Who Influences Me? Part 2

Mark Brown

November 30, 2021

There is another group of people out there whose influence on me is much greater. That can be seen in my training as a whole, techniques, lifts and attitude. That group is current or former strength athletes. Strongman is a sport that I am heavily attached to in large part because I can do it. That has led to numerous Strongman competitors becoming influences on me. Powerlifting has become a major part of my life so notable powerlifters have also entered that space. A lot of these have their platforms on Youtube and the other social network websites. Dave Tate is the entire reason why this blog exists and why I have made so much progress this year lifting. Strongman competitors Brian Shaw and Robert Oberst have both played a role in my lifting plan and mindset. Youtube content creators Derek, whose channel MorePlatesMoreDates, and Greg Doucette have very informative channels that have helped me understand training, performance enhancing drugs and their effects on the human body. Alan Thrall is a powerlifting and strongman gym owner in Sacramento, California whose Youtube channel that is very informative and entertaining. Zack Telander is starting to grab some influence on me. I will be giving a bit of information about them and how they have impacted me and continue to do so.

Dave Tate’s influence on me can’t overstated. He is a former competitive powerlifter and owner of EliteFTS. I’ve known of the company for a couple years now as it would be named dropped in Youtube videos by people explaining what equipment they have at their gyms, whether at home or in a commercial space. The name behind the company I learned last year when I started taking in more fitness content on Youtube. He releases content on that site through a channel called EliteFTS and podcasts available for downloading. The site, which sells equipment, also has a section devoted to articles about all of things that have to do with strength training. It’s a place I go to read about the subject. Where Tate’s influence is greatest is helping me understand the nature of powerlifting programming, specifically Conjugate. That is training style he practiced as a competitor and coaches. Videos through the company’s channel and the podcast have illuminated important elements of training that I had started doing organically, and backed up what I had felt. That change in my training process from bodybuilding to powerlifting is in conjunction with me learning way, way more about it. His company’s motto of “Live. Learn. Pass On.” is a large reason why this blog exists. It’s what sets his company apart from bigger operations like Rogue Fitness. I’ve learned a lot about strength training over the last 8 years, have talked with myself and others who would listen about the subject and thought it was time to get this stuff down on paper and out there. So, here I am passing it on.

Strongman, as a sport, has influenced my training quite a bit since I found all of those World Strongest Man competition videos on Youtube and the Strongest Man in History show. It opened me up to a world of strength training I hadn’t really ever delved into and the people who compete in it. I doubt I will be entering contests but I have implemented log presses and other event type lifts into my programs to a lot of success. Two competitors stand above the rest in terms of influence on me. Brian Shaw has won 4 WSM titles and 3 Arnold Classic titles in a career that started in 2008. His last title came in 2016 and has always been someone to be contended with. His goal is to leave the sport of Strongman in a better place than it was when entered it is something that resonates with me. His Youtube channel is full of training content as well as entertaining meet ups with other content creators. What’s most valuable to me is seeing the intensity, drive, mindset of a champion athlete and how he is giving back to the sport. I’ve personally believed that actions speak far more about one’s beliefs than the words that come out of their mouths. I know that isn’t a new concept but it feels more important than ever to live by that. Brian is very action oriented. He’s started multiple companies designed to help the sport grow. I’ve purchased quite a few things for his equipment company, Evolution Athletics. His elbow and knee sleeves and wrist wraps are top notch. The annual competition he started last year to help the sport get back on its feet after so many contests were canceled has made the community stronger. The way he put up his own money as prize money for the other competitors showed he was willing to put skin the game for it. He’s galvanized fans of the sport to support the athletes. He is truly an inspiring person. The other competitor with influence is Robert Obherst. He was on the Strongest Man in History show with Shaw. That’s where I was introduced to him. He is a former NFL player who made the transition to strongman. He has a big personality and isn’t afraid to call out bullshit when he hears it. His videos on his Youtube channel, American Monster Productions, are entertaining and informative. I have taken advice he has given on videos and put it into programming. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention guys like Eddie Hall, Zydrunas Savickas, Nick Best the other competitors of the 2010s here. I have definitely take little bits here and there from them.

I found Greg Doucette’s channel last year and am happy I did. He is a retired IFBB pro who has won contests. His channel focuses on bodybuilding as a result, though he definitely has powerlifting credentials as well. What that means is that there is less talk about lifts and programming and more about the stuff that effects the body like food, eating, rest, and drugs. All of those things are important because his channel really devotes a lot of time to managing self-expectations. Strength training and bodybuilding can leave a person in a bit mental and psychological quandary. Looking in a mirror and at other people in the gym or on one of the various social media platforms is a double edged sword. It serves as both inspiration and depressant at the same time. Which of those two things a person feels in the moment really depends on one’s own sense of security in self and if they feel the view/pictures make sense. He’s one of many content creators who does “Natty or Not?” videos to help get that point through to viewers. My understanding of performance enhancing drugs has always been in the minority as far as acceptance of them goes. I will get into that in detail at some point, just not here. It is a very complex conversation to have because there are so, so many layers of PEDs that get used. It’s kind of amazing what is legal or illegal and clean or unclean. He helps bring the conversation down to an understandable level. His channel helps me manage my expectations of how strength training effects my body.

For videos about the detailed effects of PED use on the human body I turn to the MorePlatesMoreDates channel. Derek, the man in front of the camera, has medical facilities that many people to get bloodwork done. Bloodwork is done to track health markers such as cholesterol, testosterone and many more. He, like many fitness content creators, also sells a line of pre-workout powder. The content he gives out for free is ludicrously informative and entertaining. For anyone either wanting to start a steroid cycle or who wants to merely understand the nature of the different kinds of PEDs that exist, it is a must watch. Recently, he’s been doing a series of videos scientifically breaking down all the new pre-workout and energy drinks that have been hitting the market lately. It really is a crowded market these days and a good channel to go for that kind of review. He has done steroid cycles so he has a very good understanding of what they do, and the consequences of them. It is a very important topic because PED use has a far greater spread than they ever have before. It’s not as simple as steroids and testosterone derivatives and professional athletes anymore. Fat burners, estrogen blockers, designer pre-workouts and energy drinks all effect the body in certain ways and they need to be learned before doing and using any of them. The more money comes to people on social media platforms, the more people are motivated to use them. If the larger narrative on PED use leaned towards them being okay, then this wouldn’t be as big of an issue as it is. People are more motivated to lie about their “natural” status than ever before. That makes managing self-expectations all the more important. Derek and Doucette both help me do that very well. For the record, I am about as natural as it gets. I just eat, lift and drink way too much soda. Derek put to bed any thought that would ever come to mind about using PEDs of any kind.

Alan Thrall, for lack of a better term, is a dude with a powerlifting and strongman gym in Sacramento, California called Untamed Strength. His beard is phenomenal. He’s competed in numerous powerlifting and strongman competitions at state and national levels but he isn’t a professional in either of them. He doesn’t post a lot of videos on youtube, and seems like he does significantly more on Instagram but I don’t have an account on that platfom. His content covers lifting, programming, and the not lifting parts of strength training. His videos are often instructional at their core, aimed at helping people with the technical aspects of lifts in the fields of powerlifting, strongman and weightlifting. In that way, his videos share a lot in common with Tate’s EliteFTS channel. He’s calm and collected on screen and knows what he is talking about. He is also genuinely entertaining while getting the points across, often times being sarcastic or a smart ass on subjects like PEDs.

Last on the list here is Zack Telander. I found his Youtube channel late last year and have watched it quite a bit this year. His influence on me is growing at a slower rate because he is a weightlifter. I don’t do much of any weightlifting. I have merely dabbled in some clean and jerk here and there because it’s fairly straight ahead. The snatch I don’t understand much at all. He has done many competitions and recently retired from competing. He coaches the sport and makes videos around the sport he competed in. The passion for it is very easily heard in his voice. His video helping teach the the snatch to Thrall, on Thrall’s channel, is about as good as it gets. The topic of weightlifting’s potential loss of its place at the Olympics due to corruption in the sport was an extremely fascinating discussion to watch and participate in because it crosses both the competitive side of sports with the business side. I could easily tell how much weightlifting’s spot at the Olympics matters. I am interested in learning how to snatch, and the odds of me doing it through Telander’s channel is high.

What each of these guys has is passion for what they do. It shows in their videos, articles and podcasts. They have had an impact on the decisions I make in my strength training journey. It’s not just an activity for me. It is life. These are the guys who have influenced me the most. When I write about subjects on this blow and talk about them when with people, one would hear their voices in my words.