There comes a time in every person’s life where he or she will look into the mirror and say to themself- “Self, I am going to whip your motherfucking ass today. Stop sucking and man the fuck up.” I’ve recently been taking it a bit too easy, having realized that my body was ripshit pissed about sucking weight, and pretty much cramping every time I tried to do anything at all. Thus, after sitting in my papasan chair eating a massive bowl of taco meat and watching a marathon of Surviving the Cut, I decided that if some scrawny motherfucker in the Army can walk 30 miles with an 80 lb pack on his back after staying awake for 25 hours straight, I can sure as shit man the fuck up and get some shit done in spite of my body’s, boiling, rancid hatred for me lately. In the spirit of that sentiment, I decided to do some walking deadlifts and load the weight into the rack. A lot. Until I wanted to die. As you can see from the video, which was taken over an hour into my workout, I was pretty fucking tired by the end- deadlifting 505 took some time, and it sucked. When 505 sucks for me, I know I’m cashed- I can deadlift 515, cold, in jeans and a sweatshirt.
There’s really not a lot to this exercise- you pick it the fuck up, walk it into the rack, set it down, jump the bar, pick it up , and drop it back down to the ground. Then, you repeat. Like I said, I did this for over an hour, and spent the most time doing sets of 3-5 with 405 and 455. I was using fairly short rests, so this was about as close to cardio as I’ll get. It was awesome- I currently hurt everywhere, which is an awesome indication that I busted my fucking ass inside out. For my first 10 or so sets, which were done with 225 to warmup, I used a double overhand grip and no straps, and then started with the straps after 315 fell out of my hands. That was more of a grip workout and cardio than anything else, but it was fun nonetheless.
Old school strongmen were fans of doing this, and given that there’s been no one capable of touching Goerner’s one arm dead since he pulled it and Peter Cortese pulled 3x his bodyweight with one hand, I think their opinions on pulling are something that should be heeded above all.
This isn’t intended to be a replacement for the deadlift in your routine, but it’s definitely a welcome departure from the norm, a man-maker, and a badass way to test your mettle if you’ve been feeling like you’re slacking, and a way to light a fire under your ass if you’re mentally out of it in the gym. To that end, I also recommend watching Making the Cut- it’ll bring you back to the realization that your life’s insanely fucking easy, and that you can always go harder, go longer, and be a bigger fucking badass.
I second the recommendation on Surviving the Cut. In fact, I expect a future blog post on special forces training. Nothing short of bad fucking ass. Don't even get me started on Navy SEALS and BUD/S training.
It's really strange that you posted this because I was just thinking about this movement (Waterbury wrote about it a while ago.)
I have yet to try it.
Although, at the "totally awesome" gym I lift at (University of OK's gym) I might be stopped by the employees.
"Um, sir, could you not bang the weights, please. Thanks."
2 power racks to 20,000+ students.
Not counting the faculty and seniors that use the facility.
There are guys that actually do curls in the squat rack.
That shit really happens…
i may give this a try tomorrow. my marine/army friends give me shit all the time since the navy almost never has to carry packs, but i know that none of them can squat twice their body weight.
Did these tonight for the best part of an hour with 405 for tripples strapless, my traps, lower back and grip feel like rape, good stuff
what's the song?
The music is "I Wish I Could Fly" by Keith Harris and Orville – fucking mental music!
Jamie, in light of Manveet's idea, I would love to see a write-up on special forces stuff, given that I was raised by one. My own father is a fucking asshole and he and I are barely on speaking terms (he says I am too lazy to have come from his loins… when he saw me squat 550 years ago he said it was a lazy waste of time because I spent hours in the gym that could be used to make money… anything that doesn't produce a profit = fucking lazy… like sleeping too much or watching a football game without betting on it). However he was a bad mother fucker. He was a Green Beret in Vietnam and I remember as a kid watching him do one arm chin-ups on the tree in the back yard for 10-20 reps… while working 100 hour weeks for his corporate job (he is in upper management for a company involved in hydrogen and natural gas). After 3 heart attacks he still smokes 3 packs a day, works 80 hour weeks and parties every weekend, including bar fights and arm wrestling in bars and is all around the meanest/toughest fucker I've ever met in my life. For the record we are 1:1 on knocking the other unconscious.
I'd be interested in seeing the psychology aspects of special forces training in a blog, from the C&P perspective if you care to touch on the subject.
I did something similar to this 5-6 months ago. I picked up the weight and carried it for laps around the gym. Paused when I couldn't hold on. I pushed to the max that day so I was freakin sore for the next 5 days. Btw your calves are plain sick.
To anyone that is interested, National Geographic did a special on "super soldiers" in the Fight Science series.
Brief youtube clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLcpGHeNGgI
I think the most interesting thing done was the ice water test done by Stew Smith, a former Navy SEAL.
Oh, and here is a link to an article talking about the molecular secrets of Special Forces soldiers.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3402-molecular-secret-of-special-forces-toughness.html
Haha. Thanks.
Jason- that's an awesome idea. It'll be a bit down the lane, as that's going to require a shitload of research, but I'm in- that will happen.
The song is Master Destroyer by King Conquer. Appropriate, no?
Cameron- The last time I lifted in a University gym, the cops were called. My crime? Doing shrugs, which made the weights clank, on god's day of rest at the University of South Carolina. When some sorostitute asked me to stop making so much noise, I looked around the empty gym and told her to get the fuck away from me, as I don't talk to puppets. Campus security was apparently equally unamused by my disdain for them. Moral= university gyms fucking suck.
Manveet- I'll make the blog for this a two parter with JasonDBs.
Did you ever do this write up? I'd be intersted to read it if you did. Thanks.
I've pissed off my university's gym, but goddamn, never to the point of the police being called.
guys dont erxpect to see special forces putting up big numbers in the big 3 – I recently got told by my section ocmmander that I'm lifting too many weights – they want to see endurance, but the most important aspect is mental toughness – as you do the tasks on your own, so dont have a staff member yelling at you to finish, or your boys edging you on – and disipline (like taking care of your minor injuries so you can carry on tomorrow, instead of just passing out on your bed)
I dont know about the yanks, but I know a few lads who have done SAS selection – weight loss of 15 lbs a month whilst eating 7,000kal+ is not uncommon
I think that sort of thing's supposed to be common in selection, from my limited understanding. As to the rest, in the US that seems to depend on the branch and the unit- I know some Combat Air Controllers who are fucking huge- one used to hold the world record for raw bench at 242.
Don't lie in the description of the exercise 🙂
You clearly said you jump over the bar. That was a lazy step not a jump. I was ready to tell you that you were crossfit but alas not today.
Now that I've said that I promise you we will see it done with a jump as a crossfit challenge or WOD
The funniest part is how high you tiny dudes have to jump to get over the bar.
The bar is almost up to your waist…..
Manveet- Pararescue has a higher attrition rate than Navy Seals, just saying.
Jamie-please don't feed the animals. Nobody cares about JasonDoucheBag's daddy issues and how he somehow parlays that into being a badass himself. I don't care about army men. Neither should you.
"STOP THINKING, START DOING."
I like that.
Glen, as sub-human as I think you are, I agree.
Jamie,
I remember one of the few times we went to the gym together at USC when you did some kind of one-armed snatch that involved you yanking a huge weight up over your head and the students who were working there totally freaked out and told you to stop because you were endagering the public, hahaha.
Alex
You actually admitted to owning a papasan chair? I hope you're joking!
Was this at Strom or Blatt. I would have loved to see this. They must have hired some new people b/c you used to be able to get away with murder at Blatt.
I need new straps and those look nice and thick. Not to focus on the minutia, but what kind are those?
It was at Blatt. It was at Strom where they called the cops, haha. I went and asked the manager of Blatt what the fuck was up, and he told me it was because people are idiots, and would walk into the bar while it was flying up.
Alex- was that on your 2nd or third hour on the bike? Hahaha.
Justin- that chair fucking rules, and as I never have guests at my house, I don't need any other furniture. I move a lot, so I try not to own shit.
Jamie. Show us some clean and jerk vids. I wanna see what you can do
His power cleans are horrid.
… and I'm not even certain I can actually do a jerk.
Jamie, where did you get those straps? (I need new ones) Thanks.
Straps anonymous? I'll lend you my strap-on-jack, you queer fucker! Still smells of Glens ass.
Not sure what prompted that, it was a real question. Thanks anyway.
They're totally shitty straps some guy gave me. My favorite straps are probably the ones I used to use from Spud Inc. They took a bit of getting used to, but they never frayed, were soft as shit, and helped my grip immensely.
You'll notice that there's no pic next to the answer before the last, because that was someone goofing on you. Obviously.
Jamie, thanks. Didn't mean to derail the topic, great vid with this post.
I can say from experience that special forces selection and training is the single easiest way to drop weight and get both physically and mentally strong. If you make the cut though you have plenty of opportunity to lift, i was a fucking twig by the time i reached regiment but constant weightlifting and heavy drinking soon cleared that up haha.
I bet you can't guess which muscle in your body is the #1 muscle that eliminates joint and back pain, anxiety and burns fat.
If this "hidden" highly powerful primal muscle is healthy, we are healthy.