54 1/2" Box Jump

Does your gym give you this? If not find one that will. These kids are soon to be DI athletes at top 25 programs and they will make an immediate impact.

Living your Dream

Q: I have 3 years left on my commitment to the Air Force and when I get out I would like to open a facility like yours and begin training people, making it a career. I was wondering what advice you would have for someone like me to get started? I'm doing all the reading and training I can right now of course, all my free time is dedicated toward this goal, and I plan to be certified before I leave the AF. Did you have experience training people before you opened your gym? Have any advice on how to get that first client after you open doors, before you have a chance to prove yourself? Any tips or lessons learned on your journey would be appreciated. Congratulations on the success, keep kicking ass!

A: Jason thanks for the question. I got started in my garage and then I quickly found a great buy on a warehouse and went for it. The time will never be right and the situation is never perfect, but you just have to do it. It takes a lot of courage to go out on this huge limb but it is worth it, trust me. While I was in the Marines I trained some of the players on our football team, but most of my work came on me. It was a bunch of trial and error to find what works best. That was over three years ago, when I finally moved into my home in August I started my training business and it really sucked. One it is illegal to run a business in a residential area and two the space was so limited that I never felt I could truly expand the business. A few months later I found a 2500sqft warehouse and I was sold. I started my business and thought everyone would flock to me because I knew what I was doing and I had the best and sickest equipment around. Three months later I still only had the same three clients I had when I first started in my garage. Now just five months later I have a very successful business and my doors are starting to become more and more packed. So what happened in those five months? I learned how to advertise and sell myself. That is the number one thing I can tell you to do. Make sure half of your time is spent on learning how to sell yourself and your services. A good way to start is to train Human Billboards. Take a few people and give them a great deal practically training them for free and lock them into a 3-6 month contract. Let them know that you rely on them to bring you clients and this great deal is only in place if you try your hardest to bring me in at least one client a month. This will help spread the word. Volunteer your time as well. Go to your local high schools and ask the coaches if they need any help with offseason training or give free seminars so people know you are the local expert when it comes to your niche. Find your niche and don't try to reach everyone because you will spread yourself thin and won't ever focus on the important demographics’ of the people you truly want to reach. Keep your cost low, you can find a lot of stuff on craigslist or you can make them yourself. This helps out a lot, because you will not have to worry about paying off a tremendous amount of debt for the best equipment. So to recap on the top five keys to be a successful gym owner is to...
1. Know how to sell and advertise effectively.
2. Train people for free.
3. Volunteer your time to reach your demographic.
4. Find your niche.
5. Keep your start up cost as low as possible.

Hope this helps Jason and if you have more questions just ask. Stay focused and your dreams will come true.

Summer Special

The summer is a great time to get in shape. We offer a 6, 8, and 10 week group (5-8 people) training program. The 6 week is $175 per person, the 8 week is $200 per person, and the 10 week is $250 per person. This package would be 3 days a week and about an hour each day. Since everyone is at a different level of strength the training is set up so that each person will get the workout that their body needs no matter what. In this kind of small group training you will learn good technique and will be one step closer to a healthier life. If you are looking to do this all summer then when it is over you will be more than ready to join the other boot camp classes (which are more conducive for a work schedule) if that is something you are interested in.

Samson's Strongman Show

The date is set for a great show in Fort Pierce, Fl. Samson S&C will be hosting its first annual strongman show at Cowboys in Ft. Pierce. There will great competition as some of the best amateurs from around the country will be competing for a spot in Nationals and cash prizes. There will tons of free stuff handed out, along with the BSN girls there to hand out free supplements. I hope you all can make it to watch and if you want to compete and push yourself to the limits then fill out the entry form and get in the gym and get ready. This is absolutely FREE to watch!! Don't miss out. Here are the events and weight classes:

Heavy 231 and Up
Middle 231-200
Light 200 and under
Master Open
Novice Open
Teen Open

Event 1 Log C&P every rep 60secs- Belt, sleeves, and wraps allowed
Hvy-260lbs
Mid-220lbs
Masters, Nov, Und 200- 200lbs
Teen-180lbs

Event 2 Last man standing deadlift- Suit, belt, and wraps allowed
Hvy-635lbs
Mid- 545lbs
Mas, Nov, Und 200- 455lbs
Teen 405lbs
20lbs jumps

Event 3 100’ Farmers/ 50’ Prowler Medley 75secs- No straps
Hvy- 315 Farmers/ 4 plates per side prowler
Mid-260 farmers/ 3 plates per side prowler
Mas, Nov, Und 200- 220 farmers/ 2 plates per side prowler
Teen- 200 farmers/ 1 Plate per side prowler

Event 4 Tire Flip 60’ 60secs
Hvy- 950lbs
Mid- 750lbs
Mas, Nov, Under 200, Teen- 550lbs

Event 5 Stones Over 50” Yoke 60secs
Hvy- 340lbs
Mid- 280lbs
Mas, Nov, Und 200, Teen - 240lbs


Awards- Trophie or plaque for 1st- Medals for 2nd and 3rd
Hvy & Mid- 1st-$200-2nd $100
Mas, Nov, Und. 200- 1st- $100- 2nd-$50


Weigh ins- Will be held the day before also from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at my gym located at:
2127 NW Settle Ave.
Port St. Lucie, Fl. 34984

Here is where you can go for an entry form:
http://www.nastrongmaninc.com/pdf/entries/samson.pdf

Push Through the Wall

Q: Hey coach, my name is Justin and I have a serious problem with getting stuck at the bottom of my bench and deadlift. What should I do to break through this wall?

A: Justin, you have a common problem that I see on a daily basis. When a guy comes into my gym with this problem, we immediately asses his strength and if he is strong at lockout and weak at the bottom, like you are we start to incorporate speed days. You can do this with a bunch of different exercise. You can use plyometrics, med ball throws, bands, and chains. The bands and chains work with an athlete's natural strength curve, which means as you lower it the weight gets lighter, which is were you are the weakest and as you press the weight it gets heavier, which is were you are your strongest. You have to fight through the tension of the bands and the chains. By fighting through this it will help you increase you speed and fight through your sticking point. You can also incorporate med ball throws using lighter weight and exploding out with it as fast as possible which will increase your rate of force development. The same goes for plyometrics. Make sure to add in a speed day to your routine and incorporate one of these things in certain micro cycles. Try it for 3 to 4 week cycles and see were it takes you. Here is an example of a speed bench press with bands and some med ball chest passes.

Out Here Grinding

Here is a breakdown of our football players workout.
Vertical Testing 5x2
Kneeling Jumps w/ Med Ball into Chest Pass 10x
Mountain Climber Sprints 10x
Step Ups w/ Knee Lift 3x10
Back Extension into GHR 4x10-15
Leg Rasies w/ Band 3x10
Med Ball Ab Circuit 3x10

Want to learn more about what we do feel free to email me and ask questions or just sign up and get the best training in Florida period.

Lock It Out

When it comes to life you either get it or you don't and if you get it than your life will change for the best and if you don't your life will suffer. Life is a huge chess game were every move counts, except in life you can't afford to lose. So it all comes down to figuring out where you are in life and how to get where you want to go. If you are content with your life then you just don't get it. You should always be looking to improve because that is what makes life fun. Figure out your imperfections and conquer them everyday.

Weight lifting is no different. You should always be trying to better your lifts whether it is for sport or for profession. Today I am going to go over a few exercise that has helped to take my deadlift from 455lbs to 585lbs in just one year.

In a deadlift you either are strong at lockout or you are fast at the start. Speed or Strength, it is up to you to figure it out. I have always been weak at my lock out and the best exercises I have found for this is Farmer Deadlifts, Deadlifts w/ Bands, Rack Pulls, GHR, and Good Mornings. These have all helped tremdousoly with my deadlift. I am going to focus on two for right now and will break down the other ones at a later date.

Farmer deadlifts are pretty plain and simple you will have a high pull that mimics a deadlift, so all the focus will be on popping your hips through. Remember to treat it like a regular deadlift. You will have your shoulder blades pinch tight, chest up, and griping the bar as tight as possible. Take a deep breath through your diaphragm and drive through your heels. Once the lift starts to go up remember to spread the floor with your feet and drive your knees out. Here is a video of what I am talking about.


The next exercise that has been a tremendous tool for my lockout has been the GHR. This is the only posterior chain machine that allows you to work the gastrocnemius, hamstrings, and glutes all in one movement. Doing this every lower body work out has brought my deadlift up and there is no end in sight. I will go high rep range one day a week and add band or weights and lower my reps to 10-12 reps on the other day here is a video of band glute ham rasies.

Another One Bites the Dust

FSU bound running back hit an incredible 500lbs Squat today, smashing another record at Samson's. Be on the look out for this kid, he is going to tear up at the next level. Check him out.

Top 10 Ways to Increase your Squat

Squats

1. This is the meat and potatoes of any successful athlete, so treat them that way. If you don’t squat than you will never get faster, point blank. Here are some pointers that will help you correctly teach your athletes how to squat.

2. When setting up under the bar have your athletes treat it as if they were going to squat it. Have them stay tight, elbows bent in, and to really squeeze their shoulder blades together to give the bar something to rest on.

3. Grip the bar as tight as possible

4. Stay fixated on one point with your eyes. This point is straight ahead.


5. Unrack it cleanly and get set in as few steps as possible.

6. On the way down try and spread the floor with your feet by pushing your knees out. You do this on the way up as well.

7. Keep your back arched and have your athletes really try and arch up on the way up this will force you chest up.


8. Control the weight down and explode up as fast as humanly possible.

9. Blow your abs out the whole lift this will help stabilize your lumbar.

10. On the way up try and drive your elbows under the bar, this will help keep your chest up as well.

Client of the Month

I am going to start adding this in every month to show my appreciation for the hard work that Samson's athletes put in everyday and how much they have progressed ever since starting. The first person to be mentioned is Lisa C. who came to our gym about three months ago and has made amazing progress ever since. She came to me a few months after having her baby boy Hayden and has been determined to lose the weight and tone up since the first day we met. When we first tested her she was doing the trap bar deadlift exercise with 80lbs for 5 reps, just last week she hit 175lbs for 5 reps. at a bodyweight of only 107lbs. She has never missed a day at the gym and comes to our boot camps religiously and it has paid off. We have met all of her initial goals and as expected we have set loftier ones that she will surpass real soon. Take a look at what she has done and ask yourself are you doing what it takes to reach your goals.