Events Saturday: 4 Weeks Till Qualifiers

Yoke walk
15 metres @ 135 kgs
15 metres @ 215 kgs
15 metres @ 295 kgs
15 metres @ 335 kgs
15 metres @ 355 kgs
8 metres @ 375 kgs TPR

Farmers walk
15 metres @ 80 kgs p/h
15 metres @ 100 kgs p/h
15 metres @ 120 kgs p/h
15 metres @ 130 kgs p/h
15 metres @ 140 kgs p/h TPR
static holds
20+ seconds @ 150 kgs p/h
25+ seconds @ 150 kgs p/h TPR

Sack carry
pick @ 140 kgs
20 metres @ 140 kgs

EXCELLENT session today. I'm on track to walk - and possibly make the full distance with - a 400 kilo yoke at qualifiers. This is something that I'd previously thought would be out of my reach this year. But the 375 today felt... not terrible! I could feel my middle and upper back tolerating the load much better, and keeping rigidity there is key.

My farmers is also coming along very nicely. On my right, I'm clawing back the grip strength I had last year. I've completed a 15 (or it might have actually been 20) metre farmers walk with 150 kgs per hand at Am Nats. Today I only performed static holds at that weight, but I'm much stronger than I was last week.

From here till qualifiers, we'll be training these specific events each weekend as they are in the comp. So keg toss, truck pull/sled drag, and stones will be off the menu for a little while. I can't say I'm upset about this, as I'd really like to get some stones lifting gauntlets from Brian Shaw's site before I try the heavier stones again.

We had an even larger turnout this weekend; more guys who have competed in previous years are coming out of the woodwork and starting to prepare. A couple of them have some great strength, without the training! And the women's division has attracted another competitor; this one a former LFL girl who's made the leap to the ultimate in strength sports. This year's comps are going to be bigger and better than last year, that's for sure!

WA Strongman now also has a photographer. Gabor, who can take a nice picture, seldom does because he's too selfish, spending all day training instead of filming the rest of us. But now we have Asha, who is just as skilful as Gabor (if not more so, since she can take great pics with an iPhone while Gabz needs a fancy digital SLR) and likes nothing more than snapping us looking our jacked best. Or, in my case, as swollen and red-faced as possible.