Posted on: Friday, May 13, 2011
MASS Athlete Ryan Laos shares his experience in mixing up his training with some strongman training
I’ve been lifting weights for nearly half my life & competing as a Bodybuilder for 12 years. For the majority of this time I have trained in bodybuilding style, 3 exercises, 3-4 sets, 8-12 reps. This tried & true system has worked very well for me.
Over the past 2 years though I have been inspired by some people that I have been lucky enough to meet & train with, to incorporate some powerlifting programs into my yearly schedule.
My training partner was open to the idea so we started a 12 week program. Basically its sticking to the 3 power movements, Bench Press, Squat & Deadlift. You start at 65% of your 1 rep max & increase your weights by 5% each week culminating by the 12th week at 105% of your 1 RM. So, your actually stronger than when you started. (There are some recovery weeks in there also.)
This worked well for me as I was able to increase my weights on each of the 3 exercises beyond what I had hoped. In short I got stronger but not that much increase in size as compared to my training partner who increased size but did not get as strong as myself. It just goes to show you need to try different things & find what works best for you for what you’re training to achieve.
I saw some Worlds Strongest Man comps on the TV & immediately loved it. I started doing some tyre flips, stone carries, car pushing & whatever else I could do with limited equipment I had just to try the different training style. This was very different but great at the same time. I started getting fitter & this helped with my bodybuilding training, enabling me to push further through my sets than I have previously done. I don’t like to do a lot of cardio work but this was cardio & lifting at the same time. Perfect. I enjoy the competitiveness of the bodybuilding stage & seeing as I only compete every 1 -2 years I need something to curb my appetite for competition.
I decided to enter a strongman competition (NSW Strongman League) with having only 1 training session on the equipment & placed 3rd. I was happy with this considering I hadn’t completed much strongman training & not being familiar with the equipment.
What keeps me going during my sessions, lifting the max weights set after set was Musashi’s Re-Activate Hardcore & Creatine prior to training & Elevator during my workouts. As soon as I finish training I have 1 scoop each of Creatine Recovery Stack & Create to help feed my muscles the food they need after a massive session. 10 minutes after that I have 2 scoops of the ISO8 protein (chocolate flavour of course) & Glutamine. Just prior to bed I take some fish oil tablets & Musashi’s ZMA+ to help with a much needed good nights sleep.
I use this stack year round no matter what phase of training I am in. I know it is essential to fuel my body with the best scientifically proven nutrients I can get my hands on. Musashi is the only brand I trust to keep up with my busy 10hr a day work schedule & gruelling workouts.
In my next blog I will be talking in depth about my bodybuilding training & the different high intensity techniques I use to overload my muscles & force them into growth.
Until then, Train smart, stay natural.
Ryan Laos
Ryan is a professional body builder who trains at a high level and has her own specifically designed supplementation program. Always consult a healthcare professional to assess your individual needs.