If you’ve read some of my previous articles then you know that a few of the Atlas members and myself competed in Alabama’s Strongest Man in Gulf Shores a couple of weekends ago. We all had a great time. I was able to set a few personal records. The 400 pound yoke squat was the most I had ever done, and I’m pretty proud of that. The Pontiac van was the heaviest vehicle I’ve ever deadlift, and the 600 pound yoke run was the most I’ve done. There were a couple of misses. I zeroed on the sandbag over bar, but I can toss that up to the heavy rain that blew in while we were doing the event. I also did not hit the 245 pound log press. I’m a little disappointed because of how much I was able to improve my log press over the last several months. Hitting the 245 pound log press would have been a big moment for me, but it is what it is. Considering it was my competition in the open division, I’m good with what I was able to do. Personally, that fact that I was able to compete in the open with some seriously tough competitors and not look like I didn’t belong there was the overarching goal I had set for myself going into his competition. Now it’s time to get better.
That show is over, and it’s time to move on to the next one. In October I’ll be competing in the Battle on the Bayou in Westwego, LA. Going into Alabama, my training objective was to get as strong as I possibly could so that I could actually do the events. My thought was that if I can get to a point where I can do it once, then I can do it again and again. For the most part, I was able to do just that. Going into this next competition, I have a decent base of strength to build from. I’m going to keep pushing the weights as hard as I can, but this time, I’m going to add in some more cardio and conditioning. I lost a little bit of my conditioning due to my focus on strength, and I would like to get it back and improve upon it. Also, because the competition is only seven weeks away, I will not be able to periodize my training the same way I did for Alabama’s Strongest. So, what I’m doing is using the Cube Method to set up my programming. I am going to wave intensity and volume every week with a volume day, a dynamic day and a heavy day. This way, I’ll be able to lift heavy every week without burning myself out. On the off days, I will get some cardio in to improve my conditioning and to improve my heart health in general. I haven’t gone from one competition to another with such a short turnaround before, so it’s going to be interesting to see how I respond. Hopefully, if everything goes right, I’ll be able to train the way I want to and stay injury free. I’m really excited to keep training for competitions. They’ve given my training sessions a new purpose and a level of intensity I haven’t felt in a long time.
The events for the competition are pretty interesting. In no particular order, I’ll tell you what they are. The overhead event is an axle clean and press away for sixty seconds. The clean and press is easily my favorite event in strongman, so I am very much looking forward to that. Then we will have to do a farmer carry and duck walk medley. I’ve done the duck walk in a competition before. It’s a little awkward, but nothing I can’t do. Of course, we’ve all done farmer carries. We will also have to do a max effort deadlift with the mammoth bar. The deadlift is not one of my best events, but I have increased my pulls a lot over the past several months. It’ll be interesting to see what I can do. The next event is the ax hold for time. I’ve never done a hold event, so that should be fun. And lastly, we will have to do a last man standing zercher yoke carry, because why not? This is the most grueling event of this competition, but I’m looking forward to it. I think this competition will be a lot of fun, and of course I'll have some friends out there competing with me. It’ll be a great day.
I just wanted to give a quick thank you to all of y’all who are reading my articles, especially as of late when I’m talking about my own training and competitions. I know they may not necessarily be what you’re looking to see, but it’s just what’s on my mind these days. I’m going to be putting out more articles that are either helpful or educational soon. Between work, training, competing and family, it can be difficult to put together an article. I appreciate your patience.
Also, don’t forget that the Atlas Strength Shop will be hosting its third annual Rougarou Classic on November 19. The competition is live on ironpodium.com. Take advantage of our early bird price, and come move some heavy weights with us.
If you are within driving distance of Baton Rouge and need a place to train for your next strongman competition, powerlifting meet or weightlifting meet, check out the Atlas Strength Shop for all of your training needs. 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 ATLASSTRENGTH at checkout to get 10% off of your order.
“People are not disturbed by things, but by the view they take of them.” -Epictetus