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Lets talk about True Strength. Not one-dimensional strength. Not strength
tricks that will fail you sooner or later when youre in competition and it really
matters. Were talking true, whole-hearted, down-to-throw-weight-at-any-time
strength. The same strength you saw in old school strongman competitors who
would compete in Highland Games, arm wrestling, MMA, and any other sport
they chose because their body and minds were trained to be successful in all
manners of athletic endeavors. As you read and implement these ideas Ive laid
out here I promise you one thing: You will grow in mind and body in the best way
that strength athletics can provide. If you plan on half-assing these techniques or
cutting corners then dont waste your time. Go back to curling in the squat rack
because if reflects poorly on me. This is a hardnosed, no B.S. approach that is not
easy, but most certainly worth it.
About Me
I grew up playing all types of sports - hockey, basketball, karate, track & field,
swimming, - and finally got into football in high school. I hit a big growth spurt in
the summer between sophomore and junior year. As soon as I got used to my
new GIGANTIC body, I became a terror on the field. By my senior year I had more
plaques and awards than I could count, including MVP, All-state, and second team
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I've also learned to make cardio fun. That's right, I said MAKE CARDIO FUN. Simply
put: Do whatever you can do to trick your mind into forgetting how much cardio
sucks. For example, in football we would all line up as a punt team and take turns
kicking, then collectively run down the ball. Even better, we would have the big
boys like me return kicks and practice our Barry Sanders moves. Nowadays what I
like to do is challenge someones cardio. Training partners, other competitors,
whoever is around. Even if they're obviously going to wreck me, I tell them I'm
going to kick their ass and try to keep my word. Competition creates intensity.
Know Yourself
Self-awareness and a solid mind-body connection take time to develop. It also
requires a great deal of focus and repetition that most people lack the discipline
to practice. It starts very simply; just pay attention while you're lifting as to how
your body is responding. When you were doing incline press did you feel it more
in your shoulders or your chest? Did the upper back work you put in hit the right
spot or did you mostly feel it in your biceps and forearms? Are you getting
better? Pay attention to what your body is telling you and then adjust. If you're
doing incline for shoulders and you're getting too much chest, sit up straighter.
No upper back improvement? Change the weight or switch up the exercise. Most
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people use too much weight and never really hit the muscle they want. I'll talk
more about that later.
Pay attention to pain as well. Don't use it as an excuse, but at the same time don't
pretend it doesnt exist. Pain is very often a signal that you are doing something
wrong, or just need to find a more efficient way to do the work. For example:
shoulder pain is very common; most of the time a simple tweak in your form
while pressing can fix it (we will touch on this again later). Elbow pain, knee pain,
back pain all can be helped, if not eliminated completely by proper form and
taking the time to rub the scar tissue out. Learn to roll and do soft tissue work.
Dont avoid it because its not hardcore. Get a two-dollar softball and use it to
torture yourself into relief. Be aware of tightness in your muscles and mind your
flexibility. Personally, if I don't take the time at least once a week to sit down and
stretch I can feel my back stiffen and my hamstrings and shoulders tighten up.
Find your rhythm, find your routine, and take care of your body. Oh, and DRINK
WATER!
Do It Right
Acquiring knowledge as a beginner to strength athletics wasn't tricky. I had great
people around me and I did what I was taught in football: I watched film. Granted,
most of what I watched now was on YouTube but the concept was the same. The
people around when I got started had and still have a genuine love of strength
athletics and were excited to help me learn. So, I would practice the movement
over and over again, not until I got it right, but until I couldn't get it wrong. Take
different lifts and break them into different parts to practice separately then put
them all back together. Forget about weights, or what everyone else is doing and
become fluid with the movements, and then youll have a strong foundation to
build on. You don't want to find ways to "trick" the weight up. It might feel good
for a moment to hit a PR like that but in the long run you're setting yourself up for
failure. Force yourself to use good form and simple strength methods to set
yourself on a path of long-term growth and success. You see it all the time some
guy talks about these big numbers he's hitting in the gym or even has a video of
him pulling some big lift out of his ass but put him on the stage where it matters
and he will shrivel up and hide. I remind myself and people I train all the time that
"you're not training to peak in the gym." This is why most of the time you spend
in the gym the weight you use is irrelevant. Of course, if you plan on lifting heavy
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for a competition or any other reason, you have to feel that kind of weight in
training. It's different on you mentally and physically and to go in unprepared for
that is stupid. However, there are many more options for planning intelligent
training beyond just lifting as heavy as you can all the time. Most of your training
can (and should) be done with less weight. You want to use the chosen muscle to
the best of its ability without recruiting others in the lift. This will help grow and
strengthen each muscle group to their full potential, ultimately making you
stronger in those lifts that you use everything you have, and more, to get done.
You can get a better workout curling 25 pound dumbbells with perfect form then
a guy using 70 pounds who's basically hang cleaning them for show. You have to
hit your clean reps and truly stretch the muscle out before contracting it to get
the full benefits of the exercise. Does this sound a lot like bodybuilding? It should,
because no matter how you slice it, the core of strength sports is building
muscle. Muscle makes you strong. You cant simply will a muscle into
performing. You have to break it down, over and over, and let it rebuild itself
bigger and stronger than before. Now, I will probably be the last one to put on
posing trunks and a roll-on tan, but Im not going to ignore proven methods for
gaining valuable muscle just because someone decided that certain types of
training are bodybuilding and others are for strength. Thats bullshit.
Like you, Ive spent hours and hours watching video of different exercises and
trying to discover how successful athletes train. I would watch EVERYTHING on
YouTube. I started with every single one of the World Strongest Man
competitions. If you want to get fired up about getting strong, watch some of the
World Strongest Man broadcasts from the 80s. From there, I would seek out
other, lesser-known competitions. I would watch three hour videos in a foreign
language just to soak up knowledge. I started studying different competitors
training videos. "I want to press like a beast," I thought. So, I'd look up
Poundstone and Big Z. I want to learn everything about the atlas stones. So I
watched Ortmeyer. These guys, these monsters of the sport, unknowingly taught
me how to compete.
It's important to film yourself too. You have to watch yourself to see where you
can improve. It sheds a new light on your training that's undeniable. It's also a
weird (but effective) way to get motivated and remind yourself to use proper
form. When you're lifting in front of a camera, you are constantly reminded that
you don't want to look like a jackass on film. As you make improvements they
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become the new standard as well, because you've recorded it. Once you do
something right you have to live up to that standard from that point on. You'll
learn that film doesn't lie. Some days you'll feel you did something perfect, and
then you watch the tape and realize it was far from where you want to be. Other
days it will be the opposite: You'll feel terrible about a lift and it'll look great. Our
bodies and minds can trick us but film never lies.
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Strength Staples
The undeniable truth about getting stronger is that its simple. That doesnt mean
its easy. There are relatively few things you need to do in order to turn yourself
into a monster. The key to making progress is focusing on these few things and
hammering at them day in, day out. As my friend Matt Vincent says, Train hard
for ten years. Then you get to be strong.
Your first goal is to lift heavy. Properly fatigue the muscles by using working
weight that is relatively heavy: 80% of your max or more.
o Use this weight in 3 to 5 sets.
o This is where you learn to lift, and you push your limits every session.
Take plenty of recovery time between sets. Heavy work requires at least a
minute of recovery, but usually more.
Do drop sets. After your work sets, lower the weight on the bar and do 2
sets at a much lighter weight you are extremely confident in.
o There is no rep count you're going for. The goal is to keep going until
you feel the pump, then do another 10 to 20 reps.
o Take plenty of rest time and repeat.
o This kind of lifting exhausts you, so its best to do it, at most, twice
per week: once for an upper body movement and once for a lower.
Pay attention to your accessories.
o You need strong arms: shoulders, biceps and triceps.
o Traps are critical to success.
o Upper back takes a ton of work to build.
o Hamstrings can be a weak link dont allow them to.
o Heavy lifting requires strong abs.
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Hit a set until failure, then rack and remove outermost plate.
Repeat.
When the bar is empty hit a few slow reps to stretch.
If you have enough in you to get two sets then have at it, Hoss!
These are called suicides by serious lifters around the globe. You will see
why when you finish them.
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With strength and size come stability and comfort. Guys with huge shoulders
don't tend to have shoulder problems. It's the same as other muscles; guys with
big biceps tend not to have biceps problems. With added mass and density, the
muscle protects itself, and with that comes comfort and confidence. There's
nothing like stepping up to a challenging press and having all the confidence in
the world.
Sample Shoulder Routine
Work Sets and Drop Sets
Seated military press 5x (8,5,3,2,2) build to around 90% of your 2 rep max
Drop down to 40-50% of final weight-20 reps
Take 3 minute rest
12-20 reps
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Biceps
When I first started out in strength Athletics I was told repeatedly that working
your biceps is a waste of time. It was considered something pretty boys do. The
other thing I noticed was guys were tearing biceps like it was going out of style
and they didn't want to get left out. The idiocy in those two extremely prevalent
truths boggled my mind. You need every muscle in your body to be prepared. It's
as simple as that. If you think you don't need strong calves then youre obviously
never been pulling a max deadlift and felt every muscle up and down your leg
seizing in defiance of their task or pulled a truck for that matter! Forearms? Look
at the best bench presser of all time, Eric Spoto's forearms and tell me you don't
need them. You use your biceps all the time in strongman and powerlifting. Most
of the time they are stabilizers but there's plenty of lifts where those muscles are
on the front lines taking the brunt of the attack that this sport can certainly dish
out. Basically don't be a jackass, prepare your body for success.
Sample Biceps Routine
Once per week I curl heavy:
46 at ~85% of max
13 at ~90-95%
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When I'm unable to do them I "cheat curl" because my tendons need to feel
the strain of the weight.
Then, twice a week I hit a quick "feather burn" I select a very low weight
and do 350.
o It needs to be light enough that all the way up to your 30th rep youre
thinking this is too light no need to push weight. Just pump blood
into the bicep until it feels like it's going to pop and pump some more.
This builds bigger muscles and helps repair them as well. It gets a ton
of fresh blood in the area and supplies all the oxygen and nutrients it
needs to thrive. Another great thing is there's no soreness the next
day. You'll feel great!
Strong Triceps
If I need to explain to you why
triceps are important, please
put this book down and slap
yourself repeatedly. Someone
from the Team Oberst staff
will be with you shortly to
assist in kicking your ass.
Think about when you win the
last round in Mortal Kombat,
and the game says "FINISH
HIM!" That's how you need to
look at your triceps. You've
earned a reward and now your triceps get to collect. They finish it. They need to
be made of steel! They need to scare women and children when you pull them
out. There's no worse feeling than getting a perfect rep to the "catching point"
where your triceps take over and you should be seconds away from glorious
destruction of everything around you and your fucking noodle arms give out in all
that work was for nothing. I see guys all the time that could be BEASTS if they just
worked their triceps.
Bench press needs to be utilized for triceps once a week. It doesn't have to be
heavy and it doesn't need to be more than an accessory lift but it needs to be
done.
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Bench Press
Bench press deserves to be a main course every once in a while for strongmen
and women and for the power lifters reading this I have no need to explain the
awesomeness of the almighty bench press. Like my brother from another mother
Mark Bell says "how much ya bench bro?" This is part of the holy Trinity of Lifting
(a combination of three lifts so alpha, they completely consume all power lifters.)
My routine has always seemed weird to power lifters, until recently the greatest
bench presser of all time, Eric's Spoto revealed that his routine is actually kind of
similar... maybe that's why my bench so damn good!
Start with your feet planted solid on the ground in a comfortable but solid
position trying to keep your knees lower than your hips.
Flex your back like youre trying to pinch the pad you are laying on with the
middle of your upper back.
Firmly grab the bar, slightly further apart than your shoulder length.
Be smart in choosing your weight. You only need to use maximal weight
sporadically. Building muscle density, strength and shape are all best addressed
with a weight youre comfortable with.
As you lower the weight to your chest keep your back flexed tight.
Squeeze with your hands and biceps to absorb the shock of the weight.
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Keep your elbows tight, squeezing the bar like youre trying to bend it,
(pushing your thumbs out and pinky in) and this will help keep your elbows
in the right place.
Aiming near the bottom of your rib cage.
Use full range of motion. Stopping short in bench leads to a rough road of
shoulder injuries in the future. Half reps or three quarter reps shorten the muscle
fibers range of motion which sooner or later will end in tearing.
The upward motion of the bar or press starts all the way down in your toes. Toes
push through the floor, keeping tension up through the knees and into your hips.
Youre lowering the weight and coiling up from the bottom like a spring.
Press up and toward your face ending with the bar over your nose
Bench press is NOT a straight up and down lift. Think of a track from your
nose to your lower rib cage and keep the bar on it. This keeps the shoulders
health and incorporates more chest in the exercise.
Youll want to push out your elbows the heavier in gets. Fight the urge and
protect your pecs and shoulder by maintaining good form.
There are tons of reasons to introduce new implements in your bench
training. Sore wrists can be combatted with wrist wraps and chains can add
an element of instability to the bar making your smaller stability muscles
work harder.
One or my favorite pieces of equipment when Im putting in work with my
bench is the Sling Shot. Available at howmuchyabench.net The Sling Shot
band helps keep your elbows tight while absorbing some of the weight and
protecting the shoulder. It also overloads the triceps like a close grip would
without risking injury to the wrists. You can use more weight than you
normally would and get your body use to it. Dont go into battle without
the right gear!
Sample Bench Routine
Barbell Bench
Build to a max set of 3.
Drop to 70% of that weight and do 1 set of 15
Drop to about 50% and do another set of 15
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During your accessory lifts pay attention to your upper back, triceps, and
shoulders.
Three of my favorite bench accessory lifts are skull crushers, assisted pull-ups, and
dumbbell rows.
Deadlift
Deadlift is one of the
purest forms of testing a
mans brute strength.
How much weight can
you pick up off the
ground? It sounds like
something caveman
would do to prove who
gets the largest piece of
pterodactyl meat for
dinner. Deads and I
havent always gotten
along. It's been in abusive
relationships to say the
least but for some reason I
always go crawling back
and tell everyone that
they only hurt me because they really love me. Sometimes I feel like a
strongman Tina Turner and deadlifts are my Ike. They promise fame and money
but for some reason they love kicking my ass.
I've developed my deadlift form and routine through trial and error. My first max
deadlifts was three years ago. I pulled 485 pounds and it was quite possibly the
ugliest pull in the long history of deadlifts. Now Ive pulled 880 pounds (400 kilos)
in a show and while it wasn't perfect it was much better than the original 485!
The last thing I learned will be the first thing I explain to you: You don't have to be
comfortable in your starting position; you need to be comfortable with being
uncomfortable. For a while I really widened my feet to get comfortable at the
bottom of my pull and that put me in a terrible position. You need to be compact
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Squat
Find a comfortable place to put the bar. Forget all of the high bar vs. low
bar garbage and just get under it and see what feels good.
While holding tight to the bar, push elbows slightly forward and puff up
your chest. This will help keep good posture
Some people like their toes forward, some like them slightly angle out. No
matter what, remember KNEES GO TO TOES! As you descend make sure
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your knees stay over your toes to avoid degenerative knee problems and
serious injuries
Descend slowly and with control, traveling down into the hole is part of the
exercise. Don't trick yourself into believing it's merely a catalyst for the rise
back up
Drop your butt not your chest. The heavier the attempt the harder this is so
force this with lighter weights to help build a habit. Loosening your hips by
stretching is also helpful, but don't stretch too much right before you squat,
being too loose can cause injuries
Sitting in the hole for a few seconds (pause squat) can really help with all
these form tips. It's a very humbling exercise for us all, and a quick and
brutal teacher.
Always squat below parallel (unless doing high box squats.) You practice
how you want to perform. Don't expect to cheat reps then be strong out of
the hole when you need it
On the descent push your toes and front of your feet outward and slightly
down (like you are screwing your heels into the ground.) The outward
motion helps keep your knees in place and the downward motion helps
keep your feet/shoes from actually slipping too much on the floor
The upward motion starts explosively from the floor up. (Feet to
shins/calves to quads/hamstrings to hips to chest to elbows)
Feet explode like you're jumping up into the air but keeping your good
form
Shins and calves flex hard seizing the momentum
Quads and hamstrings squeeze hard from the top of the knee all the way
up to your hips and glutes
Hips fire forward as soon as possible while keeping them open (by
keeping knees out)
Chest concentrate on keeping your chest up the whole time. It sounds
funny but my coach use to tell me "nipples forward."
Elbows keep fighting to keep them slightly forward, that helps with the
chest and in turn everything else
You get many varying opinions on what you should do with your eyes while
squatting. In my case I like to keep it neutral line of sight straightforward at the
start and stay at that point through the whole motion. So while I'm descending
my head and eyes are raising in a while I come up it lowers with the motion. Try a
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few different styles out while getting good at lightweight pause squats and do
what you feel keeps you in the best position.
Sample Squat Routine
Warm up slow. Take your time getting deep and feeling a good stretch
Work up to the first working set at 70% of max
3x3 @ 70%
2x2 @80-85%
Then drop down to 40-50% and get 10-15 reps. Be deliberate and in control
of the weight.
I usually move onto single leg press afterwards
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Firm grip
High chest
Flat black (as flat as possible)
Feel on each side and extend with back
Elbows out
Extend hips forward
Flex traps and upper back
Bend knees and use them to push weight
forward to put it on the platform
Use of platform is optional
o Power Stairs- 5 sets of 5 reps
(Use minimal rest between sets)
Keg Toss
Grab at handle
Legs slightly further than shoulders width
Swing low and as deep as possible without making contact between
implement and floor
Chest up
Slight bend at knees
Explode upward using legs, back, and arms all in one motion
Straighten arms on way up
Release up and back at highest point
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Yoke
Feet no wider then shoulder length apart- using short, quick steps to avoid
wobbling and keep balance
Chest up
Cross bar placed on back where you would place squat bar
Push up with thighs
If arms are long enough, press out on the up right bars, flexing back
Keep firm and sold throughout
Take small steps to start
Heel to toe
As picking up speed, stay even and balanced
Sample Yoke Routine
1 light set of 25 feet
2 sets of 50% max for 50 feet
1 set of 70% max for 100 feet (as fast as possible)
Tire Flip
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I want to thank you for reading my manual. Trusting me to help build your
knowledge and strength is not an honor that is lost on me. Thank you to all my
fans! Team Oberst is strong and growing every day. Together we can change
the world! To my family I love you; your support has made me who I am today.
My wife, my greatest friend, and the truest partner thank you for believing in
me before it was popular.
Make sure you check out my website www.teamoberst.com for updates on
appearances and upcoming events. If you have any interest in personal online
programming created, by me, for you and your goals you can contact me at
teamoberst@gmail.com
"If you want the ultimate, you have to be willing to pay the ultimate price. It's
not tragic to die doing what you love."
Patrick Swayze, Point Break
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