By Tyler Bramlett
Let’s get started.
# 1 – Not Lifting
Enough Weight
You may think your lifting heavy, but compare yourself to
the weightlifting legends of the past. Guys like John Grimek, Henry Stineborn,
Arthur Saxon, Eugene Sandow and Herman Goerner. Can you curl 200lbs, how about
strict press 300lbs or more? In the days before squat racks Henry “Milo”
Steinborn could pick a 550lb barbell off the ground lean it onto his shoulders,
perform a set of squats and then return it to the ground. Can you do even 50%
of this?
# 2 – Not Doing
Enough Volume Training With Heavy Weights
Lifting heavy is crucial, but in order to get good lifting
heavy you must also practice with heavy weights. I was having a discussion with
my good friend Logan Christopher recently and we both agreed that the biggest
hole in both of our games was training hard moves for high volume.
# 3 – Not Doing
Enough Bodyweight Strength Training
Almost every great strongman of the past did some form of
bodyweight training. The great wrestlers of India used bodyweight training to
build their great strength and endurance and many of the old time strongmen
used bodyweight training to bulletproof their joints and make them stronger and
livelonger. So, what should you focus on?
# 4 – Not Using
Proper Movement Progressions
The basic principal behind movement progression is that you
should always be making the movements you are working on harder and harder. A
simple way to think about this is in gymnastics. You don’t go for the iron
cross on the first day, instead you follow a intelligently designed movement
progression mastering each exercise along the way until you are the proud owner
of the iron cross. For more info on this check out a new product I created
called the warrior warm up a 5 step guide to mastering movement.
# 5 – Not Staying
Flexible Enough
Flexibility is highly underrated in the strength world of
today. Very few strong men I meet have a good degree of flexibility. In fact
the only 2 that come to mind are Pavel Tsatsouline and Bud Jeffries. If you can
deadlift over 500lbs and do the side splits, ignore this section, otherwise
listen up!
# 6 – Not Doing
Enough Variety (Or Doing Too Much Variety)
Old timers all had their pet lifts, but that didn’t stop them
from practicing other moves in hopes to build their balance strength and
coordination. This one is quite simple. Master a handful of moves, write down 5
different things you need to accomplish before you die and work on those 5 huge
goals as often as possible. From there have fun, cross train and enjoy trying
different movements. This way you can have your focus but still practice
variety.
# 7 – Always Working
To Your Max
Working to your max or working to failure sends your body a
very distinct message. It says you are always close to failure or even worse in
a bodybuilders case you are failing to lift this weight. The easiest way to get
discouraged and lose momentum is to fail when you are exercising. So follow
this simple rule…
# 8 – Not Using The
Best Movements
Obviously some exercises are better then others, if this
wasn’t the caste then every dumbbell benching meathead would be all around
strong rather then looking like he has toothpicks for legs. Pick exercises that
work the whole body and work them hard. From there train your weak links
(usually the hands and core) and you are good to go.
# 9 – Eating Low
Quality Foods
Fueling your body poorly will hinder you from making any
real progress. The old timers ate piles of high quality natural food and did
nothing else. So fuel your body with high quality organic foods and focus on
eating the foods with the most bang for the buck.
# 10 – Not Focusing
On Recovery
To sustain hard training you also have to be an expert at
recovery. Many of the strongmen of the past did this for a living. Meaning they
woke up, lifted weights, practiced bodyweight movements, worked their grip, ate
good food and then rested, stretched, got massages, took cold baths and slept
as much as they could.
# 11 - Ignoring Your
Internal Energy
The shaolin monks probably are one of the best examples of
mastering their internal energy or life force. Their focused meditation allows
them to perform superhuman feats of strength and endurance. You need this too!
1.
Identify which of the 11 things you are weakest
in
2.
Write a plan to change that weak link and apply
it for 21 days
3.
Revisit this list and identify the next weakest
link
4.
Write a plan to change that weak link and apply
it for 21 days
5.
REPEAT!
That’s all there is too it, Good luck!
Tyler Bramlett is the creator of www.garagewarrior.com a Blog dedicated
to helping people get stronger, live longer, look good naked, find your purpose
and live the life of your dreams. He is a highly knowledgeable expert in
performance based training, nutrition, psychological motivation and he is the
author of The Warrior Warm Up which can be found at www.thewarriorwarmup.com