Arnold 2018 Gathering!

Fellow Bigger Stronger Leaner folk!

I’m gonna be at the Arnold this year in Ohio, it’s gonna be my first time attending the event. Mostly interested in the Strongman stuff, both Pro and amateur, but of course I’ll be seeing as much there as I can. I’d love to meet anyone from our community who plans to be there!. Maybe we can even coordinate a TNation meeting of some sort. I’ll be there Friday through Sunday.

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Pending I am able to get the time off work, I will be there. Gonna be staying at the cheapest/sketchiest motel, so I need t survive that as well.

I was planning on being there one of weekend days with the fiance. I workout bodybuilding style in the gym, but the power lifting and strongman events at the Arnold are so much more fun than the Expo.

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I plan on checking out as much stuff there as I can. Everything about the expo seems awesome to me. I’d love to see a top-level bodybuilding show.

Wife wants to take me there for my birthday. I’m so damn cheap though. Would be cool to see the competitors in person.

Are they doing the bale thing again?

6’8" 440lbs is probably bigger than I imagine it is.

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if you’re imagining something that resembles a human, you’re probably imagining wrong.

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No Bale Tote this year. I’m still a bit stunned they got rid of the Austrian Oak - how much more of a signature event for this competition could you have? I blame this on Shaw for wearing sunglasses indoors while lifting the thing.

Brian is surreal in person. I liken it to Lord of the Rings when the troll stands out from the orcs and goblins lol

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I should be there… it’s not a long drive for me!!!

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This made me giggle.

It seems like they consider the Elephant Bar deadlift the signature event now. But maybe that’s just my perception?

In last year’s Road to the Arnold, I was alternatively struck by how proportional Thor is (in some camera shots, he just looks like a really big guy wearing a Rogue t-shirt and basketball shorts, but his proportions are all normal) and other shots where other people are in the picture that make you realize how giant he is. There’s a shot of him pressing a barbell with a prominent CrossFit girl hanging from each side (I think Katrin Davidsdottir and Annie Thorisdottir?) where you again realize how much larger he is than normal humans.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BO-hSEuAtMb/?utm_source=ig_embed

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I’m also only a couple hours away, so I will probably attend

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Dude, has anyone watched Thor’s Road to the Arnold video and checked out his grandfather? His GRANDFATHER (who has to be at least 70 years old) is tall and sturdy as fuck. No wonder Thor is such a goddamn beast!

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For anyone who hasn’t seen this… It’s Thor deadlifting 300kg (660 lbs). And struggling like hell to get it. This was literally 24 months before his first appearance IN A WORLDS STRONGEST MAN FINAL. Insane.

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Damn that was an ugly deadlift haha nice find!

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That video compared to his 455kg one is wild. Especially how his crew (same people or not) haven’t changed a bit haha.

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Oh, my god. I can’t believe how much different he looks. If you showed me that video without any other hints, I’m not sure that I’d guess it was Thor.

But seriously, LOOK AT HIS FREAKING GRANDFATHER

.

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Did I read right that the guy is in his 70s? Being in your 70s and looking like you could crush people would be pretty neat haha

Is there a daughter in the family? Imagine dating her and seeing Thor. You’d think I better not do wrong by her… then you see her dad… and then her granddad!!! Haha

I don’t know his exact age, but Thor is 29, so it’s hard to imagine his grandfather is less than 70 years old.

There’s another good shot in the video (around 2:48) with Thor flanked by his father and grandfather. It just looks like three big dudes standing next to each other until you remember that Thor is 6’9" and upwards of 400 pounds, and then realize that his dad and grandfather both ALSO must be at least 6’9" and in the vicinity of 250-300 each themselves…(his dad is a lot thinner than his grandfather, who looks like he might as well be a retired strongman himself).

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I was so struck and excited by this that I showed my partner a few days ago… she could not have been less interested lol

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After watching that video, I am officially very short and very mass-less and very weak. My self-esteem has never been higher.

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