Don’t these organizations have a formal points system?
Not sure what you’re talking about, but no, I don’t think so. The only thing that stops you from competing as a novice is if you have already won a show as a novice. And I think even that is not enforced rigidly.
A formal points system. Like you must podium in a given year for a total of X points to advance to the next echelon.
To do that, you have to participate in a minimum number of meets, place, yadda yadda yadda.
Sound familiar, at all?
So there is something like that in order to go pro and there are requirements to qualify for certain regional and national shows. However, we’re talking about local competitions where literally anyone who pays the fee can sign up and compete. There is a novice division and an open division and it’s pretty arbitrary as to which one you should sign up for. (At big enough competitions, there are also teens, masters, womens, divisions as well as weight classes, but those all have pretty clear criteria)
So the situation, from my perspective, ends up being that you have some guys who are working really hard to win the novice division. In actuality, winning the novice division means you were the strongest guy that didn’t want to compete against the best, which is kind of a weird thing to give an award for. I stopped doing novice after my first competition and have never placed very well in open. I just question the value of having awards for a novice division.
looooooooooooooooooooooool
no.
. I know, the naivete, right?
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Well, that settles it. I’m officially a middle weight female novice. I SHALL DOMINATE ALLLL!!!
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haha it’s not something anyone outside of the sport would be expected to know.
There just aren’t a lot of standards in strongman, especially in amateur strongman. Even at the pro level though, there’s plenty of weird shit. Guys like Travis Ortmayer and Robert Oberst getting WSM invites is a fucking joke. The two biggest shows in the world, WSM and the Arnold, are run COMPLETELY differently, the way you get into them is completely different, etc.
American amateur strongman has two dominant federations. And they are run by two people who used to be married, and very much dislike each other now. Both have let their relationship hurt the quality of their respective federations.
USS strongman doesn’t have a path to the Arnold Amateur at the highest level, which is a major drawback to competing in it. You go to Nationals, and then possibly world’s, depending on your weight class. Or you might get some other opportunity, it’s kind of whatever Willie, the guy who runs USS has figured out for a given class in a given year. A couple years ago, the 198 male winner got a fucking ticket to Finland… lol. No joke.
Strongman Corp has a direct line to the Arnold, but the woman who runs that federation has done all kinds of fucked up things. She’s really botched a couple of Nationals shows which made for pretty horrible experiences for the athletes. For awhile, the ONLY reason people continued to do her shows was that Arnold opportunity.
Then you have the Official Strongman Games stuff, which is an online qualifier plus invites to compete. It’s basically just one big show, but between that and the Arnold, it’s one of the two best shows to compete in as an amateur.
Anyway. That’s strongman. lol.
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Thanks Flip! That’s some good insights.
All of the previous stuff makes much more sense now.
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Video from Friday night, body weight at 87kg so not much change from earlier in the year. Focus this year has been solely on strength so am a little soft around the middle, Hit a PR squat and deadlift in this session, so plan is working well.
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Dumb question: what kind of shoes are you wearing here?
Sexy ones.
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I’m amazed you focused on the shoes not the licra onesie.
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They are a gym shoe with a very thin flat sole, kinda like a boxing or wrestling shoe. These are made by an Australian company called Iron Tanks gym gear.
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Wasn’t sure you had seen it, now with comments like that I know you didnt watch it. LOL
Hit a 215lb log yesterday, heaviest I’ve gone in close to 2 years I think. Next comp in 4 weeks.
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Just finished up Prep & Fat Loss Training from 5/3/1 Forever yesterday. Current goals are pretty basic: 1/2/3/4 plates for press/bench/squat/dead and some body recomposition. Already above 2 plates on bench, press goal and recomp should be doable by year’s end, but squat and deadlift goals are longer-term.
My head’s in a good place right now, and I’ve got a plan—both of which are different from where I was when I joined the forum not too long ago, so I’m happy about that!
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That Infamous back shot camera technique
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