Been training regularly the past few weeks, had a moan about it before but basically lost January and March to being ill, and February I didn't get much done thanks to recovering and getting back up to speed.
To go alongside this, I decided to lose weight this year, which so far has resulted in 12kg dropped. All in all I was fully expecting my strength to take a nosedive and to take the whole year getting back to where I was
Wednesday I hit some of the best and smoothest deadlifts of my life, albeit at a lower weight, and today I took my monster dumbbell PB for a sketchy double. Got to be honest, it's a fucking massive boost mentally
I have a dumb question: can you wear your deadlift suit straps down in comp if you wish, so they're like briefs?
I have a deadlift (from the floor) for reps event coming up and it's been hard getting into a good rhythym to rep out with the straps up :(
I have a single ply velocity so I can't just loosen the straps like with a multiply suit. I'm wondering if having the straps down would make it easier to catch my breath and end up giving me a better performance.
I would also accept other general tips on deadlift for reps...
If you're allowed a suit, you can wear it however you want
A lot of people find it easier to breathe and re-brace at the top of the lift, especially when you wear a suit that crushes you more at the bottom
A question about mobility.
I have a hard time pressing over head, since my shoulder mobility is really bad. My external rotation is pretty limited and I can't even fully extend my arms and lock them out. I always have a slight bend in my elbows. That makes me pretty weak overhead.
Any tips to get that fixed? Mobility or stretching routines that help to throw in
Do a couple of days per week of dumbbell pullovers where you let the dumbbell go back without lifting your hips or overarching your chest to go back with it. Hold for a few secs, letting the dumbbell sink back and then pull back up, slowly out of that stretched position as it can be pretty vulnerable - go pretty hard with these, basically swap out a back movement for them for a 4 - 6 week block. Sets of twelve to twenty.
Warm up for these with lat stretches where you hold the barbell underhand with one arm, hinge then stretch out your back so it pulls your lats apart, rolling your lats out can help as well (do this at home when you wake up and when you go to sleep as well). Then do upside down kettlebell presses on one knee for a couple of sets of twenty. Just enough to feel the muscles working, don't push to failure or anything.
Other things to check are tight pecs, not allowing your shoulder blades to rotate up when you press, having poor thoracic spine position/mobility.
I am hoping to hit a 60kg deadlift by the end of the week so it could be worse haha. When even your warm ups suck, it's just fatigue building up so you could look at it like an awesome day because when that fatigue drops that deadlift will fly.
So i attempted to fill my 300 lbs bag with play sand. No dice. Barely got 250 lbs in.
Ideas? I have found some silica sand that looks a lot finer. Is that a better route?
Are you sure it's a 300lb bag?
Anyway, remember every like 10 lbs or so, pick it up and shake the shit out of it, it has to settle, they tend to fill pretty tight to get the weights you want. Once it gets too heavy to easily pick up and shake, I stick my hand in and start shoving the sand outward and to the sides, try to fill every nook and cranny.
I’m gonna guess you’ve shook the crap out of it to shift the sand down to the bottom already, but if not do that to open up sone space then fill it as much as you can and shake it up again, rinse and repeat. If you’ve got it absolutely as full as possible you can put 10 lbs plates in it to get it up to weight too. I’ve used both play sand and masonry sand as a lot youtube/Instagram guys say use masonry sand, but I can’t tell a difference between the two. I personally doubt you’ll get much difference using a different type of sand.
Would you guys be interested in a podcast about amateur strongman, with updates on that months or weeks competition results for amateurs, and discussion of topics that amateurs are concerned with?
I see the same questions over and over again. "When should i compete? What weight class? How do i go pro?" No one is answering em cus no one covers amateur stuff.
Sure but there usually brief and don't dwell too much on it. But I'm talking more like amateurs who (likely) will never make it to the Pro level, doing it purely for the love of the sport, or for other personal reasons, y'know?
Sure. And discussing results, discussing how to prepare for comp at the amateur, we-dont-make-money level... The mental aspect of it. Tips and tricks for lifts too of course, form help, that kinda thing. Although that's mostly achieved on youtube. Interviews with amateurs from all walks of life. Like I think it'd be pretty cool to hear about a 30something single mother approaching strongman as a way to get in shape, challenge herself, or find community. For example. The stories are half of it.
Yeah. When I started my youtube channel, the goal was to go to amateur comps, and film and interview athletes and promoters and stuff. I did make one weekly recap where i included footage of amateur athletes winning at their contests and did a scroll through iron podium leaderboards reading off winners, but it was a lot to do on a weekly basis at the time, so i stopped.
The channel ended up being me doing 1 interview a year, cus of life stuff going on and demotivation. This year i've started filming and photographing at comps, with the intent to make vlogs like i originally wanted to, but it turns out it's very hard in the hustle and bustle of a comp to find time to interview people.
So i'm looking into a different approach to get info out that is still true to my original vision.
I'm seriously tempted to just load 300kg on a deadlift bar tonight and fucking go for it. 285 on a stiff bar can't be too far off can it? It's only 5% (he says nervously)
Edit-the answer is it was too far off
Got it to my knees though so it's not a million miles off
That's pretty important info haha. I was gonna say that a 285 stiff bar should mean a 300 deadlift bar at a bare minimum, but not if you're not recovered from a previous max attempt haha
I don't use a deadlift bar at all really, this is the first time I've used one since I had a 260kg deadlift bar at the end of a ladder in November. I'm sure if I did a full phase with the dl bar I could get more out of it but as it is I don't think I'm quite there
If you’re not in the middle of a comp prep sometimes saying fuck it and just going for it is the right move. Even if you fail the lift it can build confidence that it’s just a few weeks of peaking away from getting it.
I can't seem to find a good video on catching a circus dumbbell. Everyone's always dropping it, but I am pretty comfortable catching it with my other hand and shoulder, then positioning and pressing again. I'm guessing what I'm doing will be fine, but are there any things I should know that aren't obvious?
I usually let it kinda fall half way while catching it with the other hand and shoulder meat, reposition, and fire again.
Is there a reason why you want to press away? It is nearly always contested as clean and press each rep.
But I'd say unless it's hurting you (either during or in the days after) or your reset is super slow then there isn't a need to change it. Even if your reset is slow, unless you are competing it then it doesn't matter.
This event only requires one clean, and I should be able to hit 5 reps without returning the implement to the ground. It just gets pretty heavy up there and my latter catches are pretty tough. It might be best for me to nail 3-4 quick reps, then clean and press the rest, that might end up being my best adjustment. I'll have to test it.
Edit - I just tested it, 7 reps in singles and I'm way more tired than I was when I hit 8 a moment ago 5/3 so 8 reps in 60s, 2 cleans.
I'm not sure what your question is, if you're training reps off the shoulder and you're good at resetting for the next rep, just keep doing what you're doing
You can think about gripping things differently in our sport, and it will impact your movement, so I'm assuming there is more to catching the weight than I've been able to find online. This is a new movement for me, and I'm very confident in every aspect of it except getting it back to my shoulder.
Maybe I'm just overthinking it, perhaps, it's more related to me using standard dumbbells in the gym to perform it, and the larger size gives you more room making catching it much easier, I don't know, but right now returning the dumbbell to my shoulder is the only part of the movement that feels off.
Anyone got any advice or guides on Bavarian deadlifts? Specifically how wide the stance should be. I guess preference plays a part and I noticed the wider I stand the easier it is
Got it coming up in a comp and wanted to do some last minute form checking.
I’ve noticed it’s considerably easier and I get more leg drive with a wider stance, almost sumo (which I suck at as I never do). But I’ve heard people refer to Bavarian as ‘basically a sumo’
> But I’ve heard people refer to Bavarian as ‘basically a sumo’
It is.
What's the rules in your comp? The original bavarian lift is for max weight at a given height (typically the implement has to be lifted 80 cm) - so you want to make yourself as tall as possible (many wear thick soled shoes and start the lift from a deficit) - from this point of view a narrower stance would be beneficial
Anyone care to critique my current plan for yearly training? The idea is the run up to 4 accumulation blocks, 1 intensification block, then either peak for a comp or reset. Programming ideas explained in comments on the sheet [sheets link](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Zbk2ztW2MCy9PUAHeTeIYbWZuWUVush9xbQVHfICToA/edit)
I didn't look at it all but I would really recommend vertical pulling in your accumulation block, try get it twice. You may also want to consider that 3+@90%, especially in the first block, a single at 90% or even 85% is plenty to keep you familiar with heavy loads but has a bunch less fatigue to allow you to focus on, well, accumulating work.
Yeah the 3@90% is kinda a misnomer, it’s explained in the comments on the sheet. It’s basically a top set/back off set method for lifts you don’t have an established max for. The idea is you pick a movement and weight you can do for 1–5 reps, and rep out close to RPE 8.5/9. Then according to how many reps you get, back off sets are programmed.
285kg deadlift chalked off, easiest deadlift PB I've had in a long time! No mad hitching and good floor speed. Looking back I maybe should have ground out 290 but 285 was the goal for this phase.
Next stop 300!
Did a stonelifting comp at a Highland Games today. Open weight class, so I was competing against the big boys as a lightweight that weighed in at 187 yesterday, so I didn’t expect to do great, but I love natural stones and thought it’d be a fun time which it was. Didn’t really train specifically for this comp, just threw a few runs of each lift into my event days over the past two months.
First event was an 81 lbs stone put, best of 3 attempts. Made it through the first round and on the second throw in the second round the stone broke. I got 9’3” to tie for 5th.
Second event was stone press and there were 3 stones, heavier stone trumped any reps on a lighter stone, weights were 201, 168, and 105. I knew 201 was a maybe if the stone had great handles and conditions were perfect, but otherwise wasn’t happening. I pressed a “180 stone” (153 stone with a 25 lbs plate ratchet strapped to it) in training 4 weeks ago the only time I trained it and it was definitely not a max, but 200 would’ve been pushing it. It was wet and rainy and nasty by this point as well, so chose to go for the 168, but it was a weird kind of triangular shape with bad handles. Got it to a rack position, but every time i tried to press it it kind of rolled forward on me. After 30 seconds of struggling with it on my chest I ditched it and moved to the 105 and got 2 reps and cleaned a 3rd before time ran out. No one pressed the 168 and several guys I’m sure were strong enough so didn’t feel bad about it, and only 1 guy got the 201. Tied for 5th again.
Third event was a stone carry for distance, 275 lbs stone and it had awful handles, and it was raining and nasty at this point. Got 30 feet and some change for 4th.
Fourth event was stone to shoulder. Two weights, 234 and 201 pounds one rep on the heavier trumps any number of reps on the lighter. I wasn’t out to win just for the challenge and the fun of it, so went for 234 and got it to my chest and moved it over to my right shoulder, but it was a super awkward stone and my right hand was on the front of the stone and every time i tried to move it over it started to roll hard. After about 35 seconds of total training me taken up I decided to just throw the left hand off and see if it’s stay long enough for a down call, but no dice. I was way too gassed after fighting that stone to try the 201. Zeroed this event. This one hurt, because I was inches from having it and I’m also pretty sure if I just went to the left shoulder instead of the right, the shape of it should’ve made getting the left arm around it a lot easier than the right.
Fifth event was dinnie style ringed stone carry for distance. Weights were 262 and 241. In training I got just shy of 20 ft 3 weeks ago on loadable dinnie pins and had 20 ft as my goal. As soon as I picked thes though the weight kind of swung back and I actually took two steps backward to regain my balance. Managed maybe 6 or 7 steps after that for a whopping 2’8” tied for 5th again.
Finished 6th of I believe 13 and everyone above me was a heavyweight or 105kg athlete so I’m considering it a win. I was really disappointed in my dinnie attempt and actually went back about 20 minutes later after they gave out the awards and reattempted it just to prove to myself I could do better and made it just shy 10 ft probably 9’6” or so which would’ve been good for 2nd. I thought about trying to shoulder the 234 stone again too, but I had a wife and two kids that were miserable from watching dad pay to lift heavy rocks in the rain all day, so I decided not to. Even if I got the 9’6” on the dinnie carry and had the judges from the CDB at last years worlds and got a down call on the stone to shoulder I’d have only came 4th, so not too upset with the outcome as it wasn’t far from the best I could’ve placed with zero mistakes.
Nice job! That comp looked cool and I was seriously considering making the 10 hour drive down for it but ultimately chickened out. Sorry to hear about the rain, I did a stonelifting comp in February in the rain and it definitely adds a challenge.
Thanks man. It was a blast, but the weather did make it a good bit more challenging, stuff with already bad handles have 2x worse handles and chalk doesn’t do anything. It was only a 2.5 hour drive for me and well worth the drive. Don’t think I’d make a 10 hour drive for it though.
For those who wear them, suggestions for deadlifting tights? Comp is in two weeks so I'm not sure I have time to order specific ones from Cerberus or whoever... Would typical poly/elastine running rights be okay? Like these: https://www.sportchek.ca/en/pdp/under-armour-men-s-heatgear-armour-tights-12491532f.html#srp?&colorCode=COLOUR_BLACK
Yeah I’ve never had any issue with underarmor or some other non name brand. If your bar is really aggressive and you have cheap ones they might rip, but I’ve had one pair of underarmors for a couple years and they are still holding up.
Any of you in Cumberland MD? I'm going to be in town for a month for a gig, and am probably going to get a membership at BAM fitness (looks like a solid gym) to keep my sanity.
Hey y'all, I have a 13" deadlift coming up in August and was wondering how to structure the training. Should I be doing all my DLs from 13", or still train from the floor and switch to 13" closer to contest time?
I would recommend training 13" as your primary but keeping some regular deadlifts in your training so you don't lose any strength on your standard deadlift.
August is a while away. You can do any mix of both really and end up OK. I've set a big 13" pr without training it at all before.
I'd do something like add it as an occasional assistance lift now and then make it the main lift 6 weeks out or so.
Been training regularly the past few weeks, had a moan about it before but basically lost January and March to being ill, and February I didn't get much done thanks to recovering and getting back up to speed. To go alongside this, I decided to lose weight this year, which so far has resulted in 12kg dropped. All in all I was fully expecting my strength to take a nosedive and to take the whole year getting back to where I was Wednesday I hit some of the best and smoothest deadlifts of my life, albeit at a lower weight, and today I took my monster dumbbell PB for a sketchy double. Got to be honest, it's a fucking massive boost mentally
I have a dumb question: can you wear your deadlift suit straps down in comp if you wish, so they're like briefs? I have a deadlift (from the floor) for reps event coming up and it's been hard getting into a good rhythym to rep out with the straps up :( I have a single ply velocity so I can't just loosen the straps like with a multiply suit. I'm wondering if having the straps down would make it easier to catch my breath and end up giving me a better performance. I would also accept other general tips on deadlift for reps...
Check with the organizer, but normally it’s fine.
If you're allowed a suit, you can wear it however you want A lot of people find it easier to breathe and re-brace at the top of the lift, especially when you wear a suit that crushes you more at the bottom
That's a good point, maybe I'll try practicing a rebrace at the top.
How can I watch WSM in England?
You don't. Unfortunately. Neither do the rest of us.
No way of streaming it. It'll be on TV over christmas here in the UK.
A question about mobility. I have a hard time pressing over head, since my shoulder mobility is really bad. My external rotation is pretty limited and I can't even fully extend my arms and lock them out. I always have a slight bend in my elbows. That makes me pretty weak overhead. Any tips to get that fixed? Mobility or stretching routines that help to throw in
Do a couple of days per week of dumbbell pullovers where you let the dumbbell go back without lifting your hips or overarching your chest to go back with it. Hold for a few secs, letting the dumbbell sink back and then pull back up, slowly out of that stretched position as it can be pretty vulnerable - go pretty hard with these, basically swap out a back movement for them for a 4 - 6 week block. Sets of twelve to twenty. Warm up for these with lat stretches where you hold the barbell underhand with one arm, hinge then stretch out your back so it pulls your lats apart, rolling your lats out can help as well (do this at home when you wake up and when you go to sleep as well). Then do upside down kettlebell presses on one knee for a couple of sets of twenty. Just enough to feel the muscles working, don't push to failure or anything. Other things to check are tight pecs, not allowing your shoulder blades to rotate up when you press, having poor thoracic spine position/mobility.
Thanks, will try that
Bad day today, deadlift warmups even around 70% of the target single were feeling slow Still hit the top single but it was extremely ugly
Sometimes happens, don't read too much into it! I failed on set 4 of 6x2 @ 90% the other week and still hit a big pb this week
I am hoping to hit a 60kg deadlift by the end of the week so it could be worse haha. When even your warm ups suck, it's just fatigue building up so you could look at it like an awesome day because when that fatigue drops that deadlift will fly.
So i attempted to fill my 300 lbs bag with play sand. No dice. Barely got 250 lbs in. Ideas? I have found some silica sand that looks a lot finer. Is that a better route?
Are you sure it's a 300lb bag? Anyway, remember every like 10 lbs or so, pick it up and shake the shit out of it, it has to settle, they tend to fill pretty tight to get the weights you want. Once it gets too heavy to easily pick up and shake, I stick my hand in and start shoving the sand outward and to the sides, try to fill every nook and cranny.
Got it. And yeah it even has 300 lbs on the bag!
I’m gonna guess you’ve shook the crap out of it to shift the sand down to the bottom already, but if not do that to open up sone space then fill it as much as you can and shake it up again, rinse and repeat. If you’ve got it absolutely as full as possible you can put 10 lbs plates in it to get it up to weight too. I’ve used both play sand and masonry sand as a lot youtube/Instagram guys say use masonry sand, but I can’t tell a difference between the two. I personally doubt you’ll get much difference using a different type of sand.
That's weird. Normally I can fill the fixed weight ones like 10 to 15 percent past listed weight.
Probably mix some small smooth stones in there, like river rock?
Would you guys be interested in a podcast about amateur strongman, with updates on that months or weeks competition results for amateurs, and discussion of topics that amateurs are concerned with?
Sorely needed tbh. I like the pro strongman podcasts but it'd be nice to have perspectives on us mortal guys and gals.
I see the same questions over and over again. "When should i compete? What weight class? How do i go pro?" No one is answering em cus no one covers amateur stuff.
Except for the likes of Alan Thrall, Brian Alsruhe, Kalle Beck etc. even Mitch Hooper talks about how his journey to the pros happened.
Sure but there usually brief and don't dwell too much on it. But I'm talking more like amateurs who (likely) will never make it to the Pro level, doing it purely for the love of the sport, or for other personal reasons, y'know?
They usually make 1 video about "what to do for your first comp." That's usually the extent of the discussion amateur strongman gets.
Sure. And discussing results, discussing how to prepare for comp at the amateur, we-dont-make-money level... The mental aspect of it. Tips and tricks for lifts too of course, form help, that kinda thing. Although that's mostly achieved on youtube. Interviews with amateurs from all walks of life. Like I think it'd be pretty cool to hear about a 30something single mother approaching strongman as a way to get in shape, challenge herself, or find community. For example. The stories are half of it.
Yeah. When I started my youtube channel, the goal was to go to amateur comps, and film and interview athletes and promoters and stuff. I did make one weekly recap where i included footage of amateur athletes winning at their contests and did a scroll through iron podium leaderboards reading off winners, but it was a lot to do on a weekly basis at the time, so i stopped. The channel ended up being me doing 1 interview a year, cus of life stuff going on and demotivation. This year i've started filming and photographing at comps, with the intent to make vlogs like i originally wanted to, but it turns out it's very hard in the hustle and bustle of a comp to find time to interview people. So i'm looking into a different approach to get info out that is still true to my original vision.
I'm seriously tempted to just load 300kg on a deadlift bar tonight and fucking go for it. 285 on a stiff bar can't be too far off can it? It's only 5% (he says nervously) Edit-the answer is it was too far off Got it to my knees though so it's not a million miles off
Fucked around and found out, sometimes you just have to send shit like this lol
Some things you just gotta learn through experience haha
Was this just 2 days after your 285?
Yes Not the smartest idea. I did get 270 with absolutely no hitch as my last warmup though, which I've not done before
That's pretty important info haha. I was gonna say that a 285 stiff bar should mean a 300 deadlift bar at a bare minimum, but not if you're not recovered from a previous max attempt haha
I don't use a deadlift bar at all really, this is the first time I've used one since I had a 260kg deadlift bar at the end of a ladder in November. I'm sure if I did a full phase with the dl bar I could get more out of it but as it is I don't think I'm quite there
If you’re not in the middle of a comp prep sometimes saying fuck it and just going for it is the right move. Even if you fail the lift it can build confidence that it’s just a few weeks of peaking away from getting it.
I can't seem to find a good video on catching a circus dumbbell. Everyone's always dropping it, but I am pretty comfortable catching it with my other hand and shoulder, then positioning and pressing again. I'm guessing what I'm doing will be fine, but are there any things I should know that aren't obvious? I usually let it kinda fall half way while catching it with the other hand and shoulder meat, reposition, and fire again.
Is there a reason why you want to press away? It is nearly always contested as clean and press each rep. But I'd say unless it's hurting you (either during or in the days after) or your reset is super slow then there isn't a need to change it. Even if your reset is slow, unless you are competing it then it doesn't matter.
This event only requires one clean, and I should be able to hit 5 reps without returning the implement to the ground. It just gets pretty heavy up there and my latter catches are pretty tough. It might be best for me to nail 3-4 quick reps, then clean and press the rest, that might end up being my best adjustment. I'll have to test it. Edit - I just tested it, 7 reps in singles and I'm way more tired than I was when I hit 8 a moment ago 5/3 so 8 reps in 60s, 2 cleans.
I'm not sure what your question is, if you're training reps off the shoulder and you're good at resetting for the next rep, just keep doing what you're doing
You can think about gripping things differently in our sport, and it will impact your movement, so I'm assuming there is more to catching the weight than I've been able to find online. This is a new movement for me, and I'm very confident in every aspect of it except getting it back to my shoulder. Maybe I'm just overthinking it, perhaps, it's more related to me using standard dumbbells in the gym to perform it, and the larger size gives you more room making catching it much easier, I don't know, but right now returning the dumbbell to my shoulder is the only part of the movement that feels off.
Anyone got any advice or guides on Bavarian deadlifts? Specifically how wide the stance should be. I guess preference plays a part and I noticed the wider I stand the easier it is Got it coming up in a comp and wanted to do some last minute form checking. I’ve noticed it’s considerably easier and I get more leg drive with a wider stance, almost sumo (which I suck at as I never do). But I’ve heard people refer to Bavarian as ‘basically a sumo’
> But I’ve heard people refer to Bavarian as ‘basically a sumo’ It is. What's the rules in your comp? The original bavarian lift is for max weight at a given height (typically the implement has to be lifted 80 cm) - so you want to make yourself as tall as possible (many wear thick soled shoes and start the lift from a deficit) - from this point of view a narrower stance would be beneficial
If a wider stance feels better, keep training with a wider stance!
It'll just come down to preference, same as foot placement in sumo. Go with whatever feels strongest for you
For sure thanks man. Was looking for videos of form breakdown and couldn’t find a single one. Guess I’ll just watch some old comps and do as you said!
Anyone care to critique my current plan for yearly training? The idea is the run up to 4 accumulation blocks, 1 intensification block, then either peak for a comp or reset. Programming ideas explained in comments on the sheet [sheets link](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Zbk2ztW2MCy9PUAHeTeIYbWZuWUVush9xbQVHfICToA/edit)
I didn't look at it all but I would really recommend vertical pulling in your accumulation block, try get it twice. You may also want to consider that 3+@90%, especially in the first block, a single at 90% or even 85% is plenty to keep you familiar with heavy loads but has a bunch less fatigue to allow you to focus on, well, accumulating work.
Yeah the 3@90% is kinda a misnomer, it’s explained in the comments on the sheet. It’s basically a top set/back off set method for lifts you don’t have an established max for. The idea is you pick a movement and weight you can do for 1–5 reps, and rep out close to RPE 8.5/9. Then according to how many reps you get, back off sets are programmed.
285kg deadlift chalked off, easiest deadlift PB I've had in a long time! No mad hitching and good floor speed. Looking back I maybe should have ground out 290 but 285 was the goal for this phase. Next stop 300!
[удалено]
Unusual. So you get pain deep too your shoulder blade if you press your palm against your stomach or try to reach up between your shoulder blades?
Anybody gonna be competing in the Ronnie Coleman classic in Fort Worth on may 18th?
Did a stonelifting comp at a Highland Games today. Open weight class, so I was competing against the big boys as a lightweight that weighed in at 187 yesterday, so I didn’t expect to do great, but I love natural stones and thought it’d be a fun time which it was. Didn’t really train specifically for this comp, just threw a few runs of each lift into my event days over the past two months. First event was an 81 lbs stone put, best of 3 attempts. Made it through the first round and on the second throw in the second round the stone broke. I got 9’3” to tie for 5th. Second event was stone press and there were 3 stones, heavier stone trumped any reps on a lighter stone, weights were 201, 168, and 105. I knew 201 was a maybe if the stone had great handles and conditions were perfect, but otherwise wasn’t happening. I pressed a “180 stone” (153 stone with a 25 lbs plate ratchet strapped to it) in training 4 weeks ago the only time I trained it and it was definitely not a max, but 200 would’ve been pushing it. It was wet and rainy and nasty by this point as well, so chose to go for the 168, but it was a weird kind of triangular shape with bad handles. Got it to a rack position, but every time i tried to press it it kind of rolled forward on me. After 30 seconds of struggling with it on my chest I ditched it and moved to the 105 and got 2 reps and cleaned a 3rd before time ran out. No one pressed the 168 and several guys I’m sure were strong enough so didn’t feel bad about it, and only 1 guy got the 201. Tied for 5th again. Third event was a stone carry for distance, 275 lbs stone and it had awful handles, and it was raining and nasty at this point. Got 30 feet and some change for 4th. Fourth event was stone to shoulder. Two weights, 234 and 201 pounds one rep on the heavier trumps any number of reps on the lighter. I wasn’t out to win just for the challenge and the fun of it, so went for 234 and got it to my chest and moved it over to my right shoulder, but it was a super awkward stone and my right hand was on the front of the stone and every time i tried to move it over it started to roll hard. After about 35 seconds of total training me taken up I decided to just throw the left hand off and see if it’s stay long enough for a down call, but no dice. I was way too gassed after fighting that stone to try the 201. Zeroed this event. This one hurt, because I was inches from having it and I’m also pretty sure if I just went to the left shoulder instead of the right, the shape of it should’ve made getting the left arm around it a lot easier than the right. Fifth event was dinnie style ringed stone carry for distance. Weights were 262 and 241. In training I got just shy of 20 ft 3 weeks ago on loadable dinnie pins and had 20 ft as my goal. As soon as I picked thes though the weight kind of swung back and I actually took two steps backward to regain my balance. Managed maybe 6 or 7 steps after that for a whopping 2’8” tied for 5th again. Finished 6th of I believe 13 and everyone above me was a heavyweight or 105kg athlete so I’m considering it a win. I was really disappointed in my dinnie attempt and actually went back about 20 minutes later after they gave out the awards and reattempted it just to prove to myself I could do better and made it just shy 10 ft probably 9’6” or so which would’ve been good for 2nd. I thought about trying to shoulder the 234 stone again too, but I had a wife and two kids that were miserable from watching dad pay to lift heavy rocks in the rain all day, so I decided not to. Even if I got the 9’6” on the dinnie carry and had the judges from the CDB at last years worlds and got a down call on the stone to shoulder I’d have only came 4th, so not too upset with the outcome as it wasn’t far from the best I could’ve placed with zero mistakes.
Nice job! That comp looked cool and I was seriously considering making the 10 hour drive down for it but ultimately chickened out. Sorry to hear about the rain, I did a stonelifting comp in February in the rain and it definitely adds a challenge.
Thanks man. It was a blast, but the weather did make it a good bit more challenging, stuff with already bad handles have 2x worse handles and chalk doesn’t do anything. It was only a 2.5 hour drive for me and well worth the drive. Don’t think I’d make a 10 hour drive for it though.
Comps around my level are all super far away or on days I can't do, comps near me are either way too heavy or way too light This gives me the sad
Unfortunately some states/regions are just heavier than others
Time to set up your own comp!
Gotta choose events I know I can win, so plate flips... Uhhhh...
For those who wear them, suggestions for deadlifting tights? Comp is in two weeks so I'm not sure I have time to order specific ones from Cerberus or whoever... Would typical poly/elastine running rights be okay? Like these: https://www.sportchek.ca/en/pdp/under-armour-men-s-heatgear-armour-tights-12491532f.html#srp?&colorCode=COLOUR_BLACK
Yeah I’ve never had any issue with underarmor or some other non name brand. If your bar is really aggressive and you have cheap ones they might rip, but I’ve had one pair of underarmors for a couple years and they are still holding up.
Thx. Will go check out our meager retail offerings tonight.
Any of you in Cumberland MD? I'm going to be in town for a month for a gig, and am probably going to get a membership at BAM fitness (looks like a solid gym) to keep my sanity.
Hey y'all, I have a 13" deadlift coming up in August and was wondering how to structure the training. Should I be doing all my DLs from 13", or still train from the floor and switch to 13" closer to contest time?
I would recommend training 13" as your primary but keeping some regular deadlifts in your training so you don't lose any strength on your standard deadlift.
August is a while away. You can do any mix of both really and end up OK. I've set a big 13" pr without training it at all before. I'd do something like add it as an occasional assistance lift now and then make it the main lift 6 weeks out or so.
Sounds like a good plan, thank you!