To Hype or Not to Hype

It doesn't matter what sport you look at but there are two distinct kinds of people: Those who get super amped up and the calm/focused looking guys. So which is better? Is there one that improves performance over the other? There are a some things to consider regardless of which style you like. Powerlifting for example probably has the highest amount of pre lift hype going on and there's a good reason for it. The lifts are less technical and there's a lot of nose torque sniffing going on. Since the power lifts aren't as fancy and magical as the Olympic lifts you can get more excited and fired up while still maintaining solid form. Compare that to a clean and jerk or snatch. It's a brave man that snorts some ammonia, screams a battle cry, then smokes a huge lift. Usually the competitors who go a bit crazy will save it for after they stand up with the bar or after they slam it down. In strongman it's very dependent on what event is happening since it's basically an FMF (fat man friendly) CrossFit competition there is no set group of events at any given comp. So if the show is full of 1 Rep Maxes like 18" deadlift for max or max log press you will see more hyping up. If on the other hand it's a rep fest you tend to see the yelling a lot less.

On to performance factors. Honestly it depends on the lifter and the competition. Flipping your shit will get you an adrenaline dump which is great from a strength standpoint on 1 Rep Maxes that could mean hitting a lift you may have not been able to get otherwise. Some Powerlifters to check out who get crazy amped up are Blaine Sumner and Pete Rubish. They hit huge numbers and are probably a few of the best guys out there. On the Weightlifting side you have to Youtube Jon North. Honestly I LOVE watch all of these guys lift. It's a high risk high reward style and, in my opinion, is super entertaining. They make me care about sports that are super boring to watch. The downside is that as you are super pumped you are more likely to screw up your technique and miss the lift. This is especially true in the bench press and to a lesser extent the squat. It's a huge factor in both of the Olympic lifts. In strongman there are a few places it could break down for you. First would be on pressing movements, especially the log press since the bar path is so tricky already adding a bit too much adrenaline and the resulting lack of focus it causes could result in missing a lift you may have otherwise made. A final factor on this would be that there's only so many times your body will get jacked up over the course of a meet. If you get super jacked on every squat and bench attempt you will be exhausted for deadlifts.

On the other side we have the serious, focused, and seemingly chilled out athletes. It's a bit of a misnomer here from my experience. I tend to be more this way and I promise that the adrenaline is pumping but to a lesser degree. The upside being that you can think when you are lifting and can feel positions better. The downside is less pump factor resulting in potentially a lower max lift. That being said if you are stronger but have no control you will miss as well. Some guys that exemplify this would be Chad Wesley Smith in Powerlifting or Big Z in Strongman. In MMA just look up Fedor walk out and you will see the perfect example of this.

On paper in an ideal world the person who can get super jacked up and still keep form will have the best results. Assuming they can get hyped up while not crashing hard afterward. For me personally I want to be the fired up guy but am naturally more of the calm technician guy. My current plan is to get used to getting hyped up like an ass for my last heavy set and see if I can harness the rage like Blaine and Jon. In the end you will have a natural bent toward one method or the other. Don't fight it unless you just want to be the other way. There are plenty of top level guys that do both. My mantra is "if it helps then do it." So try it and see.

This is just one man's opinion. What do you think? Comment below.

Talk soon,

Dan is a top 10 ranked amateur

strongman competitor in the 242lb and 275lb classes and a pro powerlifter in the RPS 275lb class. He is also an Elite level lifter in the USPA/IPA. He holds instructor level ranks in Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He has been training people for strength and martial arts since 2004.

You can follow Dan on Instagram @RoninStr
For training and nutrition advice and tips email roninstr@gmail.com

Benching Like a Bauss!

So I have a decent bench. Currently my PR is 468lbs in competition and I will hit over 480lbs in August. So you can imagine that I get a ton of questions on how to get a bigger bench. Honestly for me I have always been a decent presser even with my longer than normal arms. I used to never know what to tell people. I actually hate benching. It always hurts and feels wrong. I don't even really have an arch to speak of when pressing, but after I've been asked so many times I figured I should do some soul searching and figure out why I'm not horrible at it so I can help people who are struggling.

So a brief history of me and pressing movements. I started off in martial arts and specifically kickboxing. As a result I did a ton of heavy bag work punching and kicking my life away. I am not sure on the science of it, but to me punching a heavy bag is similar to depth jumps for pressing. Also due to the positioning of a punch there isn't a ton of pec work but a lot of shoulders and tricep action. From there I went to CrossFit and later Strongman. Both have a lot of overhead pressing work thus continuing my tricep and shoulder dominance. I didn't bench all that often when doing strongman in the standard sense but I did a lot of close grip benching and slingshot and block work just to hit the triceps for locking out my log and axle presses. My best bench while I was doing strongman was 385lbs. I know it could have been better if I had hit more chest work but that's not what Strongman tests. Once I switched to powerlifting training and started bringing rep ranges down and my grip out a bit the poundages flew up. 385lbs-470lbs in less than a year. So let's address what happened throughout my training history.

First of all I have been hitting heavy bags since I was 12 years old. I am 33 now. So that means I have been, at least to some degree training my pressing muscles for 21 years. That's a pretty big base. So if you are benching 225lbs, you have been training for 6 months, and you don't know why you aren't pressing in the mid 3's then you need to stop reading now and just keep eating and hitting the weights for another few years. Rule 1 for Bauss Benching: Get some years under your belt.

Training age aside think of how many reps were spent with relatively heavy weights (for me) while training strongman. Ignore the overhead pressing and realize I was hitting close grips, sling shots, or board presses for sets of 6-10 for 4 years straight. That's in addition to the heavy overhead pressing. This is a pretty big hypertrophy base for once I started benching at higher percentages. Rule 2: Hypertrophy phases lay the groundwork for massive presses.

The next step for my bench was actually benching heavy and with a decent frequency. I was hitting more traditional bench presses 2-3 days per week. They were structured with 1 heavy day and 1-2 rep days depending on how I was feeling. Rule 3 for a big bench: Bench heavy once or twice per week.

The last thing that helped me is equal parts mental and physical and that's variety. Don't just flat bench every day. Mix it up a little. Use some chains or bands. Hit some incline bench or dumbbells. If you are hitting your chest, shoulders, and tri's you will be hitting the muscles that need to get stronger to hit bigger numbers. Also hitting those variations will allow you to address any weak spots you may have and prevent you from overuse injuries. For me the biggest part of this concept is that I don't get bored. I did come from CrossFit after all. Variety will keep you engaged with your training. Rule 4: Variety will keep you coming back and progressing.

So out of those are all well and good but I would say rules 2 and 3 have the biggest impact. It's the basic stuff that will always work. Make your muscles bigger with hypertrophy work. Make those muscles stronger with heavier weights. Peak for a month then repeat the process.

Happy benching. Now go get freaking strong!

Talk soon,

Dan is a top 10 ranked amateur

strongman competitor in the 242lb and 275lb classes and a pro powerlifter in the RPS 275lb class. He holds instructor level ranks in Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He has been training people for strength and martial arts since 2004.

You can follow Dan on Instagram @RoninStr and @RoninStrApparel
For training and nutrition advice and tips email roni

The Barbell Gets Me

 

Normal people confide in their friends. Most folks have a close few people who "get" them. Sometimes I feel that I have people like that in my life. But as is the natural ebb and flow of life these people duck in and out of existence. They move away. They make a mistake and get cut from your life like a cancerous tumor. The people are many as are the reasons for transition. The one constant. The one thing in life that is always there, always consistent, is the weight of an empty barbell in your hands ready to be loaded up. Ready to work with you until it feels what you are going through. Ready to break you until you understand what is dragging you down or lifting you up. Like a quiet unjudging friend. Like a therapist who listens to you until you figure out the answers for yourself. There is no coddling, no disagreeing, no yes men. Just truth and struggle. While you are there with your friend, your confidant, your nemesis, the rest of the world is dim like a thunderstorm at dusk. Here you are safe from the trouble of work, relationships, and finances. Here you are paid in muscle. Your soul is fed by PRs. Your work, no matter how earth shattering  or disappointing, baths your body in the drunken cocktail of endorphins and adrenaline. There is no one who gets you like the barbell. 

Get to it. Your therapy is waiting.


Talk Soon

Dan Mason

 Dan is a nationally ranked amateur

strongman competitor in the 242lb

and 275lb classes. He holds instructor

level ranks in Taekwondo, Muay Thai,

and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He as been

training people for strength and martial

arts since 2004.

RoninSTR@gmail.com
Periscope: @RoninStr

Instagram: @RoninStr
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVA3x_kvPOFMsxouGjhYRnQ

Ode to the Erectors

Ah the juxtaposition that is the lower back and all of its glorious muscles and connective tissues. You stabilize my core until I break you. You lift monstrous weights until they bend you. You work and you toil. You hurt and you boil with the rage and pain my lack of glute work causes you. Thank you for picking up the slack. Thank you for teaching me the hard lesson that hamstrings matter. Maybe if you wouldn't let me lift such big weights it would be easy to fix my technique but you are always there for a heavy triple. Ah but never for a ten rep max. Singles are your joy and reps are your death. Strongman is my enemy and powerlifting my king. But alas I must slay may enemy and give the finger to my king. I will have no ruler but my enemies will rival the stars. Fix the movement or rely on pressing and fast feet....maybe a bit of both. Cheers to you my loyal and bellicose back. May you stay strong and stable and may I not end you.

Talk Soon

Dan Mason

 Dan is a nationally ranked amateur

strongman competitor in the 242lb

and 275lb classes. He holds instructor

level ranks in Taekwondo, Muay Thai,

and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He as been

training people for strength and martial

arts since 2004.

RoninSTR@gmail.com
Periscope: @RoninStr

Instagram: @RoninStr
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVA3x_kvPOFMsxouGjhYRnQ

You Are Not A Snowflake!

“You are not special. You're not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You're the same decaying organic matter as everything else. We're all part of the same compost heap. We are the all singing, all dancing crap of the world.” This is a quote from Fight Club. It's a bit dire. It doesn't make us feel warm fuzzies. We have been told for so long that we are unique in personality and natural gift. This may be true in those aspects of life, but when it comes to starting a workout plan when you are a beginner or intermediate you just aren't a damn snowflake. You don't need to pay someone $100 a month to program something specific for you. Go spend $19.99 and buy an ebook like 531, Strength Lab, 5x5 Stronglifts, The Cube Method, or any of the other multitudes of options out there. If you have only been lifting seriously for a few years you can follow any program (and actually follow it for 6 months) and get great results. For the casual lifter or the inexperienced one it's that easy. Once you are an advanced lifter you can start to become a unique snowflake of specialness, but not in the way you think. The uniqueness comes in the form of where your weaknesses are and how crappy your technique is. Even at this point your uniqueness is more about coaching movement patterns than about getting a whole special program out for you. At most you will get a corrective exercise or two to add in. Don't over think your program. If it has big compound movements in it as the main chunk then you are probably on the right track. If you are wanting to compete in a muscle or strength sport then having a coach is going to matter more. Scour the internet for what world record lifters trained like the first decade of serious lifting is pretty much like this: Lift weights, eat food, and lift heavier weights as time progresses, and more food. There's no crazy trick. It's just dedication and consistency. Oh crap .... I forgot I do online coaching and programming.....ignore this post. 

When to pay for online coaching/programming:

1. You want to compete.

2. You want accountability and have no friends.

3. You want to sound important by saying you have a personal coach doing things for you.

4. You want someone to blame other than yourself if you decide to not follow the plan and get poor results.

5. You want shout outs on social media (once again because you have no friends)

Talk Soon

Dan Mason

 Dan is a nationally ranked amateur

strongman competitor in the 242lb

and 275lb classes. He holds instructor

level ranks in Taekwondo, Muay Thai,

and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He as been

training people for strength and martial

arts since 2004.

RoninSTR@gmail.com
Periscope: @RoninStr

Instagram: @RoninStr
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVA3x_kvPOFMsxouGjhYRnQ

Why the Heck are You Wearing Flip Flops When You Train!?

Let me start by saying, if you aren't following me on Instagram this isn't going to make sense to you initially. So get your phone out and go follow @RoninStr right now....it's okay. I'll wait. So you checked out some of my training videos and got super inspired by my awesome quotes. If you didn't get motivated just say you did and make me feel better. Anyway, you may have noticed I do a lot of training in my flip flops at LA Fitness. There are a bunch of reasons for this so here goes.

1. I am lazy: I hate taking the time and effort it takes to put on socks and tie my shoes. There is also the hidden cost of the time it takes to wash your socks and fold them into those little balls.

2, I hate jail: I worked at one for 3 years so I can legitimately say I am not a fan from experience. Shoes are the inconspicuous little prisons you put on your feet. Just let them be free!

3. I am an attention whore: Everyone gives you crap when you walk out in flip flops but if you put up some semi-respectable weight while wearing them everyone wants to be your best buddy.

Alright now for some serious reasons that may actually give you some principles to kick ass in the gym, competition, and life.

4. It is harder to squat in flip flops. I used to squat in Weightlifting shoes. The raised heel improved my squat depth immediately due to the decreased range of motion needed in the ankles to reach proper depth. Add to that that flip flops offer no ankle stability unlike normal shoes or high top Chucks. Squatting in toe thongs has improved my squat in competition immeasurably.

5. It's harder to bench and log press. On bench the heel lift of an Weightlifting shoe will let you tuck your feet under further while still having heel contact on the floor. This results in a tighter body position, better leg drive, and a better arch. On log presses you have to stay way tighter through your mid-line to load your heals for the dip and drive/push press action.

6. Flip flops make your mental game stronger. You know that every lift is harder in them with exception of the deadlift. If you can squat 405lbs in flip flops with no belt what could you do in a belt and oly shoes?

I used to be a minimalist when I first started lifting. I never wore a belt, gloves or wrist wraps. It was just chalk and balls. As I got into lifting I started buying all kinds of fun gear: Knee sleeves, elbow sleeves, belts wraps. You name it and I had it or wanted it. I noticed my numbers were getting better but if I wasn't wearing my gear I was horrible. So I started dialing the gear back until I am where I am now, On a typical gym day I wear a shirt, gym shorts, and flip flops. I will put wrist wraps on when I bench and it starts to get over about 335lbs but that's pretty much it. This has forced me to go a bit lighter on lifts in general which in turn has made me improve my form in order to get more weight to move. Also when you are forced into correcting form and using lower weights the rate of injury goes way down. I am definitely better for going minimalist when training.

That being said when I compete I use every piece of gear that is allowed as it does make a huge difference. I will start incorporating whatever gear I will be using in competition about 3 weeks prior to the show. This way I get 2 weeks to get a feel for it and then a whole week of rest.

So give it a try. Just take one piece of equipment off that you are used to using for a month and see what happens. I promise your technique will get better and you will feel like more of a hard ass than you have in a while. All you need is chalk and balls.

Talk Soon

Dan Mason

 Dan is a nationally ranked amateur

strongman competitor in the 242lb

and 275lb classes. He holds instructor

level ranks in Taekwondo, Muay Thai,

and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He as been

training people for strength and martial

arts since 2004.

RoninSTR@gmail.com

Instagram: @RoninSTR
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVA3x_kvPOFMsxouGjhYRnQ