My knees hurt when I squat.

A pretty common complaint is ‘My knees hurt when I squat’ the reasons for this are vast however, in most cases you’re squatting like you’re tea bagging.


Let’s have a look at some common problems:



Here you can see the lifters knee is flying forward
over the ankle, guys in lab coats used computers and
shit to prove the theory this puts a sheering force
through your knee, they also found when you complete
the downward cycle and change direction (known as reversal)
you are putting anywhere from 4-7 times your
body weight through your knees even at relatively light loads of 70-80% of 1RM.













Step further,

Here we some guys with mad 80’s hair do’s and awesome parachute pants.
You can see the knee has remained over the ankle throughout the lift.
The lab coats agree this reduces sheering load.
However, the reversal load remains.














Finally we have some hot bitches on the blog.
My aim is to include as many hot bitches on
this blog as possible. What we see is the hot girl
sitting back on a box. Pausing on the box removes the reversal loading
from the knees.



So now you have no excuse not to squat.

R.I.P Steve 'Bungy' Williams

On a serious note Stephen 'Bungy' Williams Owner of Power Pit & NT rep for CAPO has now left us.,

Bungy served his country well & helped many people at 'The Pit. He has a PASSION for Body Building & Power Lifting.

I will do you proud in Melbourne this weekend mate! R.I.P

Our humble beginnings in 'The Cave.

This is our humble beginnings in 'The Cave. The strong people train here, weak people train else where....

Is the treadmill killing your spine?

Pretty much every client ever, no every person I meet. Ever. Has some sob story about lower back pain. Much like fat people they all have some excuse “oh I slipped a disk’ “When I was a kid” and my favorite ‘I had a car accident” well you should learn to drive!

Off Rant.

Lower Cross Syndrome is perhaps the most common complaint. This occurs when there is a lack of stability in the abdominals compounded by tightness in the ham strings, and hips flexors. The causes of this are commonly linked back to a pathological hatred of resistance work from women and footballers (that are kind of the same thing) Anyway, in this unfounded fear of ‘bulking up and slowing down’ they become a ‘Stuff’ trainer (remember the notion of doing lots of stuff to melt your body in to some kilo figure magically plucked out of the air?) they then exacerbate this condition by going to the gym and spend hours walking on a treadmill that pulls their feet back for them, taking their posterior chain out of the equation and tightening their hip flexors. Some even take it a step further and take a death grip of the handle isolating their lower abdominals. Take the complete lack of bone mineral density improvement along with no real chance at muscle gain and you are exponentially increasing the chances of a lower back catastrophe.

Marathon runners look good
for Nazi death camp survivors.

As you can see here, Lower back problems are common and caused by a number of factors.

Think about this, what do you want to look like, one of those Kenyan marathon runners or an Olympic 100 meter sprinter?

If you want to lose the lower back pain, get off the treadmill and get back on the road. Sprinters, sprint, they also lift heavy ass weights. They do their squats like their mum told them to eat their veggies and on that note for the love of god throw out that stupid diet book. If it does not grow, or eats something that grows, don’t eat it!

Ill let her sleep with me..

Why are you lifting weights?

Why are you lifting weights? It’s an honest question.

I had a client come to me that competes in athletic hammer throwing, If you don’t know what that is lets simplify it; You stand in a circle facing on to a field, hold what is nothing more than a small weight attached to a meter long wire with a handle on one end. Spin around in circles like a four year old on red bull, then let go, the small weight flies through the air and job complete. Keep It Simple Stupid.

Anyway back to my question, where does weight lifting fit in to this? The client I was working with had previously done lots of ‘Stuff’ with his other gym ‘Trainer’ (who is a one eyed body builder I might add) with a view of being ‘Explosive’ by getting ‘Stronger’ using ‘Functional Movements’ Sounds fair, my next question was how long had he been working with this trainer and how his sport specific results improved. Once again I got a rather vague answer of ‘Yeah it’s sort of helped, not sure how long I have been with him now’ So in other words he is spending $150 and over three hours of vital training time a week (if you think back to my Derek Boyer interview; don’t train more than six hours a week) on ‘Stuff’ that had only ‘Sort of’ helped his hammer throws. To further confuse me he then went on to explain a training split of isolating body parts. Now I am not an athletics coach but I’m willing to take the punt, In a sport like hammer throw explosive power and strength is critical across the entire body, at no point would the thrower isolate any one muscle.

Being goal orientated is time limited and temporary by nature. If your sport performance has not improved, then start again, find a new trainer or coach, hell even go to a new gym, Mark Bell said ‘you can’t achieve greatness with thirty people on treadmills behind you’ so wake up to your self, there has got to be a better way.

Dollar for your stupidity

Since I DON’T get a dollar for every time someone asks me the same questions and then proceeds to debate the merits of their misguided preconceived notions I wrote a list of stupid statements and questions I wish I got paid to answer. Warning: If ranting offends get off the internet.

What foods will make me lose weight?

Are you serious? Do you think a food is going to get in there and suck out the fat cells like liposuction? No food will do this!

I can’t lift weights because I will get to ‘Big’

I wish I got a dollar every time I heard this! If it was that easy to get ‘Big’ why are gyms full of twenty something males busting out endless sets of bicep curls in the squat rack and consuming thousands of dollars worth of supplements?

If you compete in a sport where strength is required but size is a concern consider a low rep high weight program (such as west side) Put simply research suggest low reps aid strength without promoting muscle growth.

What supplements will make me lose weight?

I am sure one of the supplement Nazis will come in now and make some outlandish statement with no scientific proof. If there is a supplement out there that vacuum cleans fat cells out I am pretty sure it’s on the WADA/ASADA/AMA banned substance list.

What is the best protein supplement?

Last time I checked protein is protein. It comes in different amino structures but that’s it. How much steak and chicken did you eat before asking me this question?

What pre work out supplement should I take?

Start with a subtractive process, stop drinking the night before training and get eight hours sleep. That might help your training energy levels.

How can I lose fat off my ‘Part X’?

Another dollar a day question, why are you focused on isolation of one area? Last time I checked Squats, Bench, Tire flips and sprints etc were not focused on one muscle….

- My gym does not have a tire: Ask why or go find one that does…..

What Cardio machine is best for losing weight?

I don’t know, What machine works with your body and raisers your heart rate above that of sofa sports?

I want to make muscle X bigger (Normally chest or arms) what exercises should I do?

Here is a small chart:

Biceps – Squat

Back – Squat

Legs – Squat

See a running theme here? Put a bar on the back of your shoulders, bend your knees and squat

- I have perfect squat technique, my ass touches the floor.

- I have trained with power lifters who squat 300 and still work on technique so yours is not perfect, further there is a lot more to squatting than just making depth.

- Squatting is bad for your knees:

- By the very nature of this statement you have proved you have no right to an opinion. If you squat like you’re tee bagging someone then what do you expect

Does pharmacy based diet X work?

Yeah it sure does, those unsustainable meal replacements really satisfy. The sales staff three day training course really addresses your dietary needs. I look forward to seeing you reach your goal weight through muscle atrophy and then revert right back to your old school ways of eating….

Tonight has taken me by surprise; I have tried to contact Derek Boyer a few times now. Dodgy Email addresses, asking third parties for contact details and missing him by minutes at competitions. Tonight to my surprise I got a message ‘Please call me’ wow!

Here is the bio: Boyer aka ‘Thunder’ from ‘Gladiators’ is a professional strong man and one of the only Australians to represent us at the worlds strongest man. He is a world class power lifter recently taking the CAPO Australian super heavy weight raw total record. But here I the kicker, Boyer is a Type one Diabetic!

The conversation was split in to three sections, Diabetes, Power lifting and a brief chat about his time with Gladiators.

Type one Diabetes – Boyer is a big kid, well that’s a lie, he makes Cutler look skinny. Boyer explained to me how he manages his Diabetes. He eats a low carbohydrate diet and is convinced the vast obesity problems are caused by ‘Western diets high in carbohydrates.’ Boyers Insulin of choice is Nova-Log and Protophane. With two long acting doses a day and short acting to cover meals, Boyer feels the low carbohydrate plan is easier to manage.

Training – I asked Boyer ‘Are you following a west side template or Sheiko etc’ to which I got a slight laugh. Boyer went on to explain he believes in finding through trial and error what works best for him. Stating that after a run of exclusive strong man training he found his Power lifting numbers improved. This to Boyer translates to the fact the Conjugate West Side systems work. However, he was quick to state periodization does still serve a purpose. Boyer also said ‘the biggest mistake young lifters make is not focusing on recovery and over training’ Boyers opinion is train no more than six hours a week. This can be six one hour session or three, two hour sessions and so on.

Gladiators – After all I went through I had to ask; Boyers training involved Sumo wrestling and some added cardio, ‘I was a hitter not a hanger so nothing much changed’ referring to the positional roles given to each star.

I have to say Boyer is one of the nicest people I have ever spoken to. He expressed plans to Dead lift 400kg next year and to continue pushing the limits of human strength. I truly wish Boyer the best and can not wait to meet the man in person.

Thank you for reading :)

The dirty dozen.

The dirty dozen. No, not a reference to an old war movie but a 12 exercise circuit you complete against the clock. You'll benefit from a quiet gym, but if you do find an exercise station is busy, miss it out and come back to it. Complete all the required reps before moving onto the next exercise. Time your self & Have another crack next week. Maintain good form throughout!



Treadmill 400 meters

Pull ups 12 reps

Press ups 24 reps

Step ups (10kg DB for men, 5 kg DB for women in each hand, 18″ step) 25 reps per leg

Row 500 meters

Lunges use same loading as step ups 12 reps per leg

Box jumps – 2 footed jump up, step down. Repeat! 18″ step 24 reps

DB Curl and press – 5kg DB for women, 10kg DB for men 24 reps

Sit ups 24 reps

Cycle 1km

2 handed DB swings – 8kg women, 15kg men for 24 reps

12 burpees

BEWARE! If you read on, your deadlift will be OUT OF SIGHT!

Here you have it! A guide to the dos and don'ts of deadlifitng -

You will have to be prepared to have an audience every time you deadlift in the future -

Common Misconceptions & Mistakes about the Conventional Deadlift


1. The deadlift is NOT a squat off the floor - don't deadlift like you are squatting off the floor!

Arms long, weight on your heels

2. The deadlift is NOT the start to a clean or a snatch - don't deadlift like you are starting a clean or a snatch!

3. The deadlift is NOT an isolation exercise! Deadlift to DEADLIFT - not to train a particular muscle group

4. Your lifting belt is to press your abs against - not to brace your back

5. DO NOT hyper-extend your back at lock out - stand up straight to complete the lift

6. Your shoulders should always be inline or behind the bar - never in front of the bar


Setting Up and Completing the Perfect Deadlift


1. Set your feet. From an overhead view, the bar should be in line with the balls of your feet. Your feet should be directly under your shoulders - narrower than the typical "shoulder width apart" - so that the force of the weight is driven directly through your legs

2. Set your arms - drop your hands in front of you where you want them

Lock out standing tall with your chin down

3. Put your weight on your heels. It should feel like your toes want to pop off the ground

4. Get your AIR! Take a big breath to open up your chest and push your abs against your lifting belt. Hold your air for the duration of the lift

5. Get down and grab the bar - both hands over, or one hand over one hand under are both fine

6. Make sure your hips are at about 45 degrees to the ground

7. Keep your HEAD UP and looking ahead for the entire lift - don't look down

Crazy head knodding to those watching is super important!

8. GET UP! Drive through your heels and try to pull the weight backwards rather than upwards

9. Keep your CHEST up, CHIN up and LOOK up for the duration of the lift

10. Stand tall at the top of the lift. Do not hyper-extend your back! If you are prone to hyper-extending, tuck your chin down into your chest at the top of the lift

11. CONGRATULATIONS! Lift complete. Now get down and hit another rep!

Got any questions? Fire away!

Top 5 mistakes I see on gym floors!

Every day I walk in to a gym, Look around and start analyzing the people around me. Not by there size, shape or skin color but by their technique used in training. I have had many chest & arms trainers say “I have perfect technique” yet I am still to meet a professional athlete that makes the same statement. What does that say to you?

Here is a list of the Top 5 mistake’s I see on gym floors.

5: Thinking excessive amounts of cardio will bring on weight loss, you need to strike a balance between resistance training & cardio for weight lose. By incorporating resistance training (IE weights) you will increase your muscle density & in turn improve you quality of life. Muscle burns energy at rest so it makes sense to try & have some.

Cardio is important,
but its not everything

4: Lat pull downs to the waist. I don’t know how many times I have seen someone pulling a lat bar to their waist. Once your elbows start to point towards the wall & your forearms start moving to horizontal to the floor you have gone to far. When I train clients I suggest pulling to the chin & then squeezing your shoulder blades together.

3: Starting your training week or session with arms, then moving on to chest or back. I have a philosophy ‘Start from the middle & work out’ what I mean by that is start with your chest, Back & upper legs. Then work your arms after that. Remember you are fatiguing your Tri’s with your chest & your Bi’s with your Lats so it makes sense to work from the inside out.

2: Telling the world (or your self for that matter) you have ‘perfect technique’ as I mentioned at the start, perfect technique does not exist. It is a search that eludes us, but what you can do is keep your mind open to learning & evolving. Over time what once worked may not work as you get older or you might need to adjust your training to meet different goals.

Perfect technique does not exist.
It is a search that eludes us

1: Performing Bicep curls in the squat rack! How many times have you had to wait in line for a squat rack because some idiot was doing some dry bar bicep curls! Captain Kirk once said “what is wrong with putting a bar on the back of your shoulders, Bend your knees & squat!” Note I am paraphrasing; certain words have been removed to protect the young.