On today’s show I speak with Bench Press Specialist LeRoy Walker. LeRoy got into powerlifting while still in HS and has become one the the greatest bench pressers of all time with a personal best of 675 pounds RAW! He and I talk about how he got into the sport, what it takes to be an elite powerlifter, and the importance of consistency.
Leroy got into power lifting in high school, but explains that, like many people in the sport he didn’t grow up thinking he would become a power lifter. We both agree that as kids, seeing lots of geared lifters posting huge numbers, it didn’t seem possible to reach those kinds of numbers. What seems to be a common thread is, guys often start lifting to help them perform a sport they play better, and the guys who love the gym workouts and stick with it are the ones who ultimately become the big power lifters.
LeRoy has always been a raw lifter and he shares with us a story of his first sanctioned meet when he was competing against mostly geared lifters including Ryan Kennelly and how that had an impact on his future in lifting.
LeRoy’s current PR is 675lbs which places him 6th All-Time. LeRoy talks about his quest for a 700lbs.+ Bench Press. Over the last couple years that goal has been within striking distance and he shares with us how important the mental aspect of lifting really is. Injuries, mental blocks, and conventional wisdom can make the mental game just as tough as the physical aspects.
LeRoy warns us to consider the source of information in regards to training methodologies and training volume. Who is giving you this information and what are they primarily training. Getting advice from someone focused on aesthetics may not give you the best advice for performance training.
We then talk about consistency and how it plays a role in your understanding of movements, your sport, and of your body. Being consistent with nutrition, training, sleep, and logging or journaling can reveal so much about where you need to make adjustments. When you are consistent you learn more about yourself and how you respond to different stimulus. That knowledge is priceless and the key to becoming great at anything in life. LeRoy also highlights the importance of Perfect Practice Makes Perfect.
When asked about what he does as preventative work LeRoy says he utilizes light pool work the day after heavy lifting. He says it helps him assess what joints or muscles need attention, if anything hurts, he then adjust his workouts for the rest of the week.
Please share our show with your friends and family, continue to send me your emails, and remember Consistency is KING!
HammerShed Podcast, a show for anyone who is looking for great information on fitness, coaching, and nutrition. I speak with professional athletes, Olympians, world class coaches, and leaders in research and wellness.
I want to make the best podcasts possible and continue bringing you the best content from the smartest people in the industry. The HammerShed Podcast was made for you, no matter your age, skill level, or strength. You will find great information that will help you achieve your goals. To produce and create the best shows, I need your help.
If every listener donated $2/month, we’d have all of the creative freedom to deliver the kinds of shows we’ve always wanted to create, without any limits. Reaching this goal would create a better balance between listener support and sponsorship’s, and create a more sustainable model for The HammerShed Podcast. This means better shows, additional video content and, fewer sponsor breaks.
HammerShed wouldn’t be what it is today without your support, and we truly appreciate your donation, no matter the size. To become a HammerShed Podcast Patron go to: www.patreon.com/hammershed
Bret and I start the show talking about the our training, Bret talks about his trip to New York, and we note how incorporating play into workouts make training more fun.
Next week’s show I speak with LeRoy Walker, a Bench press specialist who has a RAW PR of 675lbs ! He and I talk about motivation, being an elite lifter, and the importance of consistency.
My powerlifting program is coming to a close as I prepare for my powerlifting meet in Sept. All three of my lifts are steadily improving and I am hoping to PR in all three at the meet. Bret talks about how he is planning on adding some more bars at his gym to practice more calisthenic exercises.
The topic for today’s episode is tracking. We talk about tracking our training, our nutrition, and other aspects of our everyday life so we can achieve our goals faster.
We talk about the benefits of having a plan in place to reach our goals, how tracking every workout can help identify why issues may arise, and the importance of nutrition tracking when it comes to performance and aesthetic goals.
I prefer to tack my workouts in electronic form so I can do further analysis on volume progress for individual lifts over time. I am in the process of developing some software for coaches and athletes to create and record programing. If you are interested in being a part of the BETA program please contact me at: info@hammershed.com those apart of the private beta program will not only help finalize the product but also receive a free lifetime membership to the program when if goes live.
People ask me for tips on tracking nutrition. I recommend the LoseIt app or My Fitness Pal. Sometimes the suggested marcros/calories in the above mentioned apps are a touch off. If you are interested in guidance on a personalized plan just for you, send an to info@hammershed.com and we can get you started on plan JUST FOR YOU. Before I used my software I used Fitlist to track my workouts.
A topic we touch on at the end is the use of velocity as a data point to track progress and also auto-regulate your programing. This a type of training I have never done although it looks very promising. We will bring an expert onto the show to talk more about it in the near future.
Please share our show with your friends and family, continue to send me your emails, and remember Consistency is KING!
HammerShed Podcast, a show for anyone who is looking for great information on fitness, coaching, and nutrition. I speak with professional athletes, Olympians, world class coaches, and leaders in research and wellness.
I want to make the best podcasts possible and continue bringing you the best content from the smartest people in the industry. The HammerShed Podcast was made for you, no matter your age, skill level, or strength. You will find great information that will help you achieve your goals. To produce and create the best shows, I need your help.
If every listener donated $2/month, we’d have all of the creative freedom to deliver the kinds of shows we’ve always wanted to create, without any limits. Reaching this goal would create a better balance between listener support and sponsorship’s, and create a more sustainable model for The HammerShed Podcast. This means better shows, additional video content and, fewer sponsor breaks.
HammerShed wouldn’t be what it is today without your support, and we truly appreciate your donation, no matter the size. To become a HammerShed Podcast Patron go to: www.patreon.com/hammershed
On today’s episode, I am especially proud to welcome back Dan John. Dan and I discuss training the post youth athlete, saggy butts, and he shares with us his goals in life and fitness.
I start the show by asking Dan what keeps him motivated in the gym, his answer was to be able to dance with his granddaughter at her wedding. This was a great segue into our topic for the day, Training the Post-Youth Athlete.
“The biggest mistake in life is to wait for the right moment”
AS we define an elite athlete, what it takes, and the timetable that they work within we discover everyone else who makes a choice to participate in sport and fitness is the Post-Youth Athlete. Dan also draws the important line between Health, Fitness, and Performance.
I asked Dan what advice he has for people who want to improve their health, fitness, and performance by getting stronger but are still not convinced or are scared to strength train. He suggestion is to spend some time reading the works of Vladimir Janda .
As we age our glutes, delts, abs, and triceps get WEAKER. “If you work your butt and you press, good things happen.” These are the muscles of youth the stronger, and bigger they are the younger you are. Dan defines age as the loss of lean body mass.
We then discuss goals and an important point coaches need to make clear with their athletes. Its not what you want, your goals should include what you need. To better categorize people needs Dan developed The Quadrants. This is not to discourage people from the goals they have, but as coaches it’s our job to make sure we address their needs first, while we work towards their wants.
I have had the privilege of interviewing some extremely strong people on The HammerShed Podcast, and we always preach the importance of strength on this show. I asked Dan what he thought were some good standards of strength everyone should strive for.
* Stand on one leg for 10 seconds.
* Hang from a bar for 30 sec.
* Standing long jump your height
* Farmer’s walk while holding your body weight
* Maintain a score of 8 in the Brazilian get back up test
* Be able to goblet squat down for 30 seconds and stand back up
We point out that not all these standards are easy for everyone, but they are important. If you can’t do one of these it needs to be prioritized in your programing. It might not happen overnight but with smart programing and a focus on getting better you can achieve these. Dan says “People over exaggerate what they can do in a day, and completely under-mark what can be done in a year.” You don’t give a 5 year old Shakespeare and expect them to be able to read it first try, so why do we expect ourselves to accomplish our fitness goals overnight. It takes time, practice, and consistency.
Get to Know Dan John:
Fitness Goals: No longer be a three, get his waistline half his height and compete in the discus again.
Favorite Music: Bossanova music, The Who, and Earth Wind and Fire.
Favorite Exercise: KettleBell Swing, Squat, Snatch
Please share our show with your friends and family, continue to send me your emails, and remember Consistency is KING!
HammerShed Podcast, a show for anyone who is looking for great information on fitness, coaching, and nutrition. I speak with professional athletes, Olympians, world class coaches, and leaders in research and wellness.
I want to make the best podcasts possible and continue bringing you the best content from the smartest people in the industry. The HammerShed Podcast was made for you, no matter your age, skill level, or strength. You will find great information that will help you achieve your goals. To produce and create the best shows, I need your help.
If every listener donated $2/month, we’d have all of the creative freedom to deliver the kinds of shows we’ve always wanted to create, without any limits. Reaching this goal would create a better balance between listener support and sponsorship’s, and create a more sustainable model for The HammerShed Podcast. This means better shows, additional video content and, fewer sponsor breaks.
HammerShed wouldn’t be what it is today without your support, and we truly appreciate your donation, no matter the size. To become a HammerShed Podcast Patron go to: www.patreon.com/hammershed
On Monday Aug. 8th 2016 Episode 30 of the HammerShed Podcast will go live, and I am proud to welcome back our very first guest Dan John. The HammerShed Podcast has been a journey full of great experiences. Bret and I have had the pleasure of speaking to some of the best people in the strength, wellness, and fitness communities. I want to thank you all for your support, good words of encouragement, and stories of success. For those of you who are new to the show, or if you have not had a chance to listen to all 29 shows I would like to encourage you to check out some of my favorites.
Episode 6: Dr. Tyna Moore: Dr. Moore is recognized as an authority in the application of natural pain solutions and regenerative injection therapies to treat a wide variety of conditions. We talk about pain, inflammation, and benefits of strength training.
Episode 17: Bryan Clay: He talks about his successes, struggles, and transition to life post track and field. Bryan’s faith and passion for life is an amazing example for everyone to look up to, and is an inspiration for so many.
Episode 21: Chris Duffin: Chris shares with us his grand goals in power lifting, we talk about breathing and bracing, and I share how using Kabuki Movement Systems helped me correct issues my daughter had with her ankles.
Episode 26: Matt Wenning: Matt is a world class power lifter who has competed in both geared and raw power lifting. In addition to being one of the strongest men on the planet, Matt works with both, our military, and first responders. His training methods with tactical groups has increased strength, reduced injury, and saved money for our armed forces and first responders.
Episode 28: Ray McClanahan: We talk about preventative vs reactive treatment in podiatry. Why orthotics, motion control shoes, and surgeries are largely over prescribed and usually not needed to resolve over 90% of the populations issues. Although Dr. McClanahan advocates minimal/natural footwear for everyone he explains to us the importance of SLOWLY transitioning into it.
These guest have been a huge inspiration to me and have helped me be a better coach and athlete. Although they are completely different from one another they all share a few important traits. They have a passion for what they do. Just because it’s always been done a certain way is NEVER the right answer for these people. They are constantly trying new things, and seeking more knowledge. This is a VERY hard working group, they know what they want, and they are willing to put in the blood sweat and tears to achieve their goals. Finally, what I think is think is the most admirable, they share generously what they have learned with EVERYONE. Knowledge is power and they are more than happy to pass on everything they know so we all can be better people, coaches, and athletes.
Please share our show with your friends and family, continue to send me your emails, and remember Consistency is KING!
HammerShed Podcast, a show for anyone who is looking for great information on fitness, coaching, and nutrition. I speak with professional athletes, Olympians, world class coaches, and leaders in research and wellness.
I want to make the best podcasts possible and continue bringing you the best content from the smartest people in the industry. The HammerShed Podcast was made for you, no matter your age, skill level, or strength. You will find great information that will help you achieve your goals. To produce and create the best shows, I need your help.
If every listener donated $2/month, we’d have all of the creative freedom to deliver the kinds of shows we’ve always wanted to create, without any limits. Reaching this goal would create a better balance between listener support and sponsorship’s, and create a more sustainable model for The HammerShed Podcast. This means better shows, additional video content and, fewer sponsor breaks.
HammerShed wouldn’t be what it is today without your support, and we truly appreciate your donation, no matter the size. To become a HammerShed Podcast Patron go to: www.patreon.com/hammershed
On this episode Bret and I catch up on our training. Bret talks about his trip to New York for the progressive calisthenics certification and we talk about how nutrition can impact your training.
Make sure to stay tuned for next week’s interview with DAN JOHN! Dan and I talk about training the “post youth athlete”.
I talk about my experience with quitting the gym cold turkey. I have found that working out at the HammerShed Garage Gym has a ton of benefits. I never have to wait for equipment, I can do my workouts barefoot (see last week’s episode to learn more about the benefits), and I can train at any time of day I want. Now that the HammerShed Gym is open I have been training several local clients. I have a couple more spots available for private and semi-private training. If you are in the Portland Metro area and looking for coaching please fill out our coaching application and we will get something set up.
I also talk about some of the DIY gym equipment I projects I am going to start working on. In the next couple weeks I plan to build an Earthquake bar and a Reverse Hyper
In my training update I share my experience with learning the nordic curl, an exercise I learned from Bret. I have also incorporated slow motion weighted carries and talk about how eating enough is so important to make progress and reduce pain and inflammation.
HammerShed Podcast, a show for anyone who is looking for great information on fitness, coaching, and nutrition. I speak with professional athletes, Olympians, world class coaches, and leaders in research and wellness.
I want to make the best podcasts possible and continue bringing you the best content from the smartest people in the industry. The HammerShed Podcast was made for you, no matter your age, skill level, or strength. You will find great information that will help you achieve your goals. To produce and create the best shows, I need your help.
If every listener donated $2/month, we’d have all of the creative freedom to deliver the kinds of shows we’ve always wanted to create, without any limits. Reaching this goal would create a better balance between listener support and sponsorship’s, and create a more sustainable model for The HammerShed Podcast. This means better shows, additional video content and, fewer sponsor breaks.
HammerShed wouldn’t be what it is today without your support, and we truly appreciate your donation, no matter the size. To become a HammerShed Podcast Patron go to: www.patreon.com/hammershed
On this episode I visit Dr.Ray McClanahan at his clinic Northwest Foot and Ankle / Correct Toes HQ. Dr. McClanahan is a podiatrist leading the charge on getting people back into more natural footwear. He explains to us why most modern footwear is the root cause of many issues we have today, including foot, ankle, knee and back pain.
Dr. McClanahan has an extensive history of distance running and competed at the national level. He shares with us that his long list of running injuries made him realize that it was his footwear that caused many of his issues. He developed a love and passion for helping people with similar issues and brought him to a career in podiatry. Much of Dr.Ray’s current work was influenced by the work of Dr. William Rossi. “Why shoes make normal gate impossible” totally changed the way he thought about gate and modern footwear.
Now Dr.McClanahan helps his patients in a more natural way. Goal being, to avoid injury, naturally strength their feet, and become more efficient movers.
I ask Dr. Ray about what we need to look for when selecting footwear, how to strengthen our feet, and the truth about overpronation and injury rates.
We talk about preventative vs reactive treatment in podiatry. Why orthodics, motion control shoes, and surgeries are largely over prescribed and usually not needed to resolve over 90% of the populations issues. Although Dr. McClanahan advocates minimal/natural footwear for everyone he explains to us the importance of SLOWLY transitioning into it. Our feet have dozens of muscles in them and if you have been in footwear that caused them to be weak and immobile it take a good amount of time for your feet to adapt to footwear that requires them to work more. Here is Dr. McClanahan’s approved shoe list
Dr.McClanahan also shares with us the story of how he developed Correct Toes.
Get to Know Dr. Ray McClanahan
Professional Goals: Prevent problem in younger generations, and inform footwear designers on proper design
Fitness Goals: Helping his neighbors compete in their first marathon and to keep moving well into his later years.
Favorite Music: Listen to the radio a lot, Rascal Flats
Favorite Exercise: Running
HammerShed Podcast, a show for anyone who is looking for great information on fitness, coaching, and nutrition. I speak with profession athletes, Olympians, world class coaches, and leaders in research and wellness.
I want to make the best podcasts possible and continue bringing you the best content from the smartest people in the industry. The HammerShed Podcast was made for you, no matter your age, skill level, or strength. You will find great information that will help you achieve your goals. To produce and create the best shows, I need your help.
If every listener donated $2/month, we’d have all of the creative freedom to deliver the kinds of shows we’ve always wanted to create, without any limits. Reaching this goal would create a better balance between listener support and sponsorship’s, and create a more sustainable model for The HammerShed Podcast. This means better shows, additional video content and, fewer sponsor breaks.
HammerShed wouldn’t be what it is today without your support, and we truly appreciate your donation, no matter the size. To become a HammerShed Podcast Patron go to: www.patreon.com/hammershed
On this episode Bret and I catch up with our training and discuss weighted carries.
Bret updates us on his Pistol squat progress.
I talk about building out my home gym. One of my favorite additions to my garage gym is a Thompson Fat Pad… I also have plans to build a platform in the garage. As part of the platform build I am wanting to install some tie downs that I can attach resistance bands to.
The topic for the day is weighted carries specifically a new variation Bret has been incorporating with his clients. Slow motion weighted carries. Suitcase carries are a personal favorite for Bret because it forces deep core stabilizers to engage more during the lift. Other weighted carry Bret uses with his clients are bottoms up KB carries, towel hangs, and overhead carries (only after they have learned the Turkish getup).
Some of the struggles I have at the garage gym is finding a cost effective way to do the heavy farmers walk I like to do at the commercial gym. I thing I will be doing more carries with barbells up and down my street, along with swinging the Shoulder Rok in m front yard. My poor neighbors will have to get used to their crazy weightlifting neighbor. Here is a link to the video of our friend Chris Duffin doing some crazy stuff on the mountain.
HammerShed Podcast, a show for anyone who is looking for great information on fitness, coaching, and nutrition. I speak with profession athletes, Olympians, world class coaches, and leaders in research and wellness.
I want to make the best podcasts possible and continue bringing you the best content from the smartest people in the industry. The HammerShed Podcast was made for you, no matter your age, skill level, or strength. You will find great information that will help you achieve your goals. To produce and create the best shows, I need your help.
If every listener donated $2/month, we’d have all of the creative freedom to deliver the kinds of shows we’ve always wanted to create, without any limits. Reaching this goal would create a better balance between listener support and sponsorship’s, and create a more sustainable model for The HammerShed Podcast. This means better shows, additional video content and, fewer sponsor breaks.
HammerShed wouldn’t be what it is today without your support, and we truly appreciate your donation, no matter the size. To become a HammerShed Podcast Patron go to: www.patreon.com/hammershed
On this Episode I speak with Matt Wenning. Matt is a world class power lifter who has competed in both geared and raw power lifting. In addition to being one of the strongest men on the planet, Matt works with both, our military, and first responders. His training methods with tactical groups has increased strength, reduced injury, and saved money for our armed forces and first responders.
“The guy who can train the longest and doesn’t get hurt is the one that gets the strongest.” -Matt Wenning
When Matt first came to help a group of elite special forces he found them to be aerobically fit but anaerobically weak. Matt changed their training model by limiting their cardio and increasing their strength training. He found by incorporating heavy compound lifts such as deadlifts, squats, KB swings and bench press, not only did they get stronger but they got faster. These methods reduced injuries, increased bone density, and saved money.
Following heavy compound movements Matt had groups doing 4-5 accessory lifts, and their cardio started to incorporate resistance cardio such as sled work, and KB swings for time. This practice increased strength and worked their cardiovascular capacity.
Matt is a big fan of teaching all his tactical groups the sumo dead lift. Reason being is, it improves hip mobility, which is generally a weakness of most people. It also focuses on glute and hamstring strength while taking strain off the low back. The sumo stance seems to replicate the positions that our military and first responders are in. Therefore a sumo dead lift transfers better. Matt has also found that training a heavy day AND fast day each week is much more doable than training conventional deadlift twice a week.
Professional Goal: Keep working with tactical groups, helping our military, and first responders get stronger.
Fitness Goal: Get a bit leaner while getting stronger, increase powerlifting total as much as possible for as long as possible.
Favorite Music while working out: Ozzy, Motley Crue, 2-Pac
Favorite Lift: Reverse Hyper, and 45 degree back extensions.
HammerShed Podcast, a show for anyone who is looking for great information on fitness, coaching, and nutrition. We speak with professional athletes, Olympians, world class coaches, and leaders in research and wellness.
We want to make the best podcasts possible and continue bringing you the best content from the smartest people in the industry. The HammerShed Podcast was made for you, no matter your age, skill level, or strength. You will find great information that will help you achieve your goals. To produce and create the best shows, We need your help.
If every listener donated $2/month, we’d have all of the creative freedom to deliver the kinds of shows we’ve always wanted to create, without any limits. Reaching this goal would create a better balance between listener support and sponsorship’s, and create a more sustainable model for The HammerShed Podcast.
HammerShed wouldn’t be what it is today without your support, and we truly appreciate your donation, no matter the size. To become a HammerShed Podcast Patron go to: www.patreon.com/hammershed
On today’s training talk I visit Bret at his facility, Constant Forward Progress. After catching up on how training has been going for the both of us, Bret and I discuss the importance not just focusing on just one aspect of strength training.
Let’s congratulate Bret for reaching one of his fitness goals of 15 unweighted pistol squats on each leg. He shares with us how it feels to reach this goal and how he plans to advance this exercise with weight and how it will help him reach another goal of completing the Beast Tamer Challenge. Bret also shares with us the Nordic Hamstring Curl, a great exercise for targeting your hamstrings.
I talk about my progress in my training, squatting everyday continues. I explain how I have changed my programming to hopefully continue to improve. I share my results of my last training program, and how I am modifying it to hopefully further increase my results for my first Powerlifting meet later this year.
Bret then shares his experience with barbell squats for the first time in over two years. Having a serious lumbar injury his last season in track, Bret was unable to even touch his knee due to pain. After the injury Bret avoided barbell exercises for years. With calisthenics and kettlebell training being his primary focus Bret has found himself being able to squat with his body weight in ranges of motion he had never been able to in the past. I invited him to the “HammerShed Garage Gym” for a squat session.
I briefly touch on progress made on the “HammerShed Garage Gym” and we close the show by talking about what we have been reading. I just finished Westside Barbell Book of Squat and Deadlift by Louie Simmons, and Bret just started a book written by Al Kavadlo called Raising the Bar.
HammerShed Podcast, a show for anyone who is looking for great information on fitness, coaching, and nutrition. We speak with professional athletes, Olympians, world class coaches, and leaders in research and wellness.
We want to make the best podcasts possible and continue bringing you the best content from the smartest people in the industry. The HammerShed Podcast was made for you, no matter your age, skill level, or strength. You will find great information that will help you achieve your goals. To produce and create the best shows, Weneed your help.
If every listener donated $2/month, we’d have all of the creative freedom to deliver the kinds of shows we’ve always wanted to create, without any limits. Reaching this goal would create a better balance between listener support and sponsorship’s, and create a more sustainable model for The HammerShed Podcast. This means better shows, additional video content and, fewer sponsor breaks.
HammerShed wouldn’t be what it is today without your support, and we truly appreciate your donation, no matter the size. To become a HammerShed Podcast Patron go to: www.patreon.com/hammershed
The HammerShed Podcast, a show for anyone who is looking for great information on fitness, coaching, and nutrition. I speak with profession athletes, Olympians, world class coaches, and leaders in research and wellness.
I want to make the best podcasts possible and continue bringing you the best content from the smartest people in the industry. The HammerShed Podcast was made for you, no matter your age, skill level, or strength. You will find great information that will help you achieve your goals. To produce and create the best shows, I need your help.
If every listener donated $2/month, we’d have all of the creative freedom to deliver the kinds of shows we’ve always wanted to create, without any limits. Reaching this goal would create a better balance between listener support and sponsorship’s, and create a more sustainable model for The HammerShed Podcast. This means better shows, additional video content and, fewer sponsor breaks.
HammerShed wouldn’t be what it is today without your support, and we truly appreciate your donation, no matter the size. To become a HammerShed Podcast Patron go to: https://www.patreon.com/hammershed
by Anitoli Bunderchuk.