It’s pretty much set and stone (and if I’m not mistaken, the 14th Law of Physics) that anything with the word dynamite in it’s title is the epitome of baller and automatically increases its “badass” factor exponentially.
Two examples that immediately pop into my head are Napoleon Dynamite and Black Dynamite – both of which, respectively, are hilarious movies that I feel should be required viewing for everyone.
Now, just imagine what happens when you place the word DEADLIFT in front of DYNAMITE.
Like whoa. That much awesome certainly can’t be contained, and I believe a whole lotta Gangnam Style just hit you smack dab in the face.
I’ve been hinting at this one for a while now, and I don’t feel as if I need to sit here and really “sell” people on this manual. I mean, everyone who knows me and reads this site consistently knows that I love me some deadlifts.
And Matt Damon, but that’s for another time.
I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy a few weeks ago, and to be perfectly honest it actually exceeded my expectations.
In fact, the title of the manual is a little misleading because it’s not just about the deadlift at all. Everything from honing technique on the “big 3” (deadlift, bench press, squat) to programming ideas to corrective strategies on improving posture are covered. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
In a nutshell it’s about improving performance; it’s about preventing injury; and more to the point, it’s about getting strong as a s***!
If that’s something you’re interested in then I’d highly suggest checking it out. It’s a game changer for sure!
1. First things first: I just want to take a few words to say THANK YOU to any servicemen or servicewomen (past or current) who may be sitting there reading this. I think we take A LOT for granted in this country, and it’s my hope that EVERYONE reading will take a moment to recognize the incredible, invaluable, and downright courageous job that our troops contribute to this country, not to mention those who served in years past.
My grandfather was at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed back in 1941, and while I never got a chance to really know him (he passed away when I was very young), I was always amazed and dumbfounded whenever I read or heard stories of his service time. The man was a straight-up, certifiable, badass.
And that applies to anyone who goes out of their way to risk so much and not really receive much back in terms of reward or notoriety.
They all truly deserve our respect and gratitude. Without question they have mine.
2. I also want to thank everyone who participated in last week’s Deadlift Battle over on WeightTraining.com. To say that it got a little heated and that people got just a teeny-tiny bit competitive would be a drastic understatement.
Lets just put it this way, the top two participants combined – CoachA and BrandonKW – deadlifted over 1,000,000 lbs by themselves!!!
That’s a one with six zeroes after it. Or roughly the total number of times I asked Nicole Kot out in high school and she said no.
To his credit, the good Coach edged out Brandon 563,555 lbs to 532,535 lbs and gets the title for most masochistic son-of-a-bitch in existence.
If anyone deserves a slow clap, it’s you. This one is dedicate to you, sir. Enjoy it.
This isn’t to belittle everyone else who participated, of course. We had over 60 people make a conscientious decision that this would actually be a good idea, and in order to even crack the top 10 you had to deadlift a minimum of 120,000 lbs.
I sucked and ended up in 12th place with only 105.115 lbs.
Needless to say, it was a blast, I’m probably going to take a week off from lifting anything heavy off the floor, and we’ll be letting everyone know who the GRAND PRIZE winner is shortly.
3. Speaking of deadlifts, two legends in the strength and conditioning community – Pavel (of RKC fame) and Andy Bolton (of he can deadlift a metric shit-ton fame) – have collaborated on what I feel is going to be a game changing, holy-shit-I-think-I-just-peed-myself-a-little-I’m-so-excited manual:
A short while ago, John DuCane, CEO of Dragon Door Publications (which is releasing the manual), reached out to me and asked if I’d be interested in receiving an advance copy to check out. I responded back with, “you had me at deadlift.”
I don’t think I have to tell you that it’s awwwwwwwwwwesome, and today, just to serve as a slight appetizer, both Pavel and Andy have released three FREE videos that will undoubtedly make people’s faces melt from all the deadlifting knowledge bombs being dropped.
4. Serving as an adjunct to the article I posted last week on Tips for a Badass Bench Press, I also wanted to note that as much as lifting big weights will make you stronger, we also can’t turn our heads on bar speed.
I certainly can’t take credit for it, as many, many coaches much smarter (and stronger) than myself have stated it before:
Getting faster will make you stronger
Bar speed is an often overlooked component of bench pressing. More specifically, developing power – or the ability to generate force quickly and increase your rate of force development – is an often overlooked component of bench pressing.
In a nutshell: you can’t just rely on “muscling” the weight all the time, grinding out reps on a weekly basis. That’s only going to take you so far. However, developing more bar speed will undoubtedly go a long ways in helping improve your bench press.
* Photo courtesy of elitefts.com
In looking at what’s called the Force-Velocity Curve, which is dictated by load and speed, one would find the following variants to be true:
Loads between 30-50% of a trainee’s one-rep max typically focuses more on power.
Loads between 75-95% of a trainee’s one-rep max typically places an emphasis more on maximum strength.
Loads between 50-60% of a trainee’s one-rep max, done ballistically, is the sweet spot for developing power output – where force AND velocity are maximized.
This last point is where focusing on bar speed comes into play. Getting faster will help you get stronger. Popularized by Louie Simmons and the guys over at Westside Barbell, incorporating more of a “dynamic effort” day is a fantastic way to help increase your numbers in the bench press.
Not coincidentally, it’s also a fantastic way to hone in on technique which can be argued is where the real benefit lies.
Basically, all you would do is take 50-60% of your current one-rep max – and perform the reps as quickly as you can for something like 6 sets of 3 repetitions, with 30-45s rest between sets.
There’s obviously a bit more to it than that, but in many ways there isn’t.
Now, if you’ve only been training for like a year or your current 1RM is something like 185 lbs, I don’t feel dedicated speed work is going to be an efficient use of your time. But, for those who have a little more experience “under the bar,” and have been in a benching rut, this might be exactly what you need to get over that hump.
Speaking a little more ubiquitously, and even taking speed work out of the equation, what’s important – on EVERY rep, no matter the exercise – is that the INTENT to be fast is there.
This is a mistake that I find a lot of people make – that they have to grind out, or “muscle” all their reps.
While heavy is heavy, and you can’t expect to make every rep look like a paperweight, so long as you tell yourself to be fast – and the INTENT to move that bar quickly is there – that’s definitely a step in the right direction.
So, from now on, tell yourself BAR SPEED is the key.
5. So a little movie came out this weekend, you might have heard about it: Skyfall.
Giving full disclosure, up until Daniel Craig took over as James Bond and Casino Royale came out in 2006, I had never been a fan of the franchise.
Ever since then, however, I’ve anticipated each and every installment – and Skyfall was no different.
What intrigued me the most was that Sam Mendes who directed classics like American Beauty and Road to Perdition (which, for those looking for some cool movie trivia, was where he first directed Craig) was taking the helm and directing this edition.
I LOVE Sam Mendes, and was really looking forward in seeing what he could do to spice things up after the somewhat disappointing Quantum of Solace.
Without giving away everything, I really, really liked Skyfall (but still feel Casino Royale takes the cake).
Javier Bardem evokes crazy like no-one else, playing the cyber terrorist Silva (I’d even go so far as to say he should at least be considered for a Best Supporting Actor nomination), and like with any Bond movie, the chase scenes, one-liners, and gadgets are epic.
1. I’m your prototypical bookworm. At any given point, I’m reading 3-4 books at once. Okay, technically I’m listening to one book in my car as I drive to the facility everyday (I have a 40-45 minute commute both ways),but I’m counting that as part of the grand total.
I get a lot of various emails from people thanking me for the book suggestions I make on this blog, so I figured I’d take a few moments to let people “in” on what I’m currently reading.
I know I’ve mentioned this before at various times, but I have a set system of what I read and when. For instance on the weekends, when I have a bit more free time, I like to dive into books related to my field or more non-fiction type books.
Currently I’ve got a few books on my plate:
– Deadlift Dynamite (not to be mistaken by Napoleon Dynamite) – Pavel and Andy Bolton
John Du Cane – CEO of DragonDoor Publications – reached out to me and asked if I’d be interested in reading an advance copy. What the what….like he had to ask!?!?! He had me at deadlift.
Does Dolly Parton sleep on her back? Of course I’d want to read it!
For those who don’t know: Pavel (Tsatsouline) is the Godfather of the kettlebell movement and Andy Bolton has deadlifted over 1,000 lbs. I’m pretty sure the man could deadlift an aircraft carrier if you asked him to.
Anyways, the book doesn’t come out for another few weeks, but I started reading it over the weekend and if it’s any consolation my face literally (well, not literally) melted from all the knowledge bombs thrown my way.
Trust me people, this book is going to be a game changer.
This too is a phenomenal book that really tackles the corrective and movement dysfunction side of things. In addition, Dr. Osar spends a lot of time discussing breathing patterns which is all the rage lately (and something we utilize with many of our own clients at Cressey Performance).
– One book that I just finished – yesterday in fact – was The Art of Choosing, and it was fascinating.
Why do people choose not to enroll in their company’s 401(k) plan?
Why do people choose to smoke despite knowing the risks involved?
Why do we choose one brand of bottled water over the other?
Why doesn’t Olivia Munn answer my phone calls?
Life is full of choices, and this book – fascinatingly – tells you WHY we choose the things we choose.
2. THIS is probably one of the coolest blog posts I have read in a while, and really sheds some light on why I work in arguably the most rewarding profession out there.
I know Dean Somerset and consider him a good friend. He’s a brilliant guy, an awesome coach, and just a cool human being in general.
Put simply: This. Was. Awesome. I can’t even imagine how it must have felt to have this sort of email waiting in your inbox to read.
Kudos to Dean for being the man!
3. Anyone who reads this blog knows I love movies. For the most part, 2012 has been a pretty dull season comparatively speaking. The Dark Knight Rises was awesome, of course, but if I had to choose my favorite movie thus far I’d probably go with Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom.
That is until yesterday, when Lisa and I went to go see Argo.
There was a time when I used to hate Ben Affleck – partly for marrying my one-time crush Jennifer Garner, but mostly for movies like Gigli and Jersey Girl – but the man can do no wrong as of late having directed past gems like Gone Baby Gone and The Town.
Argo, which Affleck both directs and stars in, is a very well researched, well acted, well written, intelligent, intense movie.
At one point I think both Lisa and I were biting our finger nails sitting at the edge of our seats. If you’re interested in a smart movie with snappy dialogue and a great (true!) story, do yourself a favor and go see this, like tomorrow! Thank me later.
4. I’m placing the finishing touches on my next T-Nation article – The Squat 4x Per Week Experiment.
For the past 5-6 weeks, I’ve been squatting (SPOILER ALERT) 4x per week – and I feel AWESOME!!!!
What’s it entail? Here’s an excerpt from the article itself:
No, I’m not going to promise anything sexy or lavish in this article like quadriceps the size of Colorado or that by following this program every woman within a two mile radius from where you’re standing will spontaneously conceive.
It’s more like one-mile.
Instead what I am going to offer is an article about how I implemented a high-frequency squatting routine into my own training arsenal, why I wanted to do such a thing, how I tweaked the experiment to fit my own needs and goals, and maybe even most important of all, the surprising result(s).
I’ll be submitting it this week, and barring any catastrophe (Nickelback releasing a new album, or the powers that be don’t like it), should be ready to go live shortly thereafter. Keep your eyes peeled. I think it’s going to be pretty cool.
5. A few weeks ago I was invited to participate in a podcast with the peeps from Greatist.com, and it just went live. In it I discuss some of the reasons why people never get stronger, a few of my favorite strength exercises, and some other stuff. It’s a short interview – less than 20 minutes – and I didn’t even swear! Score!
If you have a few minutes, definitely check it out.
6. And lastly, I leave you with this picture: Just when you think you’ve seen it all……..
