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This Saturday I competed in my first strongman competition. It was a USS event and was well organized. The level of competition was excellent. I finished in a tie for 12th out of 15 in my division (middleweight/220). Here's the breakdown...
A little background: I started training for this event right after New Years. I kept 5/3/1 on a 4-day split for my primary training, and added a 5th day of training for strongman specific techniques. I was just shy of 240 at the time and signed up for the 220 pound middleweight division, as I knew I was carrying a few extra pounds from the holidays. I ate right and cut 5 or 6 pounds the week leading up to the competition. I woke up Friday at 219. I was back up around 227 by the time the competition started.
Event 1: Max Log Press
My training max was 220 for this event. I opened at 210 thinking I would hit 220 with my second attempt and maybe hit 230 for a PR. I hit my opener but struggled with 220. In hindsight, I probably should have opened at 200 and then jumped to 220. My 210 was good for 13th out of 15. 220 would have moved me into the top 10.
Event 2: Deadlift Medley
This was probably the event I was looking most forward to. It consisted of a trap bar deadlift at 420 pounds, a 2" axel deadlift at 443 pounds, and 2 standard barbell deadlifts at 505 and 555 pounds. Time was capped at a minute. I thought I would run through the first 3 and possibly set a new PR on the 555 pound bar. It took me 2 attempts at 505. I rushed the first attempt and my form was poor. I saved some energy and did not attempt the 555 pound bar. After my struggles at 505 I don't think I would have gotten it anyway. My lift at 505 was good enough for 9th place in this event.
Event 3: Farmer's Walk
This was a 275 pounds per hand, 70' farmer's walk for time. I had only done farmer's walk once before the event (long story short, the gym I trained strongman at parted ways with a trainer who owned most of the equipment). I struggled with grip and finished at 23'. This put me in 13th for this event.
Event 4: Sandbag Carry
This was a 250 pound sandbag, 70' down and back for time. I had literally never done this before. I had a good pick, but once I got the sandbag to my chest, I had a hard time breathing and got light headed. I had to stop after 32'-5" so I wouldn't pass out. This put me in 14th.
Event 5: Tire Flip
They tallied the scores going into this event and went from lowest to highest. There was a 3-way tie for last place, so I was up first. This was a 550 pound tire, 70' for time. I knew I needed a decent time to move out of last place. I finished in 39.12 seconds, which was good for 9th place in this event.
So despite not being to train on the strongman implements for 5 weeks leading up to the event, and this being my first event, I am pretty happy with my performance. I'm looking for a new place to train strongman now and would like to do at least one more competition this year. If I continue training and can keep my diet in check, I may drop to the 198 pound division.
A little background: I started training for this event right after New Years. I kept 5/3/1 on a 4-day split for my primary training, and added a 5th day of training for strongman specific techniques. I was just shy of 240 at the time and signed up for the 220 pound middleweight division, as I knew I was carrying a few extra pounds from the holidays. I ate right and cut 5 or 6 pounds the week leading up to the competition. I woke up Friday at 219. I was back up around 227 by the time the competition started.
Event 1: Max Log Press
My training max was 220 for this event. I opened at 210 thinking I would hit 220 with my second attempt and maybe hit 230 for a PR. I hit my opener but struggled with 220. In hindsight, I probably should have opened at 200 and then jumped to 220. My 210 was good for 13th out of 15. 220 would have moved me into the top 10.
Event 2: Deadlift Medley
This was probably the event I was looking most forward to. It consisted of a trap bar deadlift at 420 pounds, a 2" axel deadlift at 443 pounds, and 2 standard barbell deadlifts at 505 and 555 pounds. Time was capped at a minute. I thought I would run through the first 3 and possibly set a new PR on the 555 pound bar. It took me 2 attempts at 505. I rushed the first attempt and my form was poor. I saved some energy and did not attempt the 555 pound bar. After my struggles at 505 I don't think I would have gotten it anyway. My lift at 505 was good enough for 9th place in this event.
Event 3: Farmer's Walk
This was a 275 pounds per hand, 70' farmer's walk for time. I had only done farmer's walk once before the event (long story short, the gym I trained strongman at parted ways with a trainer who owned most of the equipment). I struggled with grip and finished at 23'. This put me in 13th for this event.
Event 4: Sandbag Carry
This was a 250 pound sandbag, 70' down and back for time. I had literally never done this before. I had a good pick, but once I got the sandbag to my chest, I had a hard time breathing and got light headed. I had to stop after 32'-5" so I wouldn't pass out. This put me in 14th.
Event 5: Tire Flip
They tallied the scores going into this event and went from lowest to highest. There was a 3-way tie for last place, so I was up first. This was a 550 pound tire, 70' for time. I knew I needed a decent time to move out of last place. I finished in 39.12 seconds, which was good for 9th place in this event.
So despite not being to train on the strongman implements for 5 weeks leading up to the event, and this being my first event, I am pretty happy with my performance. I'm looking for a new place to train strongman now and would like to do at least one more competition this year. If I continue training and can keep my diet in check, I may drop to the 198 pound division.
