World’s Strongest Man Martins Licis Shares His Keys to Constructing Power

If there’s an underdog memoir within the sport of strongman, it’s about Martins Licis—and he upright had his Rocky sequel comeback.

No topic practicing for the sport since his teenagers, the 31-twelve months-ragged raised rather a few eyebrows when he received 2019’s World’s Strongest Man competitors. At “upright” 6’3″, he became once going toe to toe with monsters cherish four-time winner 6’8″ Brian Shaw and the 6’9″ defending champion Hafthor Bjornsson, yet he decisively received by a immense eight-point lead, the widest in years.

Then got right here the accidents: nerve injury in his neck, hip and knee distress, wrist and elbow tendinitis (“I couldn’t even dangle a 200-pound stone”), and then a automobile accident that damaged his tailbone and shoulders. Add in a fractured thumb and burst appendix this twelve months, and no-one would maintain expected him to keep at Rogue’s first Strongman Invitational this October—and yet he got right here first, beating the reigning World’s Strongest Man Tom Stoltman and earning a groovy $133,351 within the system.

We just recently caught up with Licis about his practicing program, restoration, and his ideas about what his sport desires to proceed rising into the long term.

This interview has been edited for measurement and clarity.

This comeback is nothing short of incredible. How did you retain apart as a lot as create again so decisively whereas you had been rehabbing accidents?

Whereas I’m getting better, I’m practicing loads. I don’t upright sit on a sofa and sit up for accidents to heal themselves, and I in fact feel cherish rather a few other folks maintain that suggests. I’m evaluating what my deficiencies are and bettering these, bettering ranges of motion besides I’m able to, and even supposing I’m in a roundabout map working on my brute energy I’m working on the typical of motion my physique can stay.

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Then after I commence lifting heavy again my energy can lengthen that mighty extra like a flash. It’s virtually cherish tuning up an instrument I’ve spent that last 18 months tuning my physique up so that you just can appreciate better.

One thing that is generally talked about about you is how rattling immaculate your place is. Each person is aware of they must peaceable descend the bar as quickly as they are able to not total a supreme rep, but in put together it’s awfully hard to realize so. How attain you retain apart as a lot as maintain such enormous place at such heavy weights and high depth?

I dangle light loads. Quite heaps of other folks are inclined to appreciate fun of me in my videos, cherish, “Oh, Martins can’t take one other competitors, peek how light he’s lifting.” They dangle evaluating the weights I attain in my practicing, but I spend rather a few time upright reinforcing the typical of my motion. I spend rather a few time practicing the fashion I favor my lifts to peek and then I very slowly commence growing the load with a spotlight on quality. When it’s a couple months out from competitors I’ll peaceable grind my map by map of some grotesque reps attributable to I don’t want to show my physique to discontinuance down when quality is compromised. However most of my practicing I’m very adamant about making issues peek as crisp as that you just shall be in an arena to factor in.

What accent exercises attain you acquire your self doing essentially the most most ceaselessly?

Oh, I in fact maintain map extra instruments than I attain main lifts. One thing I’ve been doing loads for my knees is touchdown squats, you shall be in an arena to peep them in Squat College. It’s a extremely short vary single leg squat upright to create steadiness and properly being within the knees, and it helps give a dangle to the quad and patellar tendons so that you just can steal extra load and fling heavier.

I attain rather a few hip airplanes to create steadiness within the hip, a single leg hip steadiness drill where I’m most ceaselessly balancing on one leg and opening and shutting my hips.

Beyond that, a chain of instruments I relate to expand vary of motion in my shoulders so my scapulae can transfer and adapt to whatever motion I’m doing overhead. When you’re pulling loads, your scapulae can rep stuck and that can lead to shoulder stiffness and that’ll withhold you again from the utilization of your stout energy.

We have spoken sooner than about your core practicing, the fashion you always combine your core actions with other exercises to rep essentially the most bang on your buck. What are your fling-to strikes for the time being for a strongman core?

My popular core motion so a long way, and it has been for heaps of years, is hanging leg raises and holds with double arm or single arm. I upright withhold with my legs out in an L-seat, and even upright attain leg raises or kickers.

But some other thing I attain that’s very precious is doing all my practicing raw. I’ll fling beltless and I’ll attain tempo work with a stupid motion fashion. Let’s issue I’m practicing stones with out a belt, I’ll bring the stone your total map as a lot as my chin and withhold it there, and that places mighty power on the core but also is extraordinarily purposeful attributable to it straight trains my stone and my abs so that you just can address a stone natty. I attain the same thing for log, I’ll natty it to the neck then squat and stay with it so I’m able to rep dilapidated to stabilizing that weight for the length of the motion.

If a young buck had a 500-pound deadlift and became once thinking of transferring into a energy sport—CrossFit, powerlifting, Olympic lifting, strongman—what’s your case for choosing strongman?

I deem out of your total energy disciplines, strongman is the final expression of energy attributable to it in fact entails all actions. Strongman is so extreme and varied that every person other energy sports in the end change into instruments for strongman. In strongman you might perhaps well perhaps not maintain any susceptible functions in energy and capability in expressing energy.

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And it’s not upright numbers on a barbell, which is ergonomic to very with out anxiousness slot within the fingers. Strongman most ceaselessly desires you to dangle rocks or pulling issues or flipping issues. You are in point of fact attempting to dangle issues which are not handy or ergonomic, so your energy has to be adaptive to whatever object you’re lifting, and no other energy sports attain that—they’re very particular to the lifts incorporated within the sport and don’t fling beyond that.

In strongman it is advisable be in an arena to dangle whatever’s in entrance of you; I’d fling as a long way to claim it’s the fully upright energy sport.

OK, that you just might perhaps moreover simply maintain got convinced me. What’s the first allotment of recommendation you give to guys who want to steal up the sport?

Learn the motions; don’t bustle lifting heavy. Heavy comes down the line.

I learned this from legendary powerlifting coach Tom DeLong, who passed away just recently, he keep apart it into phrases what I’ve been doing for years: learn the motion and your total mechanics of it, learn to realize it precisely and properly, learn where your deficiencies and tightness might perhaps moreover simply be, and then retain watch over the motion. Buy slowly and smoothly, ensuring there’s no gaps to your energy.

Let’s issue you’re doing a squat and halfway up your knees crumple—retain watch over it so every single attitude of it feels solid and appears to be like just so there’s no point where your place collapses.

Then load and explode the motion. When that you just might perhaps moreover simply maintain retain watch over and also you’re assured in every single attitude of the motion, commence alongside side weight and commence transferring sooner and sooner to stay explosive energy and motion.

To summarize: learn, retain watch over, and explode. There couldn’t be a more straightforward or extra handsome skill to lifting correctly.

Your confidence to your abilities has always stood out to me. What does your psychological practicing peek cherish? Enact you attain visualizations, meditate, attain that you just might perhaps moreover simply maintain a life coach?

I positively meditate loads. I am seeing a sports psychology handbook as correctly, Joar Svensson, that helps me pause on observe in my visualizations, he’s helped me loads.

However I indicate I’ve been doing this since I became once a kid: meditating, visualizing, and coming up with a battle notion. Diverse competitors upright put together energy on the entire then jump into a contest, I rob to bewitch the competitions I want to take.

Even supposing I’m doing multiple competitions in a twelve months I’m able to utterly focal point on two or three competitions where I’m obsessing over the event, breaking them down, and discovering techniques to take these events. So I give myself targets to hit in practicing that I do know might perhaps perhaps either take the event or keep me within the pause, and I strive to don’t maintain any holes within the competitors.

Every single event I maintain to be valid at. I’ll put together the event I’m weakest in.

I in fact feel cherish for you, having your supportive physique of workers of (trainer and light-weight strongman) Original Haugen and (manager and fully good friend) Romark Weiss is a core of your practicing as correctly. Your physique of workers undoubtedly appears to be like to be extra emphasised to your social media and YouTube videos than rather a few other athletes.

I completely deem my physique of workers has made a immense impression. When I rep competitors ready I rep into a tunnel, and I’m not in fact valid at handling life stuff. My physique of workers has helps me pause fed and maintain within the holes where my focal point doesn’t naturally fling.

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Then I rep upright make stronger, they again me put together weights and keep my practicing so I’m able to head from event to event with out desirous in regards to the setup or onerous myself with it. I also fling to San Pedro bodily remedy and peep Squat College’s Aaron Horschig—they again me acquire out where I’m transferring correctly and where I’m able to relate enhancements.

On that screech, I deem that you just might perhaps moreover simply maintain got talked about your closest good friend within the sport is Hafthor “The Mountain” Bjornsson. What’s a precious practicing lesson that you just might perhaps moreover simply maintain got learned from the person?

I in fact learned the one-motion stone lifting from Thor. I didn’t in fact learn it from him straight, but I watched your total videos of how he one-motioned stones: how he rolls them and the timing for when his hips push by map of and lengthen, and I started mimicking that.

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I give him the credit, I’ve never told him this but I give him credit for my effective stone one-motion, where you attain not lap the stone you upright roll it into your chest and dangle it simply over the platform

You’ve also talked about your final procedure is to take World’s Strongest Man, the Arnold Strongman Classic, and World’s Final Strongman in Dubai. Are you peaceable slightly assured in that notion?

Honest now my sights are keep for the 2022 Arnold Classic and World’s Strongest Man competitions. I’d rob to take World’s Final Strongman as correctly, it upright relies on where my physique’s at after Arnold and World’s. Those two I want to take essentially the most simply now.

Most of your competitors are greatly taller than you. How would you issue your practicing differs from the better guys?

Diverse the better guys keep apart all their emphasis on brute energy, and I strive to create vary of motion and steadiness so that map I’m able to rep into bad positions they are able to’t. Because they’re stiffer or better it takes them that mighty extra vitality to total most of these motions.

I’ll straight put together the half of the dangle that’s essentially the most tough. As an instance, the stone bewitch. I’ll spend rather a few time upright picking stones, not even lapping them or lifting them, upright lifting them off the ground and holding them. This vogue my wrists, forearms, shoulders, and pecs, rep dilapidated to that stress of the stone bewitch so that by map of contest time, I don’t creep or hesitate to rep them off the ground and I don’t poke a bicep. I’ve seen rather a few biceps rep torn lifting stones off the ground, but I deem this skill to spending further time working on essentially the most tough parts of the motion helped me take these events.

Let’s talk about nutrition What are your staple meals now?

I’m ingesting rather a few fruits simply now. An on a conventional foundation meal might perhaps well be carne asada, spinach, and a few fruit for carbs. I also spend rather a few potatoes, and rather a few eggs within the morning.

Are there any micronutrients you’re particularly mindful of? I do know strongmen are inclined to talk loads about sodium and potassium.

Certain. In particular when practicing will get heavy or I rep scorching and commence sweating, I maintain to rep an abundant quantity of potassium and electrolytes in. I’ll oftentimes even spend straight up mustard in my practicing upright to rep the electrolytes I need. I’ve also been known to spend six to eight bananas throughout practicing, I chanced on that to be very effective, and recently I’ve been ingesting rather a few spinach for potassium as correctly.

What’s one truth about you that surprises other folks?

I deem if other folks ever peep my art work they’d be greatly shocked. I in fact maintain a semi-secret listing hobby. Usually I’ll dive in and binge on a listing or two and I acquire it therapeutic. Earlier than a contest I’m able to’t endure to peek at a listing attributable to my mind is in chaos battle mode, but after I’m a long way from competitors I rob to rep in touch with that aspect of myself.

You proceed to withhold the 565 pound world file for the Steinborn Squat, and also you’re a global champion at Mas wrestling, every very spectacular and slightly vague recordsdata. Are there every other unorthodox challenges you will rob to dominate?

I’ve wished the zigzag press, but my shoulders maintain gotten stiffer with age. I dilapidated to maintain enormous vary of motion in my shoulders but since getting hit by the automobile and tearing my left lat and simply pec, it’s been greatly extra tough than it dilapidated to be to rep the vary of motion in my shoulders, so I don’t know if I’ll be in an arena to rep the zigzag press world file.

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However at this point I’d rob to interrupt the Steinborn world file one extra time and take some extra strongman reveals, then I’ll be very speak. And as a interior most anxiousness—I’m able to’t be too assured on this onethe log press world file might perhaps well be a dream. If issues fling in fact correctly I’ll be gunning for that.

Are there any feats out of doorways of strongman that you just will rob to stay some day? A four-minute mile, shredding to single digit physique corpulent, something cherish that?

Outside of strongman I’d rob to rep into MMA. It’s not a tough procedure simply now, it’s upright something I’m teasing in my mind, but after I’m performed with strongman I’d cherish to realize something that’s extra cardiovascular and something I’d attain better in if I lost weight. I don’t want to be this heavy for too for a long way longer, upright to address my correctly being I‘ll want to head down in weight and build something rather extra athletic and cardiovascular.

You’re also transferring into acting, simply?

I’m loving acting, I’m fully doing commercials but I in fact maintain some doable film affords. I became once imagined to realize them this summer but Covid and a few strikes pushed them again. However in 2022, I’m crossing my fingers that every thing goes correctly, I’ll be in a Netflix Western film.

What’s else is subsequent for you, out of doorways of competing?

I’m raise my gymnasium, Ruin-It Health club, and the app, Ruin-It Vitality. What we’re offering now might perhaps well be my own practicing program, while you to the app you shall be in an arena to for my half put together my practicing and it’s updated per week with the exercises I attain to rep myself wholesome and willing for contest. Very quickly we’re working on prepackaged programming so other folks don’t must put together exactly what I’m doing, they are able to attain a more straightforward version or a barbell version or extra introductory strongman exercises. We’re going to be alongside side other coaches as correctly.

Strongman Corporation also upright just recently purchased sold out and they’re going to be as a lot as a couple in fact icy issues that I’ll be an component of, competitions that’ll change the fashion strongman is performed so we are able to rep extra viewers and better prize cash for the athletes.

What are you planning to alter about strongman?

Every competitors desires to be livestreamed—and livestreamed correctly. There desires to be a typical for how the sport is portrayed so we rep quality viewing every time.

In person, we favor it to be extra spectator friendly as correctly, to cessation having competitions in parking heaps and keep apart them on in arenas, to market them better. I remember competing at The United States’s Strongest Man, shall we issue, and the locals had no thought it became once going on, plus it became once taking place in a convention heart with out a that you just shall be in an arena to factor in seating to see the contest. So there are all these alternatives to appreciate it extra approachable which are repeatedly getting neglected. That’s my mighty procedure simply now: to grow the sport and appreciate it extra intelligent and accessible to learn about.

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