How heavy must a weight be ?

The phrase “ A weight must be heavy in order for it to provide results” has multiple meanings to it and it is one that has been both helpful and misleading over the years. Given the different interpretations of this statement it’s no surprise that people struggle to determine it’s true meaning. 

I repeat my earlier statement that trying to figure out physical training is not nuclear physics or rocket science. When someone says that the weight needs to be heavy it has a simple interpretation to it. The weight needs to be heavy enough to shock the human body into shocking overnight. It’s as simple as that. You ask any strongmen this question that “How heavy must the weight be ?” they will reply with the same answer. No one got the strength game better than the old Strongmen. 

However, all this has changed in the modern times. The strongmen achieved there supernatural results using there minimalistic training programs and concepts. The concepts were easy and straightforward to understand. 

When the modern age took over, it seems all this knowledge just disappeared overnight. This is because the modern day athletes believe the propagated training information coming from the “experts” who hardly know better.  

The modern day athletes prefer physiques suited for  “show” rather than “go”. 

Strongman Training Part 2

Training to improve your physical health is not rocket science or nuclear physics. It’s simple, effective and to the point. In the last 70 years the old time strongmen ruled the game and performed feats of strength that are mere impossible to match by modern day strength standards. 

Modern day strength athletes believe that a stronger muscle is a bigger muscle and begin training to put on mass, in belief that it would lead to unbelievable strength gains. However no one got the strength game better than the old time strongmen. 

The old time strongmen knew full well that strength is not a destination that they should aim for. Instead it’s a skill that needs to be constantly updated. They also knew it’s not about the destination it’s about the process. 

Old time strongmen kept their workouts short and to the point. They didn’t employ any gimmicks of any kind. They employed training concepts known as “Heavy singles” and “Static Contractions”, which placed the foundation for what was to follow. Apart from the physical strength there is another important element that gave them their superhuman physical abilities, which was physical conditioning.

This was uniquely achieved with a special blend of heavy weight training and further lifting odd objects. These are some of the sole elements that made their physical program. Digging further into their training programs the length of a workout was approximately an hour to an hour and a half, which was conducted 2 - 3 days  a week. 

A true strength athlete knows that in order for a routine to be truly effective it must be kept to a bare minimum, so here  are some of the lifts that they used 

• Deadlift
• Squat
• Bench Press
• Olympic Lifts (Clean and Press, Jerk etc. 

Other equipment used in training sessions are

• Kettlebell
• Sandbag 
• Ring Training 

Weight training was not the only element that they used in there sessions. Other forms of training involve intense bodyweight exercises like Pushups, Pull-ups, bodyweight squats, Dips etc.

The last element of their training programs were the rep range they used. Given the intense training sessions and the load of the exercises the workout contained about 20 exercises, with no more than 3-4 sets per exercise. Obviously there are other factors that vary strength levels like diet, genetics etc. 

But in a nutshell this is what gave them such superhuman abilities. 

Strongman Training

Let’s go back to the 19th and 20th century where the world was dominated by Strongmen who performed unbelievable feats of strength that can never be repeated by mankind ever again.

Names like Arthur Saxon, Eugen Sandow and Paul Anderson  are some of the names lost in folklore. These were some of the strongest names in human history for competing in various strength based sports like Powerlifting, Strongmen contests and actively competed in weight lifting contests. 

The feats of strength that they performed were one of a kind and could only be repeated by a select few group of people. For example, Arthur Saxon (Pictured above) used to perform a feat known as two - hands-anyhow.

The goal was to perform as weight overhead with both hands as long as there was no assistance from an outside force. In his stronger arm he would hold a heavy barbell and perform another feat known as a bent press. In his other arm he would hold a smaller weight, which was a kettlebell. To this day this only a select few of people can replicate this feat. 

In the 21st century the term Strength is sort of misled. These days people often believe that being bigger is being stronger, which is nothing more than a myth. Strongmen training techniques are somewhat rooted in modern day training programs, but are somewhat misinterpreted by the “experts”. Strongmen training techniques are nowadays labeled with terms like “Static Contractions” , “Isometric Contractions” and “Training to failure”. 

These terms are often mislead and misunderstood. It is true that the strongmen   athletes used to employ heavy static contractions in their training programs, but it was more than just that. The strongmen believed that strength is a skill that needs updating regularly rather than viewing it as a destination the way it is viewed today. That’s particularly the reason why so many people back in the day were able to perform so many unbelievable feats of strengths.

There is another unknown training concept known as “Heavy Singles”. In this concept the athlete loads whatever equipment they are using to the maximum of their capabilities and perform the movement once with their full effort.

 If the athlete is not fatigued it does one set of multiple reps with the best of their abilities. This training technique in particular boosted their strength levels to unimaginable levels. Once the athlete has fatigued themselves they take as much rest as they need and perform it again. This became the backbone to their unimaginable strength levels. Another important concept is that they always practice their lifts like a skill. 

The strongest quality of the old time strongmen will be their mindset. That is their biggest asset. 

The Foundation Of The Human Body

Todays ‘Fitness’ movement has regarded isolation to be the key to strength training. If you walk into any gym today you will see people training a certain muscle of the human body by isolating it. Such equipment and exercises has been created to fulfill these requirements like the Leg Press, Bicep Curls, Military Shoulder Press etc.

However this bodybuilding style of training cannot be transferred in the real world. This is because when push comes to shove and you’re in a situation that demands real ‘functional strength’ this isolation crap will never work. There are many reasons to state why your muscles are meant for ‘go’ not ‘show’ but the most important one is that the human body was meant to work in one go and not in pieces. Another important question asked today is “What is the most important muscle in the human body”. The answer is none.

The most underrated idea in the so called ‘fitness’ industry is that of compound exercises. Whether we know it or not “Strength is the foundation of the Human Body” and everything else like Flexibility, Mobility etc. are important as well but without strength the human body will collapse and perish.

Take a new born baby for example, a few weeks after the baby has been born it begins to move it’s body around slowly. Overtime as it grows older it begins to start crawling, standing up while holding an object and eventually they start walking. So what is the catalyst to all this mobility?

It is strength. This is the foundation of the human body that enables us to move and function effectively on a day-to-day basis. Depending from person to person the level of strength will vary and over time it will determine how healthy you are. So in order to improve your health we get told to start working out and lifting weights. This is actually wrong. I explained earlier why isolation techniques won’t help in the real world.

Weight training does help improve strength but isolation techniques will only worsen the situation. The answer is compound exercises. These types of exercises utilize every inch of the human body and work every muscle in the human body. Such exercises include Pushups, Pull-ups, Squats, Dips and Planks.

Strongmen

                 

                       

                          Men with Mustaches and Biceps Stronger Than Your Entire Body

The term ‘strongmen’ was given to strength based athletes in the 19th and 20th century. The strength levels of these athletes was so high that their biceps were considered to be stronger than most athletes bodies. The best part of this, they never lifted weights to gain there strength levels. 

Some of the most famous strongmen of the 19th and 20th century were Charles Atlas, Arthur Saxon, William Bankier, Joe Greenstien, Eugen Sandow etc. 

These strongmen performed spectacular feats of strength that can’t be replicated today. For example Arthur Saxon holds a mind blowing record of bent pressing 175 kgs (385 lbs). William Bankier held a sandbag weighed at 475 kg in front of a live crowd. Joe Greenstien could break chains wrapped around his chest by expanding it. Charles Atlas could do a one- arm overhead press with 266 lb. Eugen Sandow could bent press an entire cow in front of a live crowd. 

These feats of strength was so spectacular that no modern day athletes using weight training to raise their strength levels will never be able to replicate it. This is mainly because weight training reduces your Range of motion and flexibility. The feats on strength displayed by these strongmen were the ultimate test of their bodyweight. Also, it’s worth noting that these strongmen simply used weight training as means to refine their skills rather than make it the sole basis of their training. The kind of training they performed instead gave them a foundation of strength that is almost rare these days. 

Calisthenics is what these strongmen used to train. This kind of training involved intense sessions that gave them a foundation of bodyweight strength that rendered them indestructible. 

Exercises in Calisthenics involved Pull-ups, Pushups, Squats, Dips, Planks etc. All these exercises helped them master their bodyweight that resulted in performing such feats of strengths. 

The strength levels were not the only mesmerizing aspect of these strongmen. They were also extremely athletic and flexible. William Bankier was nicknamed “The Scottish Hercules”. He created a variation of the almighty rope climbing exercise that resulted in him gaining phenomenal results. He could had immense athleticism. 

The Power Of You

The 21st century has an overload of fitness information telling you what’s right for your body, what to consume, what is considered strong, what kind of physique is best suited to your activity, whether or not it’s possible to get ripped, whether a certain person has consumed steroids or not, which people to follow, which exercises to do, what workouts to follow, how much weight to put on the bar, why weight training is superior to other forms of training, when to workout, what kind of workouts to do, why to train a certain way, when to sleep, how much to sleep, why to take protein shakes, what products to buy etc.

The list goes on and on. Basically we are told how to live our lives,what to do and when to do. The modern day fitness movement is dominated heavily with a bodybuilding mentality. That means the so called “experts” on fitness expect everyone to start lifting weights to improve their health and they provide us with false information on how to take care of our health.

What this modern day fitness movement eliminates is the idea of we discovering what works for us through trial and error.

When we discover what works for us is when we will prosper individually. There are a few crucial factors that are ignored by the fitness industry, which are critical to improving our health.
There is no one program that can benefit and change everyone at the same time.

• Everyone’s physique is different in it’s own unique way
• Lifting weights is not the answer to everything
• Neither is fancy products that reduce your bank balance 

The idea of functional strength is simple. It is the strength required to be move on a day to day basis in order to be successful in a particular activity. You don’t need to be an athlete in order to use functional strength. Your body demands it irrespective to the activity you do.

Now, what the fitness industry makes functional training to be is the same definition mentioned above but weight training is considered as the training method. This is not ideal for the human body because the joints in the human body have become more vulnerable and are not protected whatsoever.

Whereas, Calisthenics on the other hand protects the joints and improves it in the long run. This is because you are using your own bodyweight. This is particularly the reason as to why athletes get injured in so many sports these days its because they have left their joints all vulnerable and weak with all the weight they have lifted. 


“Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless and add what is specifically your own”
Bruce Lee

This quote by Bruce Lee is beautiful and can be applied to any situation whatsoever. The difference between humans and robots is that we have been given a gift by the almighty god. This is an internal feeling system, which tell us what we want in life and what we don’t want in life. FOLLOW IT.

With all this overdose of information use that internal feeling system to absorb the information that you agree with. Discard what you don’t agree with. Also use that system to add your perspective on the topic. Finally your intuition is the key to your success in life. Follow it and don’t ever blindly listen to someone else’s opinions or advice.

Information = Mind Blown

The 21st century has an overload of fitness information telling you what’s right for your body, what to consume, what is considered strong, what kind of physique is best suited to your activity, whether or not it’s possible to get ripped, whether a certain person has consumed steroids or not, which people to follow, which exercises to do, what workouts to follow, how much weight to put on the bar, why weight training is superior to other forms of training, when to workout, what kind of workouts to do, why to train a certain way, when to sleep, how much to sleep, why to take protein shakes, what products to buy etc. 

The list goes on and on. Basically we are told how to live our lives,what to do and when to do. The modern day fitness movement is dominated heavily with a bodybuilding mentality. That means the so called “experts” on fitness expect everyone to start lifting weights to improve their health and they provide us with false information on how to take care of our health. 

What this modern day fitness movement eliminates is the idea of we discovering what works for us through trial and error. 

When we discover what works for us is when we will prosper individually. There are a few crucial factors that are ignored by the fitness industry, which are critical to improving our health. 

• There is no one program that can benefit and change everyone at the same time. 
• Everyone’s physique is different in it’s own unique way
• Lifting weights is not the answer to everything
• Neither is fancy products that reduce your bank balance 

The idea of functional strength is simple. It is the strength required to be move on a day to day basis in order to be successful in a particular activity. You don’t need to be an athlete in order to use functional strength. Your body demands it irrespective to the activity you do. 

Now, what the fitness industry makes functional training to be is the same definition mentioned above but weight training is considered as the training method. This is not ideal for the human body because the joints in the human body have become more vulnerable and are not protected whatsoever. 

Whereas, Calisthenics on the other hand protects the joints and improves it in the long run. This is because you are using your own bodyweight. This is particularly the reason as to why athletes get injured in so many sports these days its because they have left their joints all vulnerable and weak with all the weight they have lifted.

“Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless and add what is specifically your own”

Bruce Lee