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Assistance Workout: Saturday 5th November 2011

Andy Bolton's Training Log No Responses »

Nov 072011

Just getting back into training having done the Bullfarm
and Night Of The Living Dead Competitions

Saturday 5th November

- 5 min Cross Trainer to to warm up legs

- Leg Press:

80kg x 20, 120kg x 20, 160kg x 20, 200kg x 20

- Toe Press:

80kg x 20, 100kg x 20, 160kg x 20, 200kg x 20

- 2″ Fat Bar Shrugs:

sets of 8 reps, working up to 120kg

- Seated Barbell Shoulder Press

sets of 10 reps, working up to 60kg

- Tricep Push Downs

3 sets of 10 reps

- Bicep Curls

2 sets of 10 reps

After a couple of weeks off and a pretty hectic travelling
schedule recently (8 flights in 4 days!) – it was nice to
just get back in the gym and do some light training.

Bodyweight is currently down at 143kg.

Squat & Deadlift Training - 15th June 2011

Andy Bolton's Training Log No Responses »

Jun 162011

A. Squat against 40kg Chain:

Warm up and then did: 230kg x 2, 240kg x 2, 250kg x 2

B. Deadlift from floor:

Worked up to 210kg x 3

C. Block Pull:

Worked up to 245kg x 3

D. High Board Pulls (Grip Work):

285kg x 10 sec, 325kg x 10 sec, (no chalk)

E. Leg press superset with toe press:

4 sets each working up to 300kg x 12 reps

Stretching to finish the session. Long workout,
knocked on for 4 hours but it will pay off come
the Bullfarm Powerlifting meet

Andy Bolton Squat Training: 9th June 2011

Andy Bolton's Training Log No Responses »

Jun 092011

Squat Training: 9th June 2011

A. Squat against 40kg Chain/side:

200kg x 2, 210kg x 2, 220kg x 2, 230kg x 2

All sets felt very easy and this was my first week back
squatting in 4 weeks.

B. Conventional Deadlifts:

worked upto 185kg x 3

C. Block Pull:

worked upto 225kg x 3

D. High Boards (for grip, no chalk):

265kg x 10seconds, 305kg x 10seconds

This is week 1 of a 6 week wave and I’m currently 18
weeks out from the Bullfarm Powerlifting Meet in
Finland in October.

My Bench & Deadlift Attempts From The Body Power Meet

Powerlifting 1 Response »

Jun 032011

I competed on May 22nd in a Push/Pull Powerlifting Competition
at the NEC in Birmingham, England.

This video shows all 3 Bench Press attempts and all 3 Deadlift
attempts. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite have the day I was looking
for… but it can’t go perfectly at every meet.

I made my first Bench Press attempt and my first two attempts
on the Deadlift. I pulled 370kg and 410kg. 410kg felt pretty easy so
I went for the all-time world record of 1016lbs, but it didn’t really
budge.

I’ll be back competing in Finland at the Bullfarm Powerlifting
meet. They’ll be lots of great lifters there and I’m looking
forward to it already.

Watch out!..

A Simple Tip For Powerlifting Competitions

Powerlifting 1 Response »

May 312011

It often amazes me how many lifters bomb at meets. You
don’t see many bomb on the Deadlift, but the Squat and
Bench Press see a lot of lifters fail to make 1 of there 3 attempts
and end up going home early.

This often lets weaker, but smarter lifters win or place higher
than guys who are stronger but dumber!

The Powerlifting Competition is a simple thing. Your best Squat,
Bench Press and Deadlift of the day are combined to form your
TOTAL. The person with the highest total in their class wins.

Simple as that.

But you have to make a total to have a chance of winning, right?

Here’s the solution. And be warned, it’s pretty dam simple… But
tons of lifters don’t do it…

OPEN LIGHT!!

Now when I say light, I’m not talking stupidly light.But how about
opening with your 3 rep max or a weight you could do for a single
even if you felt like absolute crap. Do this, and you won’t bomb.

The greatest pound for pound lifter of all-time, Ed Coan, once told
me that the only reason any Powerlifter ever bombed was because,

“they opened too heavy”

Those were the words of a master lifter. Think about them the next
time you are competing and pick your openers wisely. Remember,
you have 3 attempts; so you might as well use them all.

Good luck at your next meet!

The Deadlift - I'm a Freak: Part 1

Deadlift 1 Response »

Apr 192011

The deadlift is a brutal test of strength.

Andy Bolton Deadlifting in a Powerlifting Competition

Pulling BIG

Less technical than the squat and a greater test of all round strength due to it needing a vice like grip as well as a powerful posterior chain.

In recent years deadlift records have often stood still, whilst Squat and Bench records have exploded. The lifting equipment in Powerlifting has let lifters improve their Squats and Benches very quickly. However, equipment plays little role in deadlifting and it basically takes hard work, clever planning and the right attitude to pull big.

There is no other lift that depends on your state of mind as much as the deadlift. Indeed, if I tried to pull 850lbs in the wrong state it may not budge.

But come meet day, and I have pulled over 1000lbs…

And that’s why I say I’m a FREAK!

I was born to deadlift.

In the next few email newsletters I’m going to share with you some of my greatest ever deadlift training cycles.

These training cycles led to world records and my creation of a wholenew bracket for Deadlifting:

The 1000lbs club.

In total 13 men have pulled over 900lbs in Powerlifting competition. I’ve pulled over 900lbs in competition nearly 40 times!

Now you may be thinking to yourself; why am I telling you all this? And that’s a very good question. It’s because I want to help you achieve your Deadlift goals and get you to discover the secrets of a big pull.

The up coming training cycles and assistance work (in the next newsletters) will help you design your own training cycles better than ever before.

But I’m not going to make you wait until then for some “good stuff”.

So check this:

8 Ways to Supersize your Deadlift

Perfect your technique. The best athletes in all sports tend to have great technique.
Begin your deadlift with straight arms. It’s a stronger position and it may save you from a nasty Biceps tear
Work out your best stance. Conventional or Sumo?
Don’t max out every week. This is a silly idea on any lift, but it will probably burn you out faster on the deadlift than any other movement in the gym
Train explosively. Speed can help you blast through any sticking point
Train from blocks some of the time. This will help you feel heavier weights than you are used to
Don’t be afraid to have a week off from deadlifting. Sometimes you’ll need it
If you don’t want a week off but don’t feel up to pulling heavy… do speed work (Try 50% x 3 x 5)

How To Squat 1214lbs - Part 2

Squat No Responses »

Apr 192011

In part 1 of “How to Squat 1214lbs” I showed you the exact Squat cycle that I used in training for that lift. If you haven’t read part 1, you can do so here:

http://www.andyboltonstrength.org/2011/04/19/how-to-squat-1214lbs-part-1/

Andy Bolton 510kg Squat: WPO Finals 2006

You have to train smart if you want to SQUAT BIG

In this newsletter I’m going to show you the assistance exercises that went with the Squat cycle you read about last time.

Before we get to the program, here’s 3 secrets on how I use assistance exercises in my training:

Assistance exercises compliment
the main movements. They do
not replace them
Assistance work is never performed
to failure. I always leave a couple
of reps in the tank on all assistance
exercises
If an assistance exercise does not
help me get stronger on the main
movements and/or help prevent injury…
I drop it from my program

Assistance Exercises I used to Squat 1214lbs

12 weeks out to 6 weeks out from competition:

(movement x sets x reps)

Leg Press: 5 x 12 – 20

Leg Curls: 5 x 10 – 15

Calf Raises: 5 x 20 – 30

DB Side Bends: 5 x 10/side

Crunches: 5 x 10

Weighted Plank: 5 x 30 seconds

6 weeks to 0 weeks out from competition:

Everything stays the same with the following
exceptions:

Leg Press is dropped

Sets go from 5 per movement to 3 per
movement

So there you have it. You now know exactly how I cycle my Squats up to my biggest competition lifts AND how I compliment that brutal Squat training with assistance exercises.

I’ll leave you with:

2 questions to ask yourself when choosing AssistanceExercises:

Will this movement help me get stronger on my main lifts?
Will this movement help me prevent injuries?

If you think of an assistance exercise and you can not answer yes to at least one of the above questions, then that movement should probably not be in your strength training program.

How To Squat 1214lbs - Part 1

Squat No Responses »

Apr 192011

Only 5 men in history have ever Squatted 1200lbs or more in a Powerlifting meet. I’m fortunate to say that I’m one of them!

Squatting big at the Arnold Classic

For that reason, in this 2 part newsletter I’m gonna share with you the exact training cycle that I used to get me ready for the biggest Squat of my life.

I can’t really describe in words what 1214lbs felt like on my shoulders, but “heavy” doesn’t do it justice! It felt like the weight of the world bearing down on me.

In fact, 1214 pounds is half a small car.

Needless to say, the feelings I had when I squatted 1214lbs in competition were awesome!

Whatever your strength level right now you will find some stuff in these next 2 emails that you will be able to use to build a freaky Squat.

Whether you are traning for your first bodyweight Squat or your first 1000lbs Squat, I know you will discover some good stuff by reading this.

Intro over, let’s get to the fun bit:

The Training Cycle for 1214lbs

What you see below are the top set of Squats that I worked up to each week leading upto the meet where I squatted 1214lbs.

I Squatted on a Wednesday and these top sets came after a good warm up and in the region of 8 to 10 warm up sets of Squats.

The top sets you see here were followed by some speed sets to work on explosive power.

12 weeks out: 506lbs x 5 reps
(Belt and old knee wraps)

11 weeks out: 539lbs x 5 reps
(Belt and old knee wraps)

10 weeks out: 572lbs x 5 reps
(Belt and old knee wraps)

9 weeks out: 616lbs x 5 reps
(Belt and old knee wraps)

8 weeks out: 660lbs x 5 reps
(Belt and old knee wraps)

7 weeks out: 726lbs x 3 reps
(Old briefs, belt and old knee wraps)

6 weeks out: 792lbs x 3 reps
(Old briefs, belt and old knee wraps)

5 weeks out: 858lbs x 3 reps
(Old briefs, suit bottoms, belt and old knee wraps)

4 weeks out: 924lbs x 2 reps
(Old briefs, suit bottoms, belt and old knee wraps)

3 weeks out: 990lbs x 2 reps
(Old briefs, suit bottoms, belt and old knee wraps)

2 weeks out: 550lbs x 3 reps
(Belt and old knee wraps)

1 week out: REST

So there you have it. Exactly how I trained to produce one of the biggest competition Squats of all time.

Before we finish I’m going to share with you 3 secrets that you should take away with you having seen this training cycle:

Superhuman Squat Secret # 1

If you want a big Squat you gotta Squat! This sounds simple but there’s a lot of people out there right now making this harder than it really is.

If you want to be good at anything, then practise that thing.

If you wanted to be a great tennis player you wouldn’t spend all your time playing Squash, would ?

Duh!

So why are so many people who want a big Squat(who should be Squatting), spending all their time doing everything but Squatting in the gym?

Spend your time wisely.

Superhuman Squat Secret # 2

You don’t have to train heavy all the time.

You’ll see that I didn’t train above 990lbs in the gym, yet I Squatted 1214 on competition day.

Nobody cares about big gym lifts… It’s what you do on the platform that counts!

Peak for the meet.

Superhuman Squat Secret # 3

Cycling works.

You will see that I start out my training cycle quite light (for me) and peak with huge weights come meet day.

Cycling, (starting out light) and working upto a new Personal Best has many benefits over other training styles.

Most notably, it gives your body the easier training weeks you need so that you don’t burn out through over training.

These lighter training weeks still allow you to practise what you are trying to get good at. But because you are not lifting Max weights your body and mind have chance to heal and recover.

Now you’ve discovered little about how to plan a winning training cycle, Go GET A STRONG SQUAT!

Assistance Workout: Saturday 5th November 2011

Squat & Deadlift Training - 15th June 2011

Andy Bolton Squat Training: 9th June 2011

My Bench & Deadlift Attempts From The Body Power Meet

A Simple Tip For Powerlifting Competitions

The Deadlift - I'm a Freak: Part 1

How To Squat 1214lbs - Part 2

How To Squat 1214lbs - Part 1

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