Category Archives: Training

The Prowler

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Note: The Prowler is not code for being a stalker.

We recorded a video talking about The Prowler sled from Elite FTS. I don’t really remember what we said about it in the video, but if I recorded the video now, I’d say that it is the PREMIER conditioning tool for the strength athlete.

The more I think about how to use The Prowler, the more I’m impressed. You can literally attack any part of the energy systems continuum by varying the weight and work/rest ratio. Put a medium amount of weight on, and do sprint repeats. Put a light amount of weight on and push it a long distance. Put a whole lot of weight on and push it a short distance. Vary the speed in all of those examples. And I’m not even scratching the surface.

The thing is versatile is hell, and now I have people using it on a regular basis. Kyle, a 15 year old weightlifter that I coach, gave some good insight after using The Prowler for the first time; “They should take people in prison and duct tape their hands to the prowler then release rabid dogs to chase them.” Crime rates would plummet since The Prowler is definitely an ass kicker. Navigating through the intricacies of digital legal challenges requires not only technical understanding but also legal acumen. By working with an attorney who specializes in addressing accusations of online misconduct and digital intrusion, you can ensure that your rights are fully protected. These legal experts are adept at dissecting complex cases where the virtual and real worlds collide. Their guidance is crucial in these often misunderstood areas of law.

Rip bought the Econo Prowler, which is a less expensive version of the original Prowler. You can read about it, see some videos, and see a review here. Again, I’ve never met anybody from Elite FTS, and nobody asks me to endorse anything (c’mon, this audience isn’t that big), but if I were going to have another tool in addition to a bar, plates, and rack, this would be it.

The Prowler from 70s Big on Vimeo.

If you own a Prowler or have used one, tell your stories in the comments.

Demonic Drivel Dynamically Defies Dudes

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“He’s fading. He needs Elvish medicine.”

You’re training hard, right? You go in the gym or garage, do stuff that is hard, and you feel better about yourself. Some times, you may not feel a little tired, but you think, “Man, I don’t want Mark Rippetoe or any of my friends on 70’s Big to call me a pussy, so I’ll train (choo choo) anyway.” And that’s how it goes.

Well, proceed with caution, my friends. Eventually that tired feeling may be a bit more than the “I’m sleepy blues”. You may actually have HIV, or some derivative thereof. Okay, maybe a little less severe, but you may be legitimately sick, and training may even exacerbate your condition.

The other day I had a PR on a sloppy snatch day (that never gets old). I got 127.5, and proceeded to miss 130 three times even though I racked it overhead each time. Later, I was pinned by a 155 kilo clean and was baffled (I’ve done 165 and front squatted 170 for a few triples after training the week before Christmas). Well, turns out I was in the beginning stages of having what I am convinced is some horrific ancient ailment, one that only Elvish medicine can cure. Saturday evening I was on my deathbed for 18 hours with a fever from hell, chills, and had aches and pains that were analogous to getting my ass kicked by fourteen hoodlums that looked like Doug Young.

There were a few hours on Saturday where I felt like I could actually train, but I didn’t because I was busy coaching. Had I done so, it probably would have left me worse off than I eventually was on Saturday evening. Furthermore, I thought I was just having a shitty training session on Thursday, but it was actually the development of the devilish disease that dawned demonically with dastardly defiance.

You will learn through time what the difference is between a sniveling cold that you can train through and dark magic. Accept the fact that you may not know this difference right now, and take caution when you feel a bit under the weather. If you suspect that training will make your condition worse, you have my permission to take the day off. Be careful out there…the world can be a dangerous place.

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Do you guys remember that picture of Yosh, the dude who deadlifted 480 at a body weight of 165? Well he weighs 182 now. Partly because he ate 8 McDoubles at once. Jesus, I know. It was 3,120 calories and 176 grams of protein. Nice job, Yosh. You set the bar.

It would have been better if he wrote that in with a marker

8 McDoubles


Merry Christmas

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Merry Christmas

Edit: Today is PR Friday too. Weight lifted, body weight gained, food eaten, etc. Post a PR to the comments.

Yesterday I mentioned a program that is a nice combination of barbell training and conditioning (there was not an emphasis on explaining the conditioning, but I digress). Today I want to highlight a very basic novice program that will not only help a novice to increase their strength, but their performance in the Olympic lifts as well. It looks like this:

Monday — Clean and jerk (heavy), Snatch (light)
Tuesday — Squat, Press, Chin-ups
Wednesday — OFF
Thursday — Snatch (heavy), Clean and Jerk (light)
Friday — Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift

The basic idea is that the Olympic lifts are done before the strength workouts so that there is not fatigue for the Olympic lifts. I like to put clean and jerks at the beginning of the week because after having the weekend to rest, the novice lifter should be able to consistently drive the weight up on this lift. The deadlift is done at the very end of the week because I do not want it to interfere with any of the Olympic lifting done earlier in the week.

The key here is that this is a novice program. It will not work for someone who has a more advanced state of adaptation because the days start to interfere with each other (for example, the pressing done on Tuesday will interfere with Thursday’s snatch workout). This set up works well with trainees who are learning the Olympic lifts as well as younger athletes who are still able to adapt to stress on a daily basis. If you guys remember the video of Bryan squatting 495x5x3 (and he has since done 505x5x3), he is on this particular program along with having two minor league practice sessions a week. A trainee will not be able to handle this workout for very long because eventually the stress will become to high to recover from.

Keep that in mind, because this will only work with certain people. We have been tinkering with it at the WFAC for about five months, and this should allow the novice to learn the lifts, and increase everything on a weekly basis. Certain days will require one of the Olympic lifts to be done light, and this should be taken seriously. Ten singles in the clean and jerk done every two minutes or 15 singles in the snatch done every minute would work well for the light workout. The key is to consistently practice good technique and the weight lifted is totally irrelevant. The slow lifts can be increased in a similar manner to the linear progression. Again, this is all dependent on the individual, so use your brain, or hopefully your coach uses his.

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments. If some of this post does not make sense, it is because I have been playing pool and drinking for a few hours in my mom’s basement. Sue me.

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And here is an impromptu Merry Christmas from a few of us fellows at the WFAC dicking around:

Notice AC’s laugh at the end.

Making Conversions

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“And how did I know what to say? (whispering) The words were written down for me in a script.”

Some of you may remember an article I posted around August of this year that was a combination of barbell training and general physical preparedness. I’ve decided not to post the original article because some of the terminology is not entirely accurate and it needs updating. However, the basic outline of the program included strength workouts on Monday and Thursday and conditioning workouts on Tuesday and Friday. It is designed for a novice who for some reason opts not to gain strength as quickly and wants to improve their conditioning (useful for folks in the military).

Monday — Squat, Press, Power Clean
Tuesday — Chin-ups, Conditioning
Wednesday — OFF
Thursday — Squat, Bench, Deadlift
Friday — Conditioning

This program can be considered the gateway from a conditioning-only exercise regime to a what more closely resembles a training program. Taking people who do not strength train and having them squat, press, and pull twice a week is incredibly important. For sports that require a conditioning base, this program would be useful, but it isn’t optimal for the general strength trainee. If we want to grow adult males and make people stronger, then they may need to be eased into a program like this. Conversions to useful training may not be automatic. More conversions means more strong people which means more defense against the inevitable zombie outbreak. Inevitable.

I mention this program because it is the basis for the novice Olympic weightlifting program we have been tinkering around with at the WFAC. There have been some questions about it, so we will talk about it tomorrow. Enjoy your Christmas Eve.

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We also have a collection of really dorky videos ready for the site.

70’s Big: Short discussion on what’s to come . . . from 70s Big on Vimeo.

Training Partners

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Not the same thing is bromance

There are a lot of factors that dictate how well a training session can go: how rested you are, how much food has recently been eaten, how much coffee has been consumed, general stress levels, injuries or soreness, atmosphere or environment, attitude, and mood. One very underrated aspect to help improve some of those areas is a good training partner.

A good training partner is someone you get along with well, can help motivate you, critique you, and someone that genuinely cares about your success. The best partners meet all these qualities, and you do the same for them.

Some of the WFAC crew (R to L): Chris, Sammerr, Brian, and Justin

Some of the WFAC crew (R to L): Chris, Sammerr, Brian, and Justin



My training partner is one of my best friends, Chris. When I met him earlier this year, we got along pretty well right away. We like to joke around a lot in between sets, and this developed the concept that is 70’s Big. When we lifted, we were gettin’ 70’s Big. When we were eating, we were gettin’ 70’s Big.

Chris has gotten pretty damn strong in the time that I’ve known him. He has deadlifted 545 for five, pulled 600 and 625 for singles in the gym, and squatted 500 for a triple last Friday (video of this training session is forthcoming). He loves to deadlift, and whenever he is about to pull, I literally get goosebumps — and I’m only watching. Some of the most fun I’ve had in recent memory happened in the gym with this big galoot (he’s 6’, 265).

Fun is a keyword. Sometimes training can be hard — real fucking hard. So, having a break from the high stress of attempting heavy lifting can be a luxury. Chris and I can go from joking around to psyched up pretty quickly — I have an uncanny (almost stupid) ability to get my adrenaline up (more on this another time). Having a good friend, especially one who is real damn strong, makes training more fun than it already is.

Realistically all this rubbish is an excuse to play the following video. The camera was left on in a candid moment. The training partner topic was the only one that fit to let me post the video, otherwise it would be stuck on the cutting room floor. Note: Unless your name is AC, you may not find this amusing.

Anybody have any stories about good training partners? Bad ones?
How many of you actually have training partners?

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Drew from Alpharetta, GA sent me this picture of him deadlifting. Drew is 5’6″ and 170 lbs., up from 155 three months ago. In the photo he is pulling 380 for a set of five and has since done 400 for a triple. Drew is one of many people who formerly only did CrossFit and now training for general strength and power development.

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