Strongman Training

To all of the “Strength and Conditioning Coaches” I see posting on social media or that I hear about from the athletes that I work with… 

If you want to add Strongman Training or Strongman Conditioning Circuits into your athlete’s training programs that’s great BUT at least understand what it is you’re adding and how to do it safely and effectively. 

Here’s an idea instead of just copying shit…. learn to use them by asking someone that actually does it. The 

Trust me there’s more goes to it than you think… selection of exercises, weight of implement, time limits, technique and so much more.   Take the time to learn before someone gets injured and you blame the exercise instead of blaming YOURSELF!! 

I took the time to learn from and train with the very best in the world before I ever had an athlete do any strongman training.  

I’m not exaggerating on this and here’s a little taste of the action…. I was at Sorinex Summer Strong and Bert has the original stones from strongman with the MacGlashen Stones and I was taught to lift the stones by World’s Strongest Man competitor Dave Ostlund and a few years later I was outside lifting the #2 stone and a voice asked me if I’d like him to help me to lift the stones and I turn around and standing there is non other than one of the greatest strongmen / powerlifters in history Bill “Kaz” Kazmaier.  Still at Sorinex Richard Sorin the ‘Grip King’ worked with me on grip training…. I couldn’t grab my fork or my manhood to pee for days my hands and forearms were so sore and fatigued.  Again more information that you think when it comes to something like Strongman Training. 

Back at my gym back in Houston Travis Ortmayer would come in to train and invited me to train with him at my place as well as his storage shed where I learned more stone lifting, log clean and press, farmers carry, yoke walk and much more.  I’ve listened to and trained with other Worlds Strongest Man competitors as well AND the people that coach them!!!  

Here’s another and a biggie too …. Dr Terry Todd who as a kid I watched talk on the late 70’s version of Worlds Strongest Man back on CBS and of course his book Inside Powerlifting but that’s an entire other story so back to my rant, I visited with Terry and his wonderful wife Jan at The University of Texas where they are professors and Terry explained in great detail how to choose exercises and everything that went with that but down to the scientific reasoning…. Bet your ass you didn’t expect that shit!!!!   Yeah a lot goes into this….. more than you think!!!   

The biggest impact on me was actually training and competing in Strongman contests!!!  Back when I was a kid and it was on CBS I’d head outside and try my best to recreate the events, later when I was in the Army and stationed in Germany this type of training was all we had to do at times.  Fast forward to competing in Scotland doing a Highlander Challenge (a combination of Heavy Athletics and Strongman) but in 1997 Bill Holland started an amateur strongman competition in a field in Azle Texas I went on to compete for 5 years before concentrating on the Scottish Highland Games.  

There’s more to the story and it’ll continue in a later blog…

Old Man Rant Over!!! ? 

(actually this has been brewing inside of me for a long ass time probably around 2006, I don’t know how I kept it bottled up inside me!!) 

#oldstrongguysrule #3xlstout #powersportstrengthconditioning #tight5performance

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