-Matthe Cavalier
On August 6, 2022, Chris Slater will be hosting his tenth Alabama’s Strongest Man Show in Gulf Shores. This show is one of the heaviest, if not, the heaviest shows in the region. Over the last ten years, this show has grown to be a significant event featuring over a hundred competitive athletes in the amateur ranks. Under the blistering hot sun right next to a beautiful beach, athletes are put through a brutal test of strength and endurance. Slater has the reputation of putting on a tough competition, and this year is certainly no exception. With events like the sandbag clean and press, yoke carry to log press and car deadlift, competitors are in for a hard day, and I can’t wait to be one of them.
Last year was my first year as a competitive strongman, and to say that I enjoyed it would be an understatement. For the first time in a long time, I was able to compete in something. The pregame jitters were there. The anxiety while waiting for your name to be called was there, and the dead exhaustion post competition reminded me of what it was like to be an athlete again. Being a competitor is thrilling, and I cannot wait for this year’s Alabama Strongest Man. This will be my third show as a competitor, and I am striving to make great strides in comparison to where I was last year. Last year at Alabama Strongest, I finished 14th out of 17 competitors in the novice lightweight division, and I am training hard to find myself closer to the top. Granted, I don’t honestly expect to win, because there are some seriously strong athletes at this show. But I would like to at least be in the top half of the rankings. I have a lot of work to do, but I think I have a good base to build on. Since last year, this particular competition has become a bit of an obsession of mine. If for nothing else, I want to prove to myself that I can get better and compete at a higher level than I have before. I want to prove to myself that I belong here.
Now that there is a date announced with events, my training will become a lot more dialed in, and I will be much more focused. I’ve spent the last several months building a solid foundation of strength and movement. From here on out, I’m going to be focused on getting as strong as I can for this show. Now is the time for me to really start preparing for this show. Now the chase begins. Now the drive to get better is going to really kick in. I have one goal this year, and it’s to show out at this event for no one other than for myself. I want to be the best that I possibly can be.
This competition is also a big deal to a lot of the members of my gym. Every year, a group of us will make the trip together and compete together. Everyone is pushing each other, being super encouraging and having a great time. Even though the weather is going to be brutally hot and the weights quite heavy, it’s going to be a great time. This is going to give us the opportunity to build comradery and learn from each about competing real time. A lot of memories are made at this event, and hopefully some of us will bring back some hardware.
If you need a facility that has all the strongman equipment you need to train for this year’s competitive season, check out the Atlas Strength Shop. Send an email to cameron@atlasstrengthshop.com for your next visit. You can also check out our apparel line and programming options on our website. Be sure to like our Facebook page, here, and follow us on Instagram, here. Do you need a high quality energy supplement that won’t leave you with that crashing feeling? Check out veteran owned strikeforceenergy.com and use promo code ATLASSTRENGTH at checkout to get 20% off of your order. If you’re like me, and you like to bite down while lifting, you need to protect your teeth. Check out Impact Mouthguards and their custom molded mouth guards. Use promo code ATLASSTRENGTHSHOP at checkout to get 10% off of your order.
“There will be blood. Ensure it’s not yours.”