Andy Bolton Strength

making you bigger, faster and stronger

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My training has always been focused on one thing and one thing only: RESULTS. In the world of sports that's all that really counts! Through years of practical experience training myself and others, as well as devoted academic research, I have become skilled at achieving my goals and helping athletes from many sports achieve theirs. My focus has always been on lifting explosivley and this practice has served me well in powerlifting and training people from many sports. As athletes, we're all after the same thing in the weight room: developing more force and doing so as fast as possible.

At my training facility you will not find any gimmicks. No juice bars, no saunas and definitely no televisions. What you will find is equipment that hundreds of athletes have used to become bigger, faster and stronger.

To find out how I could help you achieve your strength and performance goals contact me by clicking here.

"If I ever should get back to Powerlifting I know where I would search for help. I would turn to my great friend and Powerlifting God; Andy Bolton!"

Svend Karlsen. Former World's Strongest Man, Powerlifter and Bodybuilder

Need motivation? Get Inspired!

- Andy Bolton: 1008lbs Deadlift
- All time World Record
- Recognised by many as the greatest strength feat of all time
- April 5th 2009, BPC South East Powerlifting Championships

Tip of the month: September 2009

How to warm up and prime the Central Nervous System to lift massive weights

I see lots of athletes and bodybuilders go into the gym, put 100kg/225lbs on the bar and start benching straight away. This is a recipe for less than optimal performance and injury. Here's a better way to warm up for the Bench Press for an athlete with a 1RM of 150kg who wants to do 3 sets with 85% of his 1RM for 4 to 5 reps:

Eliptical/Treadmill: 3 to 5 minutes (walking pace)
Foam roll
Static stretches for Hip Flexors, followed by activation and mobility movements (Glute Bridges, Arm Circles etc)
Bar x 10 x 2
40kg x 5 x 2
60kg x 5 x 2
80kg x 5
100kg x 3
115kg x 1
127.5kg x 5 (85%)
127.5kg x 4 (85%)
127.5kg x 4 (85%)

Give this a try the next time your in the gym and see how much better you feel and perform!

Tip of the month: October 2009

Faster results: what you are overlooking

A lot of athletes, powerlifters in particular, are great when it comes to training hard in the gym. However, their progress is often way slower than it could be because they overlook two important things; rest and nutrition!

As far as rest goes, try and ensure you get 7 to 8 hours quality sleep a night.

Nutrition wise, try sticking to the following basic principles and expect to train harder, recover better and make faster progress in the gym:

1. Drink more water
2. Eat more fruits and vegetables (eating as wide a variety of colours as possible thoughout the week)
3. Eat some quality protein with each meal (Lean cuts of red meat, chicken, turkey, fish or protein powder)
4. Eat some healthy fats with each meal (Nuts, Avocado, Fish oil, Olive Oil)
5. Eat some healthy carbohydrates with each meal
6. Eat 5 to 7 times a day
7. Avoid processed and packaged foods
8. Eat whole foods instead of supplements whenever possible (eg Chicken instead of protein powder)

Once you have comitted to these basic principles you can start to tailor your diet with supplements, optimal pre and post-workout nutrition and working out specific macro-nutrient breakdowns for each meal. But one step at and time. For 90% of the general public and lifters out there, doing the above for a month would be a huge step in the right direction.

If you truly embrace the principles above you can expect improvements in your skin, energy levels and mood, as well as your training results. Eating well is a win win situation.

Tip of the month: November 2009

Learning from the best

I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. - Michael Jordan

There is a lot of wisdom in those words from the great basketball player Michael Jordan. We all know that great sportsmen like Jordan, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer only come along once in a generation. However, we can all learn something from these sporting geniuses.

For starters, courage and heart mean a lot. Clearly Michael Jordan wasn't afraid to miss a shot. As lifters, we shouldn't be afraid to push our boundaries in the gym. Step out of your comfort zone on a regular basis. Set personal records often and thrive on the momentum this will build.

Jordan's words might sound contradictory when he says that multiple failures led to success. As lifters we can use these words to help us. We may all miss weights from time to time in training. In competition we will definitely miss weights. This is not a bad thing. Film your lifts and work out why you missed them. Was it a speed issue, a concentration issue, a technique issue or a mental issue? Tweak your training program to work on these issues and resolve them.

All lifters should be working on technique all the time. Improving technique is one of the simplest ways to improve your numbers and can lead to massive PB's in very short periods of time. Train with people who have good technique and understand it. During training sessions give each other verbal cues on every set. A hard 4 weeks of training could yield a 5% increase in strength. It's unlikely though. However, 4 weeks of technical improvements could lead to a much greater improvement, whilst making injury's less likely.

Adopt these principles for faster progress:

1. Push yourself out of your comfort zone and do not be afraid to do so
2. Don't see a failure as being negative. Learn from it and change your strategy so that you succeed next time
3. Work on technique all the time. The best athletes nearly always have the best technique in all sports
4. Work on your mindsest. It pays to think like a champion if you ever want to become one
5. Learn from the best. Model people who have done what you want to do. There is no point re-inventing the wheel

The first key to a big Bench

I have just come back from the WPC World Powerlifting Championships in Bournemouth, England. One of my training partners, Jim Nuttall, won the 140kg class and benched a British record of 340kg in the process. A pretty impressive lift by any standards.

Not everyone has the raw genetics to bench 340kg, but everyone can learn from Jim. His triceps are incredibly strong. He went up to 385kg to a 3 board, before the meet. He says that handling weights like these in the gym, makes the weights at the meet feel light in his hands.

To get strong triceps and take your bench up a notch, try the following exercises:

1. Board Presses: the higher the boards, the more this focuses on the triceps
2. Close Grip Bench Press
3. Dips: providing they don't hurt your shoulders
4. Extensions with a bar: seated or lying on a bench. To the neck, nose or forehead
5. Extensions with DB's: lying on a bench. Flat, Decline or Incline. Elbows in, or elbows out
6. Push downs with v-grip bar, straight bar or rope attachment
7. Close Grip Push Ups: place chains or plates on your back to increase the intensity

To make continuous progress and prevent boredem, switch the tricep exercises you perform on a regular basis. For example. After doing Close Grip 3 Board Presses for 4 weeks, switch to a wider grip and use a 5 board for 4 weeks.

Or, having done weighted Dips for 6 weeks, switch to Close Grip Push Ups with weights on your back for 4 weeks, then try Close Grip Benching for 4 weeks.