The game of strongman is a demanding one. It requires brute energy combined with velocity, agility, and endurance. A sport that checks you to your limits each bodily and mentally. One that gives great highs however can even deliver crushing lows.
In case you are experiencing these lows, ask your self what’s holding you again. Check out your coaching, mindset, and objectives. No matter your expertise within the sport, errors in any of those 4 elementary areas might be detrimental to your progress.
Let’s take a look at 4 widespread errors in strategy and preparation for strongman competitions, and how you can repair them.
I competed in opposition to 4 World’s Strongest Males rivals and completed final, however I nonetheless realized quite a bit.
1. I’m Not Robust Sufficient But
If I had a pound for each time I’ve been requested, “How sturdy do I have to be?” I’d have my each day protein consumption paid for every week.
“[D]on’t permit your experiences of competitions to stall you as a result of you’re looking at these round you and pondering you’re not sturdy sufficient.”
The reply to this query depends in your objectives. If you wish to be the World’s Strongest Man, then you will have a 220kg overhead press, 462kg deadlift, and 350kg squat. Even with these, you’ll merely be aggressive, and successful is much from a given. When you simply need to have a go at strongman and see what occurs, then it is best to be capable of press your body weight overhead and deadlift and squat double your body weight.
As the game of strongman continues to develop and evolve, the usual rises. Thirty years in the past, my log press can be a world report. Now, it’s solely deemed above-average. However don’t permit your experiences of competitions to stall you as a result of you’re looking at these round you and pondering you’re not sturdy sufficient.
2. The Worth of Competitors
Nothing focuses the thoughts and polarizes your efforts like an upcoming competitors. Discover a competitors that fits your degree of capability and simply give it a go. That mentioned, expertise counts for lots on this sport, so when you get the possibility to compete at the next degree than you could suppose you’re able to, don’t flip that probability down both. I competed in opposition to 4 World’s Strongest Males rivals in January after a last-minute invite to an international-level present. I completed final. However regardless of the consequence, I realized quite a bit from being round a few of the strongest males on the planet.
“Nothing focuses the thoughts and polarizes your efforts like an upcoming competitors. Discover a competitors that fits your degree of capability and simply have a go.”
Coming final isn’t a shame. You study, you consolidate your new studying with what you already know, and also you get higher because of this. Embrace the competitors as a substitute of ready for that excellent mild competitors that you just’ll blitz and the place you’ll win a meaningless trophy. Novice titles are irrelevant within the large scheme of strongman, so don’t concentrate on successful. Give attention to experiencing the competitors, attending to know the strongman household, and deciding if strongman is the place you need to dedicate your coaching time.
Twenty years in the past, my press can be a world report. Now it’s solely above-average. I haven’t let that cease me.
3. Max, Max, Max
A part of the attraction to strongman is the circus-like nature of the lifts. The circus dumbbell, log carry, yoke run, and Atlas stone all look spectacular and past the capabilities of mortal women and men. Everybody desires {a photograph} or video of themselves performing these occasions.
However these actions are all extremely technical and require follow and fixed refinement. Frequently hitting occasion work isn’t a difficulty. You’ll be able to carry out the occasions as usually as you’re feeling comfy or need to. The problems is the odds that you’re doing them with.
“Study the approach, excellent the motion, after which apply effort, depth, and quantity in a progressive method.”
Everybody desires a shiny new private finest for his or her YouTube channel. Due to this fact, many trainees frequently chase their occasion max in coaching. For instance, max yoke, max dumbbell, and max log multi functional session. Contemplate the stress that locations in your physique, together with the impression that has in your restoration and your capability to coach the subsequent week.
Apply related percentages to your occasion coaching as you’d your press, squat, and deadlift. You don’t max these three lifts each session, so don’t max out the occasions you might be working towards. Study the approach, excellent the motion, after which apply effort, depth, and quantity in a progressive method.
4. Turn out to be Robust, Then Turn out to be a Strongman
Many individuals overlook that constructing energy is like another a part of health. It takes time, onerous work, and dedication. Power isn’t constructed shortly and simply. If you wish to be a strongman, don’t overlook you want time to grow to be sturdy first.
“Lifting too heavy and pushing your boundaries too usually means you get harm. Otherwise you see no progress, determine to desert the plan, and cease coaching for energy all collectively.”
Caught on that 220kg deadlift barrier whilst you have a look at others shifting up towards the 300kg membership? It’s all too simple to get pissed off and attempt to velocity up the method. You begin coaching extra, coaching with greater percentages, and scouring the Web for a magic complement or diet plan within the hope you’ll progress sooner.
Invariably, this results in considered one of two issues – damage or defeat. Lifting too heavy and pushing your boundaries too usually means you get harm. Otherwise you expertise no progress, determine to desert the plan, and cease coaching for energy all collectively.
If you wish to be a strongman, don’t overlook you want time to grow to be sturdy first.
There are not any shortcuts round onerous work, an excellent coaching plan, and a dedication to getting the work carried out. Contemplate the following tips:
- The strongest lifter is usually the one who’s been damage free the longest.
- Don’t put your physique and well being in danger by neglecting your foundations of mobility, motion, health, and an applicable coaching plan. You’ll remorse it if you’re in hospital with a bulging disc or torn muscle.
- Create a robust basis and construct. It’s a marathon, not a dash. Turn out to be sturdy, then grow to be a strongman.
Construct From the Floor Up
No matter the place you might be in your present journey into strongman, whether or not you might be simply attempting out the game or are an skilled competitor, ask your self these questions:
- Is your worry of failure holding you again?
- Are you pushing your occasion coaching too onerous?
- Are you sacrificing long-term well being and injury-free coaching to hurry up the method?
In case your reply to any of those questions is sure, then the one resolution is to construct from the bottom up. Reassess your priorities, so you possibly can lay a stable basis. From right here, construct an enormous degree of energy. Solely by following this course of on this order will you have the ability compete at your highest capabilities.
Different Articles You Could Take pleasure in:
- 33 Causes to Practice Strongman
- What Strongman Coaching Can Train Us About Getting Robust
- 3 Causes You Don’t Squat Extra (And What to Do About It)
- What’s New On Breaking Muscle In the present day
Pictures courtesy of John Clark.