Russian Deadlift KINGS - Koklayev, Belyaev, Pozdeev, Konstantinovs

As I surfed internet the other night I found this vid below and I think it is damn amazing:

Koklayev is the tall massive guy pulling conventional in blue shoes, Belyaev is the short stocky guy pulling sumo (massive legs), Konstantinovs is the tall muscular guy with no T-shirt and Pozdeev is the sumo machine with headset on.

I think this vid is pretty unique as it shows for different pulling styles of pulling kings (all of them pull close or over to 400k (880lbs). We are talking here about the absolute top of the premium level.

They pull all differently, yet they have some things in common:
1/ they all are Eastern Bloc lifters (Koklayev, Pozdeev and Belyaev are Russian, Konstantinovs is Latvian)
2/ they all pull multiple times a week
3/ they rarely max out in training
4/ they do huge volume at lower intensities

See any take home notes? Yes, it's that simple. Forget the Western bullshit where you pull infrequently, you have shitty and inconsistent form and get injured frequently.

Let's get some more analysis of their pulling styles ...

Konstantin Pozdeev:
Actually, I do not have info how his training is set-up but I am pretty damn confident that his training will be very similar to Belayaev's: multiple pulling weekly, shitload of volume; Sheiko style sets and reps; lower to medium intensity. Look at his form. His lightest warm-up and his heaviest meet pull look exactly the same. This is due to tens of thousands reps and insane volume. I think he has the best sumo technique these days. Watch closely: he pulls strongly with the hips, wide stance, locks legs quite early, then powerful hip thrust and glutes extension. Pozdeev is a beast. I think he will shatter multiple world records in coming years.

Andrey Bealyaev:
Bealyaev is a monster. He is below 100k (220lbs) yet he would kick just about everybody's ass in Europe and America. His style is one smooth piston-like motion. Starting his sumo with powerful hip dominated-squat, he extends hips and lock knees at the same time. Again, Sheiko follower with insane volume at medium intensity, frequent pulling. Guys like Belyaev do weekly more volume that average Joe does monthly or bi-monthly.

Misha Koklayev:
Former Oly lifter turned powerlifter and strongman, Misha lifts somewhat differently than others. As a former Oly lifter he relies heavily on his powerful butt and legs and that is why he dips his hips quite deep when he begins to pull (starting in a somewhat clean position). Actually, his training, again, is high volume, high frequency.

Konstantin Konstantinovs:
This guy is a beast. He pulls with a rounded upper back (yet rock solid lower back which does not extend during the pull). Rounded upper back allows him to shorten the ROM and get the bar close to hips for more powerful pull. There is a shitload of vids on Youtube of this guy showing his multiple pulling sessions. Not only he pulls multiple times a week, sometimes he pulls twice during one session, for example he starts with low block pulls, then does some bench pressing and finishes the session with heavy-as-fuck trap bar pulls or deficit pulls followed with some assistance.


Why am I writing this? Each of us is different: someone is short, someone is tall, long legs, long arms, blah, blah. Pick your poison: you can pull with low hips as Koklayev does or high hips and rounded upper back as Konstantinovs. If you are a sumo puller, you can squat the weight more as Belayev does and make at a smooth combo of hip extension and knees locking or go like Pozdeev with early locked legs and powerful hip extension a split second later. Whatever style you choose, remember what they share and why they are the deadlift kings: multiple pulling a week, shitload of volume at low or medium intensities, huge volume on squatting as well; practice of tens of thousands reps.

Now, go pull something heavy ;-)



P.S. Yep, chicks should do some high-volume pulling as well ...

front squats - the mass king and your No.1 assistance lift

Front squats seem to be getting back some popularity. Rightly so. They used to be forgotten somewhat due to the Westside bandwagon where they said you did not need quads for squatting. Well, that maybe true for heavy-equipment lifting. Definitely not true when it comes to raw squatting.




Raw squatters use medium to narrow stance and they sit back AND down at the same time so quads are used big time. After the back squat, the king of powerlifts, the front squat takes a very close second place.

Front squats will give you many things: huge quads, steel core, strong upper back, confidence in the hole.

huge quads:
Because your torso is pretty much upright and you sit down more than you sit back, you have a pretty solid compound lift to hit your quads. Front squats will take some stress of your hips and lower back and overload your quads way more. This is very important for strong conventional pullers who tend to have stronger backs than legs. I strongly advise front squats as the No.1 assistance lift to deadlifts. Especially, if you are weak off the floor. Do some heavy ass to grass front squats and watch your deadlift rise.

You could do many protocols for front squats: 5 sets of 5, 4 sets of 8, 6 sets of 3 with heavier weight. Play with the frequency too: maybe once a week 5 heavy sets of 3 and then 4 medium heavy sets of 8. Yes, additionally to back squats. "But then I'd be squatting three times a week!!!" So what ?! Many huge squatters from the Eastern Bloc countries have been doing that for decades.



steel core:
Do some big volume heavy front squats, like 8 sets of 3 and let me know the next day. If you keep proper form, upright torso and no belt, your abs will be sore as fuck. For a good couple of days. Front squats will give you the best lifting belt you can imagine. Painful, though. Eventually, this should improve your form on back squats as well. As a bonus, deep heavy front squats build pretty strong glutes as well.

strong upper back:
What happens sometimes when lifters back squat is that they tend to round upper back slightly when in the hole. This can be cured with heavy front squats as well. Your upper back fights heavily to keep the bar in place and after several months of heavy front squats your upper back erectors should get pretty huge and strong.



confidence in the hole:
When front squatting you usually go pretty deep and sometimes you can practice a good re-bound. You can also pause in the hole briefly. All this builds tension and confidence in the hole which should translate to back squats as well. Because you sink all your front squats pretty deep, you will not be afraid to do the same with your back squats as well.


Hmmm, so many benefits ... then why so many people ditch front squats?

Front squats are painful and not easy. Large volume heavy front squats will give you pretty sore shoulders, troubles breathing, you will be shaky on some last reps and your whole lower body will hurt. But you get strong quads, abs and upper back as a reward. Front squats are not sexy, they require no machine and no fancy equipment, just old barbell, plates and squat stands.


What is strong? Sets of 5 with 100k (225 lb) are fine for some mass building, 140k (315 lb) is strong. Sets of 5 with 180k (405 lb) are pretty damn strong and should give you some massive wheels.



... and as Dan Green nails it summarizing his training: "I just do the powerlifts and for assistance I push the front squat, shoulder press and rows"

The Best Czech Powerlifter of all times - Martin Kosnar

Probably the best Czech powerlifter of all times. Overall, a very strong guy, both raw and equipped.

If I am not mistaken he is a multiple Czech, European and World Champion accross several federations, incl. IPF. Raw benches above 550 (250k), equipped benches above 660 (300k). Martin is an amazing squatter and a sumo puller. Equipped squats over 900 (410k) are standard almost at every competition he enters. Raw sumo pulls in training over 700? No problem.

Martin trains usually 3 times a week following a standard periodization model when he begins the cycle with moderate-heavy 5's, then 3's, the doubles and then singles in gear. His training is quite simple but relies heavily on big exercises and increased frequency. Martin squats 2 times a week, heavy on Monday and light-moderate on Friday. Benching is done 3 times a week with Monday being the heavy bench day after squats, Wednesday close-grip work for triceps and Friday light-moderate bench after light squats. Pulling is done once a week on Wednesday with the pulling cycle usually starting with conventional deads then switching to sumo.

This would be an outline of Martin's routine which might vary a bit:

MONDAY:
squat - heavy
bench - heavy
incline DB press
biceps
abs


WEDNESDAY:
pull - heavy
hypers
seated behind-the-neck press
close-grip bench press
abs


FRIDAY:
squat - light
bench - light
lat pulldowns
low cable rows
abs


As the meet approaches minor assistance lifts are omitted and only the big lifts and the big assistance remain.

Below are some vids of Martin Kosnar, the best Czech Powerlifter:

... and here is a sample week of Martin's training (about mid-cycle):


MONDAY:

squat
70k (154 lb) x 10
70k (154 lb) x 10
120k (264 lb) x 5
170k (374 lb) x 3
220k (484 lb) x 3
270k (594 lb) x 3
290k (638 lb) x 3 add belt, add wraps

bench press
60k (132 lb) x 10
60k (132 lb) x 10
100k (220 lb) x 8
140k (308) x 5
170k (374) x 3 all benches paused
190k (418) x 3

DB flys
50k (110 lb) x 8 x 3 sets

biceps
abs


WEDNESDAY:

conventional deadlift
70k (154 lb) x 10
120k (264 lb) x 5
170k (374 lb) x 3
220k (484 lb) x 3
270k (594 lb) x 3
300k (660 lb) x 2

seated behind-the-neck press
55k (121 lb) x 10
85k (187 lb) x 5
105k (231 lb) x 5
115k (253 lb) x 3

side raises
18k (40 lb) x 8 x 3 sets

close-grip bench press
60k (132 lb) x 10
100k (220 lb) x 5
130k (286 lb) x 5
160k (352 lb) x 3
180k (396 lb) x 2

abs


FRIDAY:

squat
70k (154 lb) x 10
120k (264 lb) x 5
170k (374 lb) x 3
220k (484 lb) x 3
240k (528 lb) x 3

bench press
60k (132 lb) x 10
100k (220 lb) x 10
140k (308 lb) x 5
160k (352 lb) x 5 all with pauses
180k (396 lb) x 3

lat pulldowns
5 sets of 8





Simple, high-frequency, low volume training. Might the right training model for you. Feel free to ask questions.

deadlifting frequency

There seem to be two main approaches when it comes to deadlifting. Pulling infrequently and pulling very frequently.

I never understood the logic of pulling every other week or even every third week. In my opinion the pulling muscles get weak, there is not enough motor learning and the form practice is minimal.

If you check many deadlift injuries, you can easily see it's exactly this group of lifters - infrequent pullers.

You can, and should, pull more than once a week provided you can manage three things:

1/ impecable form
2/ intensity vs. volume correlation
3/ including several forms of pulling

Impecable form is crucial. Any deviation from YOUR perfect technique and the demands on your CNS and pulling muscles are much higher. And that is another reason for pulling more frequently. More sets and reps will dial in your technique. You can pull several times a week, provided some pulls are at lower intensities. Most of the pulling should be in the 60-80% range anyway. That way you can improve for weeks and you will not tax your CNS too much. Not all pulling has to be just one type of deadlift. Changing the pulling exercises will make you a more efficient puller because most of the pulls complement one another: conventional pull, sumo, deficit pulls, block pulls, Romanian deadlifts, etc.

Some examples of multiple pulling a week below:

Day 1: conventional 60-85% over several weeks
Day 2 (three days later in the same week): sumo 60-70% over several weeks

... actually, that is what I do and it delivers solid results.

Or you could do:

Day 1: medium-heavy deficit pulls
Day 2: heavy block pulls

Or you could pull on the same day but do the two mini sessions with some other lift in between.

Sheiko boys train like that: you start with a medium heavy deadlift up to knees, then continue with some benches or inclines and finish with some pretty heavy block pulls.

Or you might try what the pulling master Konstantin Konstantinovs does:

1/ conventional deadlift or low block pulls
2/ close-grip bench press
3/ trap-bar deadlift

Or if you are really nuts, you can do high-volume low-intensity pulling on Day 1 and the "Deadlift Extravaganza" on Day 2. Maybe like this:

Day 1: sumo 6x5 @ 60%

Day 2: conventional 6x5 @ 60-65%
           block pulls 3x3 @ 80-90%
           Romanian DL 4x8 @ 50% or 2x20 @ 40%

You'll be fried but your body gets used to such trainings after a few sessions.

And speaking about the pulling machine Konstantinovs, here is a pretty cool vid:

sheiko frequency and exercise selection

If you compare Western methods of lifting and Eastern methods of lifting you will find many differences. There are really many but I think the most striking is the frequency, loading and exercise selection. sheiko has been the bread and butter programming for Russian and Eastern Bloc lifters for decades and the results are unbelievable. Hundreds of national and world records have been shattered using sheiko programs or variations.



sheiko #29 FREQUENCY:

week 1
bench press: 50-75%
squat: 50-70%
bench press: 50-70%
DB flys: 5x10
GM: 5x5

deadlift up to knees: 50-75%
incline bench: 4x6
dips: 5x5
block pulls: 55-85%
lunge: 5x5
abs: 3x10

bench press: 50-80%
DB flys: 5x10
squat: 50-75%
GM: 5x5


week 2
squat: 50-80%
bench press: 50-80%
DB flys: 5x10
push-ups: 5x10
front squat: 45-60%
GM: 5x5

deadlift up to knees: 50-75%
bench press: 50-65%
DB flys: 5x10
block pulls: 55-80%
lunge: 5x5

squat: 50-80%
bench press: 50-80%
DB flys: 5x10
squat: 50-70%
GM: 5x5


week 3
squat: 55-85%
bench press: 50-80%
DB flys: 5x10
push-ups: 5x10
squat: 50-80%
GM: 5x5

deadlift up to knees: 50-65%
bench press: 50-80%
DB flys: 5x10
block pulls: 60-90%
lunge: 5x5

squat: 50-80%
bench press: 50-80%
DB flys: 5x10
press: 5x4
GM: 5x5


week 4
squat: 50-80%
bench press: 55-75%
DB flys: 5x10
dips: 5x8
front squat: 40-60%
GM: 5x5

bench press: 50-85%
deadlift: 50-80%
bench press: 50-70%
DB flys: 5x10

squat: 50-80%
bench press: 55-85%
DB flys: 5x10
dips: 5x8
GM: 5x5
abs: 3x10


Take home thoughts:
1/ You squat 12x / month
2/ You bench 13x / month
3/ You pull 7x / month
4/ DB flys are done 11x / month for strengthening the pec/delt tie-in



sheiko #29 LOADING:

Notice the most working sets are in the 60-80% range. That's where strength is built. As well, within these ranges your technique does not break down. The intensity is high enough to build strength and mass, yet low enough for your technique to be spot on. Only several times you tap the 85-90% intensity, 80% of the work is still in the 60-80%.

Volume is huge. But because you traded some high intensities for high volumes, you will not overtrain. The 3rd week you might feel tired as hell but you will not be overtrained. What happens usually is that you will "miraculously" recover the 4th week because your body gets used to the workload. Huge volume at lower intensities allows you to practice your form and let all your ligaments and tendons accommodate to the stress.



sheiko #29 EXERCISE SELECTION:

This is what most people analyze all the time. "What are the assistance lifts?" Please keep in mind, 90% of your focus, work and energy is the main lifts. The assistance exercises are to complement the main system. Nothing more. Yet, the selection is quite different from what you normally see/read:

DB flys
GM
incline press/press
dips
push-ups
lunges
abs

Notice the focus on pec/delt tie-in (DB flys), triceps (dips, push-ups) and quite heavy GM (lower back, hams).



The Sheiko controversy ...

What? No back work? No rows? Shoulders will get wrecked! Injuries just about to happen!

I personally do some rows and shrugs (about 2-3 high-rep sets a week) beceause I like DB rows but Boris Sheiko is no dumbass so there must be a reason why he did not put any direct back work in the system. I used to have shitty shoulders before when I did lots of back work and I have no problems now where I do very little back work. Why? High frequency deadlifting will take care of your back muscles and high volume, low intensity benching will condition your shoulders. But mind you, impecable form is a must. People usually don't wreck their shoulders because they do not do enough back work but rather poor form and tissue overuse is the culprit.

If still not convinced, do some high-rep rear delts on off days.

Final advice: do not add to the program. It is perfect as it is and produced decades of world-class lifters.

Pulling KK style for record deadlifts

Hi all there,

recently I changed my pulling style and I am not looking back. I have long legs, short torso, strong lower back. My best pull is 260k (572lb). And I want more. I always liked pulling and the technique was quite easy for me because of my build. However, It never felt "perfect". I studies lots of vids and descriptions of the so called "proper form": flat back, look ahead, dip the hips, start with leg drive, etc. It never felt perfect.

Recently, I read Konstantin Konstantinovs stating in several interviews that his pulling form never hurt his back and is quite safe. I tried it a few weeks ago and it felt just perfect. Hips higher, less flexion in knees, bar close to body, flat lower back, steeper torso angle, hunched upper back and head down. It might looking "dangerous" but trust me, it's not.

deadlift KK style:

... and here is my retarded drawing of the pulling mechanics:

Notice the angles:
- your torso is more uprigt, so there is less force on your spine than with the traditional form
- your hips are closer to the bar and that improves leverages
- your knee angle is bigger which allows for faster and stronger knee extension (a quarter squat is always stronger than a half squat)

Things to keep in mind:
- your lower back and middle back need to be pretty damn strong
- your lower back is flat during the whole lift
- your upper back is rounded and somewhat relaxed with head down


First few sessions I pulled that way I noticed my pull is way easier, weights feel easier, I pull the bar closest to my body and the next day my mid back, rhomboids, hams and glutes are sore. The most importnat thing is my lower back is NEVER sore now.


Give it a shot. Good luck :-)

Russian Powerlifting Superstar ....

Andrey Malanichev. Period.

The best of the best. If I am not mistaken Andrey just broke the raw WR squat with 1000+ squat at RUM 7.

Andrey is one of the Russian powerlifting superstars, together with Belyaev and Pozdeev.

Andrey's lifting is brutally simple and relies heavily on the big three. Andrey squats, benches and pulls once a week. His typical approach is a linear periodization over roughly 9-12 weeks, pyramiding the weight up. Apart from the powerlifts, Andrey does 4x12 light incline press during each session and a few sets of decline sit-ups with a dumbbell or kettlebell on his chest.



Typical weekly schedule looks like this:

squat: many sets working up with weight
incline press 4x12 light
abs a few sets

bench press: many sets working up with weight
incline press 4x12 light
abs a few sets

deadlift: many sets working up with weight
incline press 4x12 light
abs a few sets



Squatting is always a medium stance power squat, bench press is raw bench or with slingshot and pulls are typically sumo pulls, sometimes pulling from deficit.

Andrey feels proper form is crucial, especially on the heaviest sets.

Andrey does very light joging 1-2x a week to help his recovery.

Andrey eats lots of oatmeals, rice, porridge, meat, fish and protein powders.


Some vids from his training:

squat session:

... and some damn heavy sumos:

Below is Andrey's prep cycle for The 2008 Cup of Titans (all weights in kilos):

SQUAT (weight x reps):
week 1: 220x10, 240x8, 260x7, 280x4, 300x3
week 2: 240x10, 270x8, 290x6, 300x4, 320x3
week 3: 200x3, 240x3, 270x3, 290x3, 310x3, 330x3, 350x3
week 4: 300x5, 300x5, 300x5
week 5: 300x4, 320x4, 340x4, 360x4, 380x4
week 6: 300x3, 330x3, 350x3, 370x3, 390x3, 400x3
week 7: 320x5, 320x5, 320x5
week 8: 320x2, 340x2, 360x2, 380x1, 400x1, 430x1
week 9 (suit): 300x1, 320x1, 340x1, 360x1, 380x1
week 10 (suit): 300x3, 320x3
week 11: 200x3, 240x3, 260x3, 280x3


BENCH  PRESS (weight x reps):
week 1: 120x4, 140x4, 160x4
week 2: 120x4, 140x4, 160x4, 180x4
week 3: 120x3, 140x3, 160x3, 180x3, 200x3
week 4: 120x4, 140x4, 160x3, 180x3, 200x2, 210x2, 220x2
week 5: 100x4, 120x4, 140x4, 180x4
week 6: 120x3, 140x3, 160x3, 180x3, 200x3, 210x3, 220x3
week 7: 120x2, 140x2, 160x2, 180x2, 200x2, 220x2, 230x1, 245x1
week 8 (shirt): 200x1, 220x1, 240x1, 260x1, 270x1, 280x1
week 9 (shirt): 200x1, 220x1, 240x1, 260x1, 280x1, 290x1, 300x1
week 10 (shirt): 120x3, 140x4, 160x4


DEADLIFT (weight x reps):
week 1: 200x4, 220x4, 240x4
week 2 (from deficit): 200x4, 220x4
week 3: 200x3, 240x3, 280x3
week 4 (from deficit): 200x4, 220x4, 240x4
week 5: 220x3, 240x3, 280x3, 300x3
week 6 (from deficit): 220x3, 240x3, 280x3
week 7: 220x3, 240x3, 260x3, 280x3, 300x3, 320x3, 340x3
week 8: 220x3, 240x3, 260x3, 280x3, 300x3, 320x3
week 9: 270x5
week 10: 220x2, 240x2, 240x2, 260x2, 280x2, 300x2, 320x2, 340x1, 360x1, 380x1, 390x1
week 11: 270x1, 300x5 (suit)






source: malan-power.com

The Russian Deadlifting Machine - Konstantin Konstantinovs

There are not many raw lifters out there who can pull 400+ (880+ lb) for reps on consistent basis. KK is surely one of them.

Following is an inteview of 2010 with KK. Notice similar training pattern as most Eastern Bloc lifters, higher frequency and bigger volume on just a couple of basic lifts.





How did you start with powerlifting and with sports in general?

KK: I started with general gymnastics when I was about 6. Then I did some judo training. Serious strength training started when I was 16 years old.


Did I get it right that deadlift is your favourite lift?

KK: Yes, that would be correct. I was a strong puller right from the start. I remember pulling 215k at 70k bodyweight when I wasd 16. I pulled with a horribly ronded back and without a belt. I try hard that squat and bench press stay with my pull.





Many say that your pulling technique is really terrible. Do you really have no back pain?

KK: I always pulled with a rounded back. I tried and drilled the correct technique but I had limited strength and my back always hurt. Then I started trusting my body and I have never changed since then. I like it that way and I always improve. But you have to remeber that this style puts twice as big demand on my spinal erectors, upper back and abs. All must be very strong. I have to say Ano Turtiainen from Finland was a very helpful teacher.


I was wondering about your bench, you have very long arms yet you bench with a close grip. Why?

I listened to all "experts" about benching with a wide grip. But with my long arms, I was not able to fully engage my lats in the bottom position and suffered from all kinds of shoulder and tendon problems. So, I switched to close grip. And I can still improve that way. Simply, I am different and this benching style suits me well. One needs a very strong triceps for benching this way, though.





Are you happy with your current bodyweight?

KK: I always had troubles gaining weight. I am naturally lean and I always had to fight for new mass. On the other hand I do not want to get fat. Slowly I would like to get to 135 - 140 kg. Currently, I weigh around 128 kg which is not much considering my height 190 cm.


It is quite difficult to combine professional training and normal life with job. What do you think?

I work as a bodyguard and fly all over the world which is interesting and nice but hard to combine with training and meets. Many times, I have to train in hotel fitness clubs where, of course, there is no powerlifting equipment. Sometimes, the only option is push-ups and squats with my colleague on my back. I usually lose 4-5kg of my bodyweight and it takes me around 2 weeks to get back on track. But if you want it hard enough, all can be done.





What are you getting ready for right now?

KK: I am resting a bit right now. My next goal is a 441k (970 lb) pull. Many people ask me if I break Andy's (Andy Bolton) WR. I would like to compete against Andy but without gear. I think people are getting fed up with all the records in gear. We should all lift raw. Well, that's my opinion.

Konstantin Konstantinovs - sample training:

Training A:
- light squat: 5 sets of 10
- deadlift: 120k x 5, 160k x 5, 200k x 3, 240k x 1, 280k x 1, 320k x 1, 360k x 1, 390k x 4
- bench press: 6x6
- box squat: 6x6

Training B:
- squat heavy: 4x4
- bench heavy: 6x3
- hypers with 60k: 2x20
- arms (optional)
- cardio 15-20 min





Source: bogatyr.su

heavy sumo made easy ....

If you carefully analyze the best sumo pullers on the planet, you will quickly discover they pull exactly the same way. apart from their form being the same on 60k (135lb) warm-up as well as on a 400k (880lb) pull, they have a few points in common .... Watch them and learn: Pozdeev, Belayev, Green.


Watch, learn, and see your sumo numbers go through the roof!!!


1. Stance
Notice how wide they set up their feet. Forget the bullshit you read on internet about instability and hip problems. Give the wide stance a try and drill the technique. All these guys train deadlift 1-3 times a week with tons of volume. You can too. Very wide stance minimizes the ROM, minimizes the knee flexion and most importantly, lets you pull your hips close to the bar. The closer the hips are to the bar, the better leverage you can get.

2. Toe flare
I would dare to say their toe flare in more than 45 degrees. Why? Because they can get their hips closer to the bar. The less toe flare you will have, the further your butt will be from the bar and the worse leverages you get. Then you will rely too much on your lower back and not hips.

3. Butt sink
All of them sink the butt real low to get the most out of their hips, hams and glutes. These are the strongest deadlift muscles. Not the lower back. The lower back is static through the whole motion and keeps the lower back spine locked.

4. Sequence
First, they lock their knees, then they finish the pull with their glutes. Not lower back, but glutes. Knees lock and hips move forward flexing butt like crazy. You probably read many books where the pull is described as a simultaneous action of knee flexion and hip extension. Well, these guys do it differently.

.... so, here we go: take a wide stance, get a huge toe flare, sink your butt real deep to load your hips and hams, extend hips and lock knees, then finish the pull with maximum hip extension.

Does it work? Well, all three of them pull around 400k (880lb). That's a stupid strong sumo deadlift.

Konstantin Pozdeev from Russia:

Andrey Belayev from Russia:

Dan Green from the USA:

Milan Spingl - Czech SHW Powerlifting Superstar

.... and here we go again, volume and frequency, none of that once a week bullshit. A strong dude, fellow countryman, holder of many Czech powerlifting records. Check carefully how he basically hits the whole body with basic lifts three times a week. What a monster!

Check out his prep training:

weeks 1-6
DAY 1:
squat 4x2 (80-90%; 360-410k)
leg extensions 3x10
bench press 4x2 (75-85%; 170-210k)
2b press 2x3
3b press 2x3
cable flys 3x10
abs 3x20

DAY 2:
deadlift 4x2 (80-90%; 280-315k)
pullover 3x8
leg press 4x10
2b cgbp 6x5 (60-70%; 170-200k)
triceps pushdowns 5x10
DB curls 5x10
cable curls 4x10
abs 4x20

DAY 3:
squat 4x4 (70%; 310k)
block pulls 4x3 (80-90%; 280-315k)
leg curl 3x8
bench press 5x5 (65-70%; 150-170k)
lat pulldowns 6x10
side raises 5x10
rear raises 4x10
abs 3x20


week 7
DAY 1:
squat 3x1 (90-100%; 405-450k)
leg extensions 3x10
bench press 4x2 (70-80%; 160-180k)
cable flyes 4x10
abs 3x20

DAY 2:
deadlift 3x1 (90-100%; 315-350k)
block pulls 3x2 (90-110%; 340-360k)
lat pulldowns 6x10
2b cgbp (60-70%; 170-200k)
triceps pushdowns 5x10
DB curls 5x10
abs 4x20

DAY 3:
squat 4x3 (60%; 280k)
bench press 3x1 (90-105%; 280-310k)
lockouts 3x2 (90-105%; 280-325k)
side raises 5x10
rear raises 4x10
abs 3x20


week 8
DAY 1:
squat 3x1-3 (70-95%; 425k)
leg extensions 3x10
bench press 4x3 (70-75%; 160-170k)
cable flyes 4x10
triceps pushdowns 5x10
DB curls 5x10
abs 3x20

DAY 2:
deadlift 4x2 (70-75%; 245-265k)
lat pulldowns 6x10
bench press 4x3 (60%; 130k)
abs 4x20

DAY 3:
squat 4x3 (60%; 280k)
bench press 2x1 (95-105%; 290-310k)
side raises 5x10
rear raises 4x10
abs 3x20


week 9
DAY 1:
squat 4x3 (40-50%; 180-220k)
bench press 4x3 (55%; 125k)

DAY 2:
good morning 4x3 (140k)
lat pulldowns 6x10
bench press 4x3 (60%; 130k)
abs 4x20

DAY 3:
squat 4x3 (150k)
bench press 4x2 (100k)


MEET

Polish powerlifting

When I moved to Poland 10 years ago I started lifting in a public gym (powerlifting friendly, luckily).

I was doing a general basic strength training.

I was lucky enough that at those days, Tomek Sabadyn, a former European Powelifting silver medalist trained there. He looked at me several times a asked me if I was interested in more serious lifting. I immediately nodded. He sure knew his shit. That guy was massive. He was like 170cm (5'8) and easily 120k (260).

This is what he let me doing. I had wonderful results doing that and I my current training 10 years later is not much different.

Monday

heavy squat (week 1: 4x3, week 2: 4x2, week 3: 4x1, deload)
heavy bench (week 1: 4x3, week 2: 4x2, week 3: 4x1, deload)
leg press 4x6
cgbp 3x6


Wednesday

heavy deadlift (week 1: 4x3, week 2: 4x2, wee 3: 4x1, deload)
GM 4x6 heavy
hypers 3x8
biceps 3x8


Friday

light squat 4x6 with 75% of Monday's weight
light bench 4x6 with 75% of Monday's weight
press 4x6
leg curl 3x8



As basic as it grets but it was tough as hell. After Monday sessions I dragged feet. But my strength went through the roof. You've got two heavy sessions a week and one which is light. The light session should be fast and really focused on form. Don't rush the Monday session.

Give it a shot. You can increase wight only in you complete with good form all reps on all sets.

Good luck!

Basics, basics, basics ....

As we lift we often (at least some) tend to add funny exercises and lifts. You name it: DB extensions, Tate presses, cable whatever, to work on our "weaknesses". Human body does not work like that. It is a unit which responds to basic lifts with the best stregth and muscle growth.

We have a guy in our gym who is a former weightlifter. He is in his early fifties today, he's stocky 110k (240) and pretty lean.

He does not know anything about internet forums and stuff, all he remembers is what his old coach (in Poland) used to teach him.

Since he does not compete anymore and just trains to stay fit, he included some non-weightlifting lifts just for fun.

What amazes me is how he sticks to basics all the time, several times a week. He sees all other guys doing French presse, concentration curls, leg curls, yet he never tries that. He does not care. He does not give a shit. He is still one of the strongest dudes in the gym and is pretty lean 110k.

He usually does something like this three times a week:

Oly squat 6 sets of 6 with a certain weight (usually 180-200k)
bench press 8 sets of 5 with a certain weight (usually 140-160k)
seated press 5 sets of 8 with a certain weight (usually 80-120k)
snatch grip deadlift 6 sets of 4 with a certain weight (usually 180-220k)


sometimes he does 2 heavy sets of abs but most of the time he does not. Believe it or not, this all takes him around 90 mins because he "does not like to train too heavy" he says so he goes pretty fast between sets.

sometimes he goes lighter, sometimes he skips the bench (never the squat). if he feels beat-up, he adds 1-2 days off.

He tried a floor press once, said "Hm, interesting" and went back to his old training.

That's all that's needed. Really.

.... and more of Belayev - probably the best powerlifter of these days

Watch his textbook form on all lifts. He's a machine!

How to Build the Lifts .... and Why not to Westside!

There is a huge crush on Westside training in the Western World. I can understand that. The attitude and atmospehere in the WSBB must be awesome.

Yet, there are thousands of lifters worldwide who tried westside with pitiful results. I was one of them. I think people should understand two very important things before jumping on the westside training. (Luckily, guys like Dan Green, Jay Nera and others are bringing it back to normal).

One: most Louie's trainees were strong as fuck even before they joined westside

Two: the training heavily relies on equipment.

For raw lifters, general strength training and ninety percent of lifters out there, the traditional volume based Eastern style training should be used. It's not sexy, it's not fancy, there are no bands, chains, boxes and boards. But it delivers results like nothing else.

Some Westside myths and what to do:

Use your glutes, hams a hips for your squat. Quads are not important.
A: No. build your quads as your primary movers. Don't be afraid to do lots of Oly squats and front squats. Oh yeah, don't sit back. Sit back and down at the same time.

Train your triceps for a huge bench.
A: Yep, that's true. But at the same time your pecs and front delts must be up to par. You can have the biggest triceps in your gym, if you have weak pecs and front delts, your bench will suck balls. Do some high-volume ovehead pressing. Possibly, multiple times a week.

Deadlift is all about speed. Deadlift infrequently. Do lots of speed pulls.
A: Deadlift as frequently as your recovery allows. Do reps. In strongmen, most of the guys pull over 360k (800) any day of the week, some pull over 380k (850) and many of them close to 410k (900). They do reps as well. Do 6 triples with your 80%. That's stregth building!. Do 6 sets of 5 with 60% then repeat it two days later and watch your back, glutes and hams grow like weed. Many lifters in the Poland, Russia, Ukraine deadlift 2-3 times a week with excellent results. I myself might do conventional heavy sets at 80% and two days later sumo 4x4 at 70%. One feeds the other. Volume deadlifting also builds strong and big glutes, the biggest muscles in your body. Ahh, the glutes ....

intensity vs. volume

Many lifters don't know how to set-up their training cycle. I've read thousands of training logs of American lifters and I think they do not do enough volume. And they max out too much. Research and experience accross the ocean is years behind the studies and results of Eastern Europe. There are some like Mike Tchuscherer (spelling???), Eric Talmant, and some others who have figured it out. That's not me saying I have not respect for American lifters. I do. There are many great lifters there, I'd like to just get more training info accross the pond.

One of the most influential coaches and researches of training intensities and volumes is Boris Sheiko. He has produced hundreds of world class lifters. His latest prodigy child is Andrey Belyaev, the beast of Sheiko.

Belayev has his own training now but it's heavily based on Sheiko. There is not much testing of strength but rather building of strength. Sheiko boys rarely work above 85% of their maxes and most of the training is done in the 60% - 85% range. The lower the intensities, the higher the total volume, the higher the intensities, the lower the total volume.

Some Sheiko main points:
- powerlifts are trained multiple times a week
- daily trainings consist of "sandwiches" like squat-bench-squat-accessories or pull-bench-pull-accesories, etc.
- volumes and intensities are very carefully calculated, some typical intensity zones&volumes (6x5@60%, 5x5@65%, 5x4@70%, 4x4@75%, 6x3@80%, 5x2@85% and tons of other variations)
- very little assistance, 90+% of work are the powerlifts and variations

There are big advantages to this kind of training: powerlifts are drilled all the time until form becomes perfect. Look at Belyaev, his 300k pull looks exactly the same as his 60k warm-up. All the small supporting muscles and ligaments get stronger exactly as the powerlifts require. Basic lifting, no bullshit exercises and fluffy assistance. Lifts and muscles are trained, not tested all the time. True maxes are only at competitions, there are very little or no gym maxes.

Go and check the results over internet. Most of us lifters could benefit from more frequency, more volume, less intensity, less maxing out. Give it a shot and see your lifts skyrocket. You'll end up changing clothes for bigger as well :-)

The Polish Master of Masters - Jan Wegiera

Definitely one of the most famous Polish powerlifters. Jan Wegiera collected more trophies than is healthy and if I am not mistaken, now he is involved in training the young. Simple, brutal, yet very efficient training sessions. Looking at the benching frequency, he probably has shoulder joints made of steel. If you can recover from the insane training posted below, give it a run. After the 1st week when you are sore as hell from head to toe, don't say I didn't warn you :-)


Monday

squat x10/ x8/ x6/ x4/ x2/ x2/ x3/ x3
competition bench press x10/ x8/ x6/ x4/ x2/ x2/ x3/ x3
negative bench press x3/ x2/ x1/ (one month prior to competition x1/ x1/ x1)
DB flys 3x6


Tuesday

close-grip bench press x10/ x8/ x6/ x3/ x3/ x5/ x5/ x5
shoulder press 5x5
biceps 5x8


Wednesday

competition bench press x10/ x8/ x6/ x4/ x2/ x5/ x5/ x5
decline bench press x10/ x8/ x6/ x3/ x3/ x3
DB flyes 5x6
deadlift x10/ x8/ x6/ x4/ x2/ x2/ x3/ x3
good morning 5x5


Thursday

off


Friday

squat x10/ x8/ x6/ x4/ x2/ x2/ x2/ x1/ x1
heavy walkouts x3/ x2/ x1
1/3 squat x3/ x2/ x1
competition bench press x10/ x8/ x6/ x4/ x2/ x2/ x2/ x1/ x1
bench lockouts x3/ x2/ x1 (one month prior to competition x1/ x1/ x1)


Saturday

close-grip bench press x10/ x8/ x6/ x4/ x4/ x4
deadlift x10/ x8/ x6/ x4/ x4/ x4
block pulls x3/ x2/ x1


Sunday

off




Bang! There you have it. Squatting twice a week, pulling twice a week, benching 5 times a week! What a monster! No bullshit assistance like cable pressdowns or shit, just heavy shit like block pulls, good mornings, shoulder presses.

Try that template, if you dare ;-)

One of his recent records is 300,5k bench (661 lbs) at the EU benching championships at Pilsen, Czech Republic in 2011. I believe it's a world record in the 93k category.

.... and here the Master himself:

Eastern Bloc Lifting - Why?

.... because Eastern Bloc Lifting rules, that's why. Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Balkan countries, Baltic countries ....

Name like Belyaev, Yarymbash, Wegiera, Konstantinovs, Malanichev, .... high volume, high frequncy, basics, basics, basics and awesome results.