Don't Be An "A"Hole

Alternate Title:

Don't call yourself a strongman if you are NOT!!!

The inescapable theme pervading modern strength training is the idea of "work Your Weaknesses". Very good and practical advice for elite lifters and strength athletes, however for the less advanced it may, in fact, be problematic at best.

   ...…...How can addressing your weaknesses ever be a "bad" idea you ask.......

Let's say Strongman "A" is new to strongman and new to strength sports in general. "A" competes in a local event and does well in the NOVICE division. After reviewing his performance "A" identifies overhead pressing as his prevailing weakness.

   

        ………...Sounds Logical So Far You Say.................

"A' now prioritizes his training to bring up his OHP to the standards of his other events

(strengths), But remember "A" is a novice and his "good" events are likely abysmal by national standards! So now after a full training cycle "A" is (potentially) a rounded novice.............not MY idea of a well developed long term goal!

I submit that "A's" better course of action would be to implement a more basic and rounded training protocol with the goal of bringing up  his body weight and general strength to a more "nationally" competitive level. It is my experience as a coach that often just training to be STRONG for an extended period of time has the unexpected (too many) effect of "smoothing out" weaknesses!

So many times an "A" type lifter will come to me for coaching and say something like "I'm 100kg and my OHP (or whatever) isn't as good as the other 105kg guys" My response is always YOU NEED 5kg BEFORE YOU CAN MAKE A COMPARISON! 5kg is a WHOPPING pile of muscle, even in unrelated/ correlated muscle groups it will have a measurable impact on OHP performance! Trust me as a coach, no amount of shoulder specialization will pile on 5kg of raw muscle!!!!

My goal here is not to question the value of knowing and evaluation your weaknesses, but rather to question the standard (the prevailing standard that is) definition of weakness!

As a rough guide, I'd say if you do not have a minimum of a double bodyweight squat and deadlift and perhaps a bodyweight or better bench press you may not use the term "Strongman" to describe yourself no matter how many times you've competed!.

B.Chavez

Evil Genius Sports Performance, 2016©

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I'm here to tell you it's HARD

B.Chavez,

©2016 Evil Genius Sports Performance

………....to pull with a stiff bar............and it should be! Whimsical titles aside I really do believe in the premise of using the LEAST Advantageous lifting conditions for base (off Season) training.

The late great genius A.Jones of Nautilus Sports Medicine fame was quoted many times saying "never make an exercise easier, make it harder!". Safety is one thing, but if you are using a specific piece of lifting apparatus just to be able to say your training weight is 700lbs rather than 650lbs you could be (ARE) setting yourself up for heartache on event day. Especially if you're forced to do things the "HARD WAY".

We seem to have entered an era where weight on the bar is far more of a prize than progress at one chosen endeavor!

Growing muscle and developing strength beyond the physiological norm is about applying stresses not finding clever ways to avoid them! I'm not campaigning against the use of flexible deadlift bars................ I'm merely trying to point out that by avoiding and even criticizing stiff bar pulls I have seen of late on many different social media outlets you are most certainly putting your long-term progress at a distinct disadvantage.

I have even recently witnessed vids of famous puller (and his washing machine) doing 2-inch deficit deadlifts while using a bar with 3 inches of bend! Is behavior such as this good for pulling progress or just good for social media attention?

Individual criticism aside, my strong suggestion to you dear reader is to stop making TRAINING depressions based on load used and/or facebook likes and seek out HARDER MORE CHALLENGING modes of training! If you are truly strong come event day no apparatus or lifting condition will be a disadvantage!

B.Chavez is available for programming and nutritional consultations Email: EvilGSP@gmail.com

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Deadlifts?

B.Chavez,

©2015 Evil Genius Sports Performance

Evil Genius Sports Performance consults with strength athletes from all over the world, but the one question that seems to hold on border or language barrier is “Do I NEED to deadlift?”

Well, fuck me running with a big rubber DICK!!!!

I would have never even thought of such a question!

Louie Simmons, Robert Oberst the Tooth Fairy, I don't know who is to blame for this incredible disrespect for what I think is the single most fundamental demonstration of human strength! No matter the guilty party let me be as explicit as I can in my answer to this question…………………………....YES, YOU DO!

let me offer some (I think unneeded) explanation for my response:

• In the sport of powerlifting the deadlift is one-third of the event, therefore, %33 or better of your effectiveness at the sport…...so yea you HAVE TO DO IT!
• In competitive strongman almost every contest has an event like the car DEADLIFT or the 18-inch DEADLIFT or possibly an axle DEADLIFT……..notice a pattern (ie the word DEADLIFT)
• Sub-note on the sport of strongman, it's called STRONGMAN and STRONG people DEADLIFT (to a large degree that's why they are strong)!

Deadlifts like squats and presses do come in a vast array of types so “what” deadlifts should I do is a valid and likely important question that I love to discuss with clients. Should I deadlift is never a question I'll consider.

So in short YES you do NEED to deadlift, so shut up and pull!

B.Chavez is available for programing and nutritional consultations Email: EvilGSP@gmail.com

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MCTs

Medium-Chain Triglyceride

The fatty acids found in MCT oil are called medium-chain triglycerides. The names of the medium-chain fatty acids (and the corresponding number of carbons) found in MCTs are caprylic acid (C8) and capric acid (C10). Like all triglycerides (fats and oils), MCTs are composed of a glycerol backbone and three fatty acids, hence the name triglyceride; in the case of MCTs, 2 or 3 of the fatty acid chains attached to glycerol are medium chain in length. Medium-Chain Triglycerides contain glycerol esters of 8 & 10 carbons (95%) with negligible C12 (Lauric Acid) component, less than 5% fatty acid  esters of glycerol.

MCTs passively diffuse from the GI tract to the portal system (longer fatty acids are absorbed into the lymphatic system) without requirement for modification like long-chain fatty acids or very-long-chain fatty acids. In addition, MCTs do not require bile salts for digestion. Patients that have malnutrition or malabsorption syndromes are treated with MCTs because they do not require energy for absorption, utilization, or storage.Rich sources for commercial extraction of the beneficial MCTs include palm kernel oil and coconut oil. Another source of MCT's is camphor tree drupes.

Dietary / Performance Relevance

Some studies have shown that MCTs can help in the process of excess calorie burning, and thus weight loss. MCTs are also seen as promoting fat oxidation and reduced food intake. There has also been interest in MCTs from endurance athletes and the bodybuilding community. While there seem to be health benefits from MCTs again MCT's lack the cholesterol raising Lauric, Myristic, and Palmitic Acids, a link to improved exercise performance is weak.Dairy fat is a major source of myristic acid, and palm oil is especially rich in palmitic acid. Virgin and non-Virgin Coconut oils remain the richest source of Lauric Acid.

Medical Uses

Medium-chain triglycerides are generally considered a good biologically inert source of energy that the human body finds reasonably easy to metabolize. They have potentially beneficial attributes in protein metabolism but may be contraindicated in some situations due to their tendency to induce ketogenesis and metabolic acidosis.

Due to their ability to be absorbed rapidly by the body, medium-chain triglycerides have found use in the treatment of a variety of malabsorption ailments. MCT supplementation with a low-fat diet has been described as the cornerstone of treatment for primary intestinal lymphangiectasia (Waldmann's disease). MCTs are an ingredient in parenteral nutritional emulsions. Studies have also shown promising results for neurodegenerative disorders (e.g. Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease) and epilepsy through the use of ketogenic dieting. 

B."EvilGenius"Chavez

www.EvilGSP.com