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Best Tips To Get Big And Strong


Rick Walker

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All this talk about brutal painful workouts reminds me of the way I thought when I was in my early to mid 20s. Now with a family, career and bills working out is not so serious to me anymore. I still enjoy the fight with the iron but it's not my #1 priority. Not even close.

I still like to maintain what I've done but being closer to 40 than 30, I just don't have the desire to be a Mr O or top powerlifter. I'm happy to be over 1250 total life long natural and I usually keep my training from 30-45min tops 3 days a week. Sometimes 4.

When I have a lil more desire to lift 5 days for a couple mo I get my total to over 1350.

EJ, putting 100lb on your bench in a few months seems impossible. How did you do that man. That's awesome. Unless a guy was doing over 400 and had a layoff but if you had never been at 400 before I've never seen that type of increase. Give us your routine.

I think too many people use things like family, careers, bills, the stress of life as a reason to let themselves go to shit or not push themselves to their potential. What good am I as a father to my own 4 children if they see dad doing nothing but working and stressing?? I'm not. One of my training partners is a dad and a 10 year vet of the PA State Police. He works crazy hours and is married to an attorney who works even crazier hours. Oh, and he is 43 years old. He still hammers it and works his butt off in the gym, 4 on 1 off. My other training partner is a pharmacist who works 12 hour shifts, has 3 kids, and is 36 years old. He uses no excuses and trains until he is near passing out.

I spend 60 to 90 minutes training. My wife, my kids, and my business get the rest of my time. I don't think 60 to 90 minutes of ball busting work is too much to ask for if you want to achieve your maximum drug free potential. When you become satisfied, you become obsolete.

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All this talk about brutal painful workouts reminds me of the way I thought when I was in my early to mid 20s. Now with a family, career and bills working out is not so serious to me anymore. I still enjoy the fight with the iron but it's not my #1 priority. Not even close.

I still like to maintain what I've done but being closer to 40 than 30, I just don't have the desire to be a Mr O or top powerlifter. I'm happy to be over 1250 total life long natural and I usually keep my training from 30-45min tops 3 days a week. Sometimes 4.

When I have a lil more desire to lift 5 days for a couple mo I get my total to over 1350.

EJ, putting 100lb on your bench in a few months seems impossible. How did you do that man. That's awesome. Unless a guy was doing over 400 and had a layoff but if you had never been at 400 before I've never seen that type of increase. Give us your routine.

I think too many people use things like family, careers, bills, the stress of life as a reason to let themselves go to shit or not push themselves to their potential. What good am I as a father to my own 4 children if they see dad doing nothing but working and stressing?? I'm not. One of my training partners is a dad and a 10 year vet of the PA State Police. He works crazy hours and is married to an attorney who works even crazier hours. Oh, and he is 43 years old. He still hammers it and works his butt off in the gym, 4 on 1 off. My other training partner is a pharmacist who works 12 hour shifts, has 3 kids, and is 36 years old. He uses no excuses and trains until he is near passing out.

I spend 60 to 90 minutes training. My wife, my kids, and my business get the rest of my time. I don't think 60 to 90 minutes of ball busting work is too much to ask for if you want to achieve your maximum drug free potential. When you become satisfied, you become obsolete.

I guess I just don't care enough to work out until I'm sick. I feel a guy who can do that should have no problem using that effort in other ways. I.e. Providing for his family, going to work to show his kids what it is to be a man and make sure all the bills are paid to ensure no handouts are needed.

I know some people personally who supposedly can't work but can spend a couple hours in the gym doing heavy hard workouts. Very odd to me how that's possible. I don't respect that mindset.

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Do me a favor and ask your kids if they wished you worked longer and harder, or if they would rather have you home. You guys talk like we live in a 1 bed room shack with nothing! LOL! My training partners both work jobs that pay them upper six figures (the pharmacist who is getting ready to take over a brand new pharmacy going in across from the hospital) and damn near 6 figures from 10 years as a Trooper. More than 6 with overtime! Their families are well taken care of.

I was forced to retire my job inside the Dept. Of Corrections because my health condition, Sudden Cardiac Death, was not really conducive to being an employee that worked 8.5 hour days on a maximum security housing unit. Basically I was a liability to them, so they quietly asked me to go away. What did I get for my efforts and 10 years of my life? A measly monthly retirement payment but I get to keep my full medical benefits. Hell, between that money, the money I have saved, and my wife's money coming in every month, I could sit on my ass and do nothing and still not receive a single handout. Instead, we immediately began launching my business venture which will be in full swing very soon. Lots of legal paperwork our lawyer is taking care of, lots of tax shit the accountant has to do, and there is always trademarking the name so when I sell swag no one can rip me off. Im always moving. If you think my kids are in anyway not taken care of take a look at my sons recent football season and powerlifting success. In 30 minutes my wife will be driving my daughter to gymnastics, and my twin sons have a private tutor that comes to the house once a week to get them ready for September kindergarten. I never stop improving, Period. Not in the gym, not as a father, not as a husband, and not as a new business owner. You should all be constantly striving to improve yourselves. Like I said, satisfaction equals becoming obsolete.

Not everyone can have this mindset, and that's fine. However, my health has improved 10 fold since being let go from the prison job and getting my own business started. If you prefer to kill yourself working 80 hour weeks to show your kids what a real man is, knock yourself out. I plan to show them how to do the things they love, so they never have to work a day on their life...

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Rick, if the swag you intend to sell involves a t-shirt with the phrase " when you become satisfied, you become obsolete". I'd take one in 2x, and a 3x to grow into!

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Have about 20 tshirt ideas at the printers. Gonna be bad ass!

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I hope I never have to put in 80 hour weeks. Woofta that would blow. Hey all is good. I'm all for someone doing something outside the box to support their family as long as it's on that persons own dime. I like when people pay their own way, too many folks these days relying on the government(John Q. Taxpayer) to live the life they desire. I'm reminded of this sad fact every time I compare my gross and net pay.

Kinda going off topic though so that's about all Id say about that haha.

Edited by king crusher
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I'd like to add another thought. Buy measuring cups and a food scale. It's amazing how much I was Over eating and wasting. I'm eating less per meal but more meals and I get an extra 50 grams of protein and few hundred calories. It's been a little over s week and I feel stronger and look a little leaner.

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Be willing to learn no matter how much you already know. I learned as much about strength from a guy that trained at the gym wearing a polo shirt and jeans as I have from some of the top authorities in their sport in the world. Be patient with methods that might differ from your own. Do partials and isometrics even if others in the gym smirk. Listen to your body.

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I just ordered an IronMind sand bag. Looking for some more functional strength..(I know, that's an over-used term)... maybe rugged strength is better! If anyone has an sandbag, let me know how you like it.

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Always make mine out of dirt cheap military duffles. Can hold close to 200 pounds of sand, sometimes more. I dont use them so much myself but my athletes do. I also have a 4 foot log I sanded and painted. They really hate that torture device!

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I just ordered an IronMind sand bag. Looking for some more functional strength..(I know, that's an over-used term)... maybe rugged strength is better! If anyone has an sandbag, let me know how you like it.

I enjoy mine, but the barbell has much higher preference for me at least until I'm squatting and deadlifting 600+. I have it loaded to 180lbs and have been working on bearhug deadlifting it at a high chest position, but am not too serious about it. I feel like odd objects may just plug the holes that are created with barbells due to their inherent awkwardness. I believe that due to this they create a lower learning curve to the skill of moving external objects, but they cannot replace the barbell in terms of building the skill of maximal contraction.

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I just ordered an IronMind sand bag. Looking for some more functional strength..(I know, that's an over-used term)... maybe rugged strength is better! If anyone has an sandbag, let me know how you like it.

We have two bags, one filled to 200 and another to 250. I love it for pressing, carrying, shouldering, and loading!!!

Edited by MattM
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  • 2 weeks later...

There are a ton of good exercises you can do with the sand bag. I like to have them shoulder it and go for a walk through the woods, stepping over fallen trees, through brush, etc. Really helps their balance and overall toughness. Smitty had some cool exercises in one of his books where he had the athlete wrap a band around the cage and around the sandbag, then hoist it up and twist the body side to side against the tension of the band. Great for the abs, lower back, and overall crushing strength. Especially if you are into combat sports that involve controlling your opponent. Cleans and presses, snatches, etc. are all great exercises. Also loading on one shoulder and doing squats is a great exercise.

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Rick I can't think of the name for this thing but I know people were making them from an inner tube. Goat Bag or something? Anyway you fill the center section of the tube with sand etc and leave the ends for handles and swing it - carry it or whatever. Have you ever tried it? Thinking of making one to play with - sort of like a sandbag with handles?

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Yes, I have used them. I think it is a great training tool for building mental toughness as over time, the shear weight of the thing across your shoulders begins to really play mind games with you. Might be helpful for you and your hiking. Plus it is easier on the neck and shoulders than a log or sandbag. You can just droop it across your shoulders and hold the handles. Make sure to make it long enough as the biceps fatigue fast on shorter bags. When the spring hits I will have the boys outside walking the hills with them over and over again. Trains the brain to silence that "Just Quit!" voice.

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Yes, I have used them. I think it is a great training tool for building mental toughness as over time, the shear weight of the thing across your shoulders begins to really play mind games with you. Might be helpful for you and your hiking. Plus it is easier on the neck and shoulders than a log or sandbag. You can just droop it across your shoulders and hold the handles. Make sure to make it long enough as the biceps fatigue fast on shorter bags. When the spring hits I will have the boys outside walking the hills with them over and over again. Trains the brain to silence that "Just Quit!" voice.

Do you remember the name used for it?

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Bulgarian Bag.

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Bulgarian Bag.

Thanks, found them online and priced them - inner tube it is :).

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Actually if you have access to a sowing machine or a tailor, you can probably buy canvas and make a nice one for cheap that will hold up and not dry rot like the inner tube. Just make the canvas tube, fill it with sand, sow it shut, then have canvas loop handles attached at the proper length. More expensive than an inner tube but would probably last a lot longer. Especially if you used a Kevlar like thread.

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I have a Bulgarian bag from Suples. It weighs about 35lb. The spin test which is 10 spins left, 10 spins right, 10 pushups times 5 rounds in under 3:30 minutes is actually really tough. The forearms get a nice pump with high rep spins also. It's a great versatile tool. I'll grab mine and hit it hard for 5 mins doing a little circuit to get warmed up for a training session.

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On one of Joe Hashey's and Jedd's Homemade Strength I think Joe fabs one up.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I would add that strength is very general. There is no football strong or Jiu-Jitsu strong. So pick the movements and equipment that are optimal for building general strength. Squat, bench press, deadlift, press & chin ups w/ a barbell. If you make those lifts the focus of your training you'll just be plain ole strong.

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The single best tip is to not get injured but still train hard.

Everything works given enough time, but injuries set you back a lot. Its surprisingly very easy to injure yourself and hard which seems like a contradiction but if you train smart you can avoid them or get them easily when you try to lift with ego.

Stay active eat reasonably well and you will get big and strong given enough time.

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