Bulk Boys

Bulk Boys 15: Max Shethar

Max Shethar is a twenty-one year old phenom, but only the second strongest bencher in his household. He's squatted 766.1, benched 462.9, and deadlifted 804.7 in competition; since then he's pulled 820 and benched 500 in the gym. Listen to HIS podcast, Large Lads, follow  @ShetharTraining  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCbfech0sWPH3jaoJtmg9-nQ], and find him on Instagram @the_one_rep_max TIMESTAMPS 00:20 Introducing Montana’s strongest little brother 01:00 Max’s mustache is multi-ply 01:30 Max’s 500 pound bench is not poverty 02:40 His Max is using headphones won from Dave & Buster’s 03:30 Intuitive drinking 04:15 Age records are killing your gains 05:00 That celebration looked pretty enhanced to me 05:50 Max’s patient progression 06:00 His empty calendar 07:00 The design of his training blocks 08:35 Max’s low bar technique 10:30 Pre-squat mobility and self-talk 11:20 The Dave Tate soundboard 12:00 Leg extension withdrawal 13:00 Other less important leg accessories 14:00 Variation between belt squats 15:30 Why you should never use three fingers 16:00 Chase stimulus over external load on developmental movements 17:30 Walking the line on RDLs 19:00 SLDLs after deadlifts cultivate legitimate meat 20:30 Max’s current split, and how that split has evolved 24:00 The ego check of transitioning from a strength phase to a hypertrophy phase 27:00 Your ten-rep max probably isn’t relevant to your 1-rep max 28:00 Max corrects some misconceptions about Large Lads canon 29:00 Young Max had to put pillows under the blankets to defend his shins from Sam’s baseball bat 31:00 Early training strategies 31:30 Max decided to be gifted 32:00 The accountability of progress; eleven-year old vanity 32:50 “a really depressed loser who had a massive ego” 33:45 *water cameo* 34:00 Max also gets nothing out of straps (see Freakie D) 36:30 Training grip 38:30 The myth of “skin toughness” (it’s just your grip) 39:00 Monk-mode Max refuses to announce his intentions 40:00 Max’s long-term ambitions 43:30 Max’s advices for athletic longevity 46:45 Low bar squatting like one of the French girls 48:00 Recovery maxing 51:45 If you are checking your phone after belt squats, you dun goofed 55:00 Adopting the angst lord mindset 56:30 Doom OST for pushdowns only 57:30 Lifting music is the heart of this podcast 1:00:00 Being fourteen and living out an Animal Pak ad on the bus to the YMCA 1:01:00 We reminisce on our first 500 pound squats (I was thirty; Max was fifteen) 1:05:00 Brotherhood 1:06:45 Even the lone wolf needs its belly scratch 1:07:00 Max makes a STRONG pod-ending statement 1:08:00 Large Lads shout-out

Bulk Boys 14: Dennis Arnold II (Freakie D)

Freakie D is a Youtuber, powerlifter, coach, mentor, father, and diversely strong dude. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Pretty hype intro 00:40 I attempt a pec pop in Dennis’s honor 01:00 Dennis Arnold is in fact the second 01:15 His best lifts 01:30 Freakie D doesn’t get anything out of straps 02:00 It’s mainly an issue of engaging the lats 02:30 BIG FITNESS is lying to you about bicep tears from mixed grip 03:55 Dennis’s Kinobody summer 4:30 The origins of Dennis’s long-time lower back pain 08:15 How to mend up from a back tweak 11:15 I whine about my back tweak from last fall 12:45 I erroneously assume that Dennis has been Larsen pressing despite viewing and liking his incline press video from literally that morning 14:20 Dennis is the dean of Larson pressing 15:45 Leg drive is overrated 16:00 We return to Dennis’s youth, when even he was a Johnny one-plate 18:00 The OG Freakie D bench and basketball program 19:15 Pro tips for recovery: no squatting or benching, a few free throws, and many grams of MSG 20:00 Takeaways from Dennis’s early training 22:50 Dennis ‘s first Youtube upload was him benching 405 in gloves, Tims, and jeans 23:55 Dennis started powerlifting at Shake ‘N Bake Fitness and Tanning 24:30 Dennis’s first meet 25:50 Dennis’s first 500 lb bench 26:45 Benching 500 without much upper back work 27:45 If you become a turbo bulk boy, you’ll probably surprise yourself with your strength gains 28:30 My bench has plummeted since entering a deficit 29:30 Dennis’s bloat maxing recommendations (tl;dr: stick with slow and steady) 32:00 Dennis basically lost 100 lbs 32:30 Why he did it 34:30 Sometimes the flu takes you on a vision quest 38:00 Discipline is discipline 39:45 Dennis’s appetite is simultaneously fascinating and disgusting 40:15 Volume eating hacks: 11 pounds of food for 2600 calories 41:45 Fast and feast 42:30 Fasting to remove the reliance on food for dopamine 44:30 Exercise selection: sick vs. optimal 45:45 How Dennis’s training changed during his epic diet 48:30 The origins of Crossfat (a trademark of Freakie D enterprises) 50:00 Dennis would be in the NFL if he hadn’t found pot and pussy in middle school 52:20 The first time Dennis touched a log 55:00 Powerlifting is basically a JRPG 56:00 Dennis’s shocking suggestion to bring up your log press 58:00 Split jerking the log 58:45 Standing incline log press 59:45 I passed out the first time I tried log press 1:00:00 I also passed out on a paused front squat 1:00:30 Derek Wilcox made Dennis exhale and re-brace at the bottom of front squats 1:03:00 Dennis’s current lifting aspirations 1:05:45 Dennis’s coaching (conditioning block guaranteed) 1:10:00 The mindset dangers of surprise PRs 1:11:30 Athletes need to give coaches the chance to learn how they respond to training 1:15:00 Dennis goes above and beyond for his athletes 1:15:45 Tobias has horrible taste in snacks 1:16:45 The importance of building rapport with your athletes 1:17:25 Mentorship 1:21:00 Dennis has become a role model in the lifting community 1:23:30 Therapy helps 1:25:00 The perspectives Dennis inherited from his childhood, and how he outgrew them 1:26:00 Divorce, growth, and what you carry with you 1:27:30 Dennis’s marriage was like Game of Thrones 1:30:00 Why Dennis goes to bed at 7:561:31:30 Fatherhood 1:33:00 Dennis’s parenting style 1:35:50 my two cents as the child of two fucking incredible parents 1:37:00 The rewards of parenthoodIntro and outro music: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Bulk Boys 13: Buck Tow Truck

@bucktowtruck4993  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCmBsMfZDyBe5SgMq_RZi-jA] is a guitar virtuoso, YouTube legend in the making, and almost certainly the world's strongest landscaper. That's his music in the intro and outro. He's also really fucking funny. I edited out about twenty minutes of laughter in this one. TIMESTAMPS: 1:00 Jeff Nippard-approved BCAAs. Also, my balls are out 1:45: Buck is 7 feet tall and 500 lbs 2:15 Buck’s early videos 2:45 The YT algorithm wants you to clean your garage 3:35 Buck squatted 495 for 20 in that unclean garage 4:00 Buck’s best sets 5:45 Buck’s barebones, Starting Strength-like approach 6:40 The goofy-ass shit that Buck did before he went barebones 7:30 You aren’t a Bulgarian. 10:30 Most of us fade into obscurity 11:00 I have a momentary existential crisis 11:30 Buck counsels me 13:00 How Buck got into lifting 14:30 The long shadow of the Ripple Toad 15:00 “20-rep squats CURE ITB pain” -direct quote from Buck 15:30 “20-rep squats don’t do much to get you stronger” -direct quote from everyone who’s ever tried 20-rep squats 17:00 Buck doesn’t do enough volume, allegedly 18:00 BIG FITNESS is LYING to you about CNS fatigue 19:30 “CNS fatigue”=you turn into a noodle 20:30 Gym injury fetishes 21:30 Sam Hyde is a lot 23:15 People who get accidentally strong 25:00 The toxic influence of anime 25:40 BIG FITNESS is STILL lying to you 27:15 One weird reason why Ben Shapiro isn’t in the NBA 27:30 Dieting to make weight for a strongman competition 28:45 One time Buck called me a pirate on Instagram 29:00 How to pirate-max 29:30 Pirate rape culture (also toxic) 30:00 This podcast has consistently neglected pirate history, and for that I sincerely apologize 30:10 Why Buck hasn’t competed 31:00 Buck has Frankenstein wrists and 17.5-inch forearms 31:20 Hook grip sucks 32:00 Deadlift is not a grip exercise 32:45 Buck deadlifted 570 for 15 with mixed grip 33:15 If you do chin-ups weighing 500 pounds, you’ll have big forearms 34:25 Jeff Nippard’s optimal bicep training recommendations 36:00 Buck’s unwashed multi-ply coveralls 37:05 Buck’s going to give his unwashed multi-ply coveralls to his next Tinder match 37:50 Dadbod is a psy-op 38:30 Buck plays impeccable guitar 39:00 Buck’s camera accentuates his strong features 40:00 Buck’s YouTube ambitions 41:30 Wrestling 43:00 Buck stunted his LITTLE brother’s growth with a piledriver 44:00 We speculate on Jeff Nippard’s true height 44:45 “Evidence based” fitness 45:00 I fondly recollect stumbling upon Buck’s YouTube channel 46:00 The modern dating market is bleak; Buck’s advice on it 46:30 We delve into Buck’s origins 47:30 Learning guitar 48:30 Evolving musical tastes 49:40 The goldfish diet 51:30 Upright rows to Bawitdaba 52:45 I make a completely inaccurate assumption 53:15 Buck actually doesn’t like lifting 54:15 In the scheme of sports, lifting really isn’t that dangerous 56:45 ITB pain 58:00 What my fiancée likes to do to me 59:00 Buck’s significant acne 1:00:30 Buck wants to know how natty I am, and I tell him exactly in ng/dl 1:03:00 Environmental toxins are killing your gains 1:04:30 We address the carousel horse in the room 1:04:40 We address the Steve Austin poster in the room 1:05:15 Straightedge Steve Austin 1:06:00 Buck’s top three metal bands, with justifications 1:08:20 We hate* black metal 1:11:00 Don’t worry, we’re still shitting on black metal 1:11:30 Devin Townsend 1:12:30 Buck’s biggest influences 1:13:00 Mark Rippetoe was actually pretty strong 1:14:00 Louie Simmons is Yosemite Sam, and Jim Wendler is the Five Finger Death Punch of powerlifting 1:14:30 I briefly shit on Five Finger Death Punch 1:15:00 Buck’s homebrewed take on Westside 1:18:00 The key to Buck’s guttural efforts 1:19:30 Not looking like a pussy in front of your younger brother 1:20:00 Injurious feats of strength 1:21:00 Knoblet squats 1:22:00 Tearful goodbye

Bulk Boys 12: pro strongman Brett Fain

Brett Fain is a pro strongman who has competed in the U80 and U90 class, placing 7th at OSG in 2017. He's also the founder and owner of Iron Vault gym in Tallahassee. We talk about his penchant for building unusual equipment, water cutting, and the strongman community. TIMESTAMPS: 00:20 I signed up for my first strongman competition without doing any research 00:35 The Iron Vault Classic 01:30 Brett teaches physics by day 02:10 Brett’s advice on becoming an educator 02:50 Brett replaced his high school physics teacher 03:20 My anticipatory synopsis of this episode 03:45 Brett started out as a wrestler 04:10 There is a trove of old equipment in the basement of the Pep Boys across the street from my apartment 04:45 Brett’s best numbers as a powerlifter 05:00 The legend of Dave Covan 05:15 If you look under enough tarps, you just might find yourself an Atlas stone 05:45 Brett’s resume as a strongman 06:25 The sweat shed 08:00 What drew Brett to strongman 08:15 Brett’s homebrewed strongman equipment 09:00 The events for this year’s Iron Vault Classic 11:10 Brett became handy out of necessity 13:00 Bud Jeffries and the odd lifts 13:45 Strongman is a spectator sport 14:30 Brett says I deadlift a lot, and I can’t wait to disappoint him 15:15 Daughter cameo 15:45 What to order at Chick-Fil-A 16:00 Brett’s kids are all lifting 17:00 Iron Vault Classic will be an evening event to minimize instance of heatstroke 17:30 Jamie Lewis’s X-rated blog 19:00 The diet of the Saxon Trio would get a 2/3 from Stan Efferding 19:45 I pick Brett’s brain about strongman training 21:15 You’d better be doing your cardio 21:40 Brett usually water cuts from 210 to 198 22:00 Andrew Clayton’s 38-lb water cut and other horror stories 23:20 Going keto on comp week to drop water weight 24:00 Hot baths and sauna suits 24:25 But do I have to stop taking creatine? 24:45 Brett tells me which events will suck the most 27:00 We program our own reward systems as teenagers 28:00 Even gen pop should pick performance goals 28:40 Brett has helped me become slightly less unprepared 29:00 Strongman has a WHOLESOME community 31:20 It’s harder to get competitive when you’re woefully unprepared 32:00 Event lottery at Will Development’s Psycho Circus 32:15 Florida strongman community

Bulk Boys 11: Jakob S is still riding

At this point, the broad boy from Albuquerque needs no introduction. Give him a follow  @JSStrength  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCQPUIPFfCrNyz5u29Ccr4EA] TIMESTAMPS: 00:30 THE PAINTING HAS EYES 1:00 Jakob’s program to squat 300(+)x20 1:30 Cat cameo 2:45 Pete Rubish gave Jakob 20-rep squats 3:30 How Jakob eliminated elbow pain from low bar squats 4:00 Starting Strength’s hidden agenda is to turn you into a pterodactyl 5:00 We parrot wisdom from @Shethar_Training on getting your upper back TIIIIGHT 5:45 Jakob’s squat stance is approaching Westside territory 6:55 Hyper-specific anatomical cues are killing your gains 7:25 Jakob’s half-decent Jeff Nippard impersonation 9:00 The purpose behind Jakob’s 300x20 squat 10:00 LIFE DOESN’T GIVE YOU A RE-RACK, BROTHER 10:45 Jakob is looking about as broad as Beorn, but only his forearms are sore 12:00 Grip training 15:00 Farmers carries 16:30 Strongman gyms 17:00 Jacks and trades 18:30 Jakob might hop into a strongman show 20:00 Jakob’s robust rate of progress 26:20 Jakob’s beef lord cousin 28:30 Jakob only trains DOGS 30:00 When to be present and when to just get in the work 32:00 Dan Green doesn’t get that aroused 33:00 My “adaptive metabolism” 36:00 Jakob’s life goal 37:30 The Ukrainian invasion 38:30 Strongman politics 39:30 Sigmarsson and Kaz 40:00 Eddie Hall controversy 41:00 Who screenshots the screenshot? 43:00 Fortissimus and the Shaw Classic 44:30 Iron Biby is underrated 45:30 we need more bicep tears 47:00 standardized circus tricks 47:30 Venmo us funds for BULK BOYS LIVE at The Shaw Classic 49:00 Jakob wants Tom Stoltman to just get over his autism (jk) 51:20 Jakob is the sorcerer of strongman 52:30 MARTIIIIIINSSSS 55:30 Jakob is concerned about Thor’s legacy 58:00 I begin a streak of unfounded claims 59:30 Jakob’s Pete Rubish impersonation 1:00:30 Jakob’s grandpa thinks that if you lift you also do g4p 1:04:00 Even powerlifters want to look like they lift 1:05:00 What ego lifting really means 1:07:00 How lifting changed my dating prospects 1:08:00 There are no white lights at Anytime Fitness 1:09:30 Jakob delivers yet another wholesome message 1:09:45 Now we are going to spend several minutes embarrassing Ethan Montoya, who is skipping his glute accessories 1:14:00 My achilles elbow; Jakob’s achilles feet 1:16:00 Rock climbing, jiu jitsu, arm wrestling 1:17:00 If Jakob doesn’t have a physical outlet, he resorts to constructing Ponzi scheme 1:18:50 Jakob’s secret sauce (not what you think) 1:20:45 My programming as of early May 1:22:00 Jakob hates hyper-specificity 1:25:00 20-rep squats are chemically castrating Jakob 1:27:30 Expensive intra-workout 1:28:00 I do a terrible job of explaining DoggCrapp training to Jakob. Guaranteed cringe of a listen 1:30:00 Accessories are you chance to go Blood and Guts 1:31:00 Another successful rant about effective reps 1:32:00 We hate dogmatic deloads 1:34:30 RPE 7-8 on comp lifts is the money range 1:36:00 Wait until your accessories to pillage the muscle