The Unorthodox Method

Pulled BW on the 2HP

2009-10-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

I did some 2HP tonight.

150x1
160x1
170x1
180x1
190x2 singles
180x5 singles
170x5 singles

I weighed 184 today making me one of a handful who have pulled over BW on the 2HP. Yay me.

Getting back into Grip

2009-10-09T06:52:00.000-07:00

I've really been neglecting my training these past few months. This whole ACL thing put me in a slump that I'm just now able to come out of. I had originally figured I'd train grip and pressing while unable to use my leg for much, but I just felt like crap when doing that. I didn't want to be there. My grip felt the same way. I just didn't feel like doing it. School started up, and I really enjoy it and I want to focus on it this year. Last year I had a 4.0 and this year I plan to have the same, but with the difficult subjects I'm taking, it will require more focus. You only have so much "focus" in you. The saying goes "Give it your all." If you do that, you have very little left for anything else. I'm learning to shift focus more frequently, but it's tough. Switching from Academics to Strength Training to teaching my precocious little sister the math that her school refuses to teach her. It's just plain tough. Slowly but surely I'm doing it though. Come Gripmas Carol time, I'll know just how successful I am at it right now. The semester ends around that time, Gripmas is the contest I am currently training and my little sister will be in the tougher courses she needs(and wants!).

My #1 strength goal right now is to break the hammer-to-face lever record at the Gripmas Carol. That means doing 23.51lbs or better. I feel I can do it, but I probably wont even win the event even if I do lift 23.51!!! Going to be an incredible group this year.

A long awaited update...

2009-09-11T11:23:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been 1 month and 2 days since my ACL reconstruction. I'm recovering VERY quickly, far ahead of the standard timeline and faster than I could've hoped for. My knee could barely move near 90 degrees and nowhere near lockout 2 days post-op, but now I can fully lockout under my own strength and have at least 143 degrees of flexion. 150-160 is my natural range, so I still have a good bit to go, but I've talked to some people who didn't even reach 90 degrees until 3 weeks. I still wont be able to jump, squat, deadlift or run around for another month at least.

Surgery on 8/12

2009-08-03T10:47:00.001-07:00

Squats today

135x10
135x10
225x8
275x1
275x1
135x10

Decided to test my knee today and see what I could do. Wanted to make sure I wasn't being held back mentally yet. I am. The weight was reletively easy but on the 2nd rep of 275 on both sets I dropped it while halfway up. I think it was a combination of strength/being afraid. Either way, I got a tiny taste of what I'll be in for in a few weeks when I can start squatting again. I'm not happy to say the least. Physical therapy will begin around 8/26, by then I, according to what I've read, should have 90 degrees of flexion in the knee and be able to extend it a bit. My goal is to be at 95+ degrees and exceed the expected extension by that date.

It's weird, I'm forced to play the waiting game right now as surgery is next week. I have gone from being slightly worried, to anticipation, and now to excitement. I'm excited to get to work and get my leg back to 100%, damn the pain involved. From what I've read, you almost get what you give in the rehab. If you bust your ass hard, you reap the rewards. Then again, if you get lazy, you reap only consequences. I plan on surprising a few people.

Don't worry, I wont be stupid about this. I'm serious about coming back 100%. Serious enough to exercise self-restraint if I have too, not something I'm used to.

Bummer

2009-07-18T17:56:00.001-07:00

I may have torn my ACL on an Axle C&J attempt at WNY's strongest man today. I'm not in pain, I can put weight on it, but the knee is wobbly and has just the very slightest hint of soreness at the moment. Wether that will change tomorrow or not, I do not know.

Squats again

2009-07-10T10:38:00.001-07:00

Back squats today
225x10
245x8
265x6
285x4
305x1(was going for 2 as you probably guessed, wasn't to be)

My next attempts were going to be 325x1 and see how many singles I could get. I've decided to stop trying to go heavier every workout and to just build up strength in the 3-8 rep range for the next month or two to see where it gets me. The 10 and 8 rep sets were pretty easy and the 285x4 took a bit out of me. I could've made this 20, 10, 5, 5 with the same weights if I hadn't wanted to hit 300 in this workout.

I never listened to Micheal Jackson's music...

2009-07-07T20:36:00.001-07:00

I remember the first time I saw Micheal Jackson. It was on TV during news coverage of one of his events in the mid 90's. I remember my parents talking about him, I asked, "THAT is a guy?". My parents responded with an understanding "Yup." From that point on, I always saw him in the way that was popular. I regarded him very much so as a joke and couldn't for the life of me understand why it was that people were so enamored with him. I saw quite clearly just how loyal his fans were, the legions of people, young and old, screaming outside his concerts and appearances. I never understood the love affair for what I saw as some kind of freakshow milking his once epic stardom. When I first heard he died, I was in a bit of disbelief. Not that it could've happened, but that it did happen. How could such a figure, a household name, someone only months older than my own father, pass? My first thoughts went to remembering how tragic a figure he was. Pummeled in the media, talked about as a pedophile, turned into some kind of sad joke but still, his fans were there. It's true, I've heard his music before many times over, but as wives everwhere can tell you, "hearing" and "listening" are hardly the same thing. I remembered songs from the Jackson 5 like "ABC" and knew that Micheal was an impressive singer, but it took his death and the heartfelt words of his daughter Paris to actually get me to sit down and listen to one of his songs. Sitting here in my chair, I listened to the song "I'll be there" as sang by a pre-pubescent Micheal in the late 60's. It's true, I had never listened to Micheal's music, and for the first time I asked myself "Why?" I always saw and heard the joke of a man that had been built up slowly by the media and the countless people willing to take aim at an easy target, but never the music. For the first time, I understood why it was that so many people were willing to stand behind him even as he was berated and looked upon as some kind of oddity. I understood why his fans were so loyal, why Micheal Jackson became what he did. It's true, I never listened to Micheal's music, but I will be from now on.

Rest in Peace Micheal

Larkin Get-together

2009-07-06T18:25:00.001-07:00

Had a get-together at Larkin's today. Everytime I go there I leave with a new-found lust for strength. Re-energized as it were. I managed to get 405 in the deadlift again, but couldn't do it without a belt. I'm extremely disappointed at how hard it was each time I pulled it. It should be far easier than it was by now and I will be deadlifting regularly again. I came sub 1/4" on 2 BB grippers that were(I'm told) harder than the MM1. Those BB's really like to bind up at the last little bit. I really just need to get my set down again and I'll have that MM1 in the bag. I pinched 163ish on my device and did some light levers. A bad time cannot be had at Larkin's gym.

In preparation for Nationals, I did some rear weaver levers with a hammer when I got home. Managed to work up to my 12lber and get at least one solid rep in. I'm fairly certain I will be doing better on this event at Nationals than I did at Gripmas last year.

1st Annual Woodall Grip Challenge report

2009-06-22T10:50:00.001-07:00

I think more than one person(myself included) was "off" that day. My numbers here compared to my training numbers are ridiculously low. I blame that on the incredible treatment myself, Steve and Durniat recieved from Rex's family. I became too complacent and too relaxed... the total lack of training had nothing to do with it.

Chad was flipping ON. Explosive and focused as always. 200kg on the axle, coming 2nd in the grippers, winning the RT. I know this wasn't an easy contest for Chad, he certainly worked for his win. Steve and Andrew were not letting up and constantly up there in the top 3 of events.

Steve got that 205lb #4 in the first event. If I recall correctly, that is the heaviest gripper close in competition history, choked or otherwise. He went on to do lighter 4 closes after the competition(several people videod... hopefully Jedd doesn't delete/lose/record over/forget). He also may have ended up with 266 on the RT, but he got 295(not including the pin+handle) off the ground.

Andrew was ON as well. He attempted a 476 axle and got it up 3/4 of the way. Slightly better planning may have netted him a 476 pull, but he still broke his own record, so not too shabby there. His medley performance was awesome, lightning fast. The only one faster was Chad.

Jedd, man. This is the first time I think Jedd has come outside 3rd in a looooooong time. The competition was at an extreme level and I think Jedd was slightly off on comp day. However, coming in 4th at a competition of this caliber on such an off day? That says something.

It was great meeting Aaron again. I think we had all of six or seven words when last we met at Beatty's in '07. He certainly looked to be on his game today. He didn't really have a bad event, no surprise there. He always manages to be at roughly the same level in all the events. I think he came 4th-6th in everything here consistently. Truly an all-arounder.

Rex, wtf. You have flipping 9"+ hands. Learn to use them for thickbar for goodness sake. Other than that, I think Rex had a great day. All of his lifts were up there around or just below the tops guys.

Paul came in with an injury after drinking until 2-3am the night before the competition. I also believe he didn't bother waiting until the comp was over to start up again... AND HE STILL CAME IN 7TH. PAUL, GET IT TOGETHER AND TRAIN PROPERLY.

Ryan was an impressive individual. If I heard right, he trained for this about as much as myself and about as frequently. A little bit of stragety would've netted him a 375+ axle. Starting at 401 obviously didn't work out. Nor did his stiff-legged, rounded back, grinding, sumo pulling style he decided to use. He pulled 401 to his knees 4 damn times and failed to lock out because he couldn't drive his hips forward. DO BETTER!

Chris, 60 and still whooping my ass. I believe Sundin has used the expression "like a fine wine" to describe Chris more than once. It remains true.

Brent, I was totally beating you for a few seconds. We were close in points, but not in actual weights lifted. I have a feeling this was an off day for Brent as well. Perhaps if he would learn to NOT WARMUP TO 90%.

Me? I sucked. My hands seemed to be tired just walking in there. I was off my game and was smart enough to have a squat session with some pinch and 2.5" axle work thrown in on Tuesday as a last minute mad dash to train.

Overall, this was a fantastic venue for a comp. Chad really went out of his way to make this thing professional and it really paid off. The announcer was a nice touch as well. I also did not know the whole story behind Eddy, Rex's friend doing the documentary. This guy was a pro. Rex, send me that email address again and I'll try my best to find some more training footage and photos. GET THAT STUFF SENT IN GUYS!!!!

The sponsors really stepped up, Beatty, Rice, Perth, several local companies. I don't have the shirt in front of me right now but there were over a dozen sponsors. I would like to thank them all VERY much for helping to put on such a flipping awesome contest.

One more glowing review of Rex's family, I don't think I could've been much more welcomed anywhere. Even if I paid bookoo bucks to stay. Just an amazing trip all the way around and thanks to all involved!!!!!

Catching up again

2009-05-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

I have been neglecting my log here lately. I apologize as I've been busy with work and for whatever reason my life has seemed quietly hectic these past few weeks... if that makes any sense xD

I squatted yesterday but apparently forgot to post it. Here it is:

Back squats all
135x5
225x5
300x2
350x0(if I had been motivated and not beaten down/burnt out I would've had this one)
300x1
245x10(could've done 20, again, if I wasn't such a lazy pussy...cat that day)

Today's bench workout

2DBOHPress
75'sx3

Flat Bench
135x10

Incline Bench(I just realized my next strongman comp has a 230lb log press for reps as the first event, I figured I should try to work towards at least one rep )
205x3
235x1(10lb PR)
205x3
205x3
185x5
185x5
185x5
135x5(narrow grip, elbows touching the sides all the way down and up with a 1 second pause and breathe at the bottom)

Hammer curls
60'sx5/5
60'sx5/5(both sets were decently strict with virtually no swinging until the last 4 or so reps of the 2nd set, big improvement here)

Full hammer curls
50'sx5/5

Some back pressure training and then 1 set of 10 chins and 1 set of 7 pullups.

Michigan Grip Championships 2009

2009-05-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

Bob Lipinski put on yet another awesome grip comp last weekend! As always, it was held at Don Larkin's gym. The Larkin's are just straight up good people. Always willing to help and I'm not sure I've met too many people with as many interesting stories as Don.

On to the comp then.

For starters, I did very well. Far better than even I expected, and I went in there knowing the events favored me and that I had trained them more than previous contests.

First up were the grippers- I have been closing my average #3 pretty consistently since I first shut it a few months ago. I was shutting a 160ish PDA gripper that I borrowed from Bob on and off on strong days with near misses on weak days. So I knew that contest adrenaline would help me out here a bit and expected the PDA to be my upper end. I didn't even bother with it. I attempted the Hard #3 first and after a minor setting issue, slammed it. I went for the Narrow Super Elite, which is about 164ish, next and managed it with a solid set. I failed on the easy Elite on my 3rd attempt and passed my 4th. I wouldn't have gotten the easy Elite fresh even with contest adrenaline, but it would've been close under those circumstances I think. That Narrow SE close put me in 2nd place right from the start with 3 guys tied for 1st.

Hub lifts were next- I knew I would get 60+, but I hadn't trained this all that often before the comp. I was confident that 65+ would go on this day and I managed a solid and not-too-tilted 67.5 pretty easily and failed 70 and 71lbs, getting the 70 off the floor. Dave Thornton went all beast on us and pulled 80lbs with a super heavy front load. He passed on his next few attempts because we couldn't figure out how to load 40 extra pounds on the 45. He could've pulled 85 that day.

Vbar next- I suck at Vbar. Partly because I never train it, partly because I can't figure out how to train it and lastly because I just hate vbar lifting. I pulled 215 which I think equals my all-time PR, so I'm not that dissapointed in myself, but I just knew I would lose major points here. I did, but the damage was contained by other's mistakes and what seemed to be an all-around weak day for many.

Hammer Medley- I was expecting to pwn here. I had trained this and I had actually trained this seriously for some time before it was even an event at the contest. So I kind of won the lotto on that one. My front lever is one of the strongest in grip, I'm sure of it now. I easily front levered my 10lb sledge at 26" with a quarter on the head to the high platform for a total coup points-wise. I knew I was going to get it too, which felt great being the last guy and seeing even Dave Thornton only pull it up to the low platform and gave me a huge confidence boost for my attempt. The slim levers went great and I knew that I could get at least the 16 with decent ease, and did. I failed on the 18.5 quite a few times and had several near misses but it wasn't happening today. I tied for 1st on this one.

The Rim lift was next- the weight was 335 and I held it for 3 seconds. By this time, I just didn't care. I was so happy to have beaten Thornton and Durniat on something so solidly and happy that I was in a good placing points-wise, that I could care less what I got on this event. Turns out it didn't matter all that much. I believe Jeff Flynn got 1st on this event, I also believe that if he hadn't done well in this event, I would've come in 4th place overall instead of 5th. I came second to last in this event and ahead of the 2 guys who had to go to the lighter weight:D

Awesome contest overall and I think this was a situation where I had a strong day coupled with everyone else having a not-so-strong day. It worked out well for me and everyone had fun regardless of any apparent weaknesses on the day.

After comp feats for me include breaking 3 25's off the floor ever-so-slightly, my first human flags on both sides, a ring finger chinup that I definitely felt for 2 days after doing it, several attempts at slippery, rounded 5 10's with some air, and another solid 10lb front lever.

Overall, Saturday has given me something to boast about and a boatload of confidence to carry with me to Chad's comp a little over a month away. Once Jerri Larkin's DVDs get here, I'll relive the day several times over this month and next which should help me out in my training significantly. Just one more reason to make it out to a Michigan Grip comp, free and WELL-MADE DVDs with high resolution pictures and videos of several events from different angles. You don't get that shit anywhere else!

New squat idea... again

2009-04-17T11:36:00.001-07:00

Did some squats today and decided to do some high reps. I didn't feel mentally ready to test my maximum reps with BW, so I did the next best thing: A 10x10 set with 205, 8lbs more than my BW.

Front Squats
135x5
225x1

Back Squats
315x1
315x1
205x10
205x10
205x10
205x10
205x10
205x10
205x10
205x10
205x15(tried for 20, but wasn't there mentally)
205x5

This was by far the hardest squat workout to date. My heart was racing at set 3 and I was slightly dizzy after sets 3 and 4 and decided that I would give myself ample rest between sets. At least I will at first. I thought of yet another way to train for the 100 rep squat also. I will try to do this for the next few weeks, possibly months if I am capable and it turns out I make gains.

Do a 10x10 set but try to do a 20 rep squat after set 8. When I can get myself to do the 20 reps at the end of the squat session and do the session with less than 5 minutes between sets, I'll add 5lbs to the total and try to do the same. Once I feel I hit a wall weight-wise, I'll try to add reps to the last set instead of adding weight. I felt I hit a wall mentally on the 5th set because my last idea, to do 10x5, got me used to 50 reps, not 100. This will get me used to 100 reps and help me add weight.

Deadlifts

2009-04-10T09:18:00.001-07:00

I decided to deadlift today instead of squat. I haven't deadlifted in awhile and it has always been my favorite lift and I want to get back to deadlifting regularly. Last time I pulled I did 405 sumo for a few doubles and a triple if I remember right. I only went sumo because my back was bugging me, not the problem today. I pulled conv.

225x2
315x5
335x5
365x5
385xhover (sumo)
385x1(sumo with a belt)
385xhover (conv.)
365x5
315x5(1 rep was done thumbless and the rest were DO)

I used to have a very SLDL-type of form due to my severe lack of leg strength. I can get lower at the start and benefit from leg strength now. I at least hovered what I couldn't pull today, that in itself is a PR. I used to go heavy almost every time I pulled, I wont be so brash this time around. 5's, 3's and 2's will be common unless I'm feeling strong or haven't pulled heavy in awhile.

I did some work with my 2.5" PVC wrist roller afterwards... wow. FRIED again.

New squat PR

2009-03-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

I hit 350 in the squat last week! That represents a 25 lb all-time PR and I'm sure I could get more totally fresh. My calves have taken a severe beating with all these squats these past few weeks. I'm letting them rest for now before I squat again. I should be back to squatting by Wednesday-Thursday of this week.

Want to learn how to tear cards like the strongmen of old?

2009-03-21T17:42:00.001-07:00

What will you learn with the Diesel Crew Card Tearing Ebook?

- 40+ pages of exercises that will give you inhuman levels of hand strength

- Find out how you can use push-ups to increase your grip strength and card tearing power

- How one simple technique can help you tear a deck of cards

- The #1 way to prevent injuries from card tearing

- Strengthen your hands while simultaneously strengthening your shoulders and biceps

- How things lying around your house or garage can be used to strengthen your hands, wrists and forearms

- Instantly improve your hand health with this simple recovery exercise on page 135.

- The importance of the extensor muscles and why you must train them in order to realize your full hand strength potential

- Learn the 3 exerices I do week in and week out that have kept my lower arms injury free since 2006

- Find out the card tearing hierarchy. What are the most difficult cards to tear? Which are the easiest? Go to Page 122

- Learn the recognized technique for measuring the hands - Page 123

- Avoid frustration by learning how to properly chalk your hands!

- Find out 4 basic card tearing techniques and 7 advanced ones, each complete with clear images and easy-to-understand directions

- Discover the Card Tearing Checklist - 5 mental points to run down in order to dominate every deck of cards in your path

For the many who have seen the Nail Bending Ebook-- You know what to expect. The best information from the Leaders in Grip. Act Now and pick it up at its opening price of $24.97.

Check it out here.

Squats

2009-03-20T15:25:00.001-07:00

Squats
270x5
270x5
270x5
270x5
270x5
270x5
270x5
270x5
270x5
270x5

Squats

2009-03-15T12:24:00.000-07:00

Squats
265x5
265x5
265x5
265x5
265x5
265x5
265x5
265x5
265x5
265x5

These felt great, but I also had far more rest between the sets than I normally do. Normally, there is less than 2 minutes between sets, but this time I was squatting and helping my brothers move some stuff around the shop(they did most of the moving though).

I also played with my 50kg KB again. Wasn't feeling the push presses today, but I decided to try and swing-throw it. I ended up getting over 10ft and about 7-8 throws over 7'6". A strongman comp I'll be competing in in July will have the weight for height and I figure that if I can get some FULL swings in with this 50KG weight then I'll manhandle the 50ishLB weight for the comp. "FULL swings" meaning a swing all the way overhead and controlled for reps with either hand.

For the record, it wasn't too long ago that I couldn't get 275 for 5 reps and here I am 2 weeks away from doing 275x10x5.

MM0

2009-03-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

Squats

2009-03-09T12:16:00.001-07:00

260x5
260x5
260x5
260x5
260x5
260x5
260x5
260x5
260x5
260x5

I've had a twinge in my left lower back these past 2 weeks and I was hoping it would go away. I haven't squatted until now because I didn't want to test it until I was sure I could without doing more harm.

Larkin get-together

2009-03-09T06:14:00.000-07:00

It was a great time at Larkin's as usual. I managed to get 62.5 up on the hublift but the plates kept sliding off(pictured). The other hublifts are 57.5 and 52.5 respectively. The lever is Lipinski's 20lber. The spring is Larkin's "big black" tractor spring. Super hard to bend but I'm getting better at it, still needed Don's help to get it for that picture though. Curiously, I bent it further when trying to do it with strict wrist torque rather than trying to whip it forward and kink it that way. I also managed to get 5 10's up, a solid entry level Mash Monster close on vid and a few 40 blob lifts. I can't remember everything that went on, even what I did, but I know that the other guys there hit some big-time pr's or at the very least tied them. 2 new bastards came out of the meet thanks to their bending G8's in deer skins and single suede pieces and my wrapping techniques. Matt, a senior in high school and from what I understand and incredible all-american football player, was very happy to finally get his first bastard. That cat is strong!!! Bent 2 G8's in his deer skin wraps before the bastard!

Squats

2009-02-25T13:15:00.000-08:00

Squats
255x5
255x5
255x5
255x5
255x5
255x5
255x5
255x5
255x5
255x5

This only took 19 minutes overall and that was with ample rest between sets. The first few sets I could've done 10 reps for sure. I took longer "breathers" so that I wouldn't be so lightheaded at the end of the workout and it worked. I was still a bit dizzy, but I didn't feel naseous, lightheaded or wobbly.

Sloppy 21lb Sledge Lever

2009-02-22T16:17:00.001-08:00

It looks very much like my 18.5 lever but my hand is a bit more choked up on accident. It felt so easy, sloppy as it was, I feel like I could've repped it.

BTW, I'm at a decently strict 18.5 lever lefty.

Squats

2009-02-20T12:18:00.001-08:00

Squats
135x10
245x5
245x5
245x5
245x5
245x5
245x5
245x5
245x5
245x5
245x5

I always feel naseous(sp?) after doing squats now. I'm lightheaded, I have a minor and non-irritating headache, feel like I might throw up, yet my heart wasn't really pounding out of my chest, more like a steady and fast beat as if I were on a fast jog uphill, while my legs are barely feeling these squats. If you ask my legs and back, these squats were easy, throw 275 on and do the same. If you ask the rest of my body, it says "Whooooooooooooooooooooa."

Sloppy 18.5lb Lever

2009-02-17T15:56:00.000-08:00

I'm using my short 16, the weight is loaded below the head and I have some generous dip and lean.

Strict 16 Lever

2009-02-12T15:38:00.001-08:00

Squats!!!!

2009-01-22T15:20:00.001-08:00

135x10
225x5
225x5
225x5
225x5
225x5
225x5
225x5
225x5
225x5
225x10

Box jumps to a 36" box - 5x5

Sloppy 16lb sledge lever

2009-01-17T09:14:00.001-08:00

This is not my best, but it's the best I could do while the camera was running. My elbow always hyperextends like that and I find it impossible to keep it straight under load.

Mike Bruce Rows

2009-01-08T10:23:00.001-08:00

When I saw this on Mike's blog, I laughed. I have been doing this exact same thing for weeks now, only a good bit stricter, and have been calling them one armed barbell rows. After doing them for these past few weeks, I promise you ladies and gents, you want to do them. Leaves my shoulders sore in a great way.

DO THIS

2009-01-08T10:06:00.000-08:00

For all you squatters out there, be you a powerlifter, OLY lifter, strongman, recreational lifter, bodybuilder, KB lifter, etc, I implore you to give this a go. Load up ~70% of your max and do 10 SETS of 5 REPS. Sounds like a lot and it is. I recently did this with 205 and while I can't say it was some big battle, I can say it was tough. I might try this with 225 next squat session and make it 10x6 instead.

Gripmas Carol 2008

2008-12-14T14:56:00.001-08:00

Awesome. Chris Rice puts on a grade A contest every year. If you want more info about the Gripmas Carol, let me know and I'll be happy to email you everything I know about how to get invovled and compete:D

Anyway, I did poorly in the contest thanks to my weaker than the rest of the crowd grip. After the contest during the fun, I shined :) I was very very close to doing a full Dinnie Stone lift with 744lbs(the actual Dinnie stones are 733 I hear). I just didn't lock out. If I were to have lifted them, that may have made me the lightest one to lift that weight in that manner. Stew Rosendaul did the full lift. Of course, I had no belt and no shoes, he did. So I think I win in the crazy department.

I went for a KH SSP #3 heart after the comp, I finished it off with decent ease, but a heart wasn't in the cards at that time. I snatched the beast both hands and did some 32kg pressing. Neither was too difficult.

I also managed to finish off a long-time goal that I had forgotten until recently. Long before Rider was actually doing it, I had the idea to scroll a horseshoe. As in twisting the legs all the way around. Rider did it first and it took watching him do it for me to decide to do it finally. So Chris, thanks! It's just a super-easy 5/16x3/4" hand forged shoe that looks to be around the size of a St. Croix #1 or #2. Those legs got short quick!!! I could've crushed it down into Chris's paperclip style piece, but I kind of liked how it looked so I just left it.

Bottom line, as always, I just need to get stronger.

The Iron

2008-12-09T19:06:00.000-08:00

This is an article by Henry Rollins that explains very well just what it is that keeps many of us motivated in what it is we do.

Squats again...

2008-12-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

Had a squat session for the first time in 3 weeks:

Back Squat
135x10
225x3
275x2(that is my old max for 2 reps)
275x1(dropped the 2nd rep)
245x3(dropped the 4th rep)
235x4
235x3

I've decided that to get to BWx100, I'll need to make my BW feel like nothing. To do THAT I need to up my squat. My max was only 90lbs over my goal weight for 100 reps. I thought about it like that for the first time and then considered all the guys who have gone for, or were capable of BWx100. The guy who inspired me was John Allen, whose squat is well above 500 and did 218x98, Tom Platz' squat was over 800 raw, Kurt Angle had a 500+ squat(never heard max #'s), and so on. Perhaps a minimum of a 400lb squat would be sufficient? Perhaps only 2xBW or 370? I don't know, I'll cross that road when I come to it but I will be working mainly at increasing my squat with the occasional 10x10 or 4x25 sets thrown in. Also, my lower back is tight and that is holding me back from deadlifting seriously currently and that is a problem for me. I think it's an issue where my lower back is much stronger than the muscles around it. To remedy this, I will do several things with the #1 thing being squats and increasing my max. I also plan to rarely pull from the floor, instead I will work off platforms and work deficiet deads. Suitcase deadlifts, FW's, power cleans, axle deadlifts, heavy rows(my row is pathetic), LOTS AND LOTS OF DIRECT CORE WORK, and plenty of rest. Of course, my 50kg KB will have a nice place in this program too as I am almost literally a hair from a full snatch righty.

Onto the rest of the work:

2 cleans with my 50kg KB each arm(I can only do these inside at the moment with concrete floors, dropping it is not an option so I am forced to quit early with KB cleans, presses and swings.)

Sumo Deadlifts
315xa bunch, I didn't really count how many but it was between 10 and 20, certainly more than 10 and definitely not 20. Easy weight, but my back still likes to remind me that my back is tight with anything approaching heavy weight in a full deadlift. So I have to keep it light or risk back pain/injury

What I have been up to lately...

2008-12-05T21:41:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in awhile so I figured I would add what I have been up to lately. For the most part I have been hammering my DO bending.

Pictured are some recent attempts, iso pieces and bends. There is a 3/8x7.5" bar that I put a good wobble in until my LH finger felt irritated and painful. I could've finished that one I think. The two bolts taped together are 2 6" G5's and I'd definitely put them harder than a Huge Shiny as of my last attempt at that piece. I could be wrong, they are both easy G5's too. We'll see later on this year. The big ass bend in the lower left is 3/8x8.25 done unbraced. That was difficult! The two short bolts are a 6" FNL JH Edgin and 6.5" easy Triangle Edgin, then the smallest of the group is the 5/16x5.5" 304 stainless piece. The thick silver bolt is a 3/8x7" G2 that I got stuck at a recent visit to Don Larkin's gym. The stainless in the top left is a crazy hard piece of 303 stainless at 7" sent to me by Tim Iacobucci. This has the stiffest spring of any stainless I have ever felt and I've attempted some crazy stainless. That piece is stuck at just under 2 1/8" and even a fresh, full power hit only flexes it. Gotta work on that one. And finally, the cue de gra, the black bolt in the center is a 5/16x8" Grade 8 bolt. TOUGH MOTHER FUCKER. At 7" one of these bad boys calibrates at 665-695lbs. Every time I've hit that bolt fresh it has moved thankfully, but only a few times. Definitely a fantastic iso piece. I will be finishing some of these pieces soon enough starting with that 6.5" Edgin in a few weeks.

Kerckhaert Shoe

2008-10-31T15:51:00.000-07:00

I finally did it. I bent my long-time goal shoe, the Kerckhaert #3 SSP. Adam Glass sent me 5 of these beasts last year and my best before this was taking one to 90 degrees. The crush actually got easier and easier for me despite the width of this shoe. Anyway, it's my toughest shoe bend to date and I'm positive I could've hearted it if given more than 5 minutes.

4x25- easy

2008-10-26T15:44:00.001-07:00

Had the squat session today!!! Wasn't all that bad and we stopped squatting and did some pulls afterward, not the best idea as we were fatigued. The decreasing weight and decreasing # of sets is treating us very well. The weight is a good challenge to us right now and matches the # of reps almost perfectly.

Squats
115x25
115x25
115x25
115x25

I'd go so far as to call that session "easy".

Deadlifts
135x2
225x2
315x2
405x1
405x1
425x0
355x1

2 400lb pulls in one session is good for me, I still want to start working with these more, but not full pulls. Maybe start working with rows, platform deads, rack pulls, etc. The squat goal will take a lot out of me for awhile.

Almost puked today...

2008-10-19T13:41:00.001-07:00

and I'm loving every minute of it.

O M friggin G. I did 135x5x20 today. I was fine at the end of the fourth set but come the end of the 5th set I honestly was fighting back vomit. I hadn't eaten anything all day except an english muffin+egg. I never considered myself a masochist but after today, I don't think I can say I'm not. Not in the wierd way of course( :laugh ), but after the squats I went home(the 10min drive was TERRIBLE, fighting vomit, fighting to hold in poo, fighting to stay awake) and layed down until I felt better. Only took about 20 minutes before I was up and running around again. Now I am ready and raring to go for some more squats and a deadlift session but I think I will hold off and do some 50kg KB work on Wednesday.

All I did was:
135x20
135x20
135x20
135x20
135x20

It was hard.

And so it begins...

2008-10-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

Did my first weighted squat workout towards my 1.00x10^2 Rep BW squat goal.

Afte the first "warm up" set with 135, my brother and I decided to stick with this. No need to jump in all hasty like we actually know what we're doing when we don't. Best to work into it slowly. This was a very leasurly pace, not super intense and the sub 200lb weights went up easy all the way through.
135x10
135x10
135x10
135x10
135x10
135x10
135x10
135x10
135x10
185x10(Went to BW for the last set)
225x3
225x3
225x3
225x3
225x3

My legs don't feel bad actually!... right now. I know the current feeling in them well enough now to know I'll be aching Monday and hurting Tuesday.

My big bro actually held his own and did this all the way through with me. Same weights until we went for the 5x3 sets. His first set was 235x3 and he decided that was just a tad too heavy. 225x5x3 was a fight for the both of us.

My brother and I ironed out what I think is a solid plan. It goes like this...

Week 1- 10x10 @ 135
Week 2- 5x20 @ 115
Week 3- 4x25 @ 95
Week 4- 3x33 @ 75 (We'll throw in an extra rep somewhere)
Week 5- 2x50 @ 55
Week 6- 1x100 @ 45

Then we will start over at 145(adding 10lbs at the top) and drop 20lbs off each week. Then we'll start over at 155x10x10. We may feel good enough to go up 20lbs each cycle for the 10x10's, that remains to be seen. We will both continue this plan until we are up to my bro's BW(which should drop considerably by my BWx100 is reached) and we will both do that. That means I may, many months from now, be squatting 225x100 @ a BW of 185-195.

We will continue with a few extra sets after the bulk of the workout posted above. The extra work will get heavier and heavier as the Week # increases. 1x100 @ 45 wont be a challenge for either of us at that time, it's not much of a challenge for me now.

If I calculated this out right, we should reach 185 in the 6th week in 84 weeks and my bro's current BW of 230 in 108 weeks. We may feel strong enough at times to skip a cycle and add 20lbs as I said, or even 30lbs to the top. By the time we reach 1x100 @ 185 our 10x10 will be with 275, and when 1x100 is at 230, our 10x10's will be with 315.

Should be fun

Tom Platz Legs

2008-10-01T20:57:00.001-07:00

I found this elsewhere. Tom Platz, the one and only.

"For any of the guys now with huge leg development, how many could do full splits and comfortably touch their head to their knee in the hurdler split position? Platz could. In fact EVERY workout started with 45 minutes of stretching for every body-part. His flexibility was amazing in and of itself let alone for a guy of his size.

You think it's impressive to see him squat 500 for 23 reps? Bahh. Child’s play for Tom. He was smiling at the end of that clip. That was merely an exhibition. This ones for the crowd. His training sessions were methodical. There was fire in his eyes. A cold stare of relentless determination. How about seeing him take 225 and squat for 10 MINUTES straight. Rest and do a SECOND set of 10 MINUTES straight. Try it!

How about hack squats down all the way then roll forward until his knees touched the platform in front of him then roll back into position and up (EVERY REP) once he completely failed at the bottom then he's press the cage up with his arms and stand up into then slow negative down, for seemingly ENDLESS reps. Then partials when he couldn't do full reps. Then rest-pause. Then and only then would he collapse and end the set. Set after set after set. Non of this one set to failure sh*t for Tom. The fugging guy was sick. He was possessed. That's how hungry he was.

Tom’s intensity was contagious. Not that anyone could approach it (and live). But he brought everyone in the gym to a higher standard of intensity. How could you “just train” when Tom was across the gym or a few feet away making a “ten cent biatch” out of every piece of equipment? Most guys let a piece of equipment biatch them but Tom biatched every bar he touched.

He used to have two guys carry him to a bench after doing sets on the calfmachine. They would sometimes massage his legs and calves between sets. He woudl use such outrageous weight and do them till he could do no more. No set number of reps. Just keep going and going till he could do no more, then fall into the guys arms. He was... nuts."

General Stock Progression for Unbraced Bending

2008-10-01T11:34:00.000-07:00

If you look on YouTube or talk to experienced benders, you will find they use quite a few terms to describe a good number of different steels. One the absolute best ways to progress in short bending, besides perfecting your technique, is to get a very large range of bending stock. This stuff really isn't that expensive when you order it from companies like Fastenal or McMaster-Carr.

Below is a general stock progression(I have included the "grade" of the steel for those of you who wish to order any of this stuff below so you know what your getting and it's abbreviation)

From easiest to hardest and assuming all bars are of the same thickness:
Aluminum 6065
Hot Rolled Steel 1020 HRS(True HRS has a brownish or rust colored coating on it, it is not a smooth bar)
Brass 360(Gold in color)
Grade 2 bolts(no identifying markings on the head but are just called "Hex head bolts"
Cold Rolled Steel 1018 CRS(True CRS is a smooth bar with no dirty scale)
Drill Rod 0-1 or "Oil Hardened Tool Steel"
Stainless Steel 304 SS
Stainless Steel 303 SS(Stainless steels are shiny and do not rust)
Grade 5 bolts(These have 3 dashes on the head)
Grade 8 bolts(These have 6 dashes on the head)
Grade 9 bolts
F911 bolts(not sold in stores and very expensive, says "F911" on the head)

Most people do not bother with the Grade 9 or F911 bolts since they are rather exotic and hard to find. Generally, once you can finish off a Grade 8, you are close to bending CRS that is 1/16 thicker than the Grade 8. Grade 2 bolts are easier than CRS and so you can bend a 5/16 Grade 2 bolt before you can bend 5/16 CRS. Generally, anyone who can bend a 1/4" G8 AND a 5/16 G2 is ready for a RED nail or Bastard bend.

The general progression in thicknesses goes like this:
3/16"(Total beginner)
1/4"
5/16"
3/8"
7/16"(No one has officially bent 7/16 stock yet, though one man is close)
1/2"

For the most part, the best unbraced benders in the world are around the 3/8 CRS level with at least one man entering the 7/16 level. Your average strong bender is well into the 5/16 stocks and bending stuff harder than 5/16 Stainless 303 and beginners are just below bastard/RED benders.

0-1 Drill Rod is a benders best friend. You can get Drill rod in any thickness that a drill bit comes in. That means you basically have .002-.005" jumps between bars so you can really work on progressively tougher stuff. It's wonderful stuff and I swear by it.

Stuff like Grade 5 Titanium is also possible to bend and a very easy bend. The problem is it's springiness. I bent a 6.5"x1/4" piece of Grade 5 titanium and the ends touched during the crushdown long before it was crushed to 2". This makes it a non-practical bending stock and it's also extremely expensive.

If you want a unique challenge, you can tape two bars of steel together. Now that doesn't mean bending two 1/4x7" pieces equals bending 1/2" of steel. In reality it's closer to the difficulty of 5/16x7. Whatever 2 pieces you tape together, figure on them being about as difficult as 1 bar that is 1/16 bigger than the pieces themselves. So two 1/4x6 Grade 5 bolts would be about as hard as a 5/16 Grade 5 and 2 RED nails taped together would be about as hard as a 3/8x7 CRS piece.

100 squats with a 50 blob

2008-09-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

I came close to 100 straight reps while holding a 50 blob on my back. I had a 10 second water break between reps 65 and 66 so I can't count them as straight reps. The weight came off my back for 10 seconds which helped out immensely. Once rep 66 started though, I did not put the blob down until 100 reps were finished. I am hoping to buy a 50kg/110lb KB at the Backyard Bastard Bash 4 on Oct. 4th. I was thinking about throwing in some higher rep swings with it on occasion to save my quads from to much torment in the beginning. Of course my back would take the brunt of that torment in the meantime:D

On a side note, I really want to see if I can snatch it. I have snatched an 88 easily and a 95 with little difficulty. The only difficulty I had was getting used to the weight on the fly since I had only done 24kg swings before that. I know I could snatch the beast at 106 so what's an extra 4lbs? We'll see how much more 4lbs is come Oct. 4th :D

A new goal, SQUATS!!!

2008-09-22T20:35:00.001-07:00

The late, great Jesse Marunde would often reply to training questions on his forum with "SQUAT MORE". It wasn't a yell, there was never an exclamation point. It was just a loud reminder that if your not squatting, you SHOULD BE and if you are squatting, you just need to SQUAT MORE.

I am one of those dweebs who never squats as much as he should and recently not at all. I find it very sad that I recently moved 275 on the decline bench last week and my max squat still sits at 275. In fact, I'd call myself absolutely pathetic for it. I have no qualms about calling myself a pussy for avoiding hard work. I focused on my DL for a few months and it went from 335 to 440. Now I'm lucky to get 410+ off the ground because I don't often DL either; Only when I feel like pulling. However, it is hard for me to find the time to drive out to my shop where all my weights are during the day. So, I have decided to go for a reletively insane goal. When I first visited Jesse's site, I read about a training partner of his lovingly dubbed "SARGE". Sarge managed to squat his BW of 218lbs for 98 repititions with the goal being 100 straight. I plan on doing the exact same thing.

This is not something to into unprepared. Remember that Jesse Marunde died after one of his serious squatting workouts. He was born with an enlarged heart that didn't pump as it should. The extreme strain of his training was just too much for his heart to bare. Sarge worked up to his 100 rep attempt by doing 10 sets of 10 using 110lbs less than his 10 rep max for 11 weeks and making the attempt on the 12th. Sarge had by this time been doing 20 rep squats multiple times a week for 3 years. So he was already very conditioned but this feat would require an absolutely insane amount of conditioning and strength endurance.

I have no dilusions about this feat being easy. I have recently started doing BW squats everyday with the goal being 100 squats straight with little effort and next to no soreness. I am quite close right now. My most recent session was done in 2 sets of 70 and 30. I will be adding 20-30lbs until I can do 100 straight squats with those weights and with little soreness afterwards. My BW right now is 183lbs before dinner and after a poop. So I'll make the goal weight 185 for now. Perhaps I can perform this feat in the next 6 months and perhaps it'll take over a year. Either way, the attempt will be filmed and I will post it for the world to see.

Wish me luck!

Steel Plate Tear

2008-09-14T15:32:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Chris Rider's plate confetti feat, I went for as many tears as I could get. Chris managed to tear an older plate into 52 pieces!!! I managed 8 pieces so far. I cannot stress enough how important it is to be CAREFUL attempting plate tearing. I wore rubber coated gloves and used a thick towel for padding.

Deadlifts are Dangerous

2008-09-09T14:27:00.000-07:00

Deadlifts are Dangerous. Plain and simple. They can destroy your back or make it stronger. It all depends upon you. There are a few things to remember when pulling,

#1. KEEP A NEUTRAL OR ARCHED LOWER BACK
#2. KEEP THE BAR CLOSE TO YOUR BODY
#3. NEVER NEVER NEVER SACRIFICE FORM FOR WEIGHT
#4. HIGH REP DEADS DO VERY LITTLE TO INCREASE YOUR MAXIMUM LIFT
#5. YOUR THIGHS SHOULD BE ABOUT 45 DEGREES AT THE START OF THE LIFT
#6. PUSH WITH YOUR LEGS AND DRIVE THROUGH YOUR HEELS
#7. SQUAT TO INCREASE YOUR DEADLIFT

There are hundreds of ways to hurt yourself doing deads, but you don't have to fall victim to a single one with a little investigation.

This is not me, but it is a very well put together video. I cannot disagree with very much this guy says. So, it's logical to assume that if you listen to him, your at least as prepared for deads as myself.

Misinformation

2008-09-08T20:45:00.000-07:00

Almost everytime I walk into the gym, I hear somebody spewing ignorance as if it were their job. This isn't one of the billion "that guy" stories, more a general overview. I strkes me how wrong some people can be about something as simple as lifting weights. I particularly dislike hearing things like "squat too low and you'll hurt your knees" or "Deadlifts are too dangerous to outweigh their benefits". The real clincher for me is when someone comes into the gym telling anyone and everyone that they should train isolation movements to become strong.

For starters, you should never stop a squat above and close to parallel. When you stop above parallel, your forcing the musculature of the knee joint to stop the weight moving down. As you can imagine, your knees don't like that. Joints are put together to transfer force, not absorb it. If you go to parallel or below, parallel being where the hip crease is below the top of the knee, the forces are transferred from the knee joints to the hamstrings and glutes. The hams and glutes are muscles and as such are capable of absorbing force. I like to go super low. I'm talking about Ivan Chakarov low.
Not everyone can do that. Some guy's legs are just too bulky to allow their body to move like that. It's a flexibility issue for most. Your hip flexors, calves and achilles tendons aren't long enough. Try this right now, stand up with your feet a tad wider than shoulder width apart. Now drop down as low as you can go with your heels on the floor. Good. Now touch your ass to your calves. If you can't do both at the same time, you can't do a full squat. You are fully capable of stretching those muscles and tendons out enough for a full squat to be possible and I'd highly suggest it. Full squats aren't necessary for powerlifters and for the most part Strongmen, but any athlete would benefit more from a switch to full squats. Football, soccer, rugby, basketball, baseball, track and field, tennis, volleyball, whatever your sport, you will benefit more from a full squat than you will from a power squat. There are a few reasons for this,

#1. Full squats promote flexibility of the hips and legs
#2. Thanks to the emphasis on flexibility, full squats help to keep your hamstrings longer and give them strength through a greater range of motion. That means less chance of injury and more powerful squats, jumps, strides, etc.
#3. You will be building your leg strength and size proportionatly because your hamstrings, calves, glutes, and quads will be activated through a greater range of motion.

In short, the saying "You should be squatting" should be changed to "You should be squatting low".

First legitamite Shiny Bastard Bend

2008-09-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

The cat has been let out of the bag. I'm a Shiny bender :)

I'll be working on bending these with singles.

This past month's progress...

2008-09-01T18:04:00.001-07:00

I have never been big on DO bending. Mainly because I've never been very good at it.
Much has changed.

All the Bastards in the pic are the 515 Hard Dark Bastards. The two bastards with red on the legs are Big 515's and the pieces directly above those are a tough piece of 5/16x7 CRS and a piece of 5/16x7 303 Stainless. Directly under the Big 515's are two pieces of 5/16x8" hardware store 303 Stainless, MUCH MUCH tougher than any Shiny. The second row from the bottom consists of, from L to R, 2 pieces of 5/16x7.125 304 Stainless, 3/8x7 National HRS, 6.5x.323 W-1 DR and two .323x7 pieces of W-1 DR. The bottom row is, from L to R again, my first piece of 304 finished months ago and is exactly 2" to show how far I've come. The golden piece is 3/8x7 360 Brass(it's actually metric and a tad smaller than 3/8). The smaller 1/4" piece is 1/4x6.5 Grade 5 Titanium; During the crush, the pads were touching and I actually held them there for well over 10 seconds, no movement. Interesting stuff that Gr5 Ti. My first Shiny Bastard is second from the right on the bottom and the last piece is a Golden Hexabastard. The Shiny and the Golden are my PR's currently but I garauntee you that a 6.5" version of both can and will fall in under 2 mins once I'm rested up from GGC.

It's interesting, my kink has always been super strong, once I throw on my "superman pads"(suede outer wraps), my kink becomes even stronger. I'm not sure what I can do with single leathers, I have no IM pads. I'm fairly certain I could take a 515 Dark Bastard in single leathers. I really need to keep going on my singles bending.

A lot of people like to bend in ONLY double pads or ONLY single pads or ONLY IM pads. I'm here to tell you, if your one of those people, your missing out. I will say that working up to a RED nail or Bastard in IM pads and ONLY IM pads is the best possible thing for you to do. BUT, after that, start using doubles and leather/suede. I like to work my kinking strength by using my pathetic first leather single wraps on easier bends. I usually work up to a few pieces of 1/4x7" Sq. which all fall pretty easy. Like I said, I haven't really "maxed" with singles yet but I plan to as soon as possible. I'm curious to see how a 515 Bastard or Shiny would feel... For my crush, and for contest preparation, I like to use double wraps. I use my pathetic, torn leather wraps(much thinner than even your wraps Adam) as my under wrap with a nice thick, short piece of suede on top. It may not be the best setup but it's my favorite and I find that it's hardly as solid as other's double wrap setups. I'm not claiming to be better or stronger because of that either, because I'm not. It's just a preferance. Anyway, with the double wraps, I can kink much tougher steel and work my crushing strength. What I like to do sometimes is take an easier piece, say a 515 Bastard, and kink it to 20-40 degrees, then remove the outer wraps and take it down from there.

Training my kink by using thinner single pads has improved my kink strength immensely since I started bending back in late '07. Using doubles to get harder stock down the crush has helped my crush come up so much in only a month of serious training that I am taking down steel that was elite not too long ago. Using the doubles to kink and then using singles from there through the sweep and crush has improved my sweep strength and my crush. It's also helped condition my hands so that the kink feels even more comfortable.

Like I said in my first post, if you scoff at one discipline in favor of another, you are missing out. You will not be able to reach your true potential because your training will always be limited by what you stubbornly deem as the "right way". I say, get out there and use every possible advantage you can find to train with.

The Unorthodox Method

2008-08-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

My name is Zach Coulter. I have come to a point in my training where I just don't care to specialize anymore. I've done powerlifting, I've done Strongman, I've done Grip Training, I've done Bodybuilding, I've dabbled in numerous other persuits, read up on them all and you know what? Being the indecisive person that I am, I chose them all. I love doing all of these things. I love Grip, I love lifting heavy weight, I want to look good, I want to be functionally strong, I want to be flexible and I want to do things no one else can(or probably doesn't want to try). From this point forward, this blog will be a record of my progress. I can't really pick a name for what my aim is beyond calling the desired result the "Unorthodox Strongman".

Down to the nitty-gritty numbers...
19yrs old
5'8"
183lbs

Accomplishments so far...
Pullup with BW+75lbs with middle fingers only
158lb 2HP
440lb deadlift
250lb bench
200lb axle C&J
Tuck Planche(I'm working on it)
275lb Squat(I'm starting up again)
205lb Split Jerk
Shouldered a 170lb Atlas Stone
Closed several #3 grippers
Bent a Big Bastard from the mutant batch
10 pistols each leg
Pistol+24kg
BW Snatch(when my BW was 175)
Slim Levered an 8lb hammer on a flat floor
Front levered an 8lb hammer to above waist height
43" Standing high jump

And more.

Current goals
#1- THE PLANCHE
500lb Deadlift at 185lbs or less
250lb C&J
BW+100lbs middle finger pullup
BW+50lbs 3x3 Sternum Pullups
Pistol+100lbs both legs
50" Standing high jump
Do the splits, side split and front split
Bend a Shiny Bastard
One arm push press/jerk 130lbs
300lb DO deadlift on my 2.5" axle
10% or less BF%
Close my #3 and do it consistently
Lift The Blob
2HP BW
Lever a 16lb hammer consistently
Sturdy Handstand
Tear a full deck of casino cards with jokers
Place better than 11th in any competition with more than 20 participants

I have more of these as well.

Some training ideas...
I really think that to be a better athlete and lifter, you have to have a diverse base. You can't JUST be a powerlifter or bodybuilder or grip guy or strongman, etc. You have to have knowledge of them all because they are all intertwined. When you refuse one discipline for another, you render yourself incapable of gaining the benefits of that discipline's principles. I cannot stand people who take someone else's writing as their bible. Listen, that author may know what he is talking about, but he does not know you or what your specifics are. Go out and read more if you must but don't over analyze. Just train. Try ALL the exercises you come accross. Find what works for yourself and do it. Don't go asking internet experts what you should do.

After all,
There are no secrets. Just people who train hard and train smart.

-Zach