Diesel Crew - Muscle Building, Athletic Development, Strength Training, Grip Strength » strength training muscle building workouts

Awesome Day Here at the Gym Yesterday

Jedd Johnson — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 14:02:50 +0000

Hey everybody. Jedd here.

Hopefully some of you got the chance to catch our live UStream Feed yesterday from my Garage Gym here in PA. The gym’s been finished since April, but we haven’t been able to schedule anything where all the guys could make it down until now.

Smitty, Eli, Brad and Brian all made it down. Also Joe Hashey and his brother Pat came down.

We started our squats about 9:30. Even early in the morning it was already hot in the garage. Eli went through like a half dozen shirts I think. We squatted outside the cage with spotters. It was nice having people there to spot me. It gave me more confidence considering the back tweaks I have been having. I actually loaded the bar up to 315 to feel the weight again. We did an intermediate stance, not narrow high bars, but not wide sumo stance with the bar lower either. It was in the middle and felt pretty good.

Next thing we went into were shrug bar deadlifts. This was our heavy pull for the day because later on we did Double Overhand axle deadlift later on for a grip emphasis. Pat managed to get 365 to his knee on the axle. Pretty awesome. Joe and Pat could be really good at grip I think if they had the equipment and time to dedicate to getting good.

After some pull-ups, we tried some Inch Dumbbell Push Press. Eli got several singles, and I think a double once. Brad hit like 3 or 4 reps in a row, re-setting his grip in between reps.

We mixed in hub lifting and log pressing.

The fellas had to take off by noon. They car-pooled down and Smitty had to be back home by one.

Video 1

Video 2

But the day wasn’t over yet. I had a whole other workout ahead of me.

Brent Barbe, John Eaton and Frank Snyder all came down for a grip workout. I took a break and ate burgers and salad but then got into a full-blown 3-hr workout with these gripaholics starting around 2 PM.

We hit a ton of Grippers. CoC’s, Beef Builders, Tettings, etc. What was awesome was trying the new Fat Bastard Barbell Grippers with no knurling. Brent had a whole set of them. Frank and I closed the 4X FBBC gripper.

Frank is 18 years old and has a better crush than me. He closed a couple of 3.5’s I couldn’t manage to shut. He only lives about an hour away so we are going to try to line up some more training sessions.

We did some blob lifting, 5-tens, 2-inch vertical bar, 45-lb hub lifts, 3-25’s, and a ton of other stuff. My hands are fried. I hope these guys can make it up for another workout soon. I am stoked.

I got video of everything. I will go through it and post some of the stuff, hopefully this week if not this afternoon, since it is pouring out.

Unfortunately, we had trouble getting the UStream to work, but we eventually got it during the lower body workout. I hope that it didn’t turn too many of you away. About a half hour into getting it going, I checked the status on another laptop and we only had 3 viewers, which is pretty low compared to the 20+ viewers we’ve had in the past.

So I have some questions for you guys:

Anybody else ever try UStream?

Anyone else ever have any problems getting it to work?

Are you enjoying these streamed workouts?

Looking forward to your feedback, so please leave a comment.

All the best in your training,

-Jedd-Similar Posts:

8 ways to Supercharge Your Training

Jedd Johnson — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:25:02 +0000

by Joe Hashey, CSCS – www.synergy-athletics.com

Everyone that reads the Diesel Crew site is already passionate about strength training; there is no doubt about that! This article contains methods I have used in my own training and with my athletes to add a “little something extra” to the programs.

Let’s cut the small talk and get to the meat, here’s the list:

1. Real Primary Exercises. Choose a primary exercise that is a compound lift and is proven to help you reach your goals. If you are an Olympic lifter, then choose those. If you are a powerlifter, then get to benching, squatting, and dead lifting. If you are a recreational lifter (here’s where we get in trouble), choose something off the list above. Smith machine curls don’t fit. Activate the most muscles you can right off the bat.

2. Warm Up HARD. Warm ups should not be all slow and steady stretching. Time it, and get it done. Here’s the timing I use with my athletes – 3 minutes active recovery or mobility, 4 minutes dynamic stretching, then 3-5 minutes specific warm up (lighter sets and reps of their exercise, this includes rest periods for a group of 3). Everything is up on a board for them to read and their first working start needs to start within 12 minutes of them walking in the door.

Warming up with some Pull Ups

3. Use the Training Economy. Supercharge your training session with choosing exercises that give you the biggest bang for your buck. Instead of listing them all, here are some guidelines. These are the lifts that use multiple muscle groups and rarely involve machines. More muscles used = more adaptation.

4. Finish Strong. Many of my athletes have benefited from incorporating a “finisher” exerciser. On certain moderate volume or intensity days I will allow them to choose a finisher. These exercises range from Jail Yard pushups to hand walking competitions and everything in between. The competitive nature of people that work out should be utilized! The guys enjoy some healthy competition; it gets their adrenaline pumping, and leads to a positive training effect.

A group finisher – Jail Yard Pushups from the Bull Strength Manual

5. Realize You’re Weak (nesses). If you keep training the same lifts and program non stop, you may develop some weaknesses. Make sure you identify the areas of concern and catch them up! Keep in mind that “weaknesses” are all relative. A powerlifter may find that their triceps are their weak point; however those “weak triceps” may still be very strong compared to anyone else!

6. Play within Yourself. The worst thing you can do is find the strongest guy in the gym and compare yourself to them, however, its one of the hardest things NOT to do. Hell, I’m saying it, and I still make that mistake (and probably will again). They may have been training for 15 years and if you have only 2 years under your belt, then they should be that much stronger! It is good to take notice of the characteristics of strength, but don’t get down if you can’t deadlift 500 lbs after a year.

Not the guy you want to try to out dead lift as a beginner

7. Don’t be a sissy. I’m being serious here, and I’ll admit I’ve been guilty of this before as well. Who here hasn’t talked themselves out of a big lift? I certainly have, and I’m still bitter that I went sissy for that moment. Get a pattern of thinking down before you perform a big lift. It can be you against the weight, it can be you and the weight working together, it could be you picturing a hot girl in the room that you have to impress…Whatever it is, just do it and stick to what works!

I’ll let you in my mind here for a second. My go to thought is my younger brother performing the lift easily and smirking at me. After I get that ingrained my mind, there is no choice but to get the lift.

Post up some of your thoughts in the comments here at the Diesel Crew! I’d be curious to hear.

8. Don’t drown in information while searching for knowledge. The internet has created put an amazing amount of information out to people. Answers to nearly every question are just a button click away. However, what is hard to find is true knowledge.

There are thousands of strength training sites with information out there, some right, some wrong. The problem is who is right? There is so much information, but a real lack of knowledge. Stick to the basics, learn from people that have experience (ie not off a 12 year old on a forum), and get that knowledge!

I’ll end with a challenge. Anyone can read this information, say “yeah that’s good,” then go on making the same mistakes as before. I challenge you to internalize at least ONE of these 8 tips and make it happen! Please post any results in the comments.

There it is, 8 simple things you can do to bump your workouts up to the next level. I know, as readers of the Diesel Crew site, that many of you already have some sick super charged workouts. Keep up the good work, and thanks for reading.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

About the Author: Joe is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach and owner of Synergy Athletics. He specializes in getting the most out athletes, and has some impressive training videos. Go visit Joe’s site – www.synergy-athletics.com – and sign up for the FREE newsletter. All subscribers get a free bonus training video of Joe training at his place and with the Diesel Crew. It is really a must watch!

P.S. Don’t forget about AJ’s FREE bench videos

Training at John Alvinos III

Jedd Johnson — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 11:23:01 +0000

Here is some more footage of us training at John Alvino’s after the first day of the Fast Track event.

In this video, you’ll see plenty of axle deadlifting, both double overhand and reverse, some Rolling Thunder, working over the heavy bag, sumo deadlifts, and more.

Nothing like meeting new dudes and within a half an hour busting on each other and having fun at a workout. Lots of sh*t talking and plenty of new friends made that weekend!

Combat Core baby!

All the best in your training,

-Jedd-

Check out the last Alvino workout here ===>Similar Posts:

AMD Week Coming Up

Jedd Johnson — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:15:37 +0000

Midnight, May 24th is the Day!

I can’t wait until AMD is released and I can get some sleep. I was really hoping to have it done sooner, but I keep adding to it. As many of you know who have bought my products, I am a perfectionist. I want to make sure all of bases are covered and you have everything you need to reach your muscle building goals.

Post your comments below and tell me if you’re excited about the AMD release.

Thank you everyone for following us here at Diesel.

Strongman Training Workout – Guest Blog Post – Joe Hashey

Jedd Johnson — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:32:05 +0000

Joe Hashey – Synergy Athletics Workout

Here in New York, the weather just hit 80 degrees (after it snowed 3 days ago)! That only means one thing – time to get the strongman equipment out and head outdoors.

At Synergy Athletics, I work with athletes that play a variety of sports – soccer, football, lacrosse, baseball, field hockey, basketball, and hockey. Many of the athletes here play at least two of these sports.

No matter the sport, nearly every athlete needs to be explosive. Try this full body workout to get explosive strength while increasing your general physical preparedness.

I also designed this workout for people on a budget. You could get EVERYTHING needed for this workout for under $10. You don’t need a fancy commercial gym to get in an incredible workout.

Equipment needed: Car tire (free), car tire sled (homemade with tow straps), keg optional.

1. Overhead Keg or Tire Throws – 8 x 1. Focus on exploding the hips through and maximizing triple extension. If you don’t have a keg, get a car tire for free from nearly any garage, just go ask for an old one. The weight isn’t as important as the rate of force development. EXPLODE. Measure your distance each time and try to beat it.

2. Explosive Scarecrows (sled) – 4 x 30 yards. Use a weight that is under your 50% max sled drag. Pull the slack out of the straps, sit back, and explode up into a scarecrow. Reset and repeat.

3. Hand Over Hand Sled Rows – 30 under 30. Start with one plate, row it 30 yards in under 30 seconds. Add a 45 and repeat until you can no longer row the weight in under 30 seconds. If you finish in under 4 sets, go up by 25′s next time instead.

4. Tire Clean and Throw – 3 x 10 – Clean a car tire from the ground up to your chest, immediately press throw it for distance. Keep your feet set! Do not step into it, use your chest and shoulders.

5. Chop Circuit 5 x 10 – Pick up the car tire and get ready to try to smash it. Find yourself a tree, and swing the tire like an axe into the tree, rotationally from the right. Repeat from the left. Next, overhead chops into the ground. Don’t worry your tree will be fine.

The chop circuit serves a greater scientific purpose other than just being grueling. When you hit the tire or ground the tire will compress briefly then pop back to its original shape. This will create an intense vibration through your fingers, hands, wrists, and all the way up to your shoulders and upper back. Your body has to instinctively brace itself to take this shock wave. This will light up your whole upper body, not just your core.

Joe Hashey is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA and owner of Synergy Athletics. He has authored the Bull Strength Manual for serious strength and power development. Check out Joe’s work and get a hold of incredible free newsletter bonuses over at
Synergy-Athletics.com.

Similar Posts: