The following video is an excerpt from a podcast I did for the SuperStrengthShow early this year. This podcast has really resonated with a lot of listeners so a teaser video was put together with an excerpt of an answer to one of my questions. While this was an off the cuff discussion for and not done with any preparation; I articulates my views and how I live my life to achieve success in all avenues. My approach to these three things is how I took myself (and much of my family) from utter poverty. From a family of 6 living on $5,000 a year and often homeless and living in the woods growing up to successful business executive & world class athlete. While growing and building a family and a future for that family.

These are three things that you can put to use in some part of your life TODAY that will yield results if executed properly.

You can listen to the full Podcast on the Super Strength Show.

I have recently decided to exit my career of 18 years advancing from engineering to executive level leadership the last 8 years. This move has been in the works a long time but its taken a lot of work to be prepared for the transition. It is a scary move leaving the comfort of a career I have excelled at and am known for my success. However I’ve reached a point in my life that I need to follow my passion and my dreams full time. I now have the opportunity to spend more time collaborating, learning, distilling, and sharing that knowledge.

My goal is to add value while continuously improving my relationship with the Strength and Conditioning Community by providing proprietary tools and knowledge designed to optimize physical and psychological human potential.

I am excited about that and making this change is worthy of an epic party to celebrate.

Of course my idea of a party is different than what most people would imagine. So before engaging in beer, booze, and food I’m going to push myself to my physical and mental limits while attempting to set records.

I’m going to be doing a 500lb squat for reps challenge. If I hit 19 reps in 60 seconds it will break the Guinness World record for best squat in a minute. If I hit 24 reps it beats an unlisted record form the 80’s when Tom Platz and Fred Hatfield went head to head for reps with 500lbs.

This will be done walked out and with only knee sleeves and belt.

Here is the link and embedded page for the live stream event!!! Please share this post around!

May 6^th @ 3:30 pm PST

https://youtu.be/uONcEvbIwfI

In the interim here is a video to get you pumped up about the event.

I had big goals going into the meet this last weekend. I was feeling really good for retaking the 220 squat record and making a run and bumping up the total record significantly. My weight was the lowest it had been in years going into the meet so I wasn’t worried about the weight cut and new I would be in better shape than I was used to.

However I was also pumped about helping my partner at EPC pull off a 97 person meet in record time. I pride myself in well run meets and was also looking to step up the ‘stage presence’ for our lifters. The week was busy and stressful at work and I took all my deload days and then some working late at the gym prepping for the meet. Building a steel framed 16×14 platform, automating my monolift, setting up software to manage the timing.

Thursday night I picked up Amit Sapir from the airport who had talked me into letting him do the meet despite not being fully prepped. I took Amit with me on Friday after weigh ins as I ran around town all day doing prep errands for the meet and listening to him say, “what are you doing! Your supposed to be relaxing!”.

I ended up passing out on the carpet in my sons room that evening and then waking up later and staying up till past midnight finalizing the flights and meet, results sheet, and meet software. Then instead of sleeping in I was up early running to the meet to finalize a bunch of prep and help train the table help. I tried to get a nap on the floor of my office but didn’t fall asleep but after the rest was feeling refreshed. It wasn’t till warm-ups I realized just how little prep work I had done for myself.

I didn’t have my deadlift socks, my whiskey, meet day supps, or my knee wrap pliers to name just a few things. I started warming up to late trying to sort out some of the details and then just a few lifters out pulled my knee wrap roller apart with one wrap rolled and the other one stuck on the broken machine. In a mad rush after getting my wrap rolled I sprinted to a chair and did the fasted knee wrap job on myself I’ve ever done…. And I may have pushed (thrown) an EPC teammate 20ft who was sitting in said chair. Then sprinted up the platform and to the bar. I unracked the weight still breathing hard and realizing there was no way in hell I could go down and back up with it.

My head was still messed up when I came up again and still wasn’t physically recovered. I squatted it but cut it high. At this point there was either go for it or not so I had 916 loaded on the bar for my third attempt which I didn’t come out of the hole with.

All in all it was an experience I needed. I like to think I can do everything and still keep going. And I keep talking about how I have to much going on in life. But the simple fact is its not sustainable the rate I’m going at. I have to make some dramatic changes in my life to simplify it. I will never realize what I am capable of nor share the gift and knowledge I have with the strength training community the way I want to unless I make some dramatic changes in my life. I’ve been running with my hair on fire for way to long.

It’s time for change…And change is coming.

This weekend I had the opportunity to spend a couple full days working with Ed Coan. We had a great deal of success in working through some issues he has and establishing a path forward. During the time we also had a lot of back and forth knowledge sharing.

It was a tremendous honor for me to host Ed for the weekend at EPC in Portland and to have his trust for seeking me out. At the end of the period we filmed an incredible interview covering a number of great topics that I think are worth the watch. Make sure to check out the ShouldeRök™ Ed mentioned and subscribe to our newsletter for weekly insights.

People often under value the role of a team in individual sports. That statement is not an oxymoron as team and individual performance are not diametrically opposed. While it is true that lifting can, and is, done by some individuals entirely by themselves there are substantially more strength athletes who gain from relying on their team.

The role of a team in an individual sports such as powerlifting, olympic lifting and even to some degree bodybuilding is:

• Encouragement – That encouragement or support to dig deeper and push harder
• Reality Checks - Calling out your depth isn’t good or that you didn’t lock that out. Or you just being flat out stupid with your training
• Remove Obstacles – Assisting lifters at meets, reminders to stay hydrated or just keeping the focus on a big training day.
• Physical Support – Spotting, loading, lifting off, or helping with gear

We are social beings and we simply perform better in supportive groups than when we do alone. I am a big proponent of training in teams. Even without a team physically present we can see people using social media to seek out and fill those same team roles noted above.

It’s not just powerlifting or strength training that operates this way. Many ‘individual sports’ you see today require teams to succeed. Look closely and you will see them. MMA, NASCAR, Golf you name it and there will be at least a small team supporting them.

Do you want to realize your peak potential? Then find a group of like-minded individuals that have those needed skills and create a team. This is what we have done at Elite Performance Center building numerous world Champions and All-Time record holders and what you can see with my online team at EliteFTS.

Spotters in my other hobby - saving my ass

In December of 2012 I tore my right adductor in a meet. I had actually had some minor tearing early in the year and had been managing it to keep training but with a 782 competition squat it let go on me.

After rehabbing the area I determined a need to reduce my injury risk. With squatting wide and pulling sumo it simply puts a lot of strain on this area that is sometimes slow to recover. It is also a faily common injury point with lifters.

One of the ways I have reduced this risk is with ensuring proper recruitment patterns are firing before this heavy eccentric load. This is done with a specific warmup routine and test-retest methodology before jumping under squats. I reviewed this warmup routine on Breaking Muscle.

That write up only covered that specific warmup and also skipped the hip-airplane that I often employ as part of it.

In this video piece I go into depth on the hip-aiprlane that is used before I squat and pull but also passive compression and some targeted volume work. The passive compression can make an instantaneous improvement if you have some issues in this area and also seems to improve recovery as well as reduce injury risk. I employ passive compression in training on pretty much every heavy set for this reason. A hammy band or a compression band work great. In addition to the passive compression it’s great to work in some volume work to stimulate flushing of this low blood flow area. An example of this is provided in the video as well.

This is not the be all and end all of groin health, but just the methods I have employed with success. It has allowed me to successfully move from that failed squat at the beginning to the standing world record 881 squat 2 years later with no aggravation of this injury.

Last weekend I took a trip to Las Vegas and worked with my friend Stan Efferding (Worlds Strongest Bodybuilder) and also Eric Spoto (worlds strongest raw bench presser). I have been working with Eric Spoto on his rotator cuff surgery rehab plan over the last several months. Eric has been working with his physical therapist on his rehab plan while I was guiding him on his training in the gym and other recuperative movements that fell within those parameters. With Eric’s progress he had reached a point that we could begin incorporating the ShouldeRok to deal with some of the root issues that could have led to his surgery to begin with. It was time to build the platform for ongoing strength and shoulder health for his continued dominance in the bench press, prompting this trip.

Upon learning that I was coming down I received a text from Stan asking if I could help him dial in some changes to his deadlift. At least the text was sent to my phone, but I was confused as he was referencing the “mad scientist” for assistance. Upon arriving at the Iron House gym Stan cleared up that he was indeed talking about me, as you will see in the following video. Upon reflection the nickname is fitting given my tendency to tinker with and improve everything including my machining, 4 wheeling rigs, gym devices, and human movement.

Don’t worry the actual coaching videos will follow in coming weeks: “The Mad Scientist of Powerlifting”? Stan Efferding w/Chris Duffin