Training Considerations for Soldiers
Since most units don’t really allow for rest days other than the weekend, I’m looking for the biggest-bang-for-my-buck exercises that I could be able to fit into a morning training session. Also, I’m working based on the assumption that Fridays are company/battery runs.
Log and Deadlifts
Over the past year or two, with all the travel I've done, it was nice to be back with a training crew.
Moving Forward
I had planned on diving right into a new hypertrophy block after my last contest, but I'm still feeling beat up from my contest 2 weeks ago, so I've been basically just putzing around with training since then.
Heavy Clean and Peach Gang Verification
Worked up to a heavy single of 300lbs on cleans today, testing out the water after some knee issues a few months ago. I strained my R miniscus doing hang cleans over the summer, so it was nice to get back to being able to do a decent weight with relative ease. I started the […]
Diets and Deadlifts
Also, IF I win the lottery tonight ($1.6 billion at date of publication), I promise to do something.....
33 Weeks Till Nationals!
Do you have a plan? Are you thinking 3 months, 6 months, even a year out? Play the long game. You'll thank yourself later.
A Meathead’s Take on the Army Combat Readiness Test
Maybe this is coming from a place of bias and resentment, because at a lean 205 pounds, I was always the fat guy with a two-mile time over 14 minutes…but I digress.
Ohio's Strongest Man at Team BSS
This past weekend I competed in United States Strongman's "Ohio's Strongest Man" put on by Team BSS in Boardman, OH as a fundraiser for Relentless Detroit.
Operation Gothic Serpent
This October 3rd is the 25th anniversary of the Battle of Mogadishu, so this past weekend, fellow EliteFTS teammate...
Bows and Arrows
I guess this is where I should use it as a segue to say something like "In order for an arrow to move forward, it has to be pulled back first" or something.
Putting My Foot Back in the Ring
It's been 2 years, give or take a month or two, since I've competed in strongman last. A lot has changed since then.
It's Meet Day — Do You Shine or Crumble?
Why do so many people do so well in training but nosedive when it’s time to compete? Two words: Anxiety and self-doubt.
Don't Be a One-Trick Pony
You see it all of the time. That one person in strongman training who posts the same lifting videos on social media every day—oh, look, he’s deadlifting again. Sure, he is an amazing deadlifter, but unfortunately for him, the sport isn’t called “being a good deadlifter.”
A Useful Coach: The Horse, The Water, and What People Miss
Knowing what to tell the horse is a lot less important than making the horse understand why the information is important.
3 Non-Traditional Movements to Overcome Weakness in the Overhead Press
Weaknesses in rack position, leg drive, or the lower back will severely hold back your overhead press strength. Here are solutions to each of those problems.
The Future of Strongman
I may come across as accusatory or cynical in this article, but it’s because this sport means so much to me and I’ve spent thousands of dollars and hours trying to grow it for the good of everyone involved. If we want it to be bigger and better, there are some things we need to do.
The Sumo Deadlift for Strongman
You may never do this lift in competition, but training the sumo deadlift can add tons of strength to your conventional deadlift, carrying events, and overhead strength while relieving stress on your back.
No Planned Cheat Meals
As I am approaching my 29th week of this body recomposition, I have had no planned cheat meals. This might sound crazy and restrictive to a lot of people, but there is a method to the madness.
Considerations for Strength Athletes Losing Weight
You’re going to be tired, you’re going to lose motivation, and you’re going to feel yourself going backward sometimes. That’s why it’s important to develop these skills and plan for the difficult times.
Training the Atlas Stones
It is the signature strongman event and can make you a champion or break you in half. Unfortunately, it’s often the most poorly trained event — but it doesn’t have to be.
Developing Your Own Strongman Program
Designing a program that builds agility, speed, strength, and conditioning, while also training the strongman movements, can seem a daunting task. Here’s how I approach it.
Finding Strength with Derek Poundstone
I had no idea how prolific Derek Poundstone was and would become in the strongman world. Now that he has stepped out of the spotlight, he sat down with me to talk about the sport of strongman and his life.
Olympic Weightlifting for Strongman Athletes
You can’t be a good strongman without being a good athlete, and that means building power, mobility, and technique. These movements can help build all three.
Finding Strength: The Bar Strength and Conditioning
Owner Bryan May and coach John Severson are sharing their knowledge and expertise with the people of Milton, Florida and the surrounding area.
Finding Strength: Missing Link Crossfit
Casey Hagstrom and Allen Bose have taken the culture they developed in the Marines and brought it to the civilian side to help create some amazing athletes in multiple sports.
Finding Strength: Tyson's Playground
Ken Stewart’s facility is loaded with almost an entire football field of turf, a room dedicated to weightlifting, strongman implements, and tons of other equipment needed to make the best possible athlete.
Finding Strength: Primal Strength
In Charlottesville, Virginia, behind two garage doors, is a down and dirty, no-bullshit training facility, and a group of athletes ready to come in and do work.
Off-Season Conjugate for Intermediate Strongmen
Strongman requires speed, endurance, strength, and explosiveness. What if you could build all of these qualities at the same time?
The Continental Clean — Maximizing Your Axle Clean and Press
Watching lifters attempt the continental clean has given me a case of the heebie-jeebies dozens of times. I’m here to give some pointers on making the movement stronger, safer, and more efficient.
Finding Strength: Why Your Log Press Sucks with Zydrunas Savickas
If I had to pick the three most common mistakes I’ve witnessed in the last 10 years of seeing lifters miss with the log, here they are, with a video of Zydrunas Savickas coaching the movement.
How Do I Get Into Strongman?
I’ve covered a lot of territory, and still have so much on the horizon, but I think one of the biggest things I’ve missed over the past year relates to a question I’ve been getting often.
Finding Strength: Gleason Performance Training
Equipment, coaching, elitefts team members — this gym in Derby, Connecticut has it all, and is one of my favorite places to visit.
Finding Strength: Reflexive Performance Reset
Being able to seek new ways to perform at your best is just as important as finding the best gym, and this is why I think it’s so important to share RPR with everyone.
Finding Strength: The Anvil Gym
This Strongman’s paradise in Cedar Rapids, Iowa has the people, the equipment, and the expertise you need to get stronger.
Finding Strength: Strength Haven
This top-notch facility in Elkhart, Indiana has earned its reputation through their development of athletes and the social causes they support in their community.
Finding Strength: The Strength Depot
The owners of this Livonia, Michigan facility have made a commitment to bettering the world of strength sports, providing a home to many lifters and raising money for Relentless Detroit.
Finding Strength: Jiu-Jitsu and Strength Academy
The familiarity and genuine interest in one another is a recurring theme at the most successful gyms I’ve visited since starting this project. This is what I found in Cromwell, CT.
Finding Strength: Colosseum Strongman
During my trip to this Columbia, Maryland gym, I witnessed first-hand the hospitality of Jon Ward and his strongman crew.
Finding Strength: East Coast / West Coast Strength
This New Jersey gym brings together the best training methods to spread the Strongman culture.
Finding Strength: The Mission
The purpose is simple: bridging the gap between Strongman and the public.
Finding Strength: Granite Barbell
A bare bones gym in Campbell Hall, NY, Brett Somerville and Anthony Buzzeo offer all the equipment and training knowledge to take your strongman game up a notch.
Finding Strength: United States Strongman Nationals
With over 300 competitors in attendance, the energy was intense. I am in awe of how many people were there not only to compete, but to watch at cheer on the strongmen.
Finding Strength: Refuge Barbell
Derek Stone has grown his gym from an old shed into a fully functioning gym, littered with equipment that can help anyone reach their strongman goals.
Finding Strength: Team BSS Training and Fitness
Located in Boardman, Ohio, the Schumakers have created a competitive playing field for strongman competitors to learn and refine their craft.
Finding Strength: North Carolina’s Strongest Man and Woman
At this event, the return for victory is high, which means the competition is harder and heavier than most contests out there.
Finding Strength: Cold Front CrossFit
Merging with Traverse City and Bulky Boys Barbell clubs, this Northern Michigan facility has welcomed strongman into their doors.
Finding Strength: Area 56
Owned and operated by Tyler Petro and his wife Sarah Connors-Petro, this gym started in a storage unit and has grown to a premier facility in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
Finding Strength: Durniat Strength
Settled in Wooster, Ohio, Andrew Durniat created the training facility he’s always wanted: his own.
Finding Strength: Titan Barbell
Eric Dawson opened his Medford, Massachusetts gym in his back yard—literally—to always be there to oversee his gym and help his athletes.
Finding Strength: Force Barbell
Working in conjunction with other professionals and experts, owner Tyler Miller has created a home for strongman athletes in Fishers, Indiana to train and prepare for any athletic endeavor.
Finding Strength: Total Performance Sports
Owned by elitefts coach CJ Murphy in Massachusetts, TPS is one of the best gyms in the country, with the accolades and athletes to prove it.
Finding Strength: CORE Fitness
In Mooresville, Indiana, owner Aaron Molin has amassed an amazing training facility to help grow the sport of strongman — “The Barn” is where all the action takes place.
Finding Strength: Blind Dog Gym
Located in Lorraine, Ohio, this facility is definitely top notch with more equipment than you can dream of! Past professional Highland Games athlete Mark Valenti is doing things right by providing an outlet for all strength disciplines.
Finding Strength: NBS Fitness
This is a great training facility in Memphis, Tennessee owned by strength coach, athlete, and EliteFTS columnist, David Allen.
Finding Strength: Lightning Fitness
Connecticut has quite the strongman community. This week I made my way up to South Windsor to visit a real strength athlete’s playground.
Finding Strength: The Origin Story
This is my journey: to help people find strength, like I found strength.
Improving Strongman Performance through 65 Pounds of Weight Loss
The dietary principles Gallman learned after a painful injury resulted in a return at the Arnold Amateur Strongman World Championships.