Sugden Barbell has put up some great video of a seminar in Glasgow done by none other than Misha Koklyaev.  This dude ain’t messin’ around.

I like this quote:

"Weightlifting is an art. A weightlifter shoots the bullseye of a target 100′s meters away. A power lifter brings out this huge cannon…"

Now the vids.  Notice this guys smile at the end of every lift.  He’s clearly having a great time.  Gotta love that.

Behind the neck jerk

No hands back squat … yes, that’s right, no hands!

190k Snatch

400 kilo x 3 deadlift (I can barely do a 400 pound deadlift for 3!)

4 of the Worlds Strongest Men (Phil Pfister, Travis Ortmyer, Dave Ostlund and Derek Poundstone) get caught in an elevator … the beginning of a bad joke?  Nope, just a funny Youtube vid.

Apparently, they ended up climbing out.  Lesson … if you have 4 guys weighing close to 300 pounds with you, use the stairs! 

Check out this home-movie someone put up of the 2009 Worlds Strongest Man.  Especially wild is the one arm clean and press competition between Mariusz and Phil Phister

This is a hilarious “mock-commercial”.

I go to Portland State University, home of the Vikings.  So little wonder that I’m into Svend Karlsen, the 2001 Worlds Strongest Man, who has a habit of screaming, “Viking Power!” at the top of his lungs every time he does a successful event.  (I keep trying to get my school to adopt him as our official mascot, but to no avail.)

Much like the other two strong man competitors I’ve profiled (Magnus Samuelsson, and Mariusz Pudzianowski) his training routine is outright insane.  But, hey, that’s what it takes if you’re going to be the Worlds Strongest Man.  Below I’ve posted his workout schedule and a 6 part video from Youtube about his training.

Day 1

Barbell Log press: 2-3 x 6 – 12 (that’s 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 12 reps)
Tire Flip:  3 x 6 – 8 flips
Stones: 3 x 5
Close Grip Bench Press:  1 x 4 – 6; 1 x 10-14
Lying French Press:  2 x 8-12
Push downs:  2 x 8 – 12
Crunches:  3 x 12

Day 2

Front Squat:  2 x 4-6
Karlsen Squats (see video below):  3 x 8-12
Leg Extension:  3 x 12 – 20
Calf Raise:  3 x 20
Concept 2 Rower: 3 x 500 meters

Day 3

Fast Walking or Easy Swimming for 1 Hour

Day 4

Apollons Axle:  1 x 1 – 3; 1 x 6 – 10
Log Lift: 1 x 4 – 8; 1 x 8 – 12
Karlsen Crusifix Flies: 2 x 8
Incline Log Press: 1 x 3 – 6, 1 x 12
Crossovers: 3 x 8 – 12

Day 5

Deadlift: 2 x 3 – 6
Seated Rows: 3 x 8 – 12
Pull Downs: 3 x 8 – 12
Shrugs: 3 x 12
Bent over side laterals: 3 x 8 – 12

Day 6

Fast walking or light swimming – 1 hour

Day 7

Super Yoke: 3 x 25 meters
Farmers Walk (in the Snow!!): 2 sets of 2 x 35meters
Conan’s Wheel: 2 x 3 laps
Truck Pull: 3 x 10 meters
Loading: 3 x 5 kegs for 5 -10 meters

Day 8

He says he “takes massage”. 

OK, here’s the 6 part video on Youtube.  If you like it, you should support Svend by buying it on Ironmind. Viking Power!

Part 1

Part 2

part 3

part 4

part 5

part 6

Yesterday I posted the workout routine of Mariusz Pudzianowski.  Today, I’m posting a link to a great video on my favorite strongman competitor of all time:  Magnus Samuelsson.

In addition to being a Worlds Strongest Man winner, he is a down-home Swedish dairy farmer and a truly laid back and nice guy by all accounts.  This video highlights some of that, and includes his at-home training and contest shots.   It even includes his 8,500 calorie a day diet!!

Magnus is also a lifetime drug-free competitor, which as we all know is a rare commodity in any strength sport.

My ambition was to see how strong I could get, and I am totally clean, which proves that success is possible without drugs.

OK, here’s the video.  Note: it’s long, about 40 minutes, so sit back with some protein and get inspired to workout – farm-boy style!

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

OH, and if you haven’t seen him on the Swedish version of “Let’s Dance” (seriously!) click here.

OK, now the following is going to look outright insane.  And it is.  But, then, so is Mariusz, the multiple time Worlds Strongest Man (WSM) Winner.

I remember the first time I saw Mariusz competing in the WSM, I couldn’t believe my eyes.  The guy looked, and performed, unlike any of the other competitors.  He was leaner (much leaner), faster, and unstoppable.

How did he get that way?  A ridiculous training program and an even more insane diet. Mariusz trains twice a day, 6 days a week.  He’s got 3 workouts that he alternates.  In the morning he does gym training, and in the evening he does event training.  Let’s take a look:

Day One – Morning Workout – 9am

Back Squats: 8 x 6-2 (sets x reps)
Leg Curls: 6 x 20
Leg Extension: 6 x 20
Pull ups: 6 x 15
Chin ups: 6 x 10
Behind the neck Pull down: 4 x 15
Rows: 4 x 15
Abs:  6 x 30  (on exercises like hanging leg raises, side bends, etc)

That is not a joke!  He does all of that in one session only lasting 90 minutes!  He works FAST.  No wonder he’s so ripped.

Day One – Evening – 6pm

Sandbag Carry: 3 x 170 meters

Conan’s Wheel: 3 x 2.5 revolutions

Tire Flip: 3 x 10 flips

Day Two – Morning – 9am

Front Squats:  Up to a single at 250 kilos

Calf Work: 6 x 15

Overhead Press: Work sets – 6 x 5-4

Deadlifts: Up to a set with 300 kilos (for a few reps, 2 or 3)

Good Mornings:  8 x multiple reps

Day Two – Evening – 6pm

Bushman’s Walk:  3 x 15 meters @ 300 kilos

Presses with Machine Used in Competition: 3 x 10 @ 120kg

Crucifix Hold: 40 kilos for 30 seconds

Day Three – Morning – 9am

Bench Press: Multiple sets of 8 to 2 reps

Barbell Triceps Extensions: work up to 80 kilos

Standing French Press

Day Three – Evening – 6pm

Same as Day One plus Power Stairs and Parallel Stairs

Doesn’t seem like enough?  Well, apparently Mariusz didn’t either.  So, he also does Karate twice a week, swimming, and medium distance running!  He also jump ropes daily.

Diet

What about diet?  Here’s a quote from Muscle and Fitness magazine:

“My energy comes from my diet. Breakfast is 10 eggs and 2-3 pounds of bacon. Between meals, I eat lots of candy…I need it for energy. Lunch, at 1 or 2 p.m., is a double meal of a Polish pork chop, sauerkraut and potatoes.

An hour later, I work out, then take lots of supplements: magnesium, creatine, amino acids, all that stuff, and more chocolate.

Dinner is whatever meat I can get: steaks, pork chops, bacon, plus more sauerkraut and potatoes. [After I work out] I have a protein shake and more chocolate.”

Yes, he said “candy”.  But, if you trained like he did, you could eat all the candy you wanted also!

Personally, I think the “secret” is the sauerkraut.

References

1. http://marunde-muscle.com/kirit.html
2. http://ifitandhealthy.com/mariusz-pudzianowski-workout-and-diet/
3. http://www.criticalbench.com/Mariusz-Pudzianowski.htm

Mark Felix, the British strongman competitor, and 4th place finisher at the 2006 Worlds Strongest Man, is a real inspiration to us older guys.  He never even competed in a strongman contest till he was 37.  Though, he was a dedicated bodybuilder before then.

Here’s a short interview with him.

Worlds Strongest Man, and full time dairy farmer, Magnus Samuelsson wins the 2009 season of the Swedish version of “Let’s Dance”.

Here’s a few vids:

and

There’s a new federation in town hoping to bridge the gap between Highland Games competitions and Strongman competitions called the North American Highlander Association.  Very cool.

Here’s how their contests work in the words of the organizations co-founder, D.J. Satterfield:

NAHA competitions consist of half strongman and half highland games events. This is a prerequisite for all competitions. Contests have either a total of 4, 6 or 8 events. The strongman events will consist of what everyone is accustomed to, ie: log press, farmers, stones, yoke, loading, truck pull, etc. and some other unique events.

The highland games portion must consist of any of the std. 9 highland game events, ie: light weight for distance, heavy weight for distance, light hammer throw, heavy hammer throw, open stone put, Braemar stone put, sheaf toss, weight over bar and caber.

There are a number of divisions including:

• Men’s lightweight, under 200#
• Men’s Middleweight, under 250#
• Men’s Heavyweight, over 250#
• Masters
• Women’s lightweight, under 160#
• Women’s heavyweight, over 160#

If you’re looking for another type of strength test for yourself, this sounds like a good one.   A mix of strength and skill.

Oh, and though it isn’t required, a Kilt is recommended.  I love any excuse to wear my Kilt!

There’s a contest happening up just north of Seattle I’m considering entering at the end of August.  We’ll see.  I’ll keep you posted.

And if you’ve entered one of these contests already, share your experience with us in the comments section.