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I started Powerlifting for real October of 1999. I had weight trained off and on since I was 15. From age 10-16 I spent my summers on a farm working. I attribute my strength foundation to the time I spent working on the farm. If you are interested in overall body strength I suggest you spend a couple of summers throwing hay bails and wrestling with livestock. My boss was a 6’4” 300lb mountain name Luke Schoenenberger. He was not an overly defined man but was very thick and very strong. His hands were enormous and he had a grip like a vice. I remember one occasion he needed to get a piece of equipment from out of the corner of the barn and a small block Chevy engine was in the way and the tractor we would use to move large things such as this was on the other side of the farm. Luke bent over, grabbed the motor, picked it up about 10 inches off the ground and moved it out of his way. Luke was one of those guys who knew no limitations and when something had to get done he found a way to do it. He wasn’t strong because he wanted to be, he was strong out of necessity. I don’t know if he could bench 700 lbs. but I’m sure if 700lbs were on top of him and he needed to move it would have gotten done. I spent a lot of time with this man and learned a lot about life in general, He taught me about determination and about never giving up. As well as being strong Luke was an accomplished mechanic, welder and carpenter, all the trades needed to be a farmer. From time to time I would pull my truck in the the garage down at the farm and do any necessary work on it. On this particular occasion I needed to replace the timing chain and on a 1975 Chevy there are quite a few parts that need to be removed in order to get to the timing chain. I had all the parts laid out neatly on a blanket so assembly would be easier. Luke came in the garage, saw what I was doing and flipped the blanket upside down sending the parts flying, he looked at me and said you’ll never be a good mechanic doing it that way; you need to know the motor. Right then and there I was more than pissed off and had no interest in the lesson I was being taught. As time went on and I stopped worrying about how I would put it back together and rather spent time learning the parts of the motor and how it worked I became a better mechanic. I have applied the same principal toward Powerlifting when I began I spent a lot of wasted time looking for the magical set rep scheme , or that one piece of equipment that was so different it would give me the advantage I needed. Well let me tell you what, they don’t exist. You need to spend time working out. Finding what works best for you will take time and it will change, an exercise that once yielded great results may later on down the line not give you the same results. Equipment is equipment. I’m not saying don’t use the best equipment you can afforded I’m just saying learn to deal with everything. When you go to a meet the bench may be two inches higher or lower than you’re used to, adapt and make it work. When I first started to bench heavy I was a real high maintenance pain in the ass. I needed to have 45lb plates on the bar only, no hundreds, I only liked certain bars and benches, I frankly don’t understand how my friends but up with me. But just like being a good mechanic and learning the motor I learned the bench and I started to say the hell with it. When I go to a meet I no longer care what is on the radio whether I’m inside or outside, whether the bar is fat or skinny I’ll make it work... When you get to a certain level it’s your mind that makes the lift. You need to put all the negative bullshit out of the way and lie down on the bench and get the job done.
My first meet was December of 1999. I benched 430Lbs. I was thrilled with this but I wanted to do a lot more, At this point in time my long term goal was 500Lbs. I figured when I got there that would be the best it would get, man was I wrong. During this period my bench training was as follows I benched to nipple line and when maxing was wearing an Inzer double ply poly. I would bench every 7 days do 3-4 sets of warm up, go to a certain percentage of my max and rep to failure, I would then put on the chains do 10 sets of two, I would do floor presses, inclines and back work. I made very few gains while on this system. The following June my bench went from 430 – 460 that’s 30 lbs in 7 months, that’s a 4.29lb per month gain, something was wrong. I feel the chain and speed work were very beneficial, but going to failure every time was not allowing me to do enough volume. Quick example if you do 405lbs. to failure you may get 5- 6 reps. But if you do 5 or 6 sets of 3 at the same weight that’s 15 -18 reps and a lot more volume. I also had a coach who thought 10lb gains over 6mts was great he would say well you got to 400 but 500 is a long way away. If you have a coach like this run!!!
I decided my program needed a kick . I had been reading Louie Simmons articles about bands, board presses and JM presses. I decided to implement some of Louie’s ideas into my training. My first bench day I would warm up to 65% of my one rep shirtless max, put on a set of green bands and do 10 sets of 2 I would then pick two or three other exercises and that would be it. 3 days later I would come in and do board presses, supported bench with the bands hanging from the top of the rack and declines. Weight was kept relatively light on this day except for the supported bench; I would work up to a heavy triple here. I also started doing a shitload of assistance work , pushdowns with bands, rolling extensions, JM presses, close grip board presses. I bought a fat bar and started doing lockouts, another movement my coach advised against. I wasted a lot of time doing dips and kickbacks, it wasn’t until a few months later that I realized that they did more harm than good. The following December my bench went to 545 that equaled 85 lbs. in 6 mts. 14.1 lbs per month. By changing my workout, incorporating bands, changing my technique and listening to myself, I more than tripled my monthly gains. I also read everything I could get my hands on when It came to the bench. Using the bands early on was one of the best things I could have done. Man did I take flack for using those things my coach and teammates thought I was nuts. But they paid off. July of 2001 I decided to get away from my old gym and open my own place at that point my best bench was 555, my training had dropped off for several mts due to setting up the gym. I started to train hard again October of 2001. I bought a Karin’s double denim and thought I would give it a try, I spent a year trying to make this shirt work, I was at the verge of loosing my mind and throwing the frigging thing out the window. I tried everything but could not make the weight touch. June of 2002 I met Bill Crawford and Sebastian Burns, my shirt problems had been solved. At the end of the day after 3 days of coaching and handling lifters Bill and Sebastian sat me down on a bench and showed me the technique that would take me to 700. In 15 minutes they showed me how to make 405 touch my chest, previously I could not make 600 touch with the same shirt. I started working out in the shirt all the time. I went up to Bills in July and started training Militia Style. No fancy equipment, an average bench with regular weights in the basement of the health club he works at. We did lots of volume mixed with lots of heavy weight and just when you think it’s time to quit the real work begins. I had never worked out so hard in my life .While I was up there that July I pressed a pr of 585, in August I did 655, a 70 lb gain in a month; I was on to something here. I continued to follow Bills training advice and I worked out twice a week. On September 29th of 2002 I did 700 lbs for the first time. Bill keeps things real simple, just shut up and bench.
Luke and Bill were and are 2 people in my life that helped me think differently. I have taken their advice and incorporated it into my training as well as my life. Take control of what you want to do and master it. Your only going to do this once, how you do it is up to you.
Mike
MM
I started Powerlifting for real October of 1999. I had weight trained off and on since I was 15. From age 10-16 I spent my summers on a farm working. I attribute my strength foundation to the time I spent working on the farm. If you are interested in overall body strength I suggest you spend a couple of summers throwing hay bails and wrestling with livestock. My boss was a 6’4” 300lb mountain name Luke Schoenenberger. He was not an overly defined man but was very thick and very strong. His hands were enormous and he had a grip like a vice. I remember one occasion he needed to get a piece of equipment from out of the corner of the barn and a small block Chevy engine was in the way and the tractor we would use to move large things such as this was on the other side of the farm. Luke bent over, grabbed the motor, picked it up about 10 inches off the ground and moved it out of his way. Luke was one of those guys who knew no limitations and when something had to get done he found a way to do it. He wasn’t strong because he wanted to be, he was strong out of necessity. I don’t know if he could bench 700 lbs. but I’m sure if 700lbs were on top of him and he needed to move it would have gotten done. I spent a lot of time with this man and learned a lot about life in general, He taught me about determination and about never giving up. As well as being strong Luke was an accomplished mechanic, welder and carpenter, all the trades needed to be a farmer. From time to time I would pull my truck in the the garage down at the farm and do any necessary work on it. On this particular occasion I needed to replace the timing chain and on a 1975 Chevy there are quite a few parts that need to be removed in order to get to the timing chain. I had all the parts laid out neatly on a blanket so assembly would be easier. Luke came in the garage, saw what I was doing and flipped the blanket upside down sending the parts flying, he looked at me and said you’ll never be a good mechanic doing it that way; you need to know the motor. Right then and there I was more than pissed off and had no interest in the lesson I was being taught. As time went on and I stopped worrying about how I would put it back together and rather spent time learning the parts of the motor and how it worked I became a better mechanic. I have applied the same principal toward Powerlifting when I began I spent a lot of wasted time looking for the magical set rep scheme , or that one piece of equipment that was so different it would give me the advantage I needed. Well let me tell you what, they don’t exist. You need to spend time working out. Finding what works best for you will take time and it will change, an exercise that once yielded great results may later on down the line not give you the same results. Equipment is equipment. I’m not saying don’t use the best equipment you can afforded I’m just saying learn to deal with everything. When you go to a meet the bench may be two inches higher or lower than you’re used to, adapt and make it work. When I first started to bench heavy I was a real high maintenance pain in the ass. I needed to have 45lb plates on the bar only, no hundreds, I only liked certain bars and benches, I frankly don’t understand how my friends but up with me. But just like being a good mechanic and learning the motor I learned the bench and I started to say the hell with it. When I go to a meet I no longer care what is on the radio whether I’m inside or outside, whether the bar is fat or skinny I’ll make it work... When you get to a certain level it’s your mind that makes the lift. You need to put all the negative bullshit out of the way and lie down on the bench and get the job done.
My first meet was December of 1999. I benched 430Lbs. I was thrilled with this but I wanted to do a lot more, At this point in time my long term goal was 500Lbs. I figured when I got there that would be the best it would get, man was I wrong. During this period my bench training was as follows I benched to nipple line and when maxing was wearing an Inzer double ply poly. I would bench every 7 days do 3-4 sets of warm up, go to a certain percentage of my max and rep to failure, I would then put on the chains do 10 sets of two, I would do floor presses, inclines and back work. I made very few gains while on this system. The following June my bench went from 430 – 460 that’s 30 lbs in 7 months, that’s a 4.29lb per month gain, something was wrong. I feel the chain and speed work were very beneficial, but going to failure every time was not allowing me to do enough volume. Quick example if you do 405lbs. to failure you may get 5- 6 reps. But if you do 5 or 6 sets of 3 at the same weight that’s 15 -18 reps and a lot more volume. I also had a coach who thought 10lb gains over 6mts was great he would say well you got to 400 but 500 is a long way away. If you have a coach like this run!!!
I decided my program needed a kick . I had been reading Louie Simmons articles about bands, board presses and JM presses. I decided to implement some of Louie’s ideas into my training. My first bench day I would warm up to 65% of my one rep shirtless max, put on a set of green bands and do 10 sets of 2 I would then pick two or three other exercises and that would be it. 3 days later I would come in and do board presses, supported bench with the bands hanging from the top of the rack and declines. Weight was kept relatively light on this day except for the supported bench; I would work up to a heavy triple here. I also started doing a shitload of assistance work , pushdowns with bands, rolling extensions, JM presses, close grip board presses. I bought a fat bar and started doing lockouts, another movement my coach advised against. I wasted a lot of time doing dips and kickbacks, it wasn’t until a few months later that I realized that they did more harm than good. The following December my bench went to 545 that equaled 85 lbs. in 6 mts. 14.1 lbs per month. By changing my workout, incorporating bands, changing my technique and listening to myself, I more than tripled my monthly gains. I also read everything I could get my hands on when It came to the bench. Using the bands early on was one of the best things I could have done. Man did I take flack for using those things my coach and teammates thought I was nuts. But they paid off. July of 2001 I decided to get away from my old gym and open my own place at that point my best bench was 555, my training had dropped off for several mts due to setting up the gym. I started to train hard again October of 2001. I bought a Karin’s double denim and thought I would give it a try, I spent a year trying to make this shirt work, I was at the verge of loosing my mind and throwing the frigging thing out the window. I tried everything but could not make the weight touch. June of 2002 I met Bill Crawford and Sebastian Burns, my shirt problems had been solved. At the end of the day after 3 days of coaching and handling lifters Bill and Sebastian sat me down on a bench and showed me the technique that would take me to 700. In 15 minutes they showed me how to make 405 touch my chest, previously I could not make 600 touch with the same shirt. I started working out in the shirt all the time. I went up to Bills in July and started training Militia Style. No fancy equipment, an average bench with regular weights in the basement of the health club he works at. We did lots of volume mixed with lots of heavy weight and just when you think it’s time to quit the real work begins. I had never worked out so hard in my life .While I was up there that July I pressed a pr of 585, in August I did 655, a 70 lb gain in a month; I was on to something here. I continued to follow Bills training advice and I worked out twice a week. On September 29th of 2002 I did 700 lbs for the first time. Bill keeps things real simple, just shut up and bench.
Luke and Bill were and are 2 people in my life that helped me think differently. I have taken their advice and incorporated it into my training as well as my life. Take control of what you want to do and master it. Your only going to do this once, how you do it is up to you.
Mike
MM
