Yesterday I competed in my first strongman competition in 9 years, which is just mindblowing for me to think about. The last time, I ended up tearing my bicep on a 700 lb tire flip and then taking an unplanned strongman hiatus, competing in a few powerlifting meets and getting into boxing the next few years. Then one day I started thinking about how I once spontaneously signed up for a strongman contest just a few days before its event date, that I missed being that eager to compete in the sport, and that I for sure want to commit to a competition by or before summer, which ended up being this one 2 hours away. The events mostly involved equipment I already had except for the timed Dinnie stones hold, which wasn’t something that really required technique practice. I ended up not working with my sandbag as much as I would have liked due to my back and it came back to bite me in one particular event.
When I signed up, I weighed 208 and decided to shed the pounds necessary to make the 198 weight class, which was easy enough given the time I had to prepare. Did the usual carb control measures, limiting myself to veggies except before and after training, with some cheat meals here and there. The weight came off without noticeable strength losses, but the morning of the event, I did have to lose 3 pounds of water weight by putting multiple layers on, amping up the hotel heater and shower, and just hanging out along with doing a few jumping jacks in the hour I had before morning weigh-ins. I barely made it by the time I stepped on the scale, but the relief when that was done was immense. I immediately started munching on one of the offered donuts and then ate a turkey sandwich.
After getting set-up and going through the rules, we got started pretty quickly. My warm-ups just consisted of some band pull-aparts and a few reps with the empty log. I was feeling a little fluttery from the water loss (my hand was shaking when showing my strongman corp membership) and knew that filling my belly up would help.
Log Clean and Press - 200 lbs
Right off the bat I forget both to roll my knee sleeves up from my ankles and to put on my wrist wraps. Nothing important. The log weight felt so light at first that I wondered if someone messed up and put me in the Novice division instead of Open. However, stability was worse than in training and I was shakier than normal holding the weight up, which I blame on my weight loss (both the smaller waist and earlier dehydration). I got 4 reps, and then lost a 5th when the weight strayed too far out in front of me. This was 2nd place to the guy who got 5.
Sandbags Floor to Shoulder - 175, 200, 225 lbs
I had practiced this at home a few times with a 200 lb Rogue bag, but I would have liked to have done more of that. The 175 went without a hitch, but the 200 lb Cerberus bag was rounder and more densely packed than my Rogue and I had trouble keeping it situated on my shoulder because it wouldn’t sink in. I’d get it up and hold it momentarily only for it to roll away, at one point even rolling behind me over my back. The organizer called to me while I was walking away to apologize and explain why he couldn’t give any of those attempts a pass and I told him I understand. He seemed a little surprised that I didn’t press the issue, going “Oh, so you know?” I took last in this event with just the first bag successfully held under control.
50 Foot Yoke Walk to Deadlifts - 375, 315 lbs
I trained high rep deadlifts by doing a 20 rep squat and 20 rep deadlift super-set. It was overkill for how easy this was, which is by no means a bad thing (“Strength is never a weakness”, as Mark Bell says), but I should have given more thought to the straps situation to maximize time: practice strapping up quicker? Or not even bother because it’s friggin’ 315 lbs? I should have done either but in retrospect, less than 60 seconds is not enough time for me to have trouble holding 315. I took way too long to strap up and ran out of time at 17 reps, which tied me for 1st in this event. I also should have respected the yoke weight less and moved faster instead of being careful. If we’re talking something actually heavy then yes, take the lesson from Franco Colombu’s mistake and don’t sprint with it, but I’ve lurched down the walkway with a 610 yoke like Frankenstein’s monster on roller skates with his rectum on fire so I should have been more aggressive barreling forward with just 375.
Sandbags Wine Barrel Loading - 200, 225, 250 lbs
I totally got in my own head over this event due to my poor performance with the sandbags prior and thought I’d have a hell of a fight waiting for me, not quite remembering that I was able to LIFT the bags fine and it was balancing them that I shit the bed on. I went down the line and got everything up on the wine barrels without issue, taking 2nd place for time.
Dinnie Stones Hold: 225, 250 lbs+
Right before the final event, it was announced that the weights for this would be increased. Therefore, I’m posting the original weights with a plus to indicate they were something higher. I was hoping these would be replicas using actual stones but alas, they were plates on pins. I practiced the staggered stance using my backpack in one hand and my gallon water jug in the other while waiting my turn. I was shocked that most of the men I watched could barely even deadlift the pins. They’d just barely clear the ground and then drop down. It got to the point that the organizers started allowing second attempts. I commented aloud how I noticed that most people weren’t getting their torsos centered into their hips and staying balanced, and one of the women asked me to repeat that so she could remember when she went up. Come my turn, I picked them up and it pretty much felt like I expected. I got some shouts of “BREATHE!”, but I WAS breathing, albeit short breats, but I was also bracing hard to protect my back and stay upright. Got 18 seconds, 2nd place to someone who was trailing me overall in 3rd but who managed 25 seconds. I was shaking once again, which was a theme throughout the day.
When all was said and done, I finished the meet in 2nd place and got my first ever podium finish, a helluva return to the sport after leaving the arena injured 9 years ago.
I felt physically good afterwards but it was like my body began to realize I wasn’t going to demand anymore of it because the further into the day it got the more I began to feel like I’d been hit by a truck. My mid-back and upper-back near my neck are sore as hell, my middle back slightly concerningly so (I leaned back farther than usual on one of the log press reps, which is what did that), but my low back is actually feeling great, thankfully.
Went out for drinks and food at a favorite Irish pub in the area and feasted on red ale, oxtail soup, grilled cheese, mashed potatoes, and coffee ice cream.
Where to go from here? I’m going to take a week break from dieting before continuing, albeit at a slower pace than before. Going to spend more time in the boxing gym, which I’ve been neglecting. And I want to compete again this year, either in this same weight class or one above it, but no more water weight cutting. I’m hungry for more strongman, but I also enjoy training the powerlifts and they’re easy on my body, so I’m game to knock out any powerlifting meet I find that’s close by, as well.
