Matty Hayden a legend in world cricket, and a guy I’ve always loved.
A guy that wasn’t given a chance to succeed in India on their OWN turf and yet did it in a manner that boggled both expectation and imagination while the rest of the team fell around him like ninepins.
In cricket, you have THREE (well, mostly) sort of batters.
One, the technicians. The current Indian skipper Virat “hustler” Kohli probably falls into this category.
Then you got the swashbuckling pirates.
Sir Vivian Richards. Kevin Pietersen. Probably Glenn Maxwell in the current Aussie team, though I wouldn’t quite put him in that league just as yet. But I WOULD put him in another league I’ll mention below ...
(And Ricky Ponting, Aussie captain of yore. BOY THAT BOY COULD BAT!!)
Then of course you got the sheer MAGICIANS.
Steve Smith in the current Aussie cricket team looks closest to a magician than anyone else in the world right now!
(I’ve always loved Australia and especially their cricket team, hehe. And it looks like they’ve recovered very well from the bruising ball tampering scandal at the Newlands...)
Speaking of bruisers.
Thats the 4th category.
Massive, well built batters that just stride down the track, INTIMIDATE the bowlers, and simply smash the damn thing out of the park – or BLUDGEON would be a better word!
Matty Hayden falls into THIS category.
Big Matt the bat he was called, and for a good reason!
I dont know if you’ve seen him in his prime, and probably even now, but one look at his upper body – especially that massive chest and shoulders – well – I dont know if he knows who Doug Hepburn was, but damn – he could give ole Doug and some of the current WWE wrestlers some serious, serious competition me thinks.
Naturally strong man, BRUTE strength like my buddy from the Marines ...
Just RAW POWER!
And he smashed many a cricket ball out of the park!
I still remember a “lasting visual” of him getting into it with the Poms, James Anderson I believe it was, hehe.
And while Anderson and Paul Collingwood aren’t exactly “small characters” – well – Hayden positively DWARFED the three of them in that “stare down” (Ricky “Punter” Ponting looked positively TINY in comparison).
Anyway ...
Whats thepoint of all this, you might ask.
This (yet another) trip down memory lane. Hehe.
Especially those of you not into cricket, and more into the “Red Sox”, hehe.
Well, its this my friend.
To build that sort of shoulder strength and POWER – like Doug Hepburn – or ole “Big Matt the BAT” – then you TRAIN that way.
And you dont neglect the mental!
Hayden would often sit on a cricket pitch for hours before the game, VISUALIZING and meditating, exactly the same as yours truly and many others who “get it” do.
Not what youd expect from a man known mostly for his “strength” and batting prowress.
He also cooked “dal” (lentils) in India I believe. I think he also has a cookbook out! Hehe.
Great guy overall – and a legend of the game.
And while I dont think he has an inkling of 0 Excuses Fitness and the lot, my point is this (back to it, yes).
To build shoulder strength – SIZE – and POWER like that – well – you follow and do what the greats did.
And I’ve outlined it ALL for you in Shoulders like Boulders, and Battletank Shoulders.
Grab this now, my friend. It truly IS the “best thing” in terms of developing those imposing shoulders, grizzly like pushing strength, and of course barndoor like “bat lats”!
Best,
Rahul Mookerjee
PS – Here is what a customer recently had to say about Battletank Shoulders.
Another BARNSTORMER, Rahul!
Yet again the bodyweight guru smashes it out of the park with "the book" on building shoulder size and power.
Like Rahul's other books this one is elegant in it's "simplicity" (simplistic not easy).
If you like to "train savage" this is must have book!!!
Bravo Rahul bravo.
Indeed, my friend.
Indeed! (Review is on the Amazon UK page for you amazon fans out there).
PS #2 – Why this sudden trip down memory lane about Big Matt of all things? Well – that story about swimming with the sharks and the post I did on it – will never go away from my mind! True MACHISMO, and true “ do it yourself and save your life” kinda thang. Ole style Aussie, like it should be!
PPS – And while I have no idea if Matty Hayden did handstand pushups, I would NOT be surprised if he did. I repeat, I wouldn’t be a damn bit surprised if that wasn’t one of his favorite exercises.
And I’lltell you one damn thing – Doug Hepburn DID do them and has gone on record saying that THESE were the secret behind his prodigious STRENGTH and SIZE!
Believe me, it’s not just strength and size – it’s feeling as well! They make you feel like a BRUISER, like a KING amongst men when you do it right.
Get on the program right NOW, my friend.