OK, Let's Lift! And 1 and 2 and 1 and 2

quick update on my training for the World’s events:

I’ve gotten to 2 reps on the axle wagon wheel deadlift at 600 lbs. huge progress there, very happy with where I am with 4 weeks of training left to go.

I hit a crazy fast 270 log press this week, and BARELY missed 290. 280 should definitely be there on competition day, at the least. Feeling good about this event too.

My sandbag throws are going great. Plenty of height with the prescribed weights. A little inconsistent on my throwing line, but I think it will be good enough because I’m getting more height than I need. Gives me room for error.

I’ve picked up 315 per hand with farmers handles, and walked 3 steps. That’s my best effort. The pick isn’t too bad, but I just can’t walk with it. I’ll do what I can on this event, but expecting a last place finish. Anything better than last will be a win in my book, lol.

And finally, power stairs. I feel good about this event, but I really don’t have any way to compare myself to others on this. I’ve done 8 reps quickly with 310 no problem, and 6 reps with 360. Best I’ve done with 400 is 3 reps, but I could’ve gotten 4. Sooooo yea. I think if I can get through the first 2 weights and at least halfway through the 400 on comp day, that will be pretty good. I don’t see many people finishing that event. I’d like to, but not overly optimistic. It’s a tough event, and I think it’s set up for people to fail, lol.

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Hey guys! A few things to note.

My training is wrapped up for World’s. Had my last session Saturday. I’m feeling reasonably good about most of the events, aside from the farmers carry.

I finally got 280 on the log in training. I actually cleaned it and missed my first press attempt, kept it racked, and succeeded on my second try. So that was awesome. I hit 260 before that for an easy double. 260 is now definitely my opener. Excited about that, it’s a great opener.

the sandbags are actually a little terrifying to me, lol. I’m still not as consistent as I’d like to be. I have the potential to nail all 4 throws and get it done in less than 15 seconds. I also have the potential to miss throws and take 45 seconds, lol. We’ll see what actually happens.

The axle is scary too, but I think I’m good for at least 1 rep. I have to be satisfied with that. A middle of the pack finish there is fine.

I’m fucked on farmers. Still.

I’m actually feeling very confident with the power stairs. I was working with 380 this weekend, and hit a ton of really clean reps, plenty of clearance, not too taxing. My form has really come together on that event. I think I’ll be able to move quickly there, and I think I’ll finish in under a minute. Winning that event seems possible. It’s really hard to know because I haven’t seen what any of the other competitors can do. I just don’t see them doing much better than me.

So here we go. I’m in the water loading phase of my water cut. 3 gal water today, 3 tomorrow, 3 Wednesday. Thursday I’ll drink as much as I can before noon, and then I’ll have a coors lite and board my plane to Ohio. Tomorrow is the first day restricting calories and food choices. I won’t eat much at all Wednesday or Thursday. Carbs will come from frozen berries from tomorrow until Thursday morning. Protein will just be chicken. Salt intake is high right now, it drops tomorrow, and then no salt starting Wednesday. That’s when I’ll start to see my weight drop.

I’ve posted this before, my IG is Tiptonstrong, if anyone wants to follow along. I shared a little bit of the process going into nationals, but didn’t post at all the day before weigh in. This time, I’ll try to be better about keeping it updated.

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Good luck man! Competing in the 180 class?

yessir. technically 181.5 hahaha. I weighing 197.5 this morning.

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That’s a good chunk of weight to lose haha. Looking forward to seeing how you do man, get after it!

Best of luck Flip.

Good luck! If the (ludicrously heavy) farmers is the only event you’re fucked on then you’re not doing too shabby.

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Goodluck!

time for my write-up.

I took 4th overall, and I was actually in first place after the first 2 events. That was cool.

Event 1: sandbag over bar. the bags were 25, 30, 35, and 40. I had been very inconsistent on my throws leading up to the competition. I had also only trained with 1 bag, which was around 33 lbs. I didn’t have a great way to tell how high I was throwing in training, because I didn’t have a bar to throw over. So I just threw and hoped for the best. On competition day, I had the run of my life on the 4 bags, and I didn’t miss a throw. First bag cleared by 10 feet, lol. The 3rd bag landed on the bar and fell the right way. Then the 4th bag was a perfect throw, cleared by 2 feet and I was the only guy to not miss a bag. Not everyone got the 4th bag over, and everyone who did at least clipped the bar.

2nd event was log press. I opened the heaviest (along with 1 other guy) at 265. Second attempt at 275 was good. On the 3rd, I was already guaranteed 2nd or better on the event. So I went for 285, which was 5 lbs less than the record, and the other guy went for 295, trying to set the record rather than tie for 1st in the event. I got my lift, he missed. So I won.

3rd event was farmers walks. In hindsight, I probably should have trained for this, it’s actually possible that I could have done better than last. I didn’t realize how tough it would be for everyone. a few guys got around 15 feet on it. 2 guys finished. I think if I had hammered this event for 2 months, I might have gotten 15 feet out of it too. But instead I lost it.

4th event was the deadlift. 14" high axle with 600 lbs for reps. It was rough, and I got zero. Best training was 3 reps. The winner of the event was only 5 reps, and I did break the ground with it, so I wasn’t that far off from being competitive there. I just didn’t have a rep in me on contest day.

5th event was the power stairs. I had another flawless run, but was a couple seconds slower than the guy who won it. I had to go second on the event. I might have gotten a better time had I seen a few other runs, but I took it a little slow to make sure I didn’t miss a step. Regardless, I can’t complain about that one. It was a good event for me.

Overall, I exceeded my own expectations. I was strong, and I belonged in this elite group. I was only 1 of 2 guys to win any events. The overall winner won the other 3, and was absolutely dominant. 2 guys edged me out for a tie for 2nd place, and the winner won by a huge margin over them.

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Nice work man, saw the clips on IG. Looked like a hell of a day!

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man, I just saw the points totals for the contest… I probably shouldn’t have looked. 1 rep on the deadlift would have given me 2nd overall.

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That’s so cool. I’m guessing next year you’re looking to podium.

If I stay in the LW class, it won’t be because I’m looking to podium. I’ll be looking to win.

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Doesn’t surprise me. What’s the class above?

there are 2 answers to this. one is ‘middleweight’. the other answer is ‘198 lbs’. And those 2 things mean different things.

Most local shows that have middleweight divisions offer both the 198 class and the 220 class under the umbrella of middleweight. Often, these classes work with the same prescribed weights as each other, in competition. When you get to nationals, this is always the case. When you get to the next level, like the Arnold, or any Middleweight world championship - type event, the classes get combined. So to be competing at the highest level of middleweight essentially means you need to be walking around at like 240+. You need to be deadlifting 750+, overhead pressing 360+, etc.

For me, I believe it would take at least 2 more years of dedicated work to get to this point. So it’s something to consider, but I think the most likely path for me will be to continue to play in the Lightweight playground for at least another year, and then consider moving up if I don’t improve.

I think I definitely have room for improvement though. My pressing is as good as it needs to be. I’m in the top 5 log pressers in the world now, as a lightweight. I know my deadlift has room to grow without adding bodyweight. My throws are as good as anyone’s. My stone lifting is elite. And carries don’t require more bodyweight, they need practice. So I can spend the next 6-9 months hammering the deadlift and carries, and see where that takes me.

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that’s really fucking cool

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Good looks dude, saw your post on insta, excited to see you win next year.

I flicked through this log on a long bus journey last weekend and you’re right, it’s a very cool lesson to see!

It’s also nice because 2011 flip isn’t massively stronger than 2018 me, so I’m expecting good things for myself in 2025.

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hey guys! been awhile. I’ll share some updates.

I competed in the static monsters qualifier in October, and I came in 12th in the world in the 198 weight class. That means I’m 2nd alternate to compete in Australia next June. So there’s a very good chance I’ll be going. And a lot of time to actually fill out the 198 class, add some bodyweight.

I was in a car accident at the beginning of this month, and I’ve only just gotten back into the gym. Bummer. But I’m almost healthy. The only serious lingering issue is in my elbow. Hoping to get that resolved relatively soon so I can get back to pressing. I was very lucky to walk away from this accident at all. I got hit in the driver side front door while on an overpass. AFTER I was rear ended. So 2 separate collisions, lol. Basically the guy who hit me second didn’t see the accident and ended up swerving to avoid the car behind me, then swerved back into my door. Pushed my truck into the guard rail, 50+ feet above the ground. I thought I was done. But, here I am :slight_smile:

I hired a coach recently to do my programming. The goal will be to become a much better athlete overall, work on my issues with core instability, fix my overhead mobility issue, and learn to get some real leg drive, something I currently lack.

I think that’s about all for now. I’ll share some of my training in the coming months. I don’t expect to be hitting any PR’s for a bit, as my coach will not have me maxing as often as I tend to when I do my own ‘programming’. But my carries should improve dramatically in the coming months. My next show is probably in January.

Bodyweight this morning was 198. I haven’t decided if I’ll compete as a LW or MW in January.

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That’s horrifying man, glad you made it out okay. I’ve nearly shat myself sliding on ice towards a 15 or so foot cliff, couldn’t imagine 50+ feet.

Your coach a local guy? Or someone we might recognize?