Deadlift to the Top of the World
I'm never sure how to introduce myself when I'm asked what I do for a living. Polar explorer is the closest I have to a job title, though it sounds a bit too grand to have printed on a business card. I often jokingly tell people I drag heavy things around cold places, and while it sounds flippant, it's essentially true.
In 2004 I became the third person in history to ski solo to the North Pole. I walked more than 800 miles over the frozen surface of the Arctic Ocean -dragging all of my food and equipment in a sled thet weighed 180kg at the start- and spent 72 days alone. No one has been able to repeat the journey since (the world's most accomplished mountaineer, Reinhold Messner, described it as "Ten times as dangerous as Everest") and I hold the record for the longest solo Arctic journey by a Briton.
There's a misconception nowadays that there's nothing left to explore, and while this is becoming true in a geographical sense -we all know where the North and South Poles are- from a human point of view, physiologically and psychologically, I think we're still mapping the territory. My expeditions are about exploring human limist not geographical ones, and I'm more of an athlete than an explorer in the Edwardian sense.
Despite loathing sport and PE at school, I became interested in fitness and training at an early age, after unearthing a dog-eared book about the 1950s '5BX' training programme (sit-ups, press-ups, star jumps) and bought a set of plastic dumbells from Argos when I was 14.
I've been lifting weights (along with running and cycling at a high amateur level - I'm a 2:55 marathoner) ever since, though a lot of that time was wasted doing the pec deck flyes and preacher curls I'd seen in Men's Health. It took me a while to discover proper strength training, but the impact it had on my life, and later on the expeditions I would end up leading for a living, was remarkable.
I'm currently training for a series of three polar expeditions, culminating in a 1,800-mile return journey to the South Pole that will be the longest unsupported (i.e. human-powered) polar journey in history. My preparation is geared towards building high levels of endurance, while at the same time building the strength I'll need to pull loads in excess of 2x bodyweight.
My endurance training is currently between 14 and 24 hours per week, and I fit in three weights sessions, focussed on basic compound movements and low reps, high weight and several sets, with a basic push/pull split. No two sessions are the same, and I throw in as much variety as possible - front squats, overhead squats, Zercher squats, one-leg squats, Bulgarian split squats, deadlifts, sumo deadlifts, overhead press, bench press, high pulls, dips, chins, and rows.
I've been inspired by things like Crossfit - http://www.crossfit.com/ - and Gym Jones - http://www.gymjones.com/ and occasionally throw in the odd madcap workout to keep things varied (like a recent timed 100-rep deadlift session with 50%1RM).
My favourite session of all, though, consists of heavy, low-rep deadlifts. Admittedly, heavy (in my case and in the context of this website's mighty owner!) is a relative term. My 1RM is 200kg (440lbs) which is just over 2.5x bodyweight. In competitive cycling the individual time trial -setting off alone against the stopwatch on a fixed circuit- is called the race of truth, and in many ways the deadlift is the lift of truth. You can't cheat, you can't bounce, you can't buy a suit that will add 10% to your lift. It's a simple, honest test of strength, determination, and absolute mental focus.
The deadlift is also perfectly suited to building the specific strength it takes to haul a heavy sledge over the fractured and ridged surface of the Arctic Ocean. The posterior chain is massively and continually stressed on this type of expedition, and grip strength is vital for pulling the sledge over pressure ridges.
I'm an unusual breed of athlete, but my performance has increased profoundly through the introduction of dedicated and specific (and heavy!) strength training into my schedule, and I've also experienced a marked reduction in the kind of overuse injuries that plague endurance athletes. Given the results I've experienced, I can think of very few athletes -in any field- that would not benefit from learning to deadlift properly.
Ben Saunders
"I started training with Andy in January 2009. 7 months later, in July, I'd increased my Squat by 60% and my Deadlift by 12%. Training with Andy is intense and highly motivating."
"Since training with Andy I have increased my Squat by over 100kg, Bench by 80kg and deadlift by 60kg."
"With Andy's help, I have tailored my training programs to enable me to pack on 5 stones of muscle and squat 375kg in only 2 years of Powerlifting."
"Andy has helped me to understand how to train for powerlifting and become a champion, both physically and mentally. I am a 3 time British Champion and won the GPC World's at 13 years old. I have also broken 16 British records." 
"I came to Andy because I felt I needed more explosive power on the rugby field. 3 months later, I felt like a new athlete. I was stronger and faster in the gym and this transferred perfectly to Rugby. Andy understands strength and how to teach it."
"The weekly contact with Andy has been invaluable and he has really helped me back on track with the powerlifts again. I have really felt my power and strength increase from week to week. So now I'm looking forward to new PR's; with Andy's help".