Training to be in the strongest 5% of the population

In this episode I find out how long it will take me to bench press my own bodyweight, pullup 1.5 x my bodyweight and deadlift twice my bodyweight. At the time of filming I weighed 70 kg (154 lbs). Apparently this puts you in the top 5% of the population in terms of strength. I'm not sure about that, but deadlifts sure are hard!

Filmed at Block10 in Dundee.

[MikeBoyd]

What strength challenge should I try next? 💪

[jonochu]

A few things in the video for people interested regarding technique.

- He is getting shoulder pain from bench press because he is not retracting his scapula and engaging his lats. You can see that he is lacking stability in his shoulders during bench.
- For his deadlifts, the belt is used to give you intra-abdominal pressure which stabilises your trunk. You breath and expand your midsection and it helps you brace and maintain stabilitiy.
- He is likely hitting his shin for deadlifts because he needs to raise his butt slightly and have a little less forward knee travel (hard to really see from this camera angle, you probably need a side angle to really assess)
- Take off your sneakers during deadlifts or use flat sole shoes, he is creating an artificial deficit + a squishy sole which makes the lift harder and less stable.
- at 14:41, you can see his underhand grip he is actually flexing his bicep a little. Your arms should remain completely straight or you run the risk of tearing a bicep.
- When he deadlifts off the ground you can see he sort of "yanks" the bar off the ground. Always pull the slack out of the bar (I.e just enough so the bar is about to just get off the ground) and then continue with your lift.

Stay safe out their friends, a herniated disc, bicep tears and back injuries are not fun. There are many cues and technique changes that you can't really assess with these videos. Get a coach that can train you in these movements. Preferably a powerlifting coach who can teach you the technique for the squat, bench and deadlift (you dont need to run a powerlifting training program). It makes sense to speak to coaches who literally only do these three lifts even if you don't want to be a powerlifter.

[wegezr]

I think the squat should have been 1.5x bodyweight.

[adriang.]

I thought I was the only one who kissed my spotter

[zukodude]

That weakening deadlift is a common side effect of central nervous system fatigue. Essentially you lifted too hard for too long without breaks and your bodys nervous system was unable to recover that fast. This usually means you need a deload to let the body rest for a week and suddenly all your strength comes back.

[calcustom]

I've always heard 1x bench, 1.5x squat, and 2x dead. Adding a 0.5x pull up just seems like a natural addition. Love it

[tl]

next video: beating eddie hall in a strongman challenge

[Sleepless_Chaos]

I want you to go completely the other direction and try learning how to crochet for the next one. You seem to have athletics down pretty well; what happens when you try a good ol' granny craft? It's great seeing you again. Cheers.

[alekss]

Excellent showcase of why rest periods are so important. Even though your muscles might feel fine - your nervous system might still need more time to recover from the previous sessions. When gym starts feeling like shit and you feel like you're starting to move backwards - time for a deload week.

[joe]

You learnt how to do muscle ups. I’d be very surprised if more than 5% of the population can do them.

[stevenbridges]

Smashed it! Great job dude! Also, you've inspired me to get one of those deadlift belts. Didn't realise they'd make such a difference.

[tommackenzie]

The weightlifting belt is designed to give you something to brace your core against. Think about creating pressure in your mid-section pushing out against the belt in all directions. This will help prevent injury, but only if bracing correctly, the belt doesn't reduce risk of injury by default.

[dejwid]

Man, looking at your wife, i can't wish anyone anything else. She is so supportive and happy of you acheaving your goals. This is just amazing to watch, together with your content about your self-improvement.

[johnreese]

That last deadlift felt poetic. You even held it up and looked around, exactly like Hall did when he lifted 500kg

[hhdhpublic]

Go for

1x pistol squat, both legs
1x one hand push up, both arms
1x one hand pull up, both arms
1x standing bridge
1x dragon flag
1x split

requires nice ammount of both strenght, technique and mobility :)

[jucom]

3:20 Mike! You're a pretty serious climber, that is quite the strength training even if it isn't explicitly that excercise. You've got climber's strength.

[afz]

I live how supportive mikes partner is in all his videos so damn wholesome 😅

[crazycjk]

Hey Mike! For being presumably self-taught, you've smashed it here! Just a little extra info for you which I hope helps
Bench press needs to touch your chest. Squats and Deadlifts are similar, but the differences make them very different. PullUps should really go higher. Deadlifts ruining your shins is common but fixable. Your strength plateauing is a perfect demonstration of the limitations of linear progression (eg we all have a ceiling where you can't just add a bit more weight each week). Easily fixable :) - perfect demo of the effects of fatigue when you pulled 140kg after a week off! Also normal that your physique hasn't changed significantly - you've trained purely for strength, not size. Good job overall!

[colerichardson]

just binged all of your videos because they give me so much inspiration. learning things is such a beautiful thing that humans do and you are an amazing person for spreading that message. hope the best for you mate

[nick-nopi]

Im so engrained in gym culture that this was a fun watch seeing it from someone who doesn't weightlift as much. Deadlift definitely is the most tiring workout so the 1 week rest proly fixed you right up nice one!