SINCE the start of 2019 I've been training at Legendary Lifting in West Perth, which had an excellent, well-equipped strongman penn and twenty-four-hour access. But alas, Legendary Lifting is no more, with the doors closing forever last Sunday. I'd been given the heads up a bit earlier so went on the search for a new place. I soon found another, suitably-equipped gym, which is even closer to my home and also has twenty-four-hour access. The place is called ORA Belmont. On the walk-through I found, off in a corner, another strongman penn stocked with logs, axles, a pair of farmers picks and various other toys, plus a turf runway... shame there's no yoke. Yet. I have more than enough to keep me happy for now, though.
It's a new gym, from what I can gather, opening in 2018. As with most gyms, there's plenty of people new to lifting / resistance training who are doing too much of some things and not enough of other things. I'm not the type to critique random people on their form unless I see them doing something actually dangerous. But if any newb lifter were to ask me, honestly, for my advice, there's some basics that I think everybody needs to understand if they want to get proper strong.
YOUR BODY IS A MACHINE. TRAIN AS A MACHINE
It is impossible to spot-reduce fat. This is a scientific fact. Bullshit products like the Ab-swing do not work, because when body fat is burned, that fat loss occurs throughout the whole dermus, because it would be deleterious to humans if we had the ability to mess with our physiology in such a specific way. By the same token, it is impossible (for example) to build huge biceps just from doing lots of curls, or a powerful chest from just bench press. Yes, they'll get bigger and stronger, to a point, and then progress will slow and, eventually, stop. You'll be curling and benching and benching and curling till you're old and grey, if you make it that far. Before that happens, your shoulders will roll forward and you'll need physiotherapy to correct your posture. But you will not get the physique you want.
Your body won't allow you to unbalance your musculature by adding mass to one area if it is not supported by a surrounding, interdependent network of muscle groups, ligaments and connective tissues that are of comparable strength. Not without PEDs, at least. Olympic cyclists are a great example of what I am talking about. It is biologically impossible for a human to amass such a large amount of muscle in one specific region of the body. The physique of an Olympic cyclist is unattainable without pharmaceutical enhancement. Quite a lot of it. But at least you know they train legs, and train them hard.
FOR EVERY PRESS, A PULL. FOR EVERY CURL, A SQUAT
Years ago, when I'd first moved my training to Genesis Bentley, I had a conversation with a young lifter, approximately my height, who asked my weight and then asked how I got so heavy. When I began telling him about my routine, and the emphasis on training the lower posterior chain (read: 'legs days'), he visibly winced "I don't like training legs." he said.
"Well, then you'll never get as big as you want to be." I replied.
In short: if you want bigger arms, then sure, do lots of curls. But train your legs and lower posterior lots, too. If you want a bigger chest / stronger bench, then sure, train bench and triceps, but also train your lats and shoulders. And squat! Don't spin your wheels (pun intended) with leg press / extensions / curls. Those are accessories. You use machines / do isolations after heavy compound lifts, to thoroughly fatigue the targeted muscle groups. They should not be what you expend the most energy doing each week.
It's about as simple as that. My upper body, from front to back: arms, traps, lats and shoulders all get bigger - at the same time - when I train heavy compound and dynamic movements, requiring the whole body to work as a machine. Farmers walk, yoke walk, tyre flip, clean and press, deadlift, squat, good morning. These are the methods that help build muscle everywhere.
GRIP STRENGTH IS A MEASURE OF OVERALL STRENGTH (& HEALTH)
The oldest strength athlete I've had the pleasure of training with - and someone who held (and might still hold) a Pro Strongman card, is Western Australia's own Jeremy Hogg. Jeremy has competed against some of the greatest on the world stage, and always has 'stories from the road' to share about his interactions with big names like Laurence Shahlaei, Mark Felix and Brian Shaw... and several others I can't recall now.
Jeremy also has plenty of great advice when it comes to training and overall health. The man is now approaching his fifties and, last time I saw him, was still swimming kilometers every week (and winning swimming comps, by the way) while lifting heavy and often, and walking around at about 140 kilos. One of the truefacts he dispenses concerns grip strength. Your grip strength is a measure of your overall health, and is one of the preliminary methods doctors use to assess a patient's health in relation to their age. If you are sick, injured, chronically fatigued, or otherwise impaired, your grip strength will be measurably diminished.
And here is a video of me pulling 200 kilo stiff-legged deadlifts, double overhand, for eight reps.
NO EASY LIVING IN THE GYM
There is a difference between conserving your strength and being lazy. Don't take the easiest way to get to each lift. Test your grip strength at every possible opportunity. Carry the heavy plates by clamping them with your fingers. If that's too easy, use your fingertips. If that's not enough of a challenge (and go you!), see if you can flip one and catch it (bumper plates and approved locations only, please, I don't want to get in trouble). When you're done, carry the weights back to the tree the same way. Or roll them, or balance each plate on your head, I don't care. Just fucking put them back, thanks.
When I coach people, I develop their grip strength by using an axle instead of a barbell wherever possible; axle deadlift, axle overhead press / clean and press / Savickas press, axle zercher carry, axle squat. The only qualified exception to this rule is bench press, for reasons I may take the time to go into later.
DO NOT TALK TO ME ABOUT PEDS
Just don't. First, train hard for three to five years. Test your abilities by entering a strongman or powerlifting competition. Commit to getting stronger. Eat big. Lift often. Rest well. Set goals. Learn from others. Repeat the process. And make sure you get enough good quality sleep! If you snore and/or wake up tired on a regular basis, these are warning signs. I only mention 'rest' twice because sleep apnea and sinus / breathing difficulties are prevalent amongst lifters, and will only get worse as you get bigger and stronger. Poor or insufficient sleep impedes the body's ability to optimally synthesize protein and stabilize cortisol levels. You won't grow well if you don't sleep well.
Thanks for reading!
