Remember the other day when I was bitching about how the actors in Thor and Conan could be bigger? Well, then Paul S. sent me some information on Urbank and things got real. Real real.

Turns out Vince is a big mother trucker, and he kinda looks like the little dude who played Thor.
(By the way, the average guy in Australia is smaller and weaker than in America. Strength training is less popular there than it is here, and endurance training is what is en vogue. I’m not really a big guy and I stood out in most places. That must be why the media got all excited when Chris Hemsworth gained a couple of kilos to not be such a girly man. I’ll never understood why they cast him in the first place.)
What I’m trying to say is that Urbank should have been Thor, because a 7 foot tall muscular 300 pounder is definitely what I imagine when I think Mjölnir.

Urbank is a strongman competitor who just received his pro card in the American Strongman Corporation. The former Marine trains powerlifting-style and doing extremely well:


Here’s a video of him doing a strongman comp and another ripping a phone book in half. I’ve been told he’s 23 years old (although I haven’t seen that officially), is in PT school, and aims to continuously improve in strongman. Hopefully we’ll see him at the big show some day. Click here for an interview with Vince.



Update: Vince is competing in the America’s Strongest Man competition in the ASC this weekend (Kevin Nee will be there). Good luck, Vince.
He’s sort of agreed to an interview after this competition, so post your questions for him in the comments.

…train your back(side).

The famous IronMind poster is more than just an end-goal. It signifies the process of successful lifting. The back can collectively start at the upper traps which flow down into the spine of the scapula (the sideways ridge on your shoulder blade). The middle and lower traps (attaching all the way down to the last thoracic vertebrae) flow up and attach along that same position as well. Then, the rhomboids hold the medial (inside) border of the scapulae to the spine. The rear deltoids could be considered part of the back as well, and they attach along the spine of the scapula over the important external shoulder rotators (which are primarily located along different aspects of the scapula). However, it’s the middle/lower traps, lats (which attach anywhere from the iliac crest — rear hip area — to the mid thoracic area and funnel into an insertion on the medial aspect of the proximal humerus, or upper arm bone), and erector spinae muscles (i.e. spinal erectors) that attach along the vertebral column.

What It All Does
That collection of musculature has the primary of function of holding the trunk in proper alignment and posture during lifting. The upper back muscles maintain good thoracic extension during squatting, pressing, and deadlifting and they hold the scapulae together and maintain shoulder position on the bench. The lower back muscles hold the pelvis in place to allow for a stretch on the hamstrings during squats (specifically the low bar variation), deadlifts, RDLs, rack pulls, and other pulling movements. The back and hamstrings are so finely integrated that many movements train both at the same time. However, this area of the body is largely neglected because it can’t be seen easily in the mirror.

Training Inclusion
Most training sessions, especially for less experienced lifters, should include a squat, a press, and a pulling movement. If you are worry about your back and hamstring strength or development, then it’s already too late. This should be the proudest area of your body as it will set you apart from others, balance your physique, and so effectively contribute to your lifting that most of everything else will improve along with the front of your physique. If you don’t currently include RDLs or a horizontal rowing movement, sprinkle them in your training week (this advice applies to any general strength trainee as well as powerlifters that aren’t tapering for a meet).

Other Indicators of Back/Hamstring Weakness
Some glaring indicators of requiring improved strength and musculature in the back and hamstrings include, but are not limited to dropping the chest in any movement, the torso tipping forward out of the bottom of a squat or at the start of a deadlift, a weak second pull in the Olympic lifts, and the knees scooping forward under the bar on heavy deadlift lockouts. While you may be able to get by with these inefficient mechanics, sooner or later you will reach a point that is too limited by your lack of back or hamstring strength that it must be addressed before progress can continue.

Short on time?
Lastly, if you are ever limited in your training time then make an effort to train your back, even if you neglect squatting. The back and hamstrings sometimes are so limiting for some trainees that accumulated work is necessary over time to develop them to improve the foundation lifts (squat, press, bench, and deadlift). Using RDLs as opposed to squats or deadlifts will be a good substitute when feeling overtrained, coming back from sickness, or easing back into training after a rough travel or work schedule. Furthermore, by getting the upper back musculature stronger and thicker, all upper body movements are reinforced and subsequently strengthened.

Making the upper back and hamstrings strong doesn’t have to be a soul draining experience. Lifts that improve these areas are easy to add into existing programs and might even need to maintain priority on those constrained training sessions. Rest assured, if you’re already doubting the strength or size of your backside, then you’re already in a deficiency — but it’s never too late to start.

Here are some more videos from the Australia trip that have nothing to do with building an impressive back.
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I met some pole dancers in Australia and they were both muscular and toned despite not lifting (I know Johnston is proud). I’ve mentioned before that most women can garner a healthy physique by eating a non-vegetarian diet with plenty of meat (insinuating the animal kind here, boys). Such is the case with the pole dancers I met; by doing plenty of pulling movements their backs and bodies were developed and toned. Not only is this true, it’s just an excuse for you guys to watch pole dancing. You’re welcome.

I didn’t want to spend time looking for a vid, so here’s footage of the 2011 Australian Pole Dancing Championship. Uh, if you work in a church, you probably don’t want to open this right now.


Regardless of your opinion on pole dancers or strippers, the pole work is impressive. It’s a non-boring version of gymnastics.

Here are some other videos from Australia. This one is footage from the nature park.


This one is me making fun of Tom because he can’t scramble eggs.


In this one from Shire Speed and Strength, Tom squats 150kg for a triple, I snatch 120 and 130 (I missed 130 at first, I thought it was 125 because I’m an idiot), and there’s some vid of Blake (who is playing football at Hawaii now) jerking 160).