The Fun Of Doing Feats Of Strength

          Back in the vaudeville days of the early 20^th century and even today in some areas, there were men and women performing various feats of strength that would get the crowd roaring and make their jaws drop in amazement. In the fitness world today, almost nobody does even a few feats because it’s not up to their standards and don’t want to go to that other level but I believe you’re a little different. You can learn various feats because the human body is capable of doing things we still haven't discovered yet.

            When you train in certain feats whether it’s nail bending, card tearing, ripping phone books in half, scrolling steel or even pick up an awkward heavy object; make it interesting, find what makes them fun to do and perform in a way that’s geared towards who you are and what you represent. I've seen guys who try to copy another’s performance or try to be something they're not but I've also seen guys who have a unique way of performing or even just training to where yes it’s a little odd but it’s cool at the same time. Being unique is never a bad thing, you are one person and you have the right to become anything you want to be if you set your mind to it.

            Even if you don't aspire to be a performing strongman you can still make the most out of your strength feats by just playing around and build your body a little differently. Some people take aerobics classes, run on the treadmill, lift weights, do complicated programs (Insanity anyone?) but then there are those who do things a little out of the ordinary, they use their bodies in ways most would run away from. Imagine steel that’s not meant to bend just melt in your very own hands or tearing up decks of cards like a piece of paper or lever heavy sledgehammers to your face without smashing into it. It is beautiful when you get it down to a “T”. One of my favorite feats which I have performed in front of more than 600 kids and adults is where I bend a 6 inch spike into a U while holding the wrestler’s bridge with my nose touching the floor. Most people can't even hold a bridge like that let alone bend a spike that big so it’s an awesome feeling to be able to do that. Work on different feats and find ones that you find exciting to you and want to perform the most of, this helps you find your niche and find your creative side.

            Taking certain feats to a new level is the fascinating thing in the world of Physical Culture. On video I've seen a guy rip a deck of cards while being hung by his neck, another in person where he had a plate on his stomach and someone from 8-10ft up drops a bowling ball on top of it, why not rip a phonebook while hanging upside down; there are many unique ways to do a feat but I advise you to not go so crazy like a WWE show but you can do things that nobody else can do and that’s where taking it to another level is just that much sweeter. You have more power in you than you would believe and you have gifts that people would envy but never think you’re not good enough. You want to be different and you are different so do what makes you happy. Don’t be someone else, they’re already taken, be who you are and have fun with it. 

The Stronger Your Grip Is, The Stronger You’ll Be

           Why is grip strength so important? It’s essential to our everyday lives and not just for training or getting in a good forearm workout but it has the ability to save a life or help someone in need. A surgeon needs his hands to construct, repair or save another person’s life, a massage therapist needs strong and supple hands, an athlete needs strong hands to throw a ball or tackle someone, even in soccer at one point you need to throw the ball out into the field to get the best advantage of scoring a goal. A parent has to have some strength in their hands to carry groceries, help keep their baby up, play with them and so on. Catch my drift here?

            Your grip is a major key and I’ll get into different types of grip strength in a second but let me point a few things out. In the world of the strongman, your grip cannot be neglected because if you’re going a specific feat of strength, the majority of the time you’re going to be using your hands. You can’t bend steel if your grip isn't up to par, you can have strong wrists but you need to keep a lock on a bar a spike, if you’re Ryan Pitts at Stronger Grip you can’t swing another human being on his human swing set without having a solid grip and if you’re like Dennis Rogers, there’s no way in hell you can lift a fridge with one finger without training your grip. Now the majority of us aren't strongmen or a specific athlete or really big with genetic gifts of strength; most of us don’t realize how important our grip is, to hold onto a child, to carry a gurney to put in the ambulance to take someone to the hospital, to rescue someone from a burning building, to fight in combat as a soldier. The stronger your grip is, the stronger you’ll be.

            There are different types of grip strength; there’s pinch gripping which is having that alligator type snap, crushing strength like from grippers and thick bar lifts or using fat gripz, working the fingers like fingertip push-ups, twisting strength, working the wrists, playing an instrument like playing the piano or guitar hell even the drums, for carpentry you need precision and accuracy in your hands to build and carve things and also lifting something like the blob; there are many ways to develop your grip but focus on the ones that geared toward a specific goal. The more you focus on a particular type of grip strength, certain things fall into place where your whole body becomes apart of the exercise. A lot of people think isolating the lower arm will make them stronger, which is true in certain cases but when you engage your whole body as you focus on the lower arm, bigger things arise like your conditioning, strength in other place, muscles being used that aren't normally used. Think of Arm Wrestling, its not just slamming another guys arm down, it’s a full body effort.

            Mighty hands build mighty things period. A key thing to remember is to focus on the tendons and ligaments when you’re training your grip, this is where it’s most neglected because people mostly focus on the muscles and only do half the work. The more you focus on the tendons the more you realize that’s where your strength falls into place and will prevent you from getting injured. Using different implements like Sledgehammers for example to strengthen the tendons will help you succeed in your life. The most common injuries in sports and the work place are torn tendons/ligaments and carpal tunnel, you can prevent these if you focus on your tendons. Isometrics work very well with this because it gives your body the maximal effort without moving a single muscle. Steve Justa makes this very clear and it keeps things in perspective. Make it a habit to include grip strength in your training and you’ll see how much stronger your body will become just adding a good amount of tendon work. 

Learning From The Man Himself

I have been good friends with Logan Christopher for roughly over seven years. He alongside Tyler Bramlett aka Duke T McB are the top two men that let me in the Physical Culture world and taught me everything I know and have learned from some of the best teachers in the game both personally and through courses plus over the phone conversations. If there’s one thing I’m grateful in the world of fitness it’s from them.

 When you have training partners that are also good friends, your training will push you beyond your own abilities. Just because they’re friends has never meant taking it easy on me. Every time I’m around them or Logan in particular, he always has me try some crazy thing like when he had me over at his house when I was in Cali recently he gave a grade 5 hex bolt to bend which I have never even made a kink in my life, since Logan was there to guide me a bit within moments I bent that little monster about ¾ of the way or near full bend and I was shocked.

 Training alongside Logan has been an honor since day one. Believe it or not, he’s seen some of my firsts and possibly some of my only feats such as….

 

First 60 penny nail bend

 

First Grade 5 Bend

 

Falling Back Into A Bridge, Kick over and back

 

Holding a 125 lb. dumbbell with a 2 inch thick handle for ten seconds

 

My one and only time doing 83 reps in 5 min. 53 lb. KB snatch test (never attempted before or since)

 So as you can see, he’s a true coach to me and one of the coolest cats on earth. One of the best things I’ve learned from him and others is how we all help each other get better, its not always who’s better or badder, it’s how we help each other advance in our own training. Personally I know how good I’am but lets face facts, I wouldn’t be that damn good without the Renaissance Man watching my back. I will always be indebted to him for helping me find my own path in Physical Culture.

 Last thing before I brag too much about the Ponytailed freak of nature, when you have good friends to train with, things are a lot more fun and more interesting because you learn new things from one another and teach each other different styles, hell as great the man is, I even taught a couple things but that’s the beauty of it. Having fun is what it’s all about, trust me its better to go through life having fun than being serious and dull. If you have friends out there that you train with, help each other and learn from one another but never forget that the one person you need to train with is not one of your buddies but yourself. Have fun and make things interesting.   

Swimming, Nail Bending & Isometrics

So far across the country, the summer is in full blossom, heading to the beach, hiking, running, playing and plenty of parks to go to with the kids however in Idaho, I’d like to call it MPD weather (Multiple Personality Disorder). It’s almost as like weather by Sybil, the temperatures change everyday and it can rain or be hot within a given minute. Hell it’s had thunderstorms and rain off and on lately, when it is warm out you better make sure to take advantage it. That’s why as of late I’ve been going to a lake a couple miles away to go for a dip in the water and just have a blast. When I do go I’d like to bring my cell for music on Pandora, bring a few bottles of water and vitamin drinks and best of all, and bring my 60D penny nails to mess around with. No I don’t show off for all the kids and pretty girls there, I like to do a little training while I’m out in the sun and practice various styles.

 When I’m not at the lake, I usually stay home or go out to dinner with someone but when it comes time to train, I get psyched since I have a 18ft leather strap isometric belt, I wrap it around the tree in the front yard and turn into the greatest wrestler in History, the Great Gama. I push, pull, arm wrestle and put everything I have into bringing that tree down. It’s a lot of fun and when it’s all over, you got veins popping out, forearms are blasted and you felt like you just ran a whole marathon in a 10-20min. period. Take it from me, if you can use something to pull a tree, one way or another you will be strong as hell.

 Swimming is one of my favorite things to do in the summer, just getting the urge to jump in, let the shock of the water hit you for a bit and it’s just riveting the rest of the time. The last couple times I went to the lake, I bring my stuff on the dock, lay down my towel, jump in, swim for a few minutes, get back out, dry off, squeeze and twist the water out of the towel to build some wrist and crushing strength, whip out a couple 60 Pennys out of my bag, wrap one at a time and just destroy that mofo. Jump in the lake, repeat the process until I have bent every nail I brought. Builds strength, agility, flexibility, coordination plus you’re working every muscle in your body, got to love it man.

 At this particular lake, you can view the mountains and green trees right in front of you and just see the beautiful sight of nature and the flow of the water just rolling by. I like doing various Muscle Control and visualize myself as one of the old school bodybuilders from back in the day, I realize I’m not at that level but come on, a little exercise while baking in the sun and looking at nature won’t kill you, who knows, a girl might come up and ask what you’re up to and you just have this big smile on your face. Just doing a few flexes and having fun with the people with you or just yourself, who cares who’s looking at you; you’re having fun that’s what really matters.

 Going for a swim is one of the best things to do for your body. It builds a level of endorphins in your body that just nourishes your body and it’s one of the most amazing feelings ever. If you don’t know how to swim, no worries, you can learn muscle control simulating swim strokes or treading water. Building that Nerve Force, gives you that positive and powerful energy that help stay young, vibrant and feeling like a million bucks. One of the coolest feelings is going for a swim and going out as open as you can without tiring and going back, when you get back to shore or climbing back up on the dock, let your body feel at ease and just feel that sensation where everything feels great and you can’t help but be happy. If you have a lake, the ocean or a pool near by and it’s hot out, go for a swim and get your body moving. Having fun is one of the keys to a happy life and water is one of the elements that brings life.