This past weekend I competed in the USS "Hope for the Holidays" - Record Breakers strongman competition. This competition isn't like most. Typically at most shows we have 5 events and your score from each event determines your overall placing. This competition you could enter in a max overhead log or axle, max deadlift from floor or 18 inches and then some press and deadlift for rep events. I went with the log clean & press and deadlift from the floor.
Leading up to this competition training went pretty good overall. I was fighting a sickness for about 2 1/2 weeks leading up to the competition, but I still got my workouts in and hit all my numbers. I did lose a few pounds during that time as I had no appetite. I weighed in Saturday morning at 215 and was competing in the 220# class.
Log press was up first. I was told I'd be using the white log so I warmed up on it to what I thought was 300#. I was told it was 100# empty, but later found out it was 90 empty. So I hit 290# for a single, not 300#. Not a huge difference, but also not as heavy as I planned to warm up to. Then the competition began and it was a little over an hour before I was up for my opener. I was opening at 330#, a weight I know I'm good for a double or triple with. I hit the clean easy and the press flew up. Unfortunately I threw it back farther than I meant to and ended up losing my balance and having to walk the log backwards and bring it back down to the rack position. I hit the press again, this time keeping my balance and getting the down call and a good lift. My opener beat the previous log clean & press record of 320#, so I was happy with that. After my opener I jumped to 345. My best is 341 over a year ago so I was pretty confident this would be very doable. At the last minute I was told I would now be using the red log. I was under the impression all my lifts would be on the white log so I did all my warm ups and opener on it. The red log was a little bigger in diameter and shorter.
I approached the log for my second attempt and hit the clean pretty easy. However, once in the rack position my log was out of position. This was the first time I had cleaned this log today and it had a different feel to it. I went on and tried to press it, but the log was way out in front of me and no way to recover. I missed my second attempt and I won't lie, I was pretty disappointed in myself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G0s7YeuJSg
I quickly pushed that out of my mind for the time being and started focusing on the deadlift. I warmed up to 560 and the weight was moving very good. I set my opener to 620 and then waited.
After some time went by it was now my turn. My opener of 620 flew up. I decided to make my next attempt 675. This would tie my best competition pull of 675, but this time I was raw and last time I was suited. This would also beat my gym raw deadlift PR of 670 by 5 pounds.
675 went up pretty good. Not as fast as 620, but I had some left in me for sure. I decided to go for 700 on my third attempt. A 700 pound raw pull is a goal of mine, so I had hoped to hit it at this competition.
I pulled 700 to just right below the knees and it stalled out. I missed it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lN11FOo1Qo
I ended up going up and doing what I planned to do. Set the log national record and pull a deadlift PR. Even though neither lift was as heavy as I had hoped, all in all I had a good time and it was for a good cause.
I took 1st Place on the Log Clean & Press in the 220s and I took 2nd Place on the Deadlift in the 220s.
And even thought it's only 5 pounds heavier than my previous raw gym PR - I know I'm stronger now. 675 looked a lot better than this 670.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVDH54fElWM
