Thanks for that video Alpha. Between that and the one from Kalle, I realized I was making the press harder than necessary. I assumed both hands had to be at the bottom of the keg for the press to count, and was getting reps that way. The stagger grip is going to make a huge difference. I will definitely try out that technique you used.
Alpha, tried out that technique this morning and it was awesome. The keg flew up to my shoulder and got pressed with ease. I am definitely no longer dreadding this event. Next up is to master the sandbag, but I’m not too worried about that, and then onto the finer points of the continental clean with the axle.
That is awesome man! I find it to be much, much easier! The continental takes some getting used to.
Worked competition weight for the sandbag and keg today. Both are manageable. I will be on vacation for 2 weeks soon, but will still have access to a gym, just not MY gym. Think I’m going to bring the sandbag, POSSIBLY the axle, and then some fat gripz to make circus DBs at wherever I am training.
Still won’t touch a yoke, tire or stone until the day of the comp, but I’m not too worried about them. I tend to just hulk those anyway, haha.
Looks like a fun set of events. Good luck!
[quote]flipcollar wrote:
Looks like a fun set of events. Good luck![/quote]
Thanks man. It definitely suits me. Not a whole lot of moving, haha.
Tried to get the continental clean down today, but it just wasn’t taking. I could get the axle to my chest no issue, but didn’t lean back enough to pull again. I actually think I’ll have better luck hang cleaning the axle versus trying to get it done in one pull.
Welp, promoter just axed the sandbag from the press medley. Says its going to be an odd object clean and press. Pissed, because I drove my sandbag 1000 miles so that I could train it while at my in-laws and because this seemed like it was going to be my best implement, but also excited since we’ll all be on equal footing with a new object. I imagine it will favor my ability to just Hulk smash the weight into place.
My leg drive is getting much better, and I put a 125lb dumbbell over my head without much issue in training today. Saw a video on the continental clean which I think will help should the need arise.
I think the weight on your axle is light enough that you can probably just muscle clean it up. If you are going to continental it, just make sure that your first pull is as high as you can get it before it lands on your torso. I try to almost put the axle on my chest so that when it slips down some in transition then it is still high enough to clean.
Also the implement will probably be some sort of stone. Keep training with the sandbag. If you can get that awkward thing up and above your head then whatever they throw at you shouldn’t be too bad.
[quote]Alpha wrote:
I think the weight on your axle is light enough that you can probably just muscle clean it up. If you are going to continental it, just make sure that your first pull is as high as you can get it before it lands on your torso. I try to almost put the axle on my chest so that when it slips down some in transition then it is still high enough to clean.
Also the implement will probably be some sort of stone. Keep training with the sandbag. If you can get that awkward thing up and above your head then whatever they throw at you shouldn’t be too bad.
[/quote]
The promoter said it wasn’t a stone. His words were that it was something that 99% of the population won’t be able to train with. Either way, I figure being strong will help, haha.
Thanks for the advice on the continental. It’s what I was leaning toward as well with the super high pull. The weight is light, but my coordination is just balls, and in training I was able to pull the weight to my chest but not catch it. I’m going to keep trying, and odds are on gameday I’ll just magic it up, but I like to have a contingency plan.
Inspirational stuff buddy.
After much dicking around in the gym not really having any continuing set goal, I’ve finally decided to concentrate all my efforts on powerlifting and aim to compete when my numbers are where I’m happy with to be competitive.
We are pretty much the same weight although I’m a couple of inches taller, and my deadlift is nowhere near yours yet so I have a lot of hard work to do, watching people like yourself accomplish things only motivates me further.
Good luck in all your future events and I’ll definitely keep checking back for your progress and results.
[quote]harper2704 wrote:
Inspirational stuff buddy.
After much dicking around in the gym not really having any continuing set goal, I’ve finally decided to concentrate all my efforts on powerlifting and aim to compete when my numbers are where I’m happy with to be competitive.
We are pretty much the same weight although I’m a couple of inches taller, and my deadlift is nowhere near yours yet so I have a lot of hard work to do, watching people like yourself accomplish things only motivates me further.
Good luck in all your future events and I’ll definitely keep checking back for your progress and results.[/quote]
Many thanks man. That said, there is ZERO benefit to waiting to compete. All you are doing is missing out on meet experience, which is invaluable. Find the next contest nearby you, sign up for it, enter it and learn as much as you can. You’ll meet some great folks, learn a lot, and hopefully get bit by the ironbug. It happens to me everytime I compete, haha.
Thanks for the support. Hope to see your own meet results in the near future.
Hit the axle for 2 singles at comp weight with zero issues today. No continental necessary. A week out from comp, got one more heavy day tomorrow and then taking it light. Getting amped.
I took second place! First time placing in a show. Lost out to Joel Snoodgrass aka Snoodgrass strong here on T-Nation, but still had the best day I’ve ever had in strongman. Here is the video/write up
?A VERY HEAVY NEW YEAR 2015? WRITE UP
Just completed my 4th strongman comp and ended up placing second. This is the first time I?ve placed in a comp, and placing this high is just amazing. Everything really seemed to come together, and it looks like a lot of the lessons I?ve learned from previous competitions/comp experience really shined through. My training paid off as well, and that?s while training at home by myself with limited equipment first thing in the morning. While some things are still fresh in my head I want to get them down.
PRESS MEDLEY
Implements for this event were a 225lb axle w/tires, 115lb circus dumbbell, 165lb keg and a ?mystery object? that turned out to be a fire hydrant. The mystery object was originally supposed to be a sandbag. I took 2 weeks of vacation before the comp to visit my in-laws and didn?t want to pack a whole bunch of gear to train with, so I threw a 150lb sandbag in my car only to find out they were cutting it out of the comp. I was pissed at the time, but I think all the time I spent training with the sandbag just got me good at cleaning and pressing awkward objects anyway, so it was a net gain.
I came into this with a gameplan of hitting the axle first, then the dumbbell, then the keg, then the fire hydrant. Thought process was that the axle was the heaviest and required the most technique, the dumbbell required technique, the keg just required me to hulk the weight up and I had a chance to train with it before the comp and the fire hydrant was a crapshoot, so I would save it for last in case I couldn?t press it. That way, I would have at least a fast 3 implement time should I fail on the 4th.
When the event started, I was actually caught off guard by how easily I cleaned the axle. Cleaning is never my strong suit, and every person before me had to continental the weight up, but I just threw it up to my shoulders. In retrospect, my ghetto axle at home is harder to work with than the comp ones because it is thicker and has no knurling at all, so I think that?s what made this so much easier. However, it ended up slowing me down a little because I was anticipating more of fight. My leg drive also fell apart as a result, but I can still press 225 strict just fine. Lesson learned here: anticipate success rather than failure.
Moved on to the circus dumbbell and made a rookie mistake: I went back to powerlifter mode and waited for a press command. It was only a second, but it did throw off my rhythm and made it that my first attempt to press the weight went flat. Gathered up my reserves and hit the second attempt just fine, but this is where things got interesting.
I can only speculate what happened psychologically, and my thought is that I got really upset with myself over missing the press command and just sort of melted down, because once I got the dumbbell over head I flew into a rage. It?s still crazy for me sitting here the next morning to think about, but I was legitimately angry about something and I still can?t quite figure out what, but it manifested in me completely abandoning the gameplan on the spot and being absolutely furious at the fire hydrant. I did not give a shit about technique, and just wanted to show dominance over it, so I grabbed it, threw it up to my shoulders and pressed in the dumbest way I probably could have. By the grace of god, the judge gave me a down command the second I lost my grip on the fire hydrant, so I just let it slip through my fingers and went to the keg.
I was still in the same state of fugue when I reached the keg, but thankfully I was realistic about my lack of coordination and trained all my keg work to be about brute strength rather than technique. I did not lap and roll the keg up, but instead just ripped it off the floor to my chest and pressed it. I threw it to the floor and really had to calm myself down, because I was still pissed off over something I couldn?t figure out, but I ended up taking 3rd out of 7, which is a great showing for me. Upon reviewing the video and hearing the jeers of my fellow competitors, I used pretty much zero leg drive the whole time, which is pretty badass, but also means I?m losing time by strict pressing. I keep training leg drive in my training, but I imagine that when the chips hit the floor, I go back to what I?m good at. Still, was feeling good after this event.
LAST MAN STANDING TIRE DEADLIFT
This event took forever, as I was warned they usually do. We did 20lb jumps from 440-520, and 40lb jumps from there. If you know me, you know this is my event, so not a whole lot to write up. I did employ some psychological warfare, and made a conscious effort to remain as calm, collected and bored as possible every time I pulled. I wanted everyone else to know that their efforts were futile, and that they should just quit because I could do this all day. A little cocky, but whatever, if you got it flaunt it.
I DID ensure to strap in for every single set. No points for style here, and I wanted to save my grip for the contest as much as I could.
In the end, it came down to me and one other competitor. We both got up to 680, which he managed with probably the most magical and gravity defying hitch I have ever seen in my life. I am nothing but jealous about it. I pulled a pretty smooth 680, but psyched myself up for it pretty hard since it was down to the wire. When 720 came around, the other guy withdrew and I thought I had a decent shot at it. However, being expended from the previous effort, I went to pull, got the weight a few inches off the ground and felt the sensation of something separating in my mid-back. It wasn?t worth slipping a disk, so I settled with sharing first place. Not exactly how I wanted it to go, but still, I got some points, and at this point I was second overall in the standings.
YOKE WALK
Did no training for this, have nothing close to the implement. Gameplan was ?be stronger than everyone else?. Amazingly, that worked, because even though it was only 550lbs, this Yoke just SUCKED. I don?t know what it was, but every second it was on my back I felt like I was being crucified. I felt like I had a ton of drops and was making no progress, but looking at the video I actually only dropped 3 or 4 times and got pretty far between drops. I think what helped me compared to other competitors was simply SOME implement experience (definitely saw a few first time yokes out there) and my willingness to endure more misery, as I would quickly get back under the bar every time it set down. I probably had the slowest time among those who completed the course, but since that was me and 2 other guys, I got 3rd again. This put me in second overall by 4.5 points, trailing first by 4 points, so pretty wide margins all around.
One thing I did take away from this is that I was very uncomfortable having weight on my neck, and I think this stems from the fact that I haven?t been hitting the safety squat bar as much as I used to. It?s a great piece of equipment and I credit the majority of my success with it, so I need to get it back into my routine. It should also help my dead climb back up.
TIRE FLIP
No training on this one, came into it cocky thinking that my deadlift strength would payoff. Looking at the video though, I was moving slow. In the future, can?t be wasting time waiting for the tire to fall. Soon as I flip it, set up for the next one. Technique sucked too, need to be able to one shot it each time. I also dropped it at the end of the event, and had I been better with my technique I would?ve closed the gap on time. I took 5th on this, getting beaten out by a 10th of a second by 4th place. Was still in second here, now at 19.5 points with third at 16.
LOADING MEDLEY
Used some new tacky on this, which seems like a dumb idea considering the last time I botched stones was because I used new equipment, but things actually worked out well. Prior to the contest I looked up what the weather was going to be like, noticed it was going to be cold, and picked up some Elite cold weather tacky. The rest of the internet seemed to dislike the stuff and prefer spider tack, but by the time stones rolled around, no one?s spider tack was working, while the elite (though incredible tough to work with) was plenty sticky. It definitely has my endorsement.
That aside, the event changed day of the contest, and instead 2 atlas stones and 2 natural stones, we were loading a 240lb atlas stone, 250lb natural stone, 275lb sandbag and 310lb atlas stone. Once again, all that time at my in-laws with a sandbag was going to pay off. Life works out funny sometimes.
First stone was no real issue. Lapped it this time instead of trying to one shot it. Natural stone I was dumb on, and tried to grab it like an atlas stone instead of considering the design of it. Grabbed it at the front instead of the back, and it fell backwards out of my hands. Regripped and one shotted it.
The sandbag had a few interesting factors. Second I was second overall, 5 other guys had a crack at it, so it was covered in tacky and actually stuck to the floor, so I had to break the grip of the tacky first. Secondly, one of the volunteer loaders was way in my space while I was trying to work with this, so I had to shove him out of the way with the sandbag to get myself some space to work with. After that though, it wasn?t as bad as I thought. Got it in my lap, inched up to the platform, used it to brace the bag, and loaded it.
The 310 stone was a disaster. When I went to pick it up, I noticed it was incredibly slipper and smooth. Then I looked at my forearms and realized that this stone was covered in dirt, and now, so were my forearms. So my tacky was pretty much worthless at this point, and I tried every way I could to get a grip on this stone. I tried getting my hands under it, my shins against it, bear hugging it, front squatting it, etc. If I could have hacky sacked it up, I would have. It just wasn?t happening. Sprained my right lat slightly toward the end and just about gave up, but figured f**k it and kept going until the whistle blew. No idea what my placing was on the event, but I did reasonable well, and enough for second overall.
I have another contest in Feb, but it has some very similar events. In all honesty, this contest was just supposed to be a tune up to get me ready for that one, but after this showing, I may just do the Feb one for fun. Either way, still a great experience.
With this, I now officially have more strongman contests under my belt than powerlifting meets. I am no longer a powerlifter trying strongman, but have become a strongman who will maybe one day do another powerlifting meet.
Just read your contest write up and watched the vid. Awesome show, would’ve been cool to have been there. Keep killing it man.
[quote]strongmanvinny wrote:
Just read your contest write up and watched the vid. Awesome show, would’ve been cool to have been there. Keep killing it man.[/quote]
Thanks man, much appreciated. I saw your training log has you moving in the opposite direction of me, strongman to powerlifter, haha. It’s fun how much the sports compliment each other.
Nicely done. On the last stone, it looks like your feet were behind the stone. The technique I was taught is to get your tibias in line with the middle of the stone (straddle the stone). Not sure if that would have helped with the grip, but thought I’d mention it.
Was this a level II show? Does that mean you qualified for nationals?
[quote]Silyak wrote:
Nicely done. On the last stone, it looks like your feet were behind the stone. The technique I was taught is to get your tibias in line with the middle of the stone (straddle the stone). Not sure if that would have helped with the grip, but thought I’d mention it.
Was this a level II show? Does that mean you qualified for nationals? [/quote]
I appreciate it man. I just kind of hulk up the stones all the time, no real technique, but for the most part I was just trying to get a grip on the stone, and since that never happened, never really got to the point of moving it upward, haha.
Level I show. My next show will be level II though, so I got that going for me.
Well done on second place.
I thought the fire hydrant flew up so had to laugh when I read it was because you were enraged, ha.
[quote]Diddy Ryder wrote:
Well done on second place.
I thought the fire hydrant flew up so had to laugh when I read it was because you were enraged, ha.[/quote]
Thanks man, much appreciated. In retrospect, “Fuck you fire hydrant” is a really weird thought to ever have, haha.
Next contest coming up, the “RABFitness NAS Strongman Challenge”
Carry and Load Medley- Yoke, Farmers, Keg, Sandbag
At the command competitors will attempt to carry each implement in the order given. Each implement must cross the line fully before proceeding to the next implement. Distances can range from 25-50 feet. Chalk only! No adhesive or tacky including gloves with adhesive surface. Belts, wrist wraps, and knee/elbow sleeves only. 90secs
485/240/200/200
Tire Squat for Reps
At the command competitors will commence squatting for reps to depth. Tires on the bar must touch support boxes placed underneath the tires for rep to count. Command to squat and for a good squat will be given for each rep. No squats suits of briefs allowed. Belt, knee sleeves/wraps and wrist wraps allowed. 60secs
371
Last Man Standing Deadlift (TDB or Okie)
Starting weight 315, 50lb jumps
Press Medley- Log, Axle, Keg, Giant Dumbbell
At the command competitors will attempt to lift each object overhead in the order given. A ?Down? command will be given for a successful lift. Once the down command is given the competitor may move on to the next implement. Competitors reaching the Giant Dumbbell will attempt to clean and press it for as many reps possible in the allotted time. 60secs
200/203/180/115
At the command competitors will place 3-5 kegs on 51? platform. Kegs must be standing upright. Kegs will be placed 20 feet from the platform. Chalk only. No tacky or other adhesive allowed this includes gloves with tacky surface. Belt, knee or elbow sleeves and wrist wraps allowed. 60secs
185-230
When I found out that the last man standing deadlift was going to be done with a deadlift bar, I got unreasonably excited, haha. Minus the yoke, I have all the implements I need to train for this. Should be a blast.