Strong man vs bodybuilder
Heather, Noah, and I went out to dinner on Sunday night. Now Noah is a very outgoing kid most of the time. He usually monopolizes the waitresses when we eat at restaurants. He will talk a lot, especially if he is really excited about something or is in the mood. So he proceeds to tell this waitress that, “Daddy’s a strong man and sometimes I do shows with him and I lifted triple my body weight and bent a spoon into a cobra…” and many other funny little things that are ‘t really related to this topic. (He actually did a hands and thighs/quarters deadlift type movement with a 365 pound barbell. He’s 8 years old and weighs 110. He actually bent a spoon into a cobra shape. It’s done by wrapping the spoon handle around tightly several times and turning the cup inward so it feels like a coiled cobra with the hood open. Dennis Rogers showed him that. We usually don’t let him train heavy, he just walked over and did it.)
So the waitress thinks it’s funny and she’s loving it and she says, “Oh, are you going to be a bodybuilder when you grow up?” Now you’ve heard so much about this particular term around my house for so long, that you’ve been at odds with the term “Bodybuilder” a bit. We stopped him before he started explaining the difference. But here is the point I want you to see about this little anecdote:
People just don’t know the difference on average between bodybuilders, powerlifters, strongmen, kettlebell lifters, wrestlers, or anything else that has to do with strength. It is the proliferation of information that is available to the general public that basically just tells them about bodybuilding. This is what I want you to see about it. If you look at the way people have always treated the term “strongman,” it has always been applied to someone with overwhelming physical ability. “Bodybuilder” has become the modern term in America, but the term strongman or whatever synonym is used has always lumped us all together. And in the old days of physical culture, men strove to be good in all areas and succeeded. We should be doing the same. Now, your appearance will depend to some extent on your genetics and diet, and I’m not too keen on training based on appearance alone. But most of us are going to gain enough muscle for the average person to notice. I think in doing so we should be prepared to physically support our look with any challenge that comes our way.
So when you train, be ready to take on any challenge that comes your way. Prepare to be truly capable of hard work. If your strength only applies to limited movements or bars, then you’re doing something wrong. Now there is something to be said for the repetitive specificity for the worker in general being good at what he does, but training him should give him the ability to intervene in almost any physical situation and have some proficiency. Yes, you’re not going to outrun a marathon runner or beat an Olympian in their particular sport, but you should be looking to develop the physical stamina to play in anyone’s arena and put on a strong performance for yourself.
Is your training addressing all of these areas?
Are you getting maximum strength, speed, power, flexibility, endurance, ability to move with weight?
If not, you’re missing the boat. Take a step back and examine what you are doing and if it is giving you the results you want and if it is giving you physical competence and vitality in every area of your life.
Some steps to follow in this area:
- Lift something heavy regularly that doesn’t tire you out.
- Master your own body weight.
- Strengthen your lungs.
- Do something that requires you to move fast.
- Do something that requires you to move in a wide range of motion.
- Do something that requires you to pick up something strange and move with it.
- Do something that strengthens your hands.
These are just some of the things to think about. If your show doesn’t address all of them, can you really call yourself a strong man?