Candito jacks 550

Strongman Jonnie Candito hit a 550lb squat PR earlier this year.  We should all take note of two things here:  (1) Candito is strong as f*ck at just 21 years old and 180lbs; (2) this is what a PR should look like — struggle!  Form should not be perfect if you are pushing yourself to the max.

Candito has a really nice FREE program that you can try out (check his site).  The program includes a nice excel sheet template to track your progress and auto-calculate your lift schedule.  I highly recommend checking his stuff out.

Cesaro Deadlifts!

Although not a shocking strength video, you should all be able to take something away from the instructional tips provided here by Mark Bell toward WWE superstar Cesaro.  Bell takes Cesaro through appropriate warmup and mobility exercises for deadlifts/squats and follows up with some great grip advice.  Also note that Cesaro has NEVER sumo deadlifted before…and he hits a 500lb PR out of the gate!

Yes – the site is still alive

Stay tuned for more regular updates.  We’ve been lifting for the last few months — hope you’re all doing the same!  We are planning new tributes to some of the biggest monsters on the planet.

Hello class — today we squat 900 for 5 reps!

We have seen the strength of Derek Kendall before — this is the guy that hit a 500lb shoulder press a few months ago.  Now he’s back and one-upping himself in a big, big way.  The average man struggles to squat 225 for a single rep.  Kendall decides to lift four times that weight — for five reps!

Set realistic goals and train your ass off. — Derek Kendall

Grip it hard! Increase bench, military, and curl!

One simple tip can increase your bench press, military press, and barbell curl.  GRIP HARD.  Simply by squeezing the bar as hard as possible during the concentric phase of a lift you will be able to move more weight.  This works because strong gripping leads to activation of more forearm muscles which serves to stabilize your arm and help you throughout the entire concentric phase.

This is not to say you will double your bench, but you should be able to add a few lbs and hit a new PR.  Or at the very least you will feel more confident in your standard reps.  You will feel the added stability.

Key info: focus on relaxing your grip during eccentric and prep phases of the lift — only grip hard during the concentric phase.  Too much strenuous gripping will fatigue you and detract from the lift.