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Seeking advice on training

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I second @Antti And remember...HAVE FUN!
Thank you, my friend! :)
I did have fun yesterday though, flipping tire with my girl and her kids (who watched and cuddled with the rabbits, and they really liked kicking the tire over from standing, makes a good thumping sound...).
FUN hasn't been on the training schedule for a while, just anxiety over the event. That will change now.. to hell with it, let's have some FUN! (y)
 
The frustration has gone away a bit.. fun is back!
I have decided that I will try to win the tire flip part of the contest and just see how the rest goes. Because that's the only part I can train at home properly. So if I win the tire flips and end up last overall that would prove I'm good at what I train and I'll be okay with that.:)

Today I went looking for natural stones to train with. Both smaller ones for the loaded carries and to replicate the atlas stone. But didn't find any good ones, most stones I found had sharp edges. Found one nice natural stone/boulder out in the field but could barely lift it to the chest in squat position once, and it didn't feel all that great. It's so hard to say how much it weighs but I'm honestly guessing 130-170kg without trying to be cool or impress. Need more time, technique and courage to lift it properly, not to mention carry it home.
XBbCBrY.jpg

Today's training:
10 bottom up presses 16kg
10 sharp natural stone over bar 60kg (guessing)
3x100m run with small natural stone 30kg (guessing)
almost deadlift natural stone 170kg (guessing)
50 tire flips

Running while hugging a natural stone to your chest is hard! I started with a light stone but it really takes a toll on your arms and cardio after about 60-70m and then you start walking... then stepping and faltering... Haven't really felt that kind of burden in the gym before. Hurts all over. :D

27,3% bodyfat.
 
I've been looking for some rocks as well. To me it seems most often it's not the weight but the shape that makes them hard to lift. Of course, that stands for everything.

Regarding the strongman events I firmly believe there are some kinds of training that have plenty of carryover to the strongman events. For example, I think I've done reasonably well with my attempts at farmer walks, yoke walks and zercher walks, without previous training. So I wouldn't worry too much about it. Like the top strongmen train a lot of things, and the actual specific competition events may be in the minority in the grand scheme. But didn't you touch on this yourself a while ago?

Have you trained with sandbags? They can get reasonably close to the atlas stones. Could be a really cheap solution as well.
 
@Antti : Yes, most definitely. Therefore my wild guesses on the stone weights. I drew blood on the "stone over bar"-exercise today. :cool:

Yes, strongman training is very diverse and many mostly just train the "big 3" lifts, while others do event specific training 6 days a week. Martins Licis youtube-channel is great to check out. He was the only one that trained for "the Wheel of Pain"-event for the Arnolds by doing truckpulls and holding a heavy bar in front of him while all the other competitors just winged it on the day... Martins won. :)
I talked about that with the hockey/curling-metaphor. I suspect I have to actually train the events I'll be doing to be good at them.
So many small things with the tire flipping you don't think about like you need to push the tire down straight with both arms level if you don't want it to wobble on the ground, loosing seconds before you can flip it again. And I'm not smart enough to anticipate all that can happen on the other events.
I need to fail, analyse, improve, fail a bit less and then grind before I get skilled at things. So I'm grinding with my tire...
D0rbipnWwAA88rA.jpg

Sandbags sounds good. But they're still 100€ a piece for a quality one on the internet and I don't have any place for it that's safe from mice and mold. I live in a tiny house on wheels, with a big yard/forest. No place for a 140kg sandbag indoors. ;)
If I find some old sturdy bag second hand I will definitely start training with them.
 
9 days to strongman-event.

Have been doing a lot of running with stones and tire flips lately. My cardio is still appalling , but it's at least easier to walk without getting winded now. But I did almost black out while running with a large stone 3x20m the last set (guessing 100kg weight) . Need more cardio. Managed to run 2x100m with a "60kg" natural stone. I've talked to my neighbor about using his antique grain-scale, I just have to carry the stones to him to use the scale. My curiosity might allow me to use a wheelbarrow to transport the stones in instead of carrying them the full km to him. Proper estimate of stone weight is coming.

I finally (finally!) manged to farmers walk with 102kg in each hand... just a few steps, but it was a PB. To be able deadlift (with farmers handles/trap bar-style) with over 200kg has been a personal goal and right of passage. Not so weak anymore... and only 96kg left to 300kg, the real manhood-test... :confused:
But I'm still a novice according to this chart. 34kg to go to or loose 25kg to reach next level.
iREp7HV.png

...
R6CWKYb.jpg

Here I am checking out the area in town the competition going to be at. I thought it was just asphalt but it's concrete tiles, that's good for flipping tires. (y) (I was in town doing some shopping, didn't go there just for this, there's a limit to my obsession!)

EDIT: Found a chart for hex-bar deadlift... I'm just about "novice". It's a pretty cruel chart. But I don't know if body weight is everything, the sofa still weighs the same. And your deadlift shouldn't really go up 50kg if you gain 40kg of body mass from cookies and fries.
Hex Bar Deadlift Standards for Men and Women (lb) - Strength Level
 
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Managed to get the stone to my neighbor and use his scale. The weight of the big stone I had guessed was around one hundred kg is 94kg.
So halfsterkur for now, will have to work on that, at least I'm not useless... :oops:
fqUqHC4.png

...
Yesterdays workout, I took it easy, the last one before competition this Saturday.

15 squats 40kg
10 presses each with 16kg, 32kg, 40kg
30 tire flips
2x100m run with 30kg natural stone
4x20m run (brisk walk) with 94kg natural stone
2,5km walk
...
Zq9XnmP.jpg

94kg stone in the middle, the pink granite one is about 60kg I'm guessing. Poor peoples strongman gym, can't afford a mirrored heated room that plays popular nonsensical music to lift rubber weights in. :p
 
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Just read your entire log. Nice work dude! And have fun at the event!
Thank you! Sorry you hade to go through that ordeal. Jag ber om ursäkt! :D
...
It's going to be fun. Me and my girl have both signed up.

Been cyberstalking the other competitors. One is a fit fireman from the next town over whose friends signed him up for a laugh, one is a local former football-player turned bodybuilder in his mid 40's and three of the guys all have strongman-related profile pictures on their facebook-pages dating back a couple of years and are all driving 1-3 hours to get here.
On the women-side there are only two other competitors. Both seem about as strong as my girl but are all on the "heavy side" while my girlfriend weighs around a firm 70kg. But there are a lot of loading/running events. It's going to be really interesting and fun to see how we compare. :)
 
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So, strongman-competition day came. I came in last place. 6th place, or weirdly I came 5th because 3rd place was tied.
My girlfriend also came last at 3rd place.

I've been thinking about how to log this but all just sounds like excuses, complaining or "could've, would've, should've". So please, if you read this don't read it like I'm whinging and finding excuses, it's more my thoughts about what I can do better for next time and work at more in training.

Let the complaining begin.

I had focused hard on the only event I could train for at home, Tire Flips. I had done 435 tire flips since I got it and my best time was 5 flips in 20 seconds. And they cancelled the tire flips because it was going to rain! :oops:
But they replaced it with Farmers Walk, thank god. Still, I'd rather flip a rubber tire in pouring rain than run with heavy metal on gravely concrete but... Maybe it was a logistics issue.

First event, Quad-bike deadlift 1min:
After some halos, squats with a 15kg plate and a few light deadlifts at 60kg it was time for deadlifting a quadbike, for the mens section they moved the bike forward and put an extra 100kg on it. One of the competitors said if felt like 200kg in the handles.
I manged 6 reps, finished last. Had time for more but was gassed out.
eoag26P.jpg

Second event, Yoke Press 1min:
They said the yoke weighed 76kg. The referee was very strict and said before hand he would only give a rep count when we had it pressed and balanced under control. The first guy pressing lost 2 presses because the referee didn't say "REP!". I was up next. Having gassed myself out in the deadlift I decided to go nice and steady. I don't know how many reps I did, but I lost one because I sat it down before I got the signal, completely my fault, I just lost my mind. After that I made sure to hold it really steady and wait for the down-signal.
OT3cGzJ.jpg

Third event, Loading Medley, 1min:
It was said it was going to be 4 items you should run and load onto a platform.
1 keg 80kg
1 natural stone 70kg
1 sandbag 80kg
1 metal husafell 90kg

Having never held a heavy sandbag before I used my short time before the whole thing started to test it. I managed on my second try to lift it high (properly) to my chest so I could run and just drop it on the platform.
I was out first and it started raining while they were preparing so they trimmed it down to three items, taking away .. the sandbag. :oops:
So in the pouring rain, chalked up like Tony Montana I ran with the keg onto the platform, no worries. Then came the natural stone. It was a sausage-shaped stone, oblong shaped. Having only lifted round heavier stones I couldn't get a proper overhand/hugging grip on it and it was so wet and filled with gravel my grip slipped, I tried again, no chalk on my hands left, only gravel and dirt I got an lousy grip on it and wobbled as fast as I could and loaded it to the platform. Quite wet from the rain I ran to the metal-husafell just as they called out "10 seconds left!", I bent down and lifted it up, it was so slippery from all the rain... "5 seconds!"... I couldn't make it to the platform in time even if I had a proper grip so I dropped it, out of time.
After that the rain stopped and the others used gloves, I was the only one not finishing the event.

Forth event, Farmers Walk
They'd set the weight to 83kg. I picked them up and ran to the finish line, just like at home. :)
RBXFGDi.jpg

Fifth event, Atlas Stone, 1m
No tacky allowed, in the rain. I was first. They'd rolled the stone over to the platform on the wet cement tiles. The stone was 78kg, I'd only lifted a 60kg atlas stone once before, on my 4th attempt. The stone was dirty, wet and gravely. Couldn't find a grip, really stressful. They said to bring chalk with me to the platform "one try and you need to chalk up again" one of the organizers told me. I got it onto the platform only once by mostly will power. Afterwards my forearms were covered in gravel and dirt, like I've slipped in a gravel pit.
I finished last, all others got the stone up at least 5 times.
xQna65j.png

After this the two competitors with most points went onto the finale.

The event was well organized, it was stressful with the warm ups and so on, but from what I've read and heard it's the same even at the Arnold's. And it's the same for everyone.
We all got a t-shirt, a baseball cap, an energy drink, a energy bar and participation medal. The winners got a nice little pink trophy with a cute mini-atlas stone on it.
VXiG8wQ.jpg

The equipment we used, as the trophies, were pink because the strongwoman organizing the event has it as her thing. Strong women like pink, "fight like a girl!", "dare to be strong!" that sort of thing. (y)
Ru1LCpn.jpg

Me with ear protection and arm around my girl. (I have tinnitus and it got quite loud so I had put the earmuffs on before. I used ear plugs in the events.)

Could've, Would've, Should've:


So what could I've done differently? Should I've trained more..?

Well, I don't think I would've gotten stronger by training even more than I did. I trained the whole summer to the best of my ability and got stronger, faster (at tire flips) and lost body fat and had fun doing it. :(

I would've liked a few more months of training. One of the other guys told me his PB was a 260kg frame lift he'd done last year in another competition, while I just broke 200kg the week before.

Everyone else wore a belt. I don't own one. Maybe that would've helped a little, at least in the deadlift. But got no delusions I wouldn't got last place even with a belt...

I need to do more deadlifts for reps, not just lift once and run away. And my back is killing me today, I think I lifted to much with my back instead of legs. :confused:

I should've trained more with a timer set for 60sec. I don't really do 12-15 heavy reps per set. I just press in sets of 5 and then go up in weight until I can't do 5 and then do ladders, never going to failure. Lactic acid, stress, proper form, speed, energy management are all things I can learn to deal with better. Just seem stupid to say, "lets se how fast I can press the 40kg 20 times!".

At home, I just picked up my natural stones slow and safe and ran with them. Didn't practice picking up the stones as fast as possible, mostly because it always drew blood. Or stone of different shapes, I just trained with the ones mostly resembling atlasstones. Maybe I used to heavy stones also. Smaller stones requires more speed, a big stone dictates its own.

The Atlas stones... The stone wasn't heavy, I just need 10-20 sessions with an actual atlasstone I can learn to lift it.

I can shave of a few seconds on my farmers walk by training the start. Instead of rising and then start running you can start with the feet one in front of the other and already gain a step while you lift.

I don't know the specific results for each events, It's going to be posted on facebook at a later time. Curious how I did in Farmers, if I was last in that event as well.
 
So, strongman-competition day came. I came in last place. 6th place, or weirdly I came 5th because 3rd place was tied.
My girlfriend also came last at 3rd place.

I've been thinking about how to log this but all just sounds like excuses, complaining or "could've, would've, should've". So please, if you read this don't read it like I'm whinging and finding excuses, it's more my thoughts about what I can do better for next time and work at more in training.

Let the complaining begin.

I had focused hard on the only event I could train for at home, Tire Flips. I had done 435 tire flips since I got it and my best time was 5 flips in 20 seconds. And they cancelled the tire flips because it was going to rain! :oops:
But they replaced it with Farmers Walk, thank god. Still, I'd rather flip a rubber tire in pouring rain than run with heavy metal on gravely concrete but... Maybe it was a logistics issue.

First event, Quad-bike deadlift 1min:
After some halos, squats with a 15kg plate and a few light deadlifts at 60kg it was time for deadlifting a quadbike, for the mens section they moved the bike forward and put an extra 100kg on it. One of the competitors said if felt like 200kg in the handles.
I manged 6 reps, finished last. Had time for more but was gassed out.
eoag26P.jpg

Second event, Yoke Press 1min:
They said the yoke weighed 76kg. The referee was very strict and said before hand he would only give a rep count when we had it pressed and balanced under control. The first guy pressing lost 2 presses because the referee didn't say "REP!". I was up next. Having gassed myself out in the deadlift I decided to go nice and steady. I don't know how many reps I did, but I lost one because I sat it down before I got the signal, completely my fault, I just lost my mind. After that I made sure to hold it really steady and wait for the down-signal.
OT3cGzJ.jpg

Third event, Loading Medley, 1min:
It was said it was going to be 4 items you should run and load onto a platform.
1 keg 80kg
1 natural stone 70kg
1 sandbag 80kg
1 metal husafell 90kg

Having never held a heavy sandbag before I used my short time before the whole thing started to test it. I managed on my second try to lift it high (properly) to my chest so I could run and just drop it on the platform.
I was out first and it started raining while they were preparing so they trimmed it down to three items, taking away .. the sandbag. :oops:
So in the pouring rain, chalked up like Tony Montana I ran with the keg onto the platform, no worries. Then came the natural stone. It was a sausage-shaped stone, oblong shaped. Having only lifted round heavier stones I couldn't get a proper overhand/hugging grip on it and it was so wet and filled with gravel my grip slipped, I tried again, no chalk on my hands left, only gravel and dirt I got an lousy grip on it and wobbled as fast as I could and loaded it to the platform. Quite wet from the rain I ran to the metal-husafell just as they called out "10 seconds left!", I bent down and lifted it up, it was so slippery from all the rain... "5 seconds!"... I couldn't make it to the platform in time even if I had a proper grip so I dropped it, out of time.
After that the rain stopped and the others used gloves, I was the only one not finishing the event.

Forth event, Farmers Walk
They'd set the weight to 83kg. I picked them up and ran to the finish line, just like at home. :)
RBXFGDi.jpg

Fifth event, Atlas Stone, 1m
No tacky allowed, in the rain. I was first. They'd rolled the stone over to the platform on the wet cement tiles. The stone was 78kg, I'd only lifted a 60kg atlas stone once before, on my 4th attempt. The stone was dirty, wet and gravely. Couldn't find a grip, really stressful. They said to bring chalk with me to the platform "one try and you need to chalk up again" one of the organizers told me. I got it onto the platform only once by mostly will power. Afterwards my forearms were covered in gravel and dirt, like I've slipped in a gravel pit.
I finished last, all others got the stone up at least 5 times.
xQna65j.png

After this the two competitors with most points went onto the finale.

The event was well organized, it was stressful with the warm ups and so on, but from what I've read and heard it's the same even at the Arnold's. And it's the same for everyone.
We all got a t-shirt, a baseball cap, an energy drink, a energy bar and participation medal. The winners got a nice little pink trophy with a cute mini-atlas stone on it.
VXiG8wQ.jpg

The equipment we used, as the trophies, were pink because the strongwoman organizing the event has it as her thing. Strong women like pink, "fight like a girl!", "dare to be strong!" that sort of thing. (y)
Ru1LCpn.jpg

Me with ear protection and arm around my girl. (I have tinnitus and it got quite loud so I had put the earmuffs on before. I used ear plugs in the events.)

Could've, Would've, Should've:


So what could I've done differently? Should I've trained more..?

Well, I don't think I would've gotten stronger by training even more than I did. I trained the whole summer to the best of my ability and got stronger, faster (at tire flips) and lost body fat and had fun doing it. :(

I would've liked a few more months of training. One of the other guys told me his PB was a 260kg frame lift he'd done last year in another competition, while I just broke 200kg the week before.

Everyone else wore a belt. I don't own one. Maybe that would've helped a little, at least in the deadlift. But got no delusions I wouldn't got last place even with a belt...

I need to do more deadlifts for reps, not just lift once and run away. And my back is killing me today, I think I lifted to much with my back instead of legs. :confused:

I should've trained more with a timer set for 60sec. I don't really do 12-15 heavy reps per set. I just press in sets of 5 and then go up in weight until I can't do 5 and then do ladders, never going to failure. Lactic acid, stress, proper form, speed, energy management are all things I can learn to deal with better. Just seem stupid to say, "lets se how fast I can press the 40kg 20 times!".

At home, I just picked up my natural stones slow and safe and ran with them. Didn't practice picking up the stones as fast as possible, mostly because it always drew blood. Or stone of different shapes, I just trained with the ones mostly resembling atlasstones. Maybe I used to heavy stones also. Smaller stones requires more speed, a big stone dictates its own.

The Atlas stones... The stone wasn't heavy, I just need 10-20 sessions with an actual atlasstone I can learn to lift it.

I can shave of a few seconds on my farmers walk by training the start. Instead of rising and then start running you can start with the feet one in front of the other and already gain a step while you lift.

I don't know the specific results for each events, It's going to be posted on facebook at a later time. Curious how I did in Farmers, if I was last in that event as well.


I think its fantastic that you entered and competed with so little experience not only individual events but the specifics as well.

Sounds like you got screwed on the platform event, why they not tell you gloves were an option?

All in all a great experience from the sound of it. Now decide if you want to train to win, or just experience with possibility of doing well. It gave you a great goal and focus.

Re the big rocks, I wonder if a masonry drill and sledge hammer might not allow you to shape them a bit, at least knock off the sharp corners. Follow up with a diamond file or another rough stone and a lot of water. Just prepping the stone = a workout.
 
@Dekapon
Great write up. (You have a nice writing style)
I think that it's great that you entered this event in the first place.
The first time for anything is usually going to be fraught with difficulties. I think back on the various contests I have entered over the years and the first ones were always awkward.

Great job...
 
Sounds like you got screwed on the platform event, why they not tell you gloves were an option?

All in all a great experience from the sound of it. Now decide if you want to train to win, or just experience with possibility of doing well. It gave you a great goal and focus.

Re the big rocks, I wonder if a masonry drill and sledge hammer might not allow you to shape them a bit, at least knock off the sharp corners. Follow up with a diamond file or another rough stone and a lot of water. Just prepping the stone = a workout.
Thanks, but "got screwed" is a bit harsh. It was a beginners mistake. With audience watching and waiting you want to keep the show going. And rules say that the person with the least points start the next event. And besides, I didn't even bring gloves and the others had those latex rubber work gloves with duct tape around the wrists, some even took gauze and tape around their forearms. Perhaps I would've gotten 4 reps instead of one and still finished last with gloves...
51oeDkOWgOL._SY450_.jpg

Regarding stones, I've found that stones dug up from fields or laying in ditches are not as sharp. And I don't really cut myself on the edges as much as I grind my skin down, like sandpaper. Perhaps a power wash might do the trick. Soon it's autumn, that means workout hoodies, problem temporarily solved.:D

Don't know about my coming goals. The other guys were all at "folk class"-level. So that might be my next long term goal, would like to come back lean and fierce next year and tare through the stones and that stupid quad-bike...
Right now I think I should try drop some weight and walk more. The forest is at it's best in September-October. No flies, wonderful colors and I didn't see any wild boar piglets last year.
...
@offwidth Thank you! :)
 
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Well done at the competition Dekapon. Your first event is usually a really tough one to get through. I know for a power meet there used to be a kind of formula for your first meet based on what you did training and what you should shoot for in the meet. Basically you will attempt less than what you've done in the gym.

You have a difference in equipment, a different atmosphere, and judges which can be tough. Sometimes the atmosphere psyches one up and helps but it's tough to get through the differences in equipment and in your case a change in events.

Here's a dude it would do you well to follow if you want to continue the strongman contests. You can follow him on Facebook and I believe he has a website also.

Brian Benzel

I used to train with his Dad. He's done well in the Strongman competitions.
 
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