The author squatting in a recent meet where he went 485/ 320/ 605 at 181. The over triple-bodyweight deadlift was an unofficial lifetime drug free world record.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend Mr. Johnny Pain’s most recent seminar: “Blueprint to the Beast.” Unlike most seminars in the strength and conditioning world, very little of what was discussed dealt with the “mechanics” aspect, such as exercise technique, diet, programming, etc. Instead, John focused on the mental factors that really open the door for fantastic success. While much of the focus was applied to training, these are skills that can be applied to nearly any aspect of life.

I’ve known John for about a year now, I consider him a friend and something of a mentor to me, especially in the areas of “lifestyle design” and entrepreneurship. I’ve met a lot of very smart people during my life, and I can say without hesitation that John is easily one of the smartest. Those of you who know him primarily as a strength coach might be surprised to learn that John is also a legitimate expert in the topic of life-coaching, motivation, lifestyle design, or whatever you want to call it. So when I heard about B2B, I was really interested to see what John had put together.

B2B did not disappoint. The thing that struck me most about this seminar was the level of preparation that went into it. Previous Greyskull seminars were informal, “ask anything” affairs with no agenda. They were great seminars that let everyone get their questions in, but B2B was another animal entirely. The material John presented was synthesized from a wide variety of sources, and the result was nothing short of amazing. I’ve done a lot of reading in that field, and John’s work is the most digestible, easy to understand, and most importantly, easy to apply of anything that I’ve ever come across. B2B left me with a very clear sense of what I could do, starting TODAY, as well as in the coming months and years, to improve my success, both in terms of training and otherwise.

The seminar covered a ton of material (I heard someone say at the after party that it was enough material to fill an entire college semester), so I’m not going to go over everything, but there were a couple of major themes. First, John presented a model of how our conscious, subconscious, and physiology interact with external sensory data, and produce behaviors and results. The model is strongly influenced by neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). I’ve studied NLP before, and have found it to be an extremely powerful tool, but the B2B model went a step further than anything I’d ever seen before, and left me with a much clearer understanding.

One of the other major themes was the focus on “standards, beliefs and habits.” There were segments on each of these three. Again the biggest thing that set B2B apart from other material I’ve been exposed to is its emphasis on applicability. For example, everyone knows that limiting beliefs (“I’m not good enough to succeed”) can be catastrophic to reaching one’s goals. However, most material I’ve come across in the past does a very poor job at showing the user how to actually determine what their beliefs are. How do we fix our beliefs if we can’t even figure out what they are? B2B laid out some really clear steps of how we can elicit beliefs, and get to the root of what holds us back from success. This is just one of countless examples of how John has made this material extremely digestible, and again, APPLICABLE.

Overall, the Blueprint to the Beast was a fantastic experience, and I’m very glad that I had the opportunity to be a part of the inaugural seminar. It was also a very fun day, as John presented all of his material charismatically, and had us laughing many times. I know John will be bringing this info to more people in the future through various media. If you’re interested in truly unlocking your potential, both in fitness and life, you will not want to miss these.

NOTE from JP: To schedule a personal consultation, and take advantage of the Blueprint to Beast Principles, specifically applied to your individual situation, contact me at john@villainintl.com with the word “consultation” in the subject line.

Jason Kapnick is a bad dude from NYC. He works as a trainer in his ever-growing personal training practice, as well as pushing forward in his other business endeavors. Jason walked away from a financially lucrative Wall St. position to pursue his passions, and is reaping big rewards for having done so. He can be found on the StrengthVillain.com forum as “AtlasDeadlifted”.

The following is an excerpt from the soon-to-be-released “Greyskull LP Second Edition” which will be available later this week in the StrengthVillain.com store. This piece is the introduction to the long-anticipated exercise execution section. Enjoy. -JP

“Before I studied the art, a punch was just like a punch, a kick just like a kick. After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick no longer a kick. Now that I’ve understood the art, a punch is just like a punch, a kick just like a kick. The height of cultivation is really nothing special. It is merely simplicity the ability to express to the utmost with the minimum.”-Bruce Lee

There is a lot of money to be made in making things a lot more complicated than need be.

This practice of making things “proprietarily complex” as I like to say, is rampant in the strength and conditioning industry. Despite the fact that people in gyms all over the world with little to no training in the proper execution of exercises use them daily with great success, there exists a crippling belief in many that performing a proper squat or deadlift requires a textbook the size of a Philadelphia phonebook to learn from.

This belief is propagated largely by those who make money off of overanalyzing human movement and presenting their “findings” to skinny-fat internet surfers who know much more about training than the “bench and curl” meathead at Gold’s Gym, but who, almost without fail, fall horribly short to the meathead in terms of aesthetics, strength, athleticism, desirability to the opposite sex, frequency of sexual activity, or any other metric more valuable than one’s comprehensive knowledge of the biomechanics of the squat.

Simply put; One does not need an advanced degree in human biomechanics to successfully apply (or coach, yes I said that) the movements outlined in this book.

It is necessary to understand movement to the extent that you are capable of executing an exercise in a manner that will not produce injury, and which will be productive in terms of developing strength. Beyond that, most of what takes place on message boards in terms of “form” or “technique” analysis amounts to little more than the actual masturbation that takes place in front of the same screen after logging out of the strength forum.

The single biggest difference between those who do big things and those who do not is that those that do big things DO big things.

No amount of reading, or watching videos on strength training will teach you more about the subject than getting off your ass and actually training.

If anyone were to contest that idea (and there are plenty that do publicly or internally) would have to agree at the very least that it is impossible to make physical progress without actually taking action at some point.

A common experience shared by many of my consult clients looks something like this:

• Start training with little knowledge
• Experience noticeable, exciting progress in aesthetics and strength
• Develop an interest in training from the momentum created
• Research and learn more about biomechanics, programming, and diet
• Progress comes to a halt
• Blame halted progress on program, end of some sort of stage of adaptation, diet, or some other mechanical component that is not the cause
• Contact me out of frustration
• Re-discover simplicity after learning how limiting beliefs cripple one’s progress
• Divorce limiting beliefs
• Make significant progress again
• Enjoy training again
• Make continual progress

Overanalysis of this stuff will get you nowhere. This is the reason why people who post on the StrengthVillain.com forum looking for a “form check” from me get such simple answers. I give them one item to fix that will have the most significant impact on the movement globally, then request another video if I deem it appropriate. What happens almost across the board when I do this is the follow up post from some other knowledgeable and well-meaning forum member providing insight on the mechanical issues that I surely missed somehow.

What needs to be understood is that I DO see those things, I just do not care that they are happening.

“Correcting” them will do nothing more than add more items for the individual to consciously focus on while performing the movement that they would have gotten strong using “incorrectly” had they not contacted me or logged into the Internet anyway.

I can almost hear the internal dialogue:

“How does Johnny Pain not see him doing X?”

“His eyes/ears/ knees/ etc. are not in the right spot, how is it JP doesn’t see this?”

And then inevitably:

“Wow, JP really isn’t that good of a coach at this stuff”.

I recently had a conversation with a StrengthVillain.com forum member who has become a friend over the last several months. The topic of coaching the barbell lifts came up (OK, you know for a fact I did not bring that shit up) and he began naming a who’s who of “internet coaches” informally ranking them in terms of who was the best coach.

My name was surprisingly low on the list. I lost much sleep over this as you can imagine.

To this I simply asked what constituted his criteria for a good coach. His eventual answer had much to do with a “coaching eye”, an invaluable skill for a coach to have, and an in-depth, comprehensive knowledge of the movements presented.

I suggested that the best coach was simply the one who was most capable of eliciting reproducible results in line with the desired outcomes of the individual being coached.

Perhaps this was my way of making the rules work in my favor (my track record of delivering plus one for my clients is pretty damn solid), I don’t know, but I do know that the ability to deliver is what I look for in a good coach.

Delivery requires communication.

Communication requires acutely tuned senses and flexibility.

Neither of these things require exhaustive laboring over biomechanical texts that you could beat (or bore) someone to death with.

Presenting an idea in a sentence is better than a paragraph and represents a much clearer understanding of the information by the communicator. Presenting in a paragraph is admittedly better than a page, and a page is certainly better than a novel.

Consider the process of learning a foreign language in high school. There is a formalized lesson plan, a textbook, homework, quizzes, tests, projects etc. Recall the process of working through verb conjugation charts and translating lists of vocabulary words. Now ask yourself if you are as competent of a communicator in that language as a nine-year old child who grew up in an environment where that language was spoken, received no formal education in it whatsoever, and has used it to communicate and navigate life daily since.

Of course you aren’t.

Learning a skill does not require textbook, or even a formalized instructor. The perceived dependence on said people or materials in order to make progress is a significant handicap of the informed trainee.

The information presented regarding the execution of the movements in the following section is deliberately simple. It is without complex, anatomical descriptions of the musculoskeletal components involved, and similarly devoid of the idea that there is only one acceptable model for the movement’s execution.

Now,

You can chalk this up to my lack of knowledge, or you can attribute it to my having come “full-circle” and learning that a kick is a kick, a punch is a punch.

Enjoy.

Johnny Pain is the man behind StrengthVillain.com as well as the East Coast’s notorious Greyskull Barbell Club and several other ventures. He is the author of several books on subjects pertaining to strength and conditioning. He can be found comically entertaining questions on his Q and A forum at StrengthVillain.com or can be reached for consultations, training seminars, or speaking engagements at john@villainintl.com.

Also, you can follow him on Twitter: @thejohnnypain

Strength Villain Podcast 17 – MP3

Three years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Johnny Pain. At that point of my life, I was a 4-0 amateur Mixed Martial Artist.  While I had the desire to go professional in the sport, I lacked several important qualities that would help me to excel. 

Over the past years, I’m very grateful that John has become somewhat of a life coach of mine.  For the last several years John has taught me how to first convince myself of success, and then work towards achieving it.  John has also greatly helped me learn how to design my lifestyle in a way that has increased my confidence and has positively influenced the way that others see me.  The changes I’ve made since John has been working with me are very noticeable to everyone and I can tell you that it’s helped me more than I can express in my professional athletic career.

I’m currently a 4-0 professional fighter with the UFC hot at my door.  I fully anticipate being a highly noted contender in the UFC Welterweight division in the near future, a goal that is becoming increasingly more likely with each day.  Four years ago I wouldn’t have the confidence to sit here and tell you that I will be in the UFC, but John has really helped me to develop not only the confidence to tell you this, but the faith that I have in this achievement that has helped drive me to the success I currently hold.

I know it would sound cliche and outlandish for me to tell you that thanks to John I now own my own business, Armani clothes, a BMW M3, a champion blood line Bulldog, and countless other things I never would have dreamed of owning before, but the fact remains that John is DIRECTLY responsible for me owning these things.  The “Blueprint to Beast” seminar is a highly concentrated dose of many of the things John has helped me to understand and achieve over the past several years.  Through thousands of texts messages, hundreds of phone calls, weeks of travel to Philadelphia, and time with John here in Tennessee, I have learned a portion of what can be learned in a matter of hours this weekend.  If you were ever going to attend a seminar, I highly recommend you attend this one.  The material covered in this seminar will directly and positively effect your life in ways you may never experience if you miss this weekend.  I hope I see many of you there!

Click the player to listen, or click the link to Download. Enjoy!

Strength Villain Podcast 16 – MP3

Click the player to listen, or click the link to Download. Enjoy!

Strength Villain Podcast 15 – MP3

Strength Villain Podcast 14 – MP3

Due to the overwhelming demand for consultations that I have experienced as a result of the January consultation sale, I have decided to extend the sale until the end of February.

It is not too late to get your call set up and make significant change for the better. Learn how to break through the mental barriers that have kept you from reaching your full potential.

The feedback from those who have taken advantage of the sale has been incredible. The amount of clarity achieved by these individuals as a result of working through our success formula has been amazing.

Read what others have said about their experiences here.

Act now and get your individual situation addressed at a dramatically discounted rate.

I look forward to speaking to you personally and helping you get exactly what you want.

Email me at john@villainintl.com with the word “consultation” in the subject line to get the process started.

-JP

Strength Villain Podcast 13 – MP3

The January consultation sale is still going strong. I have been very busy as of late speaking with and helping individuals and couples all over the world with their unique and always interesting situations. I received much feedback regarding my last post which provided some brief recaps of recent cases, so I thought I’d post a few more.

CASE 1

One particularly enjoyable call that ran quite a bit over our intended hour was with a couple. The male wanted beast status, and the lovely lady wanted to look better in her bikini for an upcoming trip. They were a fun couple who were very interested in what it takes to get what they want from their efforts.

On this call we spent a good deal of time covering what she would need to do in terms of changing her day to day habits from those that had put her where she was to those that would get her where she needed to be. The small changes that we implemented in her day, and the habits that I tasked her with creating will reap huge rewards for her in the months to come. She was amazed at how simple the daily changes were that will set her miles apart from her peers. She now knows what it takes to become the envy of all of her friends this year. For her we also made some adjustments to her training program that were more conducive to the physical adaptations that she was after in the aesthetic sense.

Her boyfriend is a younger guy who was on the right track to beasthood in the general sense, but who lacked focus on the most important components of the program (for him). He was obsessing about small, insignificant pieces of the puzzle, mainly in the diet realm. This was holding him back quite a bit. Releasing focus on these minutia items (this resulted in quite a bit of laughter on their end, as it typically does) allowed him to allot focus towards those pieces that would ultimately see him arrive at his goal and join the ranks of those whom he aspired to be like.

These two have a newfound focus and energy for training, and I am very excited to check back in with them down the road and see just how far they’ve pushed ahead of the pack.

CASE 2

Another case was with a great guy who had experienced little quantifiable improvement in his situation over the last several years while experimenting with the methods of many in the strength and conditioning industry (including mine). He had paid others for consultations, attended seminars, hired trainers, purchases expensive diet plans, etc. only to be routinely discouraged by his lack of results. He admitted to contacting me with trepidation for fear that this would be yet another fruitless investment.

We spent the first forty minutes of the call examining the flaws in his beliefs about himself and training, as well as his lack of a clearly defined goal. It’s hard to reach a goal if you are not clear about what it is that you want. Your subconscious mind will get you whatever you want. You cannot be vague in instructing it. He learned this on his call. We identified what it was he truly wanted, and then looked at what he was not doing that would get him there. The interesting part here was that he knew what those things were (most times they do) and found himself laughing at how simple some of the fixes were to implement. His goals are now clear, and he is adopting the behaviors of those who are where he wants to be. It’s just a matter of time now.

CASE 3

In a somewhat similar case, I worked with a guy earlier today who was very enjoyable to speak with. He had similar issues with a lack of a clearly defined goal. He knew he wanted to look a bit better with his shirt off, but that was about it. I told him to shave his body hair and get a tan. This resulted in laughter and surprise as you can imagine. His standards were so low that he had set for himself. He did not realize this, and did not realize the importance of that detail as it pertained to his success in his efforts. We created for him a strong visual image of his ideal physique and then, once again, examined the habits that he currently possessed versus those that he would need to adopt in order to morph into the image he now had of his ideal physique.

He began the call as most do, confused, seeking advice on sets and reps, and what food combinations he should be eating, and ended it relieved after a colossal reduction of stress surrounding the diet he was on (which incidentally he had created form my book SWOLE), and the simplicity of the clearly laid plan for his trip to water park status.

This guy is going to make awesome progress over the next http://strengthvillain.com/?p=1066 months. It is exciting.

Remember that the consultation sale is still going on and that it is not too late to take advantage of this opportunity to experience one on one coaching. I will be releasing some coaching products and packages in a few weeks that are very exciting as well. Use this discounted period in order to determine if coaching is something that you want to make a more substantial investment in as these products become available.

-JP

Johnny Pain is the man behind StrengthVillain.com as well as the East Coast’s notorious Greyskull Barbell Club and several other ventures. He is the author of several books on subjects pertaining to strength and conditioning. He can be found comically entertaining questions on his Q and A forum at StrengthVillain.com or can be reached for consultations, training seminars, or speaking engagements at john@villainintl.com.

Also, you can follow him on Twitter: @thejohnnypain

As a result of the consulting sale that I’m running this January, the volume I have been dealing with is pretty high at the moment.

It’s great to be back on the line with SV followers out there all over the world. I’ve reconnected with a few guys I’ve done work with in the past, and met many new people as well.

I figured I’d share a bit about some of my recent calls to give the readers who aren’t as aware of the services that we offer a few snapshots of recent cases I’ve taken on.

Today I spoke with a forum member and Marine Corps veteran from Texas who is overweight and looking to shed some serious bodyfat this year. He is starting basically from zero, and is committing to the idea of dramatically changing his body, and consequently his quality of life.

We spoke about his training program, which will resemble a base Greyskull LP weight training steup with several layers added in for additional activity to help create the energy debt necessary to shed the near 100lbs that he has to get rid of. We also addressed his diet, creating a simple, easy to follow plan that fits nicely wit his lifestyle and will no doubt yield tremendous results.

In addition to his training and diet concerns, we talked about the mental aspects of the task at hand, and why they are so critical. To tackle the goal that he has in front of him, he needs to develop an obsession, and institute the necessary rituals to see progress and manifest his desired outcome.

I’m beyond excited to see him progress, and continue to provide help as he transforms his body and his life.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of re-connecting with an Australian client with whom I had worked before. He had accomplished much in the time since we spoke earlier in 2011, and was excited to see what direction I had for him at this point. This guy had just finished up eight weeks of my “Bringing up the Back” program, and had seen great results with that.

For him, we looked at his training situation first. He has one day per week where he lifts weights in a commercial gym setting, and two other days where he lifts in a Olympic lifting style gym. For him we tailored a program around his lifting schedule, creating a “commercial gym day” where he uses specific pieces of equipment that he has to take advantage of at that location, and two other strength training days using the tools at his disposal at the Oly gym to their greatest potential. The addition of some dumbbell work, decline bench presses, and intelligent machine use has him fired up and ready to make some serious progress over the next two months.

A quick refresher on diet with him, which in his case looks like a custom mass gain plan I’d laid out months ago, and we were through for this session. We discussed the importance of momentum and attitude as it pertains to training and motivation, and established a plan to keep the fire burning under his ass for weeks to come.

A few days ago I spoke with another Aussie whom I’d worked with in the past. He is a great big guy who has had a whirlwind of unexpected crap thrown at him by life over the past year. Initially he had set out to become the hugest, meanest, SOB in that hemisphere, but several months of inconsistent training and eating due to life demands (something that I am all too familiar with) has left him several pounds lighter than before, and loving it.

At the lighter weight he feels healthier and more fit, has more energy to play with his kids, and is getting compliments from his spouse and others. His decision to switch gears and go for the leanest, fittest, SOB in that hemisphere was as welcome to me as was his initial goal a year ago. His new goals are an exceptional fit with his lifestyle, and he is getting more congruent by the day.

His diet is much simpler these days, and is doing the trick nicely. A few tweaks will have him seeing some serious composition changes over the next month or two for sure. His training is simple, and brief due to his time commitments with his family. No fluff, just the good stuff that is going to make his goals realities.

His attitude is top notch, and our discussion of congruency in beliefs, goals, and actions left him invigorated, and ready to conquer his goals, brick by brick, and make a massive change for the better in his life.

These are just a few of the calls I’ve done over the last several days. I feel like a call center worker over here, and I must tell you, I’m loving it.

I hope that if you are or have been on the fence regarding a consultation with me that you take advantage of the heavily discounted rate that I am offering the entire month of January. There will be no better time this year to reap the benefits of a professionally tailored strength, conditioning, diet, and life enrichment program that this month.

Good luck to all as always. I hope to talk to you soon.

-JP

Johnny Pain is the man behind StrengthVillain.com as well as the East Coast’s notorious Greyskull Barbell Club and several other ventures. He is the author of several books on subjects pertaining to strength and conditioning. He can be found comically entertaining questions on his Q and A forum at StrengthVillain.com or can be reached for consultations, training seminars, or speaking engagements at john@villainintl.com.

Also, you can follow him on Twitter: @thejohnnypain

Do you aspire to have the strongest, healthiest, most attractive body that you can possibly have?

Do you wish to have the healthiest, most passionate relationship?

Do you want financial security and independence?

Do you want a rich, fulfilling life packed with exciting experiences, interesting people, and countless memories to cherish?

Of course you do. Who wouldn’t?

Now here’s the better question:

Do you want, wish for, or aspire to have extraordinary things, or have you made a decision to bring extraordinary things into your life?

Notice the simple difference in language here. Hoping, dreaming, wishing, wanting, and aspiring are all synonyms, deciding is not a part of that group.

The word decision comes from the Latin Decidere, which means, in so many words, to cut off.

Think about that. When we make a decision, by definition we are severing any possibility of an alternative outcome to that which we have decided to manifest.

My Pop Pop who I admired greatly was famous for saying, “Hope went out to shit and the hogs ate him”. What that means I never did quite understand, but suffice to say that he felt hope was a weak word used by people who talked much and did little.

Everyone wants a rich life. A relative few actually take the actions necessary to see it happen.

Think about this as you lay your 150 bricks in this first six months of 2012;

Your goals that you’ve established and are working towards, are those things that you want, or are those things that you’ve decided you will have?

If you’ve decided you will manifest those life elements this year than I congratulate you in advance because you have already eliminated all possibility of any outcome other than the one that you have chosen, and therefore will bring great change this year.

To those who are hoping, wishing, dreaming, wanting, or doing anything else that isn’t deciding and acting, make a decision today.

This is truly a fight for your life. Will you lose by forfeit, or win by decision?

Johnny Pain is the man behind StrengthVillain.com as well as the East Coast’s notorious Greyskull Barbell Club and several other ventures. He is the author of several books on subjects pertaining to strength and conditioning. He can be found comically entertaining questions on his Q and A forum at StrengthVillain.com or can be reached for consultations, training seminars, or speaking engagements at john@villainintl.com.

Also, you can follow him on Twitter: @thejohnnypain

I’ve decided to extend a special offer this year for the entire month of January.

I have been occupied greatly over the last several weeks with some up and coming projects in development, and have not gotten in touch with the people as much on the consulting front due to scheduling limitations.

I’ve freed up some time over the next couple of weeks to dedicate to speaking to the readers and followers, and helping them get their training, diet, and other situational needs on the right course. This is one of the most intrinsically rewarding aspects of my job, and I enjoy it very much.

So, for the entire month of January, I will be offering a special, substantially discounted rate to those seeking to schedule calls and get their year off to a great and productive start.

Drop me an email with the word “consultation” in the subject line at john@villainintl.com for more details.

I look forward to speaking with and meeting many of you in 2012.



So here we are, five days into the New Year. This time of year is historically a time of reflection for many. It’s common to assess one’s status in the world and resolve to make change in the next 365 days (366 this year).

This is not going to be another generic, early January goal setting article encouraging you to create a list of resolutions, but rather a simple challenge to all who truly wish to bring about positive change in some aspect of their lives.

I want you to figure out what area of your life is lacking.

It might be your health, fitness, or physique.

It might be your financial status.

It might be your occupational status.

It might be your relationship status.

It may be some combination of the above; there are no wrong answers here.

What in your life is not congruent with how you imagine your life to be?

What do you stress/obsess about? What keeps you up at night, ruins meals, or otherwise interferes with you leading the amazing life that you deserve?

Once you’ve established what that thing or thing is, I want you to answer one simple question:

“Would my situation not improve significantly if I dedicated time and effort into carrying out 150 focused actions towards bettering the situation over the course of the next six months?”

Faced with the perception of a large problem, it is easy to become discouraged and fail to take action towards positive progress. As I and many others have written before, the compounding effect of making small, consistent, moves towards the prize humanize the task, and make achieving the desired outcome seem much more possible. Build some momentum, and you’re unstoppable.

So using the brick in the wall analogy that we looked at in the last article “There’s No Gold Star for Attendance”, the challenge is to lay 150 perfect bricks between now and June 15. Do that and you may not have the dream house completed by then, but you will have a hell of a start on one beautiful wall.

Get in the forum and post in your log about your wall if you dare. Accountability has proven time and again to be one hell of a motivator. If your goal is more personal than you’d like to share, record your actions towards it somewhere else that you can look at it daily. It is important to see the wall growing as time passes, and the actions stack up.

Absolutely nothing will happen if you do not take action.

Recognize what you want to change, and identify what you can do today to lay one perfect brick.

You’re human, so I don’t expect a perfect brick to get laid daily (though that would be ideal).

Perfection is not necessary, consistency is.

Six months, 150 bricks. Plenty of leeway for the days you just don’t want to get out of bed, or when life demands that you focus your attention and efforts elsewhere.

Resolve to change something major in you life, envision it as a single task like “make more money”, “get down to 10 percent body fat”, or “start a Business” and chances are you will end up reflecting on this years lack of progress this time next year.

Figure out how to lay one perfect brick today, and begin construction on your wall. Get active in the forum and interact with all of the other StrengthVillain bricklayers out there charting their own course and taking control of their life in 2012.

Johnny Pain is the man behind StrengthVillain.com as well as the East Coast’s notorious Greyskull Barbell Club and several other ventures. He is the author of several books on subjects pertaining to strength and conditioning. He can be found comically entertaining questions on his Q and A forum at StrengthVillain.com or can be reached for consultations, training seminars, or speaking engagements at john@villainintl.com.

Also, you can follow him on Twitter: @thejohnnypain

Woody Allen is noted as saying that eighty percent of being successful in life is showing up.

It’s hard to succeed in the gym, in a relationship, in business, or as a parent if you aren’t present for duty, that much is true, however what actions you take and what decisions you make on the playing field are certainly of significant importance as well.

I am a known proponent of the importance of consistency in training. I’ve openly stated that being consistent in a poorly designed (by internet strength training site standards) program is infinitely superior to half-assing a space-age program from the most en vogue guru on the net.

This goes for diet as well.

Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, NutriSystems, all of these diets will work for a person who needs to shed some poundage. The key is that they need to be done consistently over a long enough period of time for the effects to compound and yield noticeable progress.

A good portion of my business is of course tailoring diet and exercise programs for individuals who pay a professional rate for my services. If I were not competent in my ability to best pair the individual with the plan that will produce the most result I would have little to offer and would not be in business long.

This being said, my own mother is overweight. Significantly so, and has been for most of my life. I could, without a doubt, aid her in remedying the situation and getting her on the road to a healthier, more high quality existence were it not for one roadblock:

She doesn’t want to listen to me.

I can’t make her do anything she doesn’t want to do. No matter how much I want her to change her ways, ultimately that will not happen unless she makes a conscious decision to do so. I can only hope to inspire her to take that path through being supportive of good decisions that she does make, and providing feedback and tips along the way that may spark something.

Getting back to the consistency bit, if my mother were to take up Zumba and get head over heels into Weight Watchers or (gasp) the Zone diet, I would be thrilled. Ultimately anything she was to get fired up about and be consistent with would yield significant returns on her efforts.

Ok, but didn’t I say that showing up wasn’t everything?

It’s not. Consistency may be King, but couple consistency with laser-like focus and truly extraordinary efforts and you have an unbeatable mix. Going through the motions will get you farther than the majority who do nothing, but it will only get you so far.

You can’t hope to produce extraordinary result from ordinary effort.

It has long been stated that each workout is simply a “brick in the wall”; this is true, and further illustrates the importance of consistency in the big picture. A small pile of beautiful bricks will do little to keep would-be conquering hordes out of the city.

Build a wall of these beautiful, hand crafted, selected for quality bricks and you have a truly awesome site to behold.

Think of each workout as a single brick, but remember that is only part of the equation. It may be eighty percent of it, but it is the other twenty percent, inspecting each brick used, that separates the good from the exceptional.

Inspect your bricks; make sure that whatever individual task you are undertaking as part of a bigger picture is as high quality as you can muster. Every set, rep, sprint, kiss, game of catch, toast, fuck session, apology, you name it. Make it the best you can make it.

Showing up may be eighty percent, but last time I checked there were no gold stars given for attendance in life.

Show up, and do it better than everyone else when you get there. Repeat.

Johnny Pain is the man behind StrengthVillain.com as well as the East Coast’s notorious Greyskull Barbell Club and several other ventures. He is the author of several books on subjects pertaining to strength and conditioning. He can be found comically entertaining questions on his Q and A forum at StrengthVillain.com or can be reached for consultations, training seminars, or speaking engagements at john@villainintl.com.

Also, you can follow him on Twitter: @thejohnnypain

Click the player to listen, or click the link to Download. Enjoy!

Strength Villain Podcast 12 – MP3

In the last installment of this two-part series “Bringing Up the Back Part One” we looked at the necessity of a strong back. In this half we will look at an eight-week program designed to be a crash course in back development that will help add valuable back beef to your frame.

The Exercises

The Movements that we are doing here will be simple in nature. Two require machines (though the pullover can be done exclusively with dumbbells in the absence of a pullover machine). All are designed to place a tremendous amount of emphasis on the musculature of the back resulting in growth and strength development.

Each workout will consist of a pullover movement as a warm-up followed by a vertical pulling movement, a moderate horizontal pull, and a big, monster pull. For dessert we will be serving up the mighty “G-Row”, an infamous Greyskull favorite to finish things off.

The Dumbbell Pull-over: Lay perpendicular across a bench with only your upper back touching the bench. Hold a dumbbell in your hands as shown and keep your elbows slightly bent. Perform the exercise as shown in a slow and controlled matter, squeezing your arm pits as you complete the range of motion.

The Machine Pull-over: Adjust the height of the seat so that your elbows are hitting the pads on the arm of the machine. Push with your elbows, don’t pull with your hands. Bring the arm of the machine in a slow, controlled arc to your belly without momentum. Hold a squeeze at the bottom.

The V-Handle Pulldown: Sit upright in the seat with legs locked. Lock your lower back in extension, and push your chest out hard (it stays this way throughout). Reach until your shoulders are pulled up (as in a dead hang) and pull the handle down to your upper chest, driving with your elbows and thinking of your hands as hooks. Use straps preferably, but just say no to momentum.

The Weighted Chin: Palms facing you, weight suspended from a belt. Dead Hang. Pull until your throat touches the bar.

The Bent-Over Barbell Row: Keep your chest pushed out and get as horizontal as your body will allow while maintaining a good lower back position. Using a Bench Press grip on the bar, row the bar up towards your nipples (Drago is not at the finish position completely in the second photograph). Don’t “come down to meet the bar”, keep your torso fixed and move only your arms. Learn to feel the squeeze in your back as you pull your shoulders together at the top.

The Dumbbell Row: Ok, we aren’t starting a weedwhacker here; no sloppy, momentum nonsense. Let the weight hang dead at the start of each rep (keeping your shoulder somewhat back still). Row back towards your hip, not up towards your pec line. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.

The Deadlift: You know the drill here. Good mechanics, move the weight. Use straps if needed, but don’t round the back excessively on any rep. If the knees start buckling or sliding forward, stop trying to lift the bar, your set is done.

The Rack Pull: My favorite. Set the pins so the bar is just above the knee. Strap up and pull the bar keeping your chest poked out throughout the movement. Done heavy (and correctly) these will build your back like nothing else.

The G-Row: Lie face down on a Glute Ham Developer holding a barbell. Perform a back extension, pausing at the top. Once at the top, row the barbell up to touch your chest and hold for a three count. After the three count, let the bar down first and then return to the bottom position. That’s one.

The Frequency

You will be exposed to a heavy back training session two days per week, Monday and Friday assuming a M,W,F lifting schedule. The Wednesday workout will consist of two pressing movements (horizontal, moderate vertical) and a squat variant. It is important to remember that the focus of training during the duration of this program is to bring the back up to speed and cause some serious development in a concentrated period of time. The pressing movements and squats will not suffer any catastrophic losses; so do not flood my Q and A with fear based questions about what will happen to the squat. While the numbers may not shoot up dramatically on those movements in the short term, in the long run they will improve due to the increased back strength.

Remember, Strong Back = Strong Man.

The Program

Monday

Nautilus or Dumbbell Pullover : Two sets of 10-12 reps (just a hair shy of failure)

V-Handle Pulldown: One set of 6-8 reps followed by one set of 8-12 reps (to failure on both)

Bent-over Barbell Row: One Heavy set of 6-8 reps to failure

Deadlift: One Heavy set of 6-8 reps to failure

G-Row: Two sets of 5 with a three second hold at the top

Wednesday

Incline Bench Press: One set of 6-8 reps followed by one set of 8-12 reps (to failure on both)

Seated Dumbbell Press: Two sets of 8-12 reps to failure

Squat: One heavy top set of 4-6 reps

Friday

Nautilus or Dumbbell Pullover : Two sets of 10-12 reps (just a hair shy of failure)

Weighted Chin-up: Two sets 6-8 reps

Dumbbell Row: Two sets 8-12 reps

Rack Pull: One Heavy set of 6-8 reps

G-Row: Two sets of 5 with a three second hold at the top

Add weight to all movements in small (5 lb or less increments) if you are making the targeted rep range before failing. It is ok to repeat a weight and try to get more reps on the next session if you find yourself failing at the low end of the rep range. Any questions regarding how to progress the loading on any of the movements can be asked here.

Knuckle down and give each of these sessions your all for eight weeks and you will be very satisfied with the results. Assuming that you are feeding your body what it needs, you will have built a wider, thicker, stronger back. Don’t be surprised up if you need to go up a shirt size or two.

Enjoy, and drop me a line on the forum to let me know how you progress or to have any questions answered.

Johnny Pain is the man behind StrengthVillain.com as well as the notorious Greyskull Barbell Club, and several other ventures. He is the author of several books on subjects pertaining to strength and conditioning. He can be found comically entertaining questions on his Q and A forum at StrengthVillain.com or can be reached for consultations, training seminars, or speaking engagements at john@villainintl.com.

This is an exciting week at StrengthVillain and Villain International. There are lots of important things going on behind the scenes as well as on the front page over the next few days.

This week you’ll see part two of “Bringing Up the Back” which will lead you through an eight week crash course on addressing a weak link in a lot of people’s armor.

You’ll see an entertaining release from a female contributor about how exactly NOT to attract women.

And, schedule permitting you’ll get a look at another segment of the “On Being a Beast” series.

A lot of great content, no doubt.

In addition to these things I’m excited to talk to the consult clients that I have scheduled this week. I have been doing more of these as of late after having taken a hiatus for a while. It is great to be back in touch with you StrengthVillain readers. There are few things I enjoy more than helping one of you get on the right track to smashing your goals and then hearing about your inevitable success down the road.

With any luck, our podcast will be recorded and potentially released this week as well (petition Petenerd on the board to make this happen).

I’m excited for my own training week as well. One of the young’ns that works for me is starting out basically from scratch this week and will be my training partner for a while. This is always an exciting thing for me as I know that he will progress very rapidly and will be a motivated, helpful partner.

Add all of these things up with a lot of good food, good company, good cigars, and inevitable laughter and there a lot of things that I am excited about this upcoming week.

How about you? What are you fired up to do, accomplish, or experience this week? Share in comments.

-JP

Yesterday marks the one year anniversary of StrengthVillain.com ‘s official release.

It has been quite a year.

I would like to thank Petenerd, Bony, Aliaga the Powerful, Tyler, Steel, MOA, Atlas, Sapper, and everyone else who had a role in the launch, moderation and development of the site. I certainly couldn’t have done it without your help.

I’d also like to thank all of the readers and forum members for their continued support, particularly through my low points this year. I am proud to be the father of this thing. I truly believe that we have the best community of great people anywhere on the internet. I look forward to the continued growth and evolution of this website and all of it’s offshoots.

Here’s to many more great years with this thing.

-Johnny Pain