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Tim Ferriss

Inside the World of SuperTraining – Mark Bell (#252)

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A ripped Mark Bell in his gym.

“Multiply your muscle and multiply your hustle.”

– Mark Bell

Mark Bell (@MarkSmellyBell) is the founder of Super Training Gym in Sacramento, which is often referred to as “the strongest gym in the West.” Prior to opening his own gym, he spent time studying training under the legendary Louie Simmons at Westside Barbell.

Mark is no stranger to the iron. His best “geared lifts” in competition include a 1,025-pound squat (465 kg), an 832-pound bench press (377 kg), and a 738-pound deadlift (335 kg). Mark is also the inventor of the patented Slingshot, a device used to assist in maintaining proper bench press form while also helping use more weight or perform more reps.

Mark now has an entire line of products and is spectacularly successful. In this episode, we cover a lot, including:

  • Mark’s most important lessons for building strength.
  • How to avoid injury and breakdown.
  • Lesser-known training techniques that nearly everyone overlooks.
  • How Mark became a millionaire by offering his gym memberships for free.
  • And much, much more.

We recorded this interview while touring his facility in Sacramento, looking at some crazy equipment that you can see by visiting tim-blog-development.mystagingwebsite.com/supertraining.

Please enjoy!

You can find the transcript of this episode here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

#252: Inside the World of SuperTraining – Mark Bell

Want to hear another episode about fitness and strength training? Listen to this interview with Jerzy Gregorek. In this episode, we discuss flexibility, strength, muscle gain, and fat loss at any age (stream below or right-click here to download):

#228: The Lion of Olympic Weightlifting, 62-Year-Old Jerzy Gregorek (Also Featuring: Naval Ravikant)

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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

  • Connect with Mark Bell:

Super Training Gym | HowMuchYaBench.net | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Show Notes

  • Mark talks about his new gym location and his free membership business model. [05:49]
  • The benefits Mark has enjoyed since making his gym free. [08:53]
  • What Mark’s gym schedule looks like. [12:50]
  • Lessons learned from Louie Simmons at Westside Barbell. [14:55]
  • Advice for new lifters who want to take an “accelerated learning” approach. [21:53]
  • Five exercises for an athlete of another discipline who is new to powerlifting. [26:46]
  • Lesser known assistance exercises Mark finds valuable for deadlifts, squats, and bench press. [30:26]
  • The real value of Mark’s SlingShot (and a few bench press techniques). [33:30]
  • “Idiot-proofing the bench press.” [38:38]
  • Helpful bench press tips and warmups. [39:47]
  • How your warmup can be a diagnostic tool. [41:48]
  • Mark’s favorite bench press warmup. [45:27]
  • The background of the “fuck your elbow” shenanigans. [50:59]
  • The feud vs. Mike O’Hearn. [55:14]
  • On Ed Coan, “the greatest powerlifter of all time.” [58:45]
  • Techniques learned from other legendary powerlifters. [1:06:32]
  • “Strength is never a weakness.” [1:08:59]
  • Why it’s sometimes dangerous to emulate techniques of top performers. [1:10:35]
  • As he’s gotten older, has Mark added anything to minimize the likelihood of injury or spinal issues? [1:12:54]
  • Sometimes sleep is the most important technique. [1:17:11]
  • The first person who comes to mind when Mark thinks of success. [1:20:16]
  • The power of not taking oneself too seriously. [1:24:10]
  • Recent purchases that have had the most positive impact on Mark’s life. [1:25:57]
  • What would Mark’s billboard say? [1:29:19]
  • Parting thoughts. [1:32:27]

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