Legendary Strength Podcast Clay Edgin

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Logan: Welcome everyone. This is Logan Christopher with the Legendary Strength podcast. On the call with me today I have Clay Edgin and i you don!t "now Clay# he has $een a strongman competitor# competes in grip # an all around $ig and strong guy so I am e%cited to have Clay on the call. &e!s also someone that I!ve personally met unli"e many o my interviewees. Than"s or 'oining us today# Clay. Clay: Great. Than"s or having me# Logan. &ello all you listeners in podcast land. Logan: (o or the people who aren!t amiliar with you# can you give us sort o a $rie $ac"ground and tal" a$out your training in strongman grip and all that stu ) Clay: (ure. Logan: It doesn!t have to $e too $rie . Clay: I started training or strongman in *++,. I!ve always $een a an o The Worlds Strongest Man television show li"e I!m sure most o us have. I was ortunate enough to have $een $orn pretty $ig $ut I was too $ig at the time. - was .!/0 and I was a$out 1-. when I irst started training. (o the irst o course was to get my weight under control and not $e such a $ig# at# you2"now2what. (o I got the

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weight under control and started deadli ting# pressing# s3uatting# and loo"ing or guys in the area to train with. That led to a pretty strong o$session with strongman competitions or a while# which led into# "ind o li"e a gateway drug. It led into highland games and then into grip strong and then later into 4as wrestling# $ut it!s $een a great# great 'ourney so ar to travel# meet really cool people# and li t heavy things. I!m not really sure why I do it anymore. I 'ust can!t imagine li e without it. Logan: It!s 'ust a ha$it at this point# right) Clay: 5eah. Logan: It!d $e harder to stop than to continue. Clay: 5eah# you have no idea. Logan: I!m de initely there. (o your oundation was really 'ust getting into the strongman training. Can you tell us a little $it more a$out that# and doing competitions# some o the successes you!ve had in competing) Clay: I irst got into this strongman training a ter reading 6roo" 7u$i"!s $oo"# Dinosaur Training a$out "egs and a%les and everything else. It was really ascinating. I guess when I was going up with some guys once a wee" or once every other wee" and I too" second place in my irst contest in *++,. (ince then# I!ve done close to ,+ contests now over the last -+ years. O those# I!ve won -8 and had a $unch o top threes and then a ew not2so2great per ormances. 6ut people learn a lot more out o those $ad per ormances than they do rom the good ones. Logan: 9nd what a$out grip sport# you!ve actually competed in that) Clay: 5eah# I competed once in a glo$al grip challenge at :edd :ohnson and :im (mith!s contest in ;ennsylvania in *++, or *++1. I orget which one it was. I too" second place $ehind <o$ =igent :r.# which isn!t anything to $e ashamed o $ecause he!s "ind o a world class arm wrestler so I was pretty proud a$out that. (ince then# I!ve done a do>en or -/ grip contests all over the state and have driven I don!t even "now how many miles to hang out with guys to do grip stu . I want to assure listeners that it is as straight as I need it to $e. There!s no phony $usiness going on there. Logan: ?ow grip sport isn!t as $ig as strongman so the competitions and ewer and arther in $etween. The new thing you!ve $een# the new phrase is the 4as wrestling. Can you tell our listeners a$out that $ecause de initely the scene at the strongman competition was the irst time I had seen it $e ore)

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Clay: 5eah# it!s new in the @( as well. I!ve $een competing in it or only a ew months $ut it was irst de$uted in :anuary this year at L9 Ait E%po Contest and I thin" our or ive guys doing the 4as wrestling $ut it originated in a small province in ?orthern <ussia called 5a"utia. It!s a very small# poor village# the coldest inha$ited place on earth actually. It gets down to something li"e 28+ degrees Aahrenheit so the people there# when you only have a ew months o sunshine and warm weather here. They have all "inds o these tests o strength o who!s the strongest man in the village or you have a dispute and you don!t want to get in trou$le with the elders $y ighting. 5ou ind some other sporting contest where you can settle it. (o this 4as wrestling was essentially a $oard on the ground with a $ro"en shovel handle. These guys were $ringing it down and pulling it $ac" and orth. It evolved into the sport where now some o these $igger contests in <ussia and the @"raine get 1#+++# /#+++ or .#+++ spectators and *+ to ,+ countries represented all over the world that were doing it. Logan: Wow. Clay: It!s pretty new in the @( still so we don!t really "now that much a$out it. We "now some o its history. We!re not sure how to train or it other than 'ust going along# getting together# and trying out di erent techni3ues. Logan: Could you descri$e the match or a person that!s listening. Clay: In 4as wrestling# there are a ew ways to win. Airst# you start out sitting on your $utt# you!re acing your opponent# and $etween you there!s a * % -+ $oard where you put your eet on. There!s a stic" that!s 'ust under two eet long and a$out an inch and a 3uarter in diameter and the way to win is to either pull the stic" out o the other person!s hand# pull the other person over on to your side# or turn the person in such a way where anything other than their eet touches the $oard. I you pull a person o $alance and their "nee hits the $oard# their shoulder or God or$id their head something# then that!s it. That!s the point. It!s $est two out o three and most o these things are done in a tournament ashion. The contest I 'ust did in <ussia a ew wee"s ago was a dou$le elimination where i you lost the irst match# you got into the group 6 $rac"et and still were a$le to compete a little while longer. Logan: &ow!d you do in that competition) Clay: I too" **nd place out o # I thin"# ,. guys. I lost against the 6ra>ilian champion $ut then I $eat the 9rmenian champion and lost a guy to again who!s -B+ "ilos# almost 1++2pound powerli ter rom Cu$a# 'ust a huge# huge man.

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Logan: I!m 'ust curious. &ow have you gone a$out training or this# since it!s not something# li"e you said# that most people are even aware o # especially in the @() Clay: Well# ma"ing the regulation $oard was the irst step. (ome plans that sent me and I 'ust started up in the gym i I!m alone and don!t have anyone to train with. I!ll set it up in the gym. There!s one $ig $eam in the middle o the gym where I o ten put a $unch o $ands around it I!ve got to the stic" and then 'ust try to ight against all that $and tension. It doesn!t 3uite react the same way that a person does $ut it still gives you a pretty good eel or having to hang onto that stic"# trying to impose your will and trying to get into the right positions. It!s very much li"e wrestling or 'iu 'itsu. It!s a$out inding the right position# the right leverage# the right timing and there!s some strategy involved. I someone!s pulling against you# you can go with them or you can wait or them to stop pulling and then pull in the opposite direction. There!s a lot o strategy involved. 5ou don!t 3uite get the same eel as when you!re ighting against $ands. (ometimes# in the gym there won!t $e any$ody who is a real solid match or me so I try to con two people into gra$$ing the other end o the stic" and 'ust having them pull against me so it!s a two on one match. That seems to give me a pretty good eel or guys li"e this 1++2pound Cu$an powerli ter who 'ust overpowered me. Logan: What does your training loo" li"e) Is it really dependent on whatever sort o competition you have coming up) &ow do you structure) I!m sure this changes all the time $ut could you give people an idea o how you li"e to put your training together) Clay: I spent the irst ew years 'ust trying to create a $ase# getting a decent deadli t and s3uatting press2 up. ?ow in the last couple o years whenever I do a di erent competition# it!s $een 'ust gearing all my training towards that. When I have (trongman# I!ll try to hit two event training days during the wee" and two gym2li ting days. One o the event training days is usually or speed# to wor" on technical stu or try out new things I may have read a$out online. The other one is usually some heavier wor" 'ust to get my nervous system ready to handle these heavy loads. The gym wor" is usually some "ind o s3uat and some "ind o press. I rarely ever do a deadli ting in the gym when it comes to training or (trongman. It seems li"e training the (trongman events# the yo"e and the armer!s# seem to do a pretty good 'o$ o $uilding my deadli t up. When I!m doing powerli ting# I 'ust do it strict three days a wee"# higher volume training session. I!ll 'ust one press# one s3uat# and one deadli t every wee". I "ind o rotate them around. I did 6randon Lilly!s Cu$e method on my last go around. I get pretty good gains with that. Logan: I!m curious. Aor you# what is a decent s3uat# press and deadli t)

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Clay: It seems to vary $y a million pounds in a given day $ut my $est s3uat is /8+ with the $elt and wraps# $est deadli t is 8-, and $est $ench is 1+/ $ut I!ve done ,./ at a push2press. Logan: E%cellent. &ow do you it grip into all o that) Is that really something that you ocus on at a di erent time li"e i you have a competition coming up# or is that 'ust in there to some degree) O course# the strongmen stu certainly ta"es grip to some degree $ut what a$out grip2speci ic stu ) Clay: I I have some time during the wee" since I wor" in a gym part2time# there are some guys there who are interested in training their grip so when they get things set up I!ll wor" with them a little $it and I!ll get some o the training in. I things aren!t eeling right# i my s3uats eel terri$le and my $ac" hurts# my "nees are "illing me# sometimes I!ll 'ust call it and I!ll 'ust hit the grip. (o it really is catch as catch can situation with my grip training. I!m not as regular with it as I was in the $eginning. When I irst started training grip# it was our# ive# si% days a wee". I threw in as much volume as my hands could stand. I $uilt a pretty good $ase so now I can 'ustCit seems# I don!t "now a$out you# $ut when I don!t train grip or a while and I come $ac" and do it# my num$ers are pretty close to where I le t o $ut then they accelerate 3uic"ly again. It!s li"e ta"ing that time o $rea"s me through that plateau where I get that mind2muscle connection with my hands reesta$lished and 'ust grease that groove# as ;avel says. ?ow my hands get even stronger and the weights get heavier. Logan: 9$solutely. What are some o your grip and hand strength eats that you!re most proud o ) Clay: There are so many. I!ve en'oyed so many. I!ve closed the ?o. 1 gripper rom Iron4ind $ut it hasn!t $een under special certi ication conditions. I!ve closed it a ew di erent times and I!ve got this $rand new one down to a$out a si%teenth o an inch. I!ve $ent the red nail# the Aat 6astard stoc". I was the irst guy to $end the grade / temperate steel $olt. That!s //-. thic" and 8 inches long. What was 3uite unny is that a ter I stepped away rom nail $ending and grip or a while# I came $ac" to see what guys were doing with $ending and noticed that they were calling that the Edgin $olt $ecause I was the irst guy to $end it# which is a little $it strange and a little $it hum$ling $ecause now guys are saying# Hey, I bent a you last night or Hey, a bent a six-inch o you, which sounds strange. I!ve deadli ted the Inch dum$$ell# pinched *1/s# pinched .-+s# pretty much all the standard grip eats that one could do. 4y $est <olling Thunder is -+/ "ilos and $est dou$le overhand a%le deadli t is *++ "ilos. Logan: E%cellent. 9s right now one o my goals is to $end the red nail and I!m closing in on it# what were some o the things that wor"ed really well or you doing the short $ending that you thin" helped ma"e you $ecome so success ul and have a $olt named a ter you)

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Clay: While I was doing a lot o nail $ending several years ago# I had a lot o ree time to mysel . I was wor"ing evenings as a security guard or a produce plant. 9s you can imagine it gets pretty $oring so I 'ust $ring a $unch o $ending stu with me and spend three# our# ive hours a night $ending until either my el$ows elt li"e they were going to all o or my hands $lew open or until I run out o stoc". (ometimes at night I!d $ent *+ or ,+ temperate steel $olts in a night. (ometimes it meant that I was ta"ing /+ or .+# 'ust as whatever I could handle as o ten as I could handle it. 4y advice or some$ody who!s trying to get $etter at nail $ending is to push the limits o what your hands and arms can do on a regular $asis. 5ou!d $e really surprised what "ind o potential they have. Li"e I mentioned $e ore# they have the greatest mind2muscle lin" $etween anywhere else in your $ody and has ama>ing a$ility to recover. (o i you push and then you have aith that they!re going to get stronger# then you can ma"e noticea$le strength gains in nail $ending or any grip stu within a wee" or two. 5ou could cut hal an inch o a $olt and $end it that you only $ent a wee" ago or the irst time. (o really push the volume on that. Ta"e care o your o your lower arms. I you!re eeling any pain or discom ort# you!re getting tennis el$ow or you can 'ust eel those nerves thro$$ing# ice them and do your reha$ stu and really dedicate as much time to your recovery as you do to the training. That!s going to ma"e all the di erence in the world. Logan: Could you e%pound on doing the recovery wor" a little more) What wor"ed well or you $eside icing) Clay: Ice was very good# 6io ree>e or any o those heating/cooling agents. I went to a we$site# I thin" it was called !ingerMagic"co#. I!m not 3uite sure i that we$site!s still up anymore $ut it was showing inger e%ercises# de%terity wor"# and lots o the things to get $lood low in the area# speci ically in the e%tensors which we don!t really wor" that o ten during grip training. I $ought these# they were li"e - -/*2inch or *2inch solid steel $alls that I wrapped in athletic tape and I spun those around in my hand# li"e it has the little tiny 6en Wa $alls that you can spin in your hand or Den and rela%ation or whatever. I made them. I had the ones that were pretty heavy so it too" a lot o e ort or my ingers to move those around and I $uilt up some de%terity. 9ll the e%tra $lood low in my lower arms is what I really credit to helping speed along the recovery process. There have $een times where I haven!t $een a$le to turn the "ey in my ignition in my truc" $ut then a couple o days later o reha$$ing# icing# stretching and ta"ing care o it# I!m $ac" to -++E. Logan: (o when you said do a whole lot o volume with $ending and other grip# is this multiple days in a row or did you o ten ta"e days o rest) &ow re3uent was this sort o training) Clay: It was a$out as o ten as I could stand it. I usually did my nail $ending and stu at the end o the wor"out $ecause it would 'ust "ill my grip $ut i I had a ew hours ree and elt li"e doing some grip#

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which was 3uite o ten# I!d wor" on something that I needed improvement on the most in the $eginning o the wor"out and then inish with things that really "illed my grip and my wrists at the end li"e levering and nail $ending. 9t the very minimum when I was training grip regularly# I would train three to our times a wee". Then there were times when I remem$er going almost a ull month $y training with reasona$ly high intensity every single day and I was ma"ing some great gains during that time. 9t the end o it# my el$ows any wrists were pretty $eat up so I too" a$out a wee" o to recover. 6ut you!ve got to stri"e when the iron!s hot and i your hands are eeling good# you!ve got to go or it. Logan: 9$solutely. 5ou!ve got to $e care ul you don!t push into that line o really doing too much to in'ure yoursel . Were there any tips $esides the recovery wor" that helped you to not get to that point $ecause I "now mysel and some other people doing $ending and other grip eats# I!ve done too much to the point o in'ury) Clay: 5eah# I!m in that same $oat# too. I tore something in my rotator cu or somewhere in there on the right shoulder trying to $end a $ig $ar. 5ou do have to listen to your $ody at some point and i you!re not recovering# i you!ve ta"en a couple o days# you iced# you stretched and you did your high rep $lood low movements and it!s still hurting# you might 'ust need to do something else or a while# especially as you get a little $it older. I!m into my early ,+!s now. I 'ust have to listen to my $ody more and i something!s hurting# I!ve got to push in a di erent direction until that eels $etter and then I can get $ac" on top o it. Logan: Well# that!s e%cellent advice. I!m de initely going to put some o that into action. I!ll let you "now how it goes or me. I!ll really up the volume on my $ending. Fid you ind that same thing across all di erent grip eats) (ome people have noticed they tac"led $ending in a di erent way as other grip strength. What a$out you) Clay: I thin" $ecause $ending# especially dou$le overhand style $ending relies on a lot o upper $ody strength# may$e the gains aren!t as ast as other types o strength. I I!m wor"ing with <olling Thunder or a ew wee"s in a row# I li"e to approach it with the same way I do the $ending and 'ust do it as o ten as I can with as many reps and as much time under tension as I can to $uild up that wor" capacity. 6ecause in strongman# too# we want to carry heavy weights or a long distance and $eing a$le to have the grip strength to pic" those up once is great $ut $eing a$le to hang onto those things or a minute i you have to is the name o the game. (o trying to $uild up that volume in the gym $y regularly hitting lots o time under tension on the grip is what I thin" is the $est approach to the grip strength training. The nail $ending is "ind o the same thing e%cept as I mentioned $e ore# it!s going to $eat up your 'oints a little more.

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Logan: E%cellent. Good advice. Let!s turn the ta$le to tal" a $it more a$out strongman training. What are some o the things you did that wor"ed really well or you in approaching that) Clay: I spent lots o years 'ust training the $asic movements# the s3uat and the press# the event training and everything li"e that $ut I don!t thin" I made my $est progress in strong man until I started doing more agility wor"# lots o ootwor" drills with the speed ladder# some plyometrics# a lot more mo$ility wor" and stretching# trying to do some similar leg isolation movements# 'ust "ind o illing in the gaps that I!ve $een neglecting all these years. I eel li"e it made me more o a complete strength athlete# to $e a$le to run shuttle drills. :ust do everything that an ?AL player would do $ut do it with B++ pounds on your shoulders. Logan: (o you!re doing agility type stu with the yo"e) Clay: Well# we do some speed wor" with the yo"e. We!ll wor" up to a top set and then $rea" down the weight to a$out /+E and do some sprints. ?o shuttle drills with the yo"e 3uite yet $ut we!ve done a lot o other loaded movements or a short $urst. (ome o them involve turns. 4ost o them are on a sprint. Logan: &ave you tried any sort o agility drills with lighter loads li"e may$e holding onto "ettle$ells# dum$$ells or anything li"e that) Clay: ?o# I haven!t $ut I!d li"e to give it a try. I!m always gearing or something new I the gym. I thin" that! what has "ept me going or so long# too. (o I would may$e try some o those oot wor" drills with some "ettle$ells in my hands or something and see i I can!t do it without $lowing out a "nee or something li"e that. Logan: 5eah# it!d de initely have to $e something you!ve got to approach smartly and care ully $ut it can $e un though. One thing I was surprised a$out when I 'ust did my irst strongman competitionCwhat as that# a month ago)Cwith the event you put on was in some o the events that I had done similar training# other events were completely $rand new things to me $ut really in the weight class I was at# the weights were not that heavy in the things li"e the deadli t or me. (o it was really a$out the speed element# which is something I hadn!t trained in that sort o way so it ma"es sense what you were saying# wor"ing on your agility# your oot speed and all that is going to carry over $ig to doing those events. Clay: 5eah# and all it ta"es is one time o getting $urned $y the stopwatch. I you complete something in -/ seconds and the guy ne%t to you does it in -1.G seconds# that!s going to leave a sour taste in your mouth and you!re going to want to get aster. 5ou did a great 'o$ on that deadli t medley and you "illed a lot o those events. The weight class you were in 'ust stac"ed with guys that may have trained some o the events a ew times $ut they!re all CrossAitters are light weight strongmen who really spend a lot o time wor"ing on their speed and their agility.

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Logan: 5eah# I de initely want to compete again and I!ll do some speci ic practice on the events I thin". Then I!ll have a much $etter chance ne%t time at competing towards the top positions there# especially i there!s not more than nine people in the class. It was pretty $it or $eing nonCusually it!s the heavyweight classes that!s what strongmen!s all a$out. 5ou!ve got all the people in there $ut not this time. Clay: 5eah# we only had * at "ids in the at "id class and there were *1 or *+ lightweight men and 1 women so the $ig guys were really outnum$ered. It was a nice change o pace# I thin"# $ecause the weights or so light or the other divisions that it called some people out o the woodwor" that may not have $een a$le to try the weights otherwise. Logan: 5eah# it was a lot o un. (o I!m curious when you are approaching or instance press s3uat deadli t# do you tend to go 'ust really heavy and see what you can ma% out) 9re you doing more volume with that sort o wor") 9re you mi%ing up $etween the two) Clay: I thin" I!ve always had my $est results doing heavy dou$les and heavy triples. I li"e to ma% out. I li"e to see where I!m at $ut i you miss a ew rep ma% and it does something to your head sometimes and it "ind o 'ust "ills the wor"out# li"e oh man# I missed this ;< attempt or even worse# I missed this attempt in the weight that I!ve *+ pounds heavier $e ore. (o I try to dial it $ac" a little $it and stay within B+E and G/E o my one2rep ma%es or as much I can stand. There are things li"e overhead press that I could use a lot o wor" with speed so sometimes I!ll do a li"e 1/E to .+E o my one2rep ma% o weight on the $ar plus rom $ands. Then I!ll do some strict overhead press. I!ll tell you what# man. I you!re not e%plosive getting those $ands overhead# that $ar will come $ac" on your in a real 3uic" heart$eat. Logan: 5eah# I!ve never done $anded presses $ut it does sound 3uite di icult. Clay: I thin" it!s may$e that ear o death that ma"es you do it 3uic"ly. Logan: 9ll right. Well# we!re coming up on the hal hour mar". 9re there any inal things on training we haven!t tal"ed a$out yet that you!d li"e to convey to the people listening) Clay: I thin" the $iggest gains you can ma"e are in your mind i you commit to not having any limitations. I "now we hear that all the time in motivational T2shirts# $umper stic"ers and everything else $ut i you 'ust commit to not having limitations and trying to $ecome legendary# as the name o your podcast implies# then I thin" you!ll ind you ma"e really good progress and the s"y is the limit. 5ou can do anything in this li e with a good# strong $ac" and the a$ility to 'ust string together some coherent sentences. To all the listeners out there who are really loo"ing or that last little $it o advice# it!s step

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into the gym tomorrow or today even and commit to pushing yoursel a little more and seeing what you can accomplish. 5ou might $e surprised a$out the results. I I can also give a 3uic" shout out to the tens o 4as wrestlers listening# more than that they get# chec" out $or%alMasWrestling"co# or the latest in ormation on 4as wrestling tournaments in the area. We!re going to have one coming up in :anuary in (anta Cru># one Ae$ruary in (an :ose# and another one in Ae$ruary in 6a"ers ield. (o it!s going to $e a real $usy ne%t ew months or me. Logan: O"ay. E%cellent# and is it 42O2(2() Is that how you spell it) Clay: It!s 4292(# li"e Hmore0 in (panish $ut 4as is actually <ussian or stic". Logan: That ma"es sense. (o where can people go to ind out more a$out you) Fo you have a we$site# your Aace$oo" pro ile or anything you want to point them to) Clay: 5eah# you can stal" me on Aace$oo". I always appreciate that or you can loo" me up on Strong#an%lay"co#. It!s 'ust a little we$site I put together or personal training and stu # and I!ve some pictures up there. 9gain# the Aace$oo" tal"ing is always welcome. I appreciate dropping a note and say hey. Logan: O"ay. Well# than" you very much# Clay. I had a un time with this call and de initely pic"ed up some tips that I!m going to put into action with the grip training. Clay: 9wesome. Than"s or having me# Logan. I appreciate it. Logan: 9ll right# than"s everyone or listening and stay tuned or our ne%t call. We!ll have another great interview or you.

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