Boris Sheiko Interview Part 2: MUST WATCH-the Secrets of Russian Powerli...
The Secrets of Russian Powerlifting Revealed
Want a bigger Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift?
Watch this interview and take notes.
You will learn what his 3 favorite special exercises are for improving your lifts.
You will learn how to use paused reps and the correct percentages and pause length and much more.
Murph’s Interview with Boris Sheiko Part 1
This is the first in a two part series.
In this one, Boris discusses his trip to the USA, his visit with American Badass Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell, what he learned at Westside and more.
Stick to the Plan or Change It?
When I sit in my high ivory tower and create the World’s Greatest Program for someone to follow it does not mean that every exercise, amount of sets, RPE assignment or variation is what they need to do today.
My Weekend with Boris Sheiko
I took away two very important and distinct differences in the way Boris does things versus how I have been taught to do things, and how they are predominantly done in the US.
1. Big Air versus Small Air
2. Rate of Force Production
How to Run a Great Strongman Contest Part 2
Last week I dropped a bunch of info on How to Run a Great Strongman Contest, before the show.
What to Do As A Novice Strongman — Writing Your Own Program
You need a lot in a strongman program: basic barbell lifts, accessory work, practice with the events, conditioning, flexibility, mobility, and recovery work. Use these ideas to build your own training program.
How to Run a Great Strongman Contest Part 1
My first show started at 9:00 a.m. and ended well past 1:30 a.m., that over 16 hours of you are doing the math.
What to Do As A Novice Strongman — Practice and Training Implements
Interested in strongman? Know this first: being as strong as a Himalayan Mountain Yak is good, but being as strong as a Himalayan Mountain Yak with really good technique is better.
Beginning Strongman-What do I do? Part 2
Last week I went on a rant on why you need to practice lot.
This week I’ll give you some ideas on how to go about it.
Beginning Strongman-What do I do? Part 1
Don’t think about practicing – Practice!
Don’t buy more stuff to practice – Practice the things you have!
Don’t buy more equipment – Practice on the equipment you have!
Don’t put it off – Practice now!
When to Build Strength, When to Display It
Think about it. How do you prioritize these aspects of your training?
Dodgeball Training: Keep the Body Guessing or Drink Your Own Urine + Tra...
Since TPS is a lot like Average Joe’s Gym I decided to take some wisdom from the movie, and Rhodes repeating the quotes:
Gordon: Hey, Peter.
Peter: Hey, Gordon. I'm wailing on my glutes.
Gordon: Sounds great.
Peter: I'm gonna shock the biceps later, then some cardio. Keep the body guessing.
Build Strength, Display Strength or Not: It’s Up to You
I tossed a Wendler quote in last time, so here is another one:
On Max Effort work, you display strength.
On Accessory work, you build strength.
OK, that may not be an actual quote, but it’s pretty close. Jim said that years ago at a Force Production seminar at TPS and it still rings true.
Acumobility — A Game Changer in Mobility
Once the orange ones lose their painful effect, you need to get yourself blue balls. Yeah, I said it. Blue balls.
The Glute Ham Raise-Is it the Single Best Hamstring Exercise?
The GHR is the only exercise the provides, in the words of Fred Hatfield, “a unilateral co-contraction of the hamstrings at the origin and the insertion”.
These 3 exercises are bullshit.
There are literally thousands of great exercises you should do, as a Powerlifter we often get pigeonholed into certain ones or certain types.
You know, we usually do the standard Squat, Bench and Deadlift plus a few variations and generally barbell or dumbbell based assistance work.
Exercise, that’s stupid, just attach a vacuum to your stomach and suck t...
I would argue that a doctor would have let me have bariatric surgery if I asked.
Not my doctor of course. He would have told me to sew my mouth shut and to get on a treadmill for a year.
That by the way would have been good advice.
Don’t Major in the Minors
I see and hear so much owning a gym for as long as I have and a lot of the times I hear people asking questions/doing things that will have little bearing on their success.
Be a Leader, Not a Boss
I have abandoned my planned topic this week and will be writing in a state of great grief.
Today I am going to tell you about how you can learn from someone who taught me a lot. He was a great leader and these lessons will help you to be a better leader, coach, team member and person.
I learned last night that a great man passed away at home.
This is a Game Changer-Mobility for Lifters
I am an early adopter when it comes to technology, but not fitness trends.
We see all kinds of stuff come up all the time from DVD’s and infomercials to products which are dubious at best.
Most of it is crap and some is gold.
I never rush to judgement and jump on the bandwagon. This is evident in my programming and choices of equipment at TPS.
Get Stung
I had planned a sweet video for you this week instead of writing but my stupid software was missing an MP4 codec so I couldn’t edit the video.
I have used this software about 7,998,784 times and it was never missing before.
Training Through Injury: The Edema Press
A broken back doesn't mean you can't build your bench. Try this movement to teach better stability through squeezing your glutes and bracing your abs.
PART 2- You Can’t Serve Two Masters-Or Can You? + Training Template
Let’s take a look at how to add strongman into a powerlifting block.
Conveniently, I have one written as my girls are doing this right now.
They are not doing a meet until October, so we are adding in strongman events to:
Have Fun
Make it more interesting
Increase GPP
Build strength in different areas
The Edema Press: How, Why, WTF: Bench with a Brokeback
Disc Injury? It's Not the End! See Why. Part 2
I currently have two lifters; the Chief and Laurie (two Brokeback Powerlifters) with this exact issue-they are almost out of the Acute Phase and will be adding in some cool stuff.
The Edema Press is one of them
OK, there are the bullet points if you didn’t read my last article on this topic. You know what, go back and read it now.
You Can’t Serve Two Masters-Or Can You?
Can you serve two masters?
The Samurai say no.
They say to focus on one thing and do it completely.
I tend to agree with that.
Let me explain.
I see this and get asked about it all the time as a coach.
There are quite a few things to compete in nowadays:
Training Through Injury: How To Overcome Disc and Lumbar Issues
A disc injury is not a death sentence. You now need to develop into a smarter lifter who is not only focused on PR’s but also on long term health.
Disc Injury? It's Not the End! See Why.
Having a disc injury to your lumbar region is not the end of your lifting career, as a matter of fact, this is exactly what turned Vincent DiZenzo into one of the best benchers in the world.
If you train smart and do the proper rehab/prehab there is a strong chance you will return to the platform and be stronger that you were before the injury (depending on the severity).
Big Squat, Big Bench, Big Deadlift — Big Air
So, you want a big squat, bench and pull? You better learn how to breathe.
Free Powerlifting Off Season Training Template-There’s and Off Season?
A long time ago I was talking to my stunt double Spud about training. I asked him what his thoughts were on off season training. He said in a way that only Spud can “There’s an off season you sumbitch?” I pissed my pants laughing most likely drank some whiskey with him after. If […]
Fix Your Bench-Lower Body Cues-SMASH Your Hips
Over the years through my own training, getting coached on the bench by some of the best in the world and in training zillions of people over the past few decades in seminars, in person and at our Training Days, I have found that the lower body is the part where we see the biggest disconnect on force generation in the bench press.
TeamTPS Meet Report-2016 RPS New England Revolution
As usual, Gene and Amy ran an outstanding meet. RPS meets are fun and efficient. They ran over 200 lifters in double sessions on Saturday and Sunday and everything went smooth like clockwork.
Thanks to my friend Brain Shaw for hosting the meet again too.
OK, on to the meat and potatoes of what happened.
We had the following TeamTPS lifters perform as follows:
Fix Your Squat: Tips on Getting Your Hands Right
Starting with your hands and wrists in a bad position sets you up to deliver less force, have less ability to control your body throughout the lift, increases your tendency to dump forward with heavy weight at the top and decreases the lats ability to contract maximally and do what they are supposed to do.
Drag It, Stretch It, Shorten It, Meet It, Smash It-5 Tips for a Bigger B...
I am going to give you the tips that we give you our lifters, our new clients and anyone who wants to bench. I like to make it simple and I think this will help you to understand how to bench a lot better.
Big Squat, Big Bench, Big Deadlift-BIG AIR Part Duex
Last week I wrote about how to SMASH more weight and get Strong(er) by using your ability to take in air and brace your abs. I also said I had more drills to assist you.
Guess what?
Here is another one.
Big Squat, Big Bench, Big Deadlift-BIG AIR
There is no classy way to describe lifting the pelvic floor so here goes:
We all know what it feels like to have to go potty really bad right?
We all should know how to hold it as well so we don’t have accidents.
That is lifting the pelvic floor.
What? You blew out your ACL? Wait, this is how not to do it. + Arnold Up...
Did I mention that I went out to eat with JL Holdsworth and a few friends the night before and he pulled to old “Z and Todd” routine on me?
Arnold Classic Updates and 5 Tips to a Bigger Bench Press
5 Tips to a Bigger Bench Press
Everyone loves the bench press and there are 1000 articles on how to do it. Many of us learn better by seeing things, so I had Russ Smith whip up a video on Bench Press tips.
Hopefully seeing these cues will help you transfer them to your bench better than reading.
New Bench Press Exercise + Arnold Updates
I think this may have some value beyond being a warmup drill. If you do it correctly, you are driving your lower body as hard as you can, you are pushing your belly up to meet the bar and you are driving the hips as hard as you can off the chest.
This is all a lot easier to do with your feet on the bench that on the floor and it seems to make all of these things “click” in lifters that are new or struggling. I think it will make it click even more with some weight on the bar.
Outside the Realm: No, It’s Not Game of Thrones
At TPS and many other places, the primary client that we service is the LBN seeker. Virtually all clients that come in for Personal Training have the same goals.
Squat and Bench Quick Fix -Eliminate Hip Pain
When the hips are jacked up we have trouble getting depth in the squat, getting hip drive in the bench and pain.
Pain is never good. It’s your body telling you something is wrong.
Squat and Bench Quick Fix-Get Rid of Elbow Pain
How many of you get pain in your elbows when you squat or bench, or on other exercises?
Probably a lot.
Many times we can’t figure out why the problem won’t go away after countless strokes on a foam roller or a barbell or by using lacrosse balls.
The answer is easy; the neck bone is connected to the foot bone dummy.
Murph's Top 10 Exercises With The Biggest Carry Over
These training movements provide benefits helpful to every kind of lifter, athlete, or strength enthusiast. No matter what you're trying to accomplish, they can help.
Part 2: Top 5 Exercises That Carry Over to Everything-OR Exercises to Ma...
After some thought I felt I needed to revisit this. Yes, I still believe that ones I listed before are the Top 5, this is part 2 and maybe we should re-name it to the Top 10.
Anyway, here are the exercises in no particular order.
Deadlift Quick Fix
When we start in a bad position or we fire in the wrong order, we generally see the lower back become a mover as opposed to a stabilizer in the deadlift.
3 Ideas on Making Assistance Work Less Boring and Stupid
Pick a number:
I love this, especially with body weight and bands.
Pick a number for an exercise like Average Band Pushdowns. Let’s say it’s 100 total reps.
Do as many reps as you can without hitting complete failure, write the number down, then continue until you have hit the total reps. Let’s say you did 35 reps the 1st set, you have 65 to go.
New Years’ Resolutions
I love singles.
I feel they have a place in training especially if you don’t abuse them and do a max single all the time.
They allow you to really focus on form and speed.
Tension Makes the Weights Go Round
When we lift it is critically important to create tension in the body in order to:
Avoid injury
Activate the nervous system
Activate more muscle fiber
Move the weight fast
Smash big weights
Make your head turn purple
Get stronger
Move faster
Be a better lifter
Meet Updates and Merry Christmas
It's gonna be quick this week.
I have to get out of the office, get home, get changed and get to a Christmas party and rink some of the Whiskey I got as gifts.
I'd like to start off with an excerpt from an email I sent to my list about Christmas, so here goes:
Back to Normal-Finally
You may recall that I am a person who likes routine and order, I’ve written about it before. I am not a huge fan of chaos, unless I have a few whiskeys in me than all bets are off.
Just ask Spud, Selkow or even the dashingly handsome Casey Williams.
Gym Updates
Words cannot express how grateful I am for all of the help.
This shows me that my team and I have created something great here.
I doubt a big box gym would have their members help like this.
Quick Update
I wish I had time to post a full log entry for you all this week but I am busier than a one armed paper hanger.
Old Ladies and Elite Totals + TPS Moving News
Last Saturday I had the pleasure of handling my good friend, co-worker, Business Manager and training partner, Jane Stabile at the RPS Gate City Gauntlet in Nashua New Hampshire.
Listen to Your Body, It’s Smarter Than You
Your body is an incredibly smart and efficient machine. It tells you things all the time, things you need to know. You just need to smart enough to hear it.
Quick Fix: The Bench Press Handoff + Happy Veterans Day to all the Vet&#...
I’d like to give you a quick fix that I feel will help you right now. I didn’t have time to shoot pictures so I’ll be as descriptive as I can.
The handoff is a spot where you can waste a lot of energy or save a lot of energy and it can make or break a 2nd or 3rd attempt.
Quick Fix: The Squat-Walking It Out
Walking out the squat is one of the things I see done wrong more often than almost anything else.
It drives me crazy because it is the least technical thing about the lift and mistakes here WILL cost you pounds on the platform and can increase the risk of injury.
The Value of Repetition Work and Intern Interviews
Lots of people like to bash bodybuilders as not being strong, but I know some really strong ones. Bodybuilders do tons of rep work with tons of weight. If you calculated the tonnage of their training it would look like a Sheiko program.
RPS Powerlifting Meet Updates and Moving News
So I’ve spent the entire day going back and forth between the new building and the current one, sitting in staff meetings, and trying to get a bench session in. It all started this morning at 9:00 am when I went to the new space. I’ve been pretty jacked up because it seems like there is never anything going on over there.
The Meet is This Week and; Murph Does Crossfit?
You see the event goes like this: flip a 600 pound tire 75 feet, flip an 800 pound tire 75 feet, then flip a 1000 pound tire 75 feet and then STACK them on top of each other. Once that task is done the need to run back and carry Atlas Stones 75 feet until all implements are across the finish line.
Brain Dump: Thoughts on equipment, technique, focus and the value of hav...
I came up with the topic of today’s entry during this morning’s bench session. We have a slew of lifter’s wrapping up their prep for next weekend’s big RPS meet that TPS hosts. My regular crew of Russ, Phil, Sabra, Jane, Kevin and Brennan were joined by one of our lifters Nicky, who usually trains by himself.