I’m still trying to finish my work up on “FIT”, so here are some interesting Q&A’s from recent comments interspersed with some videos.

Question about alternating deadlifts and rack pulls on a TM, and then my response about active deloading in this specific scenario.
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Ron Viking says:
Question for anyone with experience:

I am going to start alternating deadlifts with rack pulls, and I was wondering how much heavier people typically start with rack pulls.

I pulled 190×5 two Fridays ago, and 195×4 last Friday. I was thinking somewhere around 210 for rack pulls? I will feel it out as I warm-up/acclimate, but I was just curious to hear others’ advice and experience.

And I will be pulling from below the patella. Thanks.

I assume you’re using kilos. If you’re going to do the rack pulls below the knee, and do them correctly, then you’ll find it difficult to do them much higher than where your dead is at, especially when you start.

As for your program, altering DLs and rack pulls every week will stop progressing pretty quickly. It’d be better if you treated your DLs with an active deload if the rack pulls were something that you were set on doing (probably to improve your lockout, if I had to assume).

–Justin

Ron Viking says:
Thanks for the reply, Justin.

Yes, those numbers were kilos. And as far as programming goes, I have been using a TM setup with Squat/Bench or Press/Deadlift on intensity day.

How frequently would you suggest utilizing an active deload, and with what protocol? Something like a triple with my last successful set of 5? Thanks.

I would have you squat every intensity day. I would cycle your deadlift stuff. But I’m just a guy who wrote an e-book on it. (EDIT: He is squatting every intensity day.)

The active deload concept would have you use a movement with a mechanical disadvantage with respect to the original lift. In the case of the deadlift, I’d probably tell you to just pull it with a regular double overhand hook grip instead of alternating your grip, using a hook, or using straps. Obviously you can’t lift as much with a double overhand grip, and the lighter load and fewer reps will be less than had you used the alternate/hook/straps. This would allow you to still deadlift (as opposed to doing something that is drastically different), and provide the “deload” so you can still push heavy on the rack pulls (in this example you would alternate the overhand deadlift and rack pulls every week). This would be exceptionally useful if you were powerlifting, but I don’t know your goals.

–Justin

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Question on Linearly Progressing Weighted Chins
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rknaughton asks:
“You can’t linearly progress weighted chins.”

True, in my experience. But I don’t understand *why* this is true, and I’m perplexed on that point. Justin (or anyone else), could you say a bit about *why* linear progression doesn’t work here? Just curious. Thanks.

Did I say that? If I did, it was because you can’t do them on a daily basis and recover. That’s a stress that is “more than body weight” on a small (relatively speaking) amount of musculature. The structures (in this case tendons and muscles) would not be able to recover on a daily basis. You can linearly progress them in that they can have weight added to them every session, but that will only be once or twice a week (and will look linear over time).

Did that help? (EDIT: It did.)

–Justin

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I thought that this video by Epic Meal Time was funny, but more so because of the response it got.
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The Epic Meal Time gang went out to Montreal, got drunk, and ate a bunch of food while acting rowdy. It was directly funny and satirically funny, and a bunch of people got butt hurt about it. At the time of me writing this, there are over 37,000 dislikes on the video. Others said the were unsubscribing. I made this comment on the video:

“I think all of these poons who are upset about this video are hilarious. You were okay with the guys spending hundreds of dollars and getting drunk at home, but when they do it in the city, you’re upset? Grow up.”

Someone has since replied to me saying they “appear more arrogant here”. This is a case of the missing sense of humor. Someone call the Hardly Boys. This is also the case of “too dense for satire”. Jonathan Swift — who had huge balls (a testament to his boldness, not his scrote) — would roll over in his fucking grave. One of my pet peeves are people not having a sense of humor and then thinking that anyone gives a shit about them not having a sense of humor. If you don’t like them anymore based on one video, who cares? Just fucking unsubscribe and don’t look at it anymore.

If you are a fan of the 70’s Big Facebook Page, then you will have already seen this announcement. I’ve been working on a project with Dr. Lon Kilgore and Dr. Michael Hartman. It’s a general fitness book called “FIT” and is a guide to make you exactly that. The book dives into quality chapters on the quantified parameters of fitness: strength, endurance, and mobility. Here’s a teaser, and stay tuned for more as we near the August release date:

Click to enlarge

Edit: I just want to point out that even if you aren’t a “fitness trainee”, this book is chock full of quality information, even if you’re merely a strength trainee who wants to add in conditioning. The strength and endurance chapters alone are worth the money and could be books by themselves. Then we take the concepts of strength, endurance, and mobility and tie them all together and teach how they should be structured and programmed. Feel free to ask questions and stay tuned for excerpts and features.

This is a video of Glenn Pendlay cleaning 170 quite a few years ago. I think it’d be cool to see more of these converted home videos. I think this might be the old WFAC location?


This is a sweet video of Dmitry Klokov clean and jerking 242 in training. With a head band. And spandex. And a tank-top. And beast mode. As he walked away I’m pretty sure he said, “Bitches ain’t shit.”


May as well show you this other Klokov vid to keep this “sweet music” theme alive. He almost snatches 214kg off of blocks. Almost.


I’m off to write. Feel free to chat about these topics, or whatever in the comments. I’ll chime in periodically.

This past weekend I went to Toronto, Canada to do a Workshop Weekend that consists of a lifting workshop on Saturday and a programming workshop on Sunday. It was my first time in Canada since stepping over the line at Niagra Falls when I was ten (do they still let you do that? or do you need a passport?), and it was excellent. I was hosted by two stellar dudes, Chris and Paul — thanks again to both of you guys and I hope we get to hang soon without a workshop getting in the way. They live outside of Toronto in a small town area that reminds me of rural Pennsylvania. The weather was beautiful; around 80 degrees (F), no humidity, and a cool breeze.

The workshop itself was good fun, Canadians have a pleasant disposition. I even noticed that I started emulating their tone in talking, specifically the upward inflection at the end of sentences. Contrary to the American belief, Canadians don’t say, “Eh?” all the time, but they do defecate in inappropriate places when challenged.

I hope the attendees walked away from each day confident in what they need to do to lift or program well. Two attendees who were only signed up for the Saturday portion were allegedly impressed enough to sign up for Sunday’s as well. You guys can e-mail me any time with questions as well as videos of your technique (preferably from a front or rear 45 degree angle). Stay in touch either on the site, Facebook, or e-mail. Remember the one or two cues you have on each lift! Work those rehab exercises in, Sandy and Adam. Make sure your chest is up, Silen. Good luck at your meet, Rowan, and keep doing that anterior shoulder mobility. Kyle, make sure your knees are out in your deadlift set up. Blake, reinforce that leaning over to avoid being to upright in the squat, and don’t get in a hurry with your reps. Paul, stop being so handsome. Mike, be smooth of the floor in your pull (along with that other proper set up stuff). James, your squat/pull were much better when you corrected those fundamentals like stance and chest up. I could go on, but hopefully you guys wrote down what you need for each lift. Also keep in mind all of the tools you have to administer a proper dose of stress to get an appropriate adaptation based on your current adaptation.

I actually don’t have any pictures whatsoever of this weekend; I was just too busy. I also wanted to get some video of the lifting transformations, but I misplaced the SD card for my camera. It’s disappointing, because I wanted a pic with my Canadian homies Chris and Paul (their biceps and behavior when drinking exceeded expectations). Thanks again to both of you guys, especially Chris and Melissa for letting a filthy American rest at your domicile. Paul, tell Sharon that Melissa totally ran off with the cab driver after Chris passed out.

All in all, I was impressed with Canada. It was a sport.

Since I don’t have any pictures, here’s a place that I want to visit in Canada.

Lake Louise

I asked the 70’s Big Facebook Fan Page folks to ask some questions for a podcast (the thread started on June 2). This is a solo podcast I did answering both good and horrible questions. Enjoy.


LINK(right click and “save target as”)
46:16 long. iTunes feed is all ganked up, but I’m working on it.

Oh, and Happy PR Friday. Training updates, PR’s, whatever. I don’t really care. Oh, and this post needs a random picture:

The Tight Tan Slacks of Dezbo Ban is a fantastic website that is full of legendary stories and articles from over half a century ago. THIS article on Marvin Eder is very interesting several reasons.



Mark Eder and the Canadian Colossus Doug Hepburn were having a legit face off, a showing of strength on muscle beach. THIS WAS FOR ALL THE MARBLES

The action heated up when the bar reached 420. Juliano dropped out, but that was no disgrace for a 17-year old superman. Eder, not much older at 19, blasted out two reps with 420. Hepburn also rammed up the 420. Eder then did 430 pounds in strict style – thereby setting a new, albeit unofficial, world record. Hepburn lifted the same poundage and announced the fact that he was just warming up. he then benched 440, but his form was so rough Marvin said, “Nice lift, Doug. You must have lost two inches off your chest the way the bar bounced off your pecs.” Everybody in the large crowd surrounding the workout area laughed. Except Doug.

I bet Doug was pissed, but did he start a fight? Did he break a bottle over his head and try and stab Eder with the pieces?

Hepburn, who set a world record in the military press at the National Weightlifting Championships a few days later, went into his strongman prop bag and brought out a thick leather belt, with which he strapped two 45-pound plates together. He lifted the plates overhead with his left hand, then lowered them until his arm was parallel to the ground. It was known as the one-arm holdout. He held the weights in the muscled-out position for five seconds. The crowd gasped and applauded. They went wild when Eder duplicated the feat – and held the plates out for 10 seconds.

Ah, the strong men of lore. So impressive — yet Eder is obnoxiously impressive. Read the article, because I won’t be able to cover it all.

Muscle photographer Art Zeller remembered seeing Marvin Eder hold his arms out while a 150-pound hand-balancer named Maurice Maruitz put his hands on Eder’s wrists s though they were parallel bars, leapt up, and went into a handstand. “Eder just stood there like a rock, without quivering at all. He looked like he could have stood there all day,” Zeller said.

As for his top end strength:

Eder’s feats of strength include a 515-pound bench press, squatting 550-pounds for 10 deep reps, 12 one-arm chins and a 365-pound overhead press. At the 1951 Pan-American Games tryouts, he surpassed the world record in the press with 337 at a bodyweight of 192, but the AAU refused to let him compete.

And lastly, as a 67 year old (in 1999), Eder was still training and looking solid:

Today (1999), at age 67, Marvin can still do 100 dips anytime, and more amazing, 90 chinups. I saw him last year at the Oldetime Barbell & Strongmen’s annual dinner. H told me that his three-times-a-week workout consists of five sets of chins for 50 reps, five sets of dips for 50 reps and 550 alternate jumping lunge squats. He still weighs 197 pounds and looks sensational.

That’s so awesome. Eder is now one of my strength idols.