Getting strong via training is an intensely emotional experience.  Nothing in my life can compare to it.  The barbell is the equivalent to many struggles of life.  The progression and adaptation physically, is directly parallel to the emotional development of the lifter.  If the lifter is not as mentally enriched as physically, then they have missed the entire point of training.

Something that has helped me as a person and as an athlete/lifter, has been learning to embrace the "overtraining."  When I feel overtrained, I treat that as a positive sign that I'm increasing the work capacity.  I've become addicted to the intense feelings of heavy training.  I feel the rush of it all.  The struggle.  People say they want this goal, or that goal, but rarely do they actually do what is necessary to achieve them.

The thing that puzzles me is that more people don't strive for greatness.  It doesn't have to be lifting.  It doesn't even need to be physical.  If someone spent ten hours per day trying to become the best at jumping rope, I would be inspired.  Mastery of skill is amazing to all of us, so why not try to achieve a skill that you might be proud of? (Check out Robert Greene's Mastery)  It's been said that if one is good at something they'll tell people, but if he or she is great, people will tell them.

Now, I don't know about you, but when I get complimented on a skill I feel good.  When I feel good, the positive affirmation propels me to work much harder.  Do you see the connection I'm making?  You choose a skill to master that is in line with what you love to do.  You work tirelessly until you become great.  You begin to get positive feedback on your work.  You become great, and a very happy person.  My passion is training.  I train many hours per day, and try to share my experience with friends that have a similar passion for the life of training.

Some people may take longer to master their passion, and inspire others.  That is irrelevant.  Passion shines through the number, the product, or whatever mastery one seeks.  How long should you work on becoming the best you can be?  "How long do you give a child to learn to walk before you cut them off? UNTILLLL"  Learn to love the journey, the process, the trials and tribulations, and the failure of reaching your goals.  Work UNTIL you get where you want to be as a person.  Aim high.  Strive for greatness, I beg of you.

So to reach greatness in anything I have a few suggestions:

• Blaze your own path.  Try things that haven't been tried before.  Don't believe something is IMPOSSIBLE until you have truly poured everything you have into it.  If you don't try as hard as you possibly can, then you won't know what you're capable of.
• Learn to love what you need to love, to accomplish what you have to accomplish in your life.
• And lastly, understand that it is in our darkest, and deepest moments, that we discover who we truly are.

Importance of volume in training

One thing that I think gets overlooked in training quite often, is volume.  It seems like people are either purely doing bodybuilding and only do pump training and don't touch heavy weights, or are dogmatically following the ideology of some olympic lifting programs and think that anything more than 3 reps is "conditioning".  While both sides have some valid points, I think that both sides are silly.  In my experience, I've had a lot better results when I have trained with much higher volume and sub-maximal weights.  I think that this happens for two main reasons.

The first, and most important reason, is that strength is a skill.  How do you get better at a skill?  Practice.  Practicing with lighter weights allows one to have better technique, while using a lighter workload.  Sometimes swallowing the humble pill and trying to get more work out of less weight is a good thing.  Why use more weight than is needed?

Secondly, volume allows you to build muscle, which is what allows you to lift weights.  I have noticed something very disturbing, at least to me, recently.  When did the philosophy change occur that made it seem uncool to use actual MUSCLE to lift weights?  I get that people who may compete in a strength sport need an optimal ratio of weight to strength, but some people need to realize that it will take some actual hypertophy work to get more than a shitty 315 "ATG" squat.  I don't care how light you are, or your asshole literally touches the ground, or your technique is perfect, it's still just 315 lbs.  That's probably not going to get you to your goals.

"Hypertrophy is gay bro.  Bodybuilding4fagz"

Awakening the Hogg

Resident Hogg Michael Here,

The last few weeks have been crazy here for all of the members of Slaughter Weight Barbell Club in the House of Dew, on Hogg University.  In fact, several weeks ago, all of these institutions were in their infancy.

Joe and William, the other resident Hoggs here have been living in Jefferson Iowa for some time now while the University has been under construction.  I have been here visiting after completing my master's degree in Kinesiology just a couple of weeks ago, and have already added well over 50 lbs to my squat.

A squat that was taken down several pegs due to injury.

Yes, without going too much into detail, this Hogg can introduce himself only anew, as a man on his way back from the beneath the slats, deep in the shit.

I was previously a football player, then a bodybuilder, then an Olympic lifter, and was then stricken with some nasty injuries which put my training on hold for a while.

Now, I train at the House of Dew at Hogg University with Slaughter Weight Barbell Club, and that's all that matters.

With introductions done, my strength has come back after a nasty pelvis sprain to 285x5 after 1 year of not being able to squat at all, 1 year of light squatting at around 95-135 lbs, 12 weeks of only doing step ups due to a sprained pelvis, and 3 weeks of hard training adding about 100 lbs per week once again.

This Hogg will either be strong or be slaughtered.



And that brings me to my sentiment for the day:

Joe posted about MORE and going for more and wanting more.  A Hogg does want more, and he waddles and roots his way toward more until he finds it.  He might find some tasty slop, or he might find his way onto a truck to become bacon.  He might even spend his time in the ultimate Hogg Purgatory, the sick pen.  After fighting off cannabilism and rape left and right, this Hogg has found a good stride.  The war isn't won, but the desire for greater numbers, more mass, and more plates on the bar won't end any time soon.

Today's training was squat practice for me.  I am currently doing 2 days of progressive 5x5s a week, and about 4-5 days of 10's in the front squat and sumo squat.  It is working wonderfully, and has given me 100 lbs a week after my recent injury.

Joe and I had a sweet pump after our squats, there was a lot of gun swell going on.

Mine was really light, typical squat practice and pump day:

Front squat:
Bar x 2 x 5
40 kilos x 10
60 kilos x 10, 10, + 10 frankenstein squats

Sumo Squats:
60 kilos x 10, 10, 20, 15, 3 with long pause

Back Squats:
60 kilos x 2 x 10, 3 with long pause

Back raise with limited ROM x 2x20

Light Side Burns (bends)

Pump:
Curls/Bench with light weight/Drink of Chocolate milk 15, 15, 2 gulps

Upright Rows snatch trip x 65 x lots and lots



Always strive for more and find the pleasure in life in the process.  There is nothing more beautiful than becoming the animal.  Someday we will all be slaughtered, all we can do now is be sure to use our tusks while we still have them.

October 22, 2013 - A rough day - Hogg University

It was a grinder today in the House of Dew.  Started the day with a big squat in mind, a pr perhaps.  Today was not my day though.  Worked up to 565lbs, and crushed it.  Fastest I've ever moved it.  Jumped to 610 missed, then hit 585 and called it.  I then proceeded to hit a very easy 475 front squat.  After that I had a huge pump session with Michael.  Worked the guns.

Daily Pr's:
475 Front
565 Back
545 Paused back

Auxilary:
Biceps
Neck
Traps

"Hoggs want MORE.  To a Hogg, more of something is ALWAYS better.  Always push the boundaries on something until it either breaks you, or you achieve something that was once thought unattainable through rational methods."

October 21 - Hogg University

The Hogg lives in all of us.  It wants to get out of us.  The problem is, for most of us, we are scared to let it out.  We are scared of being called "fat", scared of trying something different, scared of being called "lazy" for wanting adequate sleep, and petrified of being called self absorbed for keeping a certain amount of time for oneself.

A Hogg enjoys the simplicity, the beauty, and the daily grind of heavy lifting.  He thrives on his or her environment.  A Hogg will never skimp on recovery.  Sleep, copious amounts of food, and an absolute positive attitude are essential in the Hogg lifestyle.  "A Hogg must be totally content knee deep in its own shit, yet always sifting for the diamond."

"The opinions of an outsider are of no consequence to a true Hogg. Sometimes to get what you want, you must endure things that aren't so great."

New T-Shirts for sale!!

Neck after workout today, taking it to the top.

Training videos from today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMVad_XXSEc