Horn Blowin'

Yesterday, while eating one of my 7 meals, I was reading the elitefts Q&A. I came across a post by Joe Defranco that was titled, "Need a reason to train today?"

Of course it was a pump up video compiled of highlights of the training that goes on at his facility. Some of the noteables; Mike Guadango's 54" box jump, The Spoon running a 4.16 40yd dash, Deon Anderson, being Deon Anderson and most recently Brian Cushing's doing a really high seated box jump(with a weighted vest on).

It was a pretty damn good compilation. It definately gets the job done. I was pumped after watching it.

Check it out. Watch closely right around the 19 second mark. (This part is my personal favourite)


So obviously I was feeling pretty good about myself, having made the cut on a montage as good as this one. I immediately emailed Joe, and thanked him for including me in the Dirty Jerzy Highlight reel. I also told him that I would promptly be kicking ass in the gym, as the video is intended.

Here's a portion of his Reply;

You don't have to thank me...you definitely DESERVE to be in that reel
amongst the best athletes/performances in the gym!! All the athletes
here were like, "who the fuck is that dude doing the trap bar
deadlift?!" HAHA!!


It sure made my day. And hopefully the vid will inspire you to kick some ass, today and all weekend.

Respect Yourself

Think about this for a second and see if it sounds like you.

Somebody says something really ignorant about you, but you let it slide because the confrontation isn't worth it.

You get screwed over by the phone company but you let it slide, because the few bucks you lose every month aren't worth the hassle.

I'm guilty.

I've been that guy. I rollover because it's not worth the hassle.

Why? I don't know. I would never do this in the gym. I would never skip a squat day because its not worth the hassle. I would never quit on set of rows because I didn't want to deal with the discomfort.

I've recently decided that if I have what it takes to step over any obstacle in the gym, why the hell should I not step over any obstacle otherwise.

I'm calling the phone company back and telling them the can stick it up their ass.
I'm placing a formal complaint about the poor service I get from the postal courier.
And if you talk smack on me, get ready to hear about, immediately.

Oh yeah and I'm gonna smash some fucking weights in the gym on Thursday night too.

Stone Loading

On Saturdays I train strongman events in a garage. And I always get some of the best training sessions ever in that garage. It's dirty, the music is loud, the place is full of primitive strength tools. It's a place where great strength is built and tested.

One of the mainstays of saturday garage training is Stone Loading. My training group is lucky enough to have atlas stones. Atlas stones are the concrete spheres you may have seen on TV while watching Worlds Strongest Man.
We have a set of atlas stones that ranges from 188lbs to 385lbs. We load them to platforms ranging in height from 51" to 72".

Loading 265lbs stone to 72" at Canada's Strongest Man 2008

Stone loading is very taxing on many different parts of the body. It tests your arm and grip, upper back, lower back, legs, hips, abs and most importantly your mental toughness. I have never loaded stones and not been sore all over. (and I'm not talking about the scrapes on my chest and arms) This past Saturday was no exception. I had a really hard time getting out of bed on sunday.

Here's what I did: (After log press and farmers walk)
320lb stone to 54" X2
320lb stone to 54"X3
320lb stone to 54"X3
320lb stone to 54"X3
320lb stone shouldered to 56" + 350lb stone to 51"
320lb stone shouldered to 56" + 350lb stone to 54"
350lb stone to 54"

I did try to shoulder the 320 one last time but I was out of steam. I got a bit frustrated with myself for missing lifts near the end of the sets, but it wasn't until I wrote out my training log that I noticed the large volume of heavy stones I did.



This is one of my training partners, Peter Wagner, he is the owner of the garage I train at. He is also one hell of a stone loader. Peter is almost 50 years old. What's your excuse?

Head Games

I've been wanting to touch on how important I feel the "mental aspect" to success in strength gains.
It's a pretty broad topic so to keep this from becoming 7 volumes long, lets focus on desire and mental toughness.

Developing a successful attitude in the gym is paramount to improving your strength, fitness level, appearance, just about everything. If you're walking into a gym, at least you had enough motivation to get off the couch. But is there enough drive there to do more than take up space at the gym? You must believe that your efforts will lead to achieving your goals.

I cannot explain exactly what drives me. It's somewhere between pride and greed. I always demand more from myself and I always want to be better than the next guy. This attitude or desire to constantly be better is the driving force behind many succesful training sessions.

I see many different levels of drive or desire everyday. I work with people who have so much drive that they wear themselves out. I also work with people that seem like they are one notch above suicide. Obviously the ones with massive desire for change in their appearanc or strength levels get the best results and they get them as quickly as possible.

Once you've developed the desire to work hard, you need the mental toughness to ride through the storm of hard training. My favourite example of mental toughness is from an unlikely source. 30-50 year old women that want to get their 20 year old body back. I've got clients that bust ass through some very challenging training sessions week in and week out and never complain, and never give up. Have you ever seen a guy at the gym load up a bar and do a set of squats to 20 reps or above? There are thousands of great examples of mental toughness, the key is to be one of those examples.

No summary here kids. Just get your brain in gear and don't be a wanker at the gym today. Train till the sweat is dripping and your muscles are burning.

More Goods from the Mentorship

It was a good trip okay. I've still got lots to share.

The training and business end was most important, but I also went down there with a goal for myself in mind. I wanted to break the "washed up meatheads" (Not highschool or college athlete) Trap Bar Deadlift record.

I figured it would be pretty cool to get my name on the Defranco's Record Board. Hell, it's the board that inspired us to start record boards at our gyms.

So did I get on it? You're goddamn right I did! I beat the old record by 150lbs!

"Right there, above Zach Even Esh" and yes I pull a stupid face when I'm excited

Not be outdone by her ol'man, Sarah took a stab at the ladies Trap Bar Deadlift record too.
And hell yeah, she beat the old record by 90lbs.

"Look mom, I made it on the big board" (and with room to spare)

Alright, enough horn blowing and back patting. You already knew we were pretty awesome to begin with. (HAHA) We believe in walking the walk.

I'm really happy for Sarah this weekend and not because of the deadlift record, but because of the confidence she has developed as a strength coach. She knows her shit when it comes to training. It would be impossible for her to not know a lot. It's all we talk about, it's all we read, it's what we do. The mentorship and hanging out with Joe and 4 other great coaches from around the world has brought it out in her mind that she doesn't need to take shit from regular schmoes that walk into our gyms and look down there nose at her as trainer because she is a female.
The way I look at is that we should never blow off the opportunity to learn from everyone we come across. And Sarah is no exception. She has a lot to offer when it comes to training. And in addition to knowing it, she's also stronger pound for pound than about 90% of the men that train in our gyms. SO THERE!

I'm really getting geared up for the summer program again. I can't wait until hockey season is over and our guys get back. I love working with them and seeing them progress and get better.
I can't wait to dust off the prowlers and sleds. And I've also got a few new tools to get everyone stronger and faster this summer.

I actually got a call yesterday for an appointment to start working with a teenage girl that plays competitive hockey and fastball. We're ready and fully loaded to bring any athlete closer to their goals. You don't have to wait until the snow melts to get started. In season, pre-season, off-season, we're ready for it.

What does your wife do in her spare time?

A Few New Moves

Sarah pumpin' the gun show

So, I'm back to the grind and still high on the fact that I was at Defranco's for the weekend.

Everyone keeps asking me what the main points that I learned were and yada yada.

Here's my summary of the Defranco's Mentorship:

-Attittude and Atmosphere are probably the most important factors to having a good training session.

-Keep things simple, there is no need to follow your clients around with a stop watch and a clip board. Teach them how to squat, bench etc and let them get busy.

Joe tells the group how it's gonna be

-Small group training is the best way to get the best attitude and atmosphere mentioned above. Of course you have to weed out people that are not looking for the same success and not willing to give 100% all the time.

-Rest periods during max effort lifts should not be regulated. Take as much time as needed.


-Super setting the accessories and utilizing bands and DB's will alow the groups to keep working hard without much equipment.

Mike "the asshole" Guadango about to set a 10yd PR

-One day a week should be dedicated to recovery work. (wednesdays works best if possible)

-I learned how to perform assisted PNF stretching the way Joe performs it on his athletes. This little routine will make a huge difference in anyones day to day operations and mobility.

-Kids that train at Defranco's scare the shit out of their competitors on game day. The DTS t-shirt is a badge of honour that must be earned throught hard work and dedication.

-The "Asshole" is really a great guy. Don't let the title fool you.

-I was doing a good job of warming up my athletes last summer. Joe's warm-up at the sprint session was almost identical. (although I picked up a couple new things too)

-There is nothing fancy about WSSB, just simple and hard work, the way I like it.


There are probably 1000 other little tid-bits that will help me do my job better and help me help kids get ready for their sports but those are the things that I learned by "just being there" and seeing things unfold.


If you are like me and seriously want to be known as the trainer that creates scary athletes then you should definately try to get in on a mentorship with Joe in the future.




Thanks Joe.



Okay Kids, who wants to slay the competition like never before?

The Strong Ones (Part 2)

So in part 1 we've identified the why's and the what-nots (yes, I think I just made that up now) of finding and surrounding yourself with strong/good training partners.

So how does on go about getting on board with the people they aspire to be like?

I don't think there is one single answer to a question like this. There could be many different ways to aproach it and I'll share with you how I've gone about it myself.

The first thing you have to ask yourself is what do you have to offer these people. You can't always expect to get, get, get, and never contribute back. (See the "Piss Pucks in Party Town Post" Nov. 18th 2008)

The fastest and often the easiest way to get help from people is with money. Plain and simple. I've spent almost $4000.00 on attending training seminars alone (before travel and lodging) in the last 3 years. This gaurantees you are going to get your questions answered. I know of one top strength coach that even hired another top strength coach for a 1 hour session at the going rate just so he could ask questions and pick the brain about coaching athletes. (I just got an idea for a future rant here.)

Another method is to become the "plate monkey" of the guys you want to train with. This is the most entry level aproach. You have nothing to offer but your sweat and effort. Start by showing up at the same time they train. Chat it up with them when its appropriate and offer to load plates and spot. This sounds kinda shitty but you can learn a tonne just by being a spotter. You get to observe from mere inches away. You get to here all the cues and learn the lingo. You are also doing the lifters a big favour because you can never have enough plate monkeys and spotters.

Once you've developed some status as a guy in know, you can also trade info with people. You may be a really good warm-up or stretching guy but need to get better at benching. Find the best benchers through association and offer to help them with their mobility in exchange for some bench coaching.

The list could go on and on, but the bottom line is, you have to have something to offer. Even if it's just a good attitude and the fact that you show up on time all the time, ready to kick ass in the weight room. You don't have to be bull ass strong to get into the club, but you have to be dedicated and ready to give. Many times I would pick a weaker athlete with a good attitude over the guy who is naturally strong but has a poor work ethic. The good attitude will take you much farther.

Okay kids, talk amongst yourselves.

A Huge Congratu-Fucking-Lations To UF Team Member SHANE CHURCH for his WIN at the Montreal CPO powerlifting meet. I'll have to confirm his numbers but he did Squat 7 bills (700lbs) and won the 242lbs open division. This is not an unusual thing for an Ultimate Fitness athlete to WIN, as we always train with the attitude that winning is everything and second place is only defeat. Nice work buddy! I won't tell how much prep he did for this meet though. (NONE, greasy greasy bastard. Just signed up and won.)

Rant Time!

Okay kids, put your seatbelts on, it's Rant Time.



As you may or may not know, my wife and I make our living by teaching people how to train. We own a pair of gyms, we work in them full time and we are 2 of the 3 trainers that work in our clubs. Basically what I'm trying to say here is that my paycheck or lack thereof comes from me knowing about strength and fitness training (especially fat loss) and being able to help others achieve there physical goals.



I don't really have a good term or title to describe exactly what I do, but to the average Joe, I'm a personal trainer. BUT, I am not certified (like thats some glorious, godly thing) by any personal training company or organization. And let me tell you why.

When I first got into the business I had already been training myself for about 10 years. I had already competed in bodybuilding and powerlifting and was a pretty good student to the ways of the iron. I even had a client that I was training privately in his home 3 days per week for 6 months. Needless to say I knew a bit about training and nutrition and how to achieve success.

I looked into a few of the different companies that offered personal training certs and was horrified by what they had to offer. I did find one company that seemed to have it's shit together but they seemed to be out of business or not interested in new members because I never got a reply to any calls or emails.

One point that I want to make here before moving on is that personal training companies that offer certifications are just that, independant companies that offer certification courses on what they feel are the important skills and knowledge to be a personal trainer.

Just because you have a nice website and charge $400.oo for a weekend long certification course doesn't neccesarily mean you offer the best product.

I'll get the point here. I've come across a few individuals, that feel it neccesary to stop by my gyms or meet me in the street and want to look down there nose at our business because we are not certified. These people are often certified by one company in particular (rhymes with fan-bit) and are usually mortified that we answer their questions about certification with "I'm not certified by anyone".

This rant was fueled by one person in particular that recently came into our gym and inquired about some of our rates and training programs. The person then proceeded to tell us they were a 15 year veteran of personal training and were certified by a company that rhymes with fan-bit. The person then (as usual) inquired about our certs and had little to say about our answer.

Here's the question I have all you fuck tards with a fancy piece of paper with gold foil and your name on it from fan-bit. How many people have you trained? How many of them achieved their goals? If you are such an awesome personal trainer then why in hell aren't you making a living teaching others how to get fit?
If you want to feel high and mighty about your paper certification from the 2 day course you took about personal training, don't try me. From now on, I will be asking the hard questions.

My wife and I have been training clients for over 4 years. We started with nothing and built our business into something I'm very proud of. We did it without paying some companies bullshit fees to have a piece of paper on the wall. We did it with a lot of trial and error, a lot of reading, a lot of travelling to seminars, a lot of phone calls and emails to people who already had great success in the business. I've spent thousands of hours reading and studying training methods. I've logged thousands of hours in the gym trying shit out on myself. I've logged hundreds of hours in the gyms training others to reach there goals. And guess what? I've never bragged about how awesome I am (or used to be) to another trainer. I've never looked down my nose at another trainer with less experience. I'm willing to pay it forward and share what I've learned, and most important of all....I never stop learning, studying, trying hard to stay on top of what works.

That's all.

Have a great day.

Who in the hell is Shelby Starnes?

For those of you that have never surfed around on eliteFTS.com, first of all shame on you for missing out on the best resource for training and performance info, and secondly you are probably asking yourself, "who in the hell is Shelby Starnes".

Well I'm gonna bring everyone up to speed on who Shelby is, and what exactly it is that he does. I feel pretty lucky to be able to snag a big time guest like this for an interview on the SERIOUS ABOUT STRENGTH BLOG.

Sarah and I both hired Shelby about 10 weeks ago to get us ready for the provincial powerlifting championships and the world light weight strongman championships respectively. The results have been nothing less than extraordinary. I've had a pretty good grip on nutrition for a long time but working with Shelby is on another level all together.

Before Starting with Shelby (240lbs)

Week 9 of working with Shelby (236lbs)

Without any further delays lets get to the questions.

PV-First of all Shelby, Welcome to the Serious About Strength Blog

Where are you from and where do you live currently?

SS-I was born and raised just north of Detroit, Michigan. I still reside there.

PV-How tall are you and how much do you weigh?

SS-I'm just under 5'7 and my offseason weight is usually around 220 lbs. (110kg.). My competition weight has been right around 176 lbs. (80kg) the last couple years, but I'm trying to bump that up to 185-190 this year or next.

Shelby Starnes (Offseason)

PV-What came first, the nutrition knowledge or bodybuilding and powerlifting,and when did you get involved in all this stuff?


SS-I've been interested in the nutrition aspect since I started lifting weights in 1997, when I was 20 years old. I realized right from the start that nutrition was a crucial element of bodybuilding and weightlifting, so I studied it extensively.
Growing up, I was never a very athletic person and I smoked, drank on occasion, etc. When I was 20 I realized that my dad was in much better shape than me (he exercised daily on his treadmill) so I decided to get into better shape.
I started by using his treadmill, and gradually developed more of an interest in a healthy lifestyle, some light weightlifting, etc... eventually it morphed into full-fledged hardcore bodybuilding.
I got out of bodybuilding in 2003 for a variety of reasons, and decided to just lift weights recreationally. That didn't last long, and I developed an interest in strength (rather than size) so I ended up heading down that path, eventually getting involved in competitive powerlifting. That lasted from mid-2003 to early 2005.
Now I'm back to bodybuilding but still follow powerlifting, train with powerlifters, and occasionally dream of growing a goatee and getting fat again.


PV-What are some of your best lifts as a powerlifter and your best comps as a bodybuilder?

SS-I always competed as a 198 in powerlifting, and my best lifts were a 600 squat, 435 bench, and a 600 deadlift.
In terms of bodybuilding, at my first show I won the overall in the novice division and took second place in the open middleweight class. Since then I've competed twice at the NPC Jr. Nationals, placing fifth in 2006 and sixth in 2007.

PV-When do you plan on hitting the stage in a banana hammock again?(It's cool, I've pranced on stage in the past too.)

SS-I'm tentatively planning on competing at the NPC Michigan State Bodybuilding Championships in May, 2009.

PV-Do you have any plans to do another powerlifting meet in the future?


SS-Probably not. I was going to do a meet last year - just as a diversion from my bodybuilding offseason- but I ended up rupturing my pec about a month out from the meet.


PV-How long have you been putting together diets for other people?

SS-After my first competition in 2005 I started helping some friends with diet plans, and it quickly grew from there.Nowadays I have clients all over the country as well as the world (Canada, Australia, UK, Belgium, Greece, etc.).

PV-What is the name of the company that you currently are involved with, doing diet and training plans?

SS-Troponin Nutrition. We also carry our own line of supplements, as well as books, videos, and strength training equipment (we just came out with our "Motor City Squat Yoke", which is a combination front squat and Zercher harness). Check us out at http://www.troponinnutrition.com/

PV-How did you get hooked up with Troponin and Justin Harris?

SS-I hired Justin to prep me for my first bodybuilding show back in 2005, and I've been working with him ever since.

PV-I know you do a lot of work with men and women that compete in bodybuilding, figure and now strength sports, do you have any clients thatare just looking to lose fat for health reasons or to just look good naked?

SS-Yes, a lot of my clients aren't competitive in any particular sport - they just want to shed some fat, get healthy, and, as you said "look good naked". I will work with anyone that is committed to making a change.

PV-What are some of the things that you are able to do with your clients besides just getting lean?

SS-I do a lot of offseason plans to help clients gain maximal muscle while staying lean, and also do plans for clients looking to drop water weight for a competition weigh-ins, setting up an optimal eating schedule for meet day, etc.
I also offer customized training consultations for those interested in having me do their training as well as nutrition.

PV-I know you are a CARB CYCLING guy, can you give us a summary of what that means?

SS-Carbohydrate cycling is a method of eating that can be modified for weight gain, weight loss, and also weight maintenance. Put in simple terms, carbohydrate cycling involves consuming a high carbohydrate diet on some days of the week, and a low to moderate carbohydrate diet on other days.

The high carbohydrate days raise the body's insulin levels, fill glycogen stores, keep the metabolism burning efficiently, and stave off muscle catabolism. The low carbohydrate days are the "fat burning days." They keep insulin levels low enough to allow for maximum fat burning while retaining muscle.

PV-Is there ever an age that people reach that would make it difficult for them to benefit from your diet plans?

SS-As we age our metabolism slows, but the same physiological principles still apply. As such, carb cycling is still my method of choice for older athletes.
I should mention though, that while I predominantly use a carb cycling approach, I will use other approaches if the situation warrants it.

PV-I found out about you when you went on board at EliteFTS.com, how did it come to be that you got onto the Q&A staff?

SS-Dave made me promise not to talk about that (the initiation rituals are illegal in most states).
Seriously though, Justin had been on the team for a while and I think they just wanted to diversify their reach, so they asked if I would be willing to lend a hand. What's it like to be a part of the elitefts team?
The exposure has been great. I'm very thankful to be on a team of such great athletes and individuals, and hope to be able to contribute and be part of the team for some time to come.

PV-I've met Justin Harris at a Seminar and he was way the hell over everyones head with his science and book words. What's it like working with that guy?

SS-He's definitely a nerd trapped in a super heavyweight's body.
Seriously though, besides being a great nutritionist, bodybuilder, and powerlifter, he's also a great business partner and friend. Like with Elite, I look forward to a long prosperous future together.

PV-I'd like to thank you for doing this interview, is there any shout-outs or thanks you'd like to send out?

SS-I definitely want to thank all my clients for kicking ass on a regular basis, and supporting me in what I do.
I also want to thank Justin Harris, Dave Tate, and the EliteFTS team for all they've done for me. I'm very fortunate to work with such a great group of people.

PV-If people want to get in touch with you and have you help them look and perform better, how can they reach you?

SS-I can be reached via email at shelbystarnes@troponinnutrition.com and my webpage is here:
www.troponinnutrition.com/shelby.htm

I am also on the Q&A staff atwww.elitefts.com/

If anyone has any questions or comments, feel free to drop me a line!

PV-Thanks again Shelby, I can't say enough great things about your services,and I don't really have to because I walking around looking and feeling like an animal and people notice everywhere I go.

SS-Thanks for the opportunity, Paul.