Diesel Crew - Muscle Building, Athletic Development, Strength Training

Pay It Forward

Jim Smith — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:07:13 +0000

I was thinking the other night about how really lucky I am.

I know, I know, I’m getting soft in my old age. Well, I’ve got a little secret for you. I’ve always been just a big softy. Despite how dynamic, agile and cool I might seem (that is sarcasm ).

Something you might not know about me is that I grew up on a farm and never really had anything. I worked hard everyday and got up early to feed horses, cows, chickens and a host of other animals before school. During the summer I had three jobs and always wanted what the other kids had.

But I always seemed not to be able to get it. It wasn’t really the material things, it was really the feeling of fitting in.

As I look back at that skinny kid always working real hard at school and trying to fit in, I just smile. Because I know why, even today, I work my ass off for everything I have.

In fact, you guys might not know this but it is pretty common for me to be up to midnight or even 1am working on video editing, blog posts, articles and everything else.

At this point in my life I wanted to reflect on how really, truly lucky I am. I have an amazing wife, beautiful kids and awesome friends.

“Good things come to those who wait!” – NO! Good things come to those who work their ass off everyday and relentlessly drive toward their goals with a purpose and desire that no one can deter. That is how I feel. I would not have gotten to where I am without this work ethic.

I hope that if there is something you want or a goal you have, you are working hard to achieve it because I know it is possible. I am living proof of it because I literally started with nothing.

What brought about this reflection? Well this month (I didn’t realize it until yesterday) I am in 3 major fitness publications.

Men’s Fitness
Muscle and Fitness
Inside Fitness Magazine

Has this ever happened before? A fitness author being published in 3 separate publications in the same month? The perfect storm!

I am so excited about the features and am humbled beyond words.

So, now you benefit! But there is a price to pay!

I am giving away 10 copies of my new DVD, not even on the market yet!

Why? Because I want to give back to you for all of your great support over the years.

But what is the price to pay, what do you have to do?

You Have To Pay It Forward.

I want you to go to your email right now and send 10 of your friends, family or anyone else you haven’t spoken to in a while or someone who has influenced your life, a note.

I want you to tell them:

How much they mean to you
How much they’ve helped you
Or tell them about that one time they influenced you to be better
Tell them why they are important to you.

At the bottom of this email, ask them to tell 10 of their friends, family or influences.

The first 10 people who do this and post a comment to this blog post will get a copy of my new DVD.

This is the honor system, so no cheating. If you post 5 minutes after the post is created I know you cheated. This will take some time and be honest. Don’t lie to get a free DVD. Be a man, do it for real and do it the right way.

Also, if you DON’T make the TOP 10, please send the 10 emails anyway. You know how good it feels when you get an email from someone thanking you, selflessly, for something you did for them. Give someone else that feeling!

Thank you all for all of your years of support.

Smitty

PS. If you want to know what I wrote about in the magazines, it was all built on the principles of AMD, the only complete muscle building system.

PPS. Here’s another cool training DVD I’ve sold to hundreds of coaches, athletes and strength enthusiasts all over the world – Combat Core DVD

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Cool Video – Important Lessons

Jim Smith — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:43:18 +0000

I don’t usually comment on videos for many reasons (everyone thinks their opinion is so important for others to hear haha). When in fact, no one cares.

But sometimes I can’t help myself. Because sometimes videos move me. They validate many of my own opinions and I truly appreciate originality. Something that has been lost in the fitness industry.

I mean tons of people have stolen my stuff. Should I be flattered or enraged? Or should I put my head down and continue to put out solid content focusing on trying to help as many people as I can?

I chose the latter.

So what is in this video?

As you watch it, you will see many important training as it applies to athletics.

Let’s review.

Top 6 Key Athletic Strength Training Tips

As seen in the San Diego State Football Training Video

Tip 1

Be Chaotic – in the video you see the training where the players were pulling against each other with a tire in between them. Watch that part again. Do you see the articulations of every joint? Ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, etc… Do you get that same absorption, the same stresses, the same power output with patterned agility drills? How about with a speed ladder? I don’t think so. Sport is chaotic, and a chaotic environment can be created safety in training to bridge the gap between GPP and SPP – Check out this article I wrote years ago.

Tip 2

The Switch - In my Chaos Manual I talk at length about the Switch. The Switch is where an athlete engages in sports that continue to develop similar physiological and metabolic adaptations for their primary sport by engaging in different sports. In the video the football players are on a wrestling mat performing dragging drills and wrestling drills. This is so important when trying to develop a more comprehensive, broader athletic foundation. Coaches, look toward other sports to better assist your athletes. Here’s another from the Chaos Manual, have your football kickers perform martial arts in the off season to improve their flexibility and kicking power!

Tip 3

Unilateral Training – Most athletic strength programs incorporate bilateral squatting movements. But very few incorporate overloaded unilateral lower body movements (in the video you’ll see unilateral glute bridging and barbell step-ups). Life and sport happen unilaterally. Remember that. Also, you will improve overall movement and the strength and stability of the ankles, knees and hips with unilateral training. And don’t forget the implications to the athlete’s ability to stabilize their torso, ie. core strength. Stabilizing in the sagittal plane is completely different than stabilizing in the frontal plane.

Tip 4

Sandbag Training – This is group under odd object training. Why? Because the implement and its subsequent center of mass (COM) is not fixed. The athlete must make real-time adjustments while lifting the weight. This has a very important carryover to the athlete’s ability to stabilize, especially under fatigue. Check out more odd object training here.

Tip 5

Intensity – You either have it or you don’t. If you don’t have it you will get eaten. You better bring it everytime you step in the weightroom and everytime you step on the field. Because everyone can be ordinary. Everyone can be average. Everyone can be forgotten. Make your mark, be the leader, get shit done.

Tip 6

Posterior Work for the Shoulders – The body must be balanced. The force couples must be balanced. The posterior musculature of the shoulder and upper back must be a priority in your training. It has to be. Never forget its importance. Because when you do, it will get you. Exercises like push-up pluses, band pull-aparts, retractions, diesel face pulls and all the stuff in the best shoulder rehab video on the net – should be done frequently.

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5 Important Lessons for New Steel Benders by Chris Smith

Jim Smith — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:15:29 +0000

I’m still pretty new to the nail bending game. Before I started nail bending, I would watch loads of videos of other people bending pieces of steel, and was filled at first with disbelief and eventually fascination. That’s how it works. It draws you in. That’s why people refer to it as the addiction. There is something mystifying about taking a perfectly good piece of steel and demolishing it with your bare hands. Once you bend your first nail, there is no turning back…

There is a lot to learn when getting started though. You can’t (and shouldn’t) just pick up any piece of steel you can find and try to bend it. As a beginner, there are lots of things you need to know. The differences between pieces of steel, what to start with, how to progress and how to correctly bend are just a few of the things you need to know before even picking up your first nail. If you have never been in a gym before, you wouldn’t just walk in and try to bang out deadlifts would you? Steel bending is no different. You need to know proper intensity (what stock to use), frequency (you can’t just do hard bends every day), and technique, among other things. Here are a few of the most important things I’ve learned as a beginner in steel bending.

Get in touch with people who know what they are doing

When I first decided I wanted to learn to bend nails and steel, I had no idea where to start. Not only did I not know how to bend, I didn’t know what to bend, or where to get it! So I found as many people as I could who were already experienced steel benders. Their advice proved invaluable to me as a beginner, and still does. Without the help of people who are already bending, it’s going to be very hard, almost impossible, to get started yourself.

Learn Everything You Can

As I’ve mentioned, there is a lot of information about steel bending that you need to know before you get started. At times, the sheer amount of things to know can be overwhelming. If you aren’t purchasing a kit with a specifically laid out progression, figuring out where to start and how to progress can be difficult. Learning the differences between different types of stock, nails and bolts is key. The length, shape and manufacturing process all affect the difficulty of a bend. There are also different techniques to learn and master. Learning these things makes contact people who are already involved in steel bending that much more important.

Proper Wraps Make a Difference

A good pair of wraps can be the difference between your nail bend being a test of strength or a test of pain tolerance. Do yourself a favor and invest in a good pair of wraps from a reputable company, or find out how to make your own from someone with experience. Some of the most popular choices are leather and cordura. Keep in mind that if you want to become certified for completing certain nail bends some companies require you to use certain wraps. It’s best to gather a few different kinds and let your hands adapt to using the different materials.

Take It Slow

After you do your first bend, it’s very tempting to start bending nails and steel all the time, every day. Resist the urge! As I said, treat bending like you would any other form of training. Be smart and avoid overtraining and the injuries that walk hand-in-hand with it. It’s been said that a difficult bend taxes your body in the same way as a maximum effort lift. If you find that you are experiencing pain in your joints after bending, you’re probably doing too much, too fast. Don’t be afraid to take a few days off. Your strength will not suffer, and will most likely increase.

Technique is Everything

Just like any lift, proper technique is crucial to steel bending. When you are starting out, take extra time to learn good technique and learn it well. Even when you feel that you have learned good technique, consistently refine it. It is very easy to let your technique get sloppy as you move up to harder steel, especially if you have gotten used to bending easier pieces of stock. This is a problem I personally had. I got too comfortable bending steel that wasn’t that challenging and let my form get sloppy because of it. When I tried to move on to a more difficult piece, it wouldn’t budge. Once I took the time to really sit back and carefully reevaluate my technique, I realized that I had gotten sloppy and made the necessary corrections. As soon as I did, I was able to crush a few pieces of stock that I wasn’t able to do before. Pay attention and don’t be afraid to critique yourself. If possible, have someone who is experienced critique your form for you.

There you have it. Five things that I, as a beginner bender, have learned that have helped me immensely. Hopefully this has helped some fellow beginners, or motivated some interested individuals to get involved.

Chris Smith is the owner and head trainer of Train Better Fitness, a performance training company based in New York City offering training services to people of all fitness backgrounds. He is a certified personal trainer with the American College of Sports Medicine, martial artist and overall fitness fanatic.Similar Posts:

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Two Killer Rest Pause Workouts

Jim Smith — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:00:22 +0000

REST PAUSE WORKOUTS FOR BUILDING INSANE MUSCLE

The last two workouts we decided to get crazy and kick up the intensity. If you want to building muscle you have to work hard and be consistent. The problem is, sometimes you don’t have a lot of time to workout. Kids, family, work, community service takes a lot of your time.

Get these killer workouts NOW!

Well the other day we didn’t have much time to workout and really wanted to get crazy.

Simple solution = Rest Pause

Rest Pause Training

Rest pause training is a style of training for FAST workouts where you limit the rest period between sets of an exercise. You take a weight that you can perform 8-10 good reps and use this weight for all of your sets with that exercise.

By limiting the rest between sets you never fully recover (metabolically or neurologically) before your next attempt. A high lactic acid environment is created and when this happens natural growth hormone is released. Boom you get big muscle growth.

This training is not for the BS trainee. It takes a TON of intensity and you have to be mentally tough. But the rewards are HUGE.

Also, rest pause training is very neurologically taxing, ie. it will mess you up. Make sure during your downtime you are recovering and preparing for the next workout.

Now you have NO more excuses for skipping a workout because Rest Pause workouts take very little time! Your workout will be cut literally in half.

How to Rest Pause

Rest Period: 10-25 seconds

Load: 8-10 RM

Hit the first set for 8 reps, wait 10-25 seconds, pick up the same weight and hit is again for as many reps as possible. Wait 10-25 seconds, go again. Repeat this for 4-5 attempts.

Count up the total reps you did and have your partner try to beat it. Or, you try to beat the reps next time you repeat the workout.

Two Killer Rest Pause Workouts

Workout 1:

1) 3-5 RM Log Clean & Press (or barbell military press or bench press)
2) Elite Giant EZ Curl Bar JM Press, Rest Pause
3) Elite Swiss Bar Power Front Raises, Rest Pause
4) Seated Rows with Towels, Rest Pause
5) Elite Swiss Bar Curls, Rest Pause

Workout 2:

1) Power Snatches with Axle, 6×3 (or use regular barbell, or db snatches)
2) Deadlifts, 5×5
3) Seated Axle Military Press, Rest Pause
4) T-bar Rows with Towels, Rest Pause
5) Back Extensions, 3×10
6) Tricep Press downs with towel, 4×10

PS. Want more rest pause training, you have to check out Accelerated Fat Loss Strategies. It is just one component in the complete AMD muscle building system. This system is real and gets real results!

PPS. Stay tuned, I am opening up my online training for the first 20 individuals. Once I pick the 20 people ready to change their lives and get in the best shape of their lives, I am closing the membership.


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Halloween and the Rolling Thunder

Jim Smith — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:56:49 +0000

I hope you’re doing great!

I just saw this on YouTube and had to post it here for everybody’s enjoyment. I think you are going to laugh your ass off. (Thanks for sending it over, Dan)

Dude, Halloween is my favorite holiday. Last weekend I walked through the haunted house the ambulance company was putting on as a fund raiser and loved every minute of it.

This weekend I have a ton of stuff planned. In the morning I have some work to do, but after that I plan on doing a scary Halloween workout right in the comfort of my own garage.

You can bet I will be hitting it hard. In fact I have a bunch of stuff written down that I am going to hit for my big weekend Grip workout.

I am going to hit grippers, pinch, and thick bar all in one day and I just might put together a highlight video.

Maybe there will even be a Halloween theme to it. Scary Grip sounds pretty cool.

Speaking of developing a scary grip, let’s take a time out for a quick tip…

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Quick Grip

Hey, here’s something to keep in mind when you are training with the Rolling Thunder. I keep seeing people make this mistake all the time.

Don’t load your hands up with too much chalk on the Rolling Thunder.

Especially when training with the old style of Rolling Thunder, too much chalk on your hands will hinder your lifts.

When using slick implements, especially plastic ones, chalk can kinda act like ball bearings in your hand and work against you…

What I like to do is just use enough chalk to keep my hands dry. Below’s a picture of about how I chalk my hands when I lift the Rolling Thunder. This is also how I chalk for tearing a deck of cards.

As you can see, it doesn’t take that much chalk to keep the hands dry. That’s all you need for a lot of implements and feats.

Keep that in mind next time you train Rolling Thunder and I think you will see some bigger lifts and scarier grip.

Once my grip workout is over this Saturday, and the video is edited, then it is time to head out for a Halloween party I have been told about.
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I love Halloween and I know a lot of you do too, so to celebrate I am running a sale on my feat of strength ebooks on Nail Bending and Card Tearing.

From the start of Friday through to Sunday morning, anybody who picks up any of the products below gets 25% off and a copy of Grip Considerations for the Bench Press, a video I did for AJ Roberts when he released his Bench Press Improvement Product, Up Your Bench.

Just click the images below to take advantage of the Halloween Specials.

Nail Bending eBook - The Most Complete Reference on Nail, Bolt, and Steel Bending in the World

When you buy the Nail Bending eBook, you’ll find out

Card Tearing eBook - Learn How to Tear Cards with Your Bare Hands

When you purchase the Card Tearing eBook you’ll learn

Home Made Strength On-line DVD – Build Strength Without Breaking the Bank

When you buy Home Made Strength, you’ll see

The Ultimate Sled Dragging Manual – Innovative Ways to Train with Out of One of the Most bBasic Implements

When you purchase Sled Dragging, you’ll see

Enjoy your weekend – Train Hard – Be Safe.

-Jedd-Similar Posts:

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