something or show me how it works and I still might not ‘get it’.
Maybe you’re the same?
So I’m going to film my next two workouts and walk you through exactly what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. How I test, when I test, why I test, when I stop my sets, everything I can show you.
These will be made available as online videos on a secret page only for you who order now through this link and forward me your receipt.
They made a limited number of copies and they’re likely to sell out fast. So if you want this information and my bonus, which is the closest thing I can give you to walking you through it in person, you need to act now.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Bio Feedback, Flexibility/Mobility, Recovery by on May 21st, 2010. 2 Comments.
No I’m not talking about spending 4 hours in the gym that wear you down instead of building you up. That kind of stuff will be talked about some other time.
What I am talking about is a certain kind of strength training. The kind that leaves behind a pile of destroyed, mangled, ripped and shredded stuff.
In my last post I talked about the satisfaction that I and many others get from bending steel. One of the main causes of this is that you have something tangible and material afterwards. If you break a PR in the press or squat it is great, but unless you snapped some pictures or video then it is just in your mind and your sense of accomplishment.
Bend a new piece of iron or tear a deck of cards in half and you have the results left over. Not knocking any other lifts but these few give you something to look at, after the feat is done
I don’t hang on to everything but as a habit I keep my firsts and my records. I also have a few souvenirs from other people.
One of my favorites is a phonebook torn by John Wood at a seminar I attended. If you haven’t seen his sites then be sure to check them out. A good starting place is http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/blog/
The phonebook itself isn’t so impressive, but the manner in which he did it was. While in a wrestler’s bridge with someone standing on top of him he tore three phonebooks in succession. In this position he had to tear the books above his head, meaning without bracing. Truly a extraordinary stunt.
The first time I ever ‘performed’ I gave the remains of my feats to some young girls near the front of the stage. Twas a great feeling seeing them carry around the objects all night long.
My collection has just begun but you gotta start somewhere. If you haven’t, then what are you waiting for?
In case you’re wondering I do recycle the phonebook remains. Whether they actually can use them or not I do not know for sure.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Filed under Feats of Strength, Hand Strength, Oldtime Strongmen by on Sep 27th, 2007. Comment.
