T Nation

Strongman

Bodybuilding
#1

Ok i have found the sport for me, STRONGMAN. I am realy interested in this as i think it looks like a true t-man sport possible from the state of the majority of competitors minus the lookin good nekid part. anyway i want to begin training for there kind of performances but at a light and i do mean light body weight. So any one who takes part or wants to join in and lets start a new movement!!!

discuss diet, training, supps, drugs, pro’s, competitions etc whatever!!
i await your coments
POWER TO THE IRON!!

5/3/1 with Sandbag Assistance
#2

If you haven’t already, read our article here on strongman stuff: http://www.testosterone.net/articles/163giant.html

#3

Bill Kazmier is presenting at the SWIS Symposium in Toronto on strongman training techniques. Check out www.swis.ca for info on the symposium.

#4

I train in the strongman fashion. I have participated in local competitions. Check out Lou Ferrigno’s website. Arguably, the greatest strongman that ever lived.

#5

Hey FFB you sound really fired up man! I think the first thing you oughta do is get a subscription to MILO. Theres plenty of strong man info in each issue and I believe ironmind has back issues as well as competition related info. I remember last time I checked there really are quite a few strongman and highland games competitions around the country…best of luck!

#6

thanx guys , i am really fired up and will be starting intense training next week, Chris thanx for reminding me about that article i had forgotten about it. Just now i am working out my diet and training and will hopefully have all the factors covered by tomorrow.
thanx for the input and suggestions.

#7

Hi FFB, glad to hear that you’ve found your calling. Here are a few things I discovered on my oddessy from bodybuider to strongman.

  1. Don’t go overboard with the weight gain. I was up at 290lbs at 6’3" strong as hell - but I was out of breath walking up the stairs.
  2. Don’t neglect your cardio - it’s ESSENTIAL even during mass gaining, so that your heart and lungs become accustomed to the extra weight.
  3. Keep an eye on your cholesterol - when bulking up, it’s very easy to let it get away from you especially if you use oral steroids (mine got up to 340mg/l in a three month period - I’ve got it back to normal in the last 4 weeks following a palio diet)
  4. If you choose to use stick to test, forget the orals (primarily for the reasons mentioned above)
  5. Do plenty of weighted GPP, particularly the farmers walk, sled pulls and truck push/pulls.
  6. Don’t lose sight of the fact that you probably won’t make a penny from this sport and ruin your health in the process.
    Finally good luck, the sport has so much to offer so long as you keep an eye on your health, and don’t let it become an obsession.
    Once again, good luck.
#8

FFB, I know what you mean. I’ve done a couple of local strongman contests in the past, and they really are a great event. One thing I can tell you is that specific training for the events is important. You need core strength (like in the powerlifts or olympic lifts), but a big squat, bench or deadlift only goes so far. Also, strongman event training is really tough (but fun). I think even more so than straight up weight lifting the possibility for overtraining is high, so make sure you have proper recovery time between workouts. As stated in a prior post MILO magazine does a lot of strongman coverage (also other “odd” events, like arm wrestling and Highland games, which are a blast too). While you don’t need to become a “cardio maniac” there is a level of fitness that the strongman events require that is absent in a lot of other strength sports. While I don’t think you have to let yourself go physique wise, a little extra weight can help you “muscle” through some events (like the tire flip). Best luck to you.