Is my friend a strongman or just strong?

[riverrock]

Hello All,

A good friend of mine has started talking about doing Strongman. He is 6'0 and weighs in at 252 Pounds. He's lean as in very muscular and extremely strong, but I would put his body fat at about 16 - 19%. Decent stats.

He's very "Gym strong" and can easily bench 6 plates on each side for reps. He's also got good general fitness in that anytime he does a bit of cardio on the exercise bike, he can more than hold his own with the smaller guys who do alot of cardio. However, he wonders if he's be "Strongman Strong". Is his stats good? Can he do strongman, or do you think he's a little too heavy and not tall enough? He's 24 years old.

 

[BlondBomber]

Your friend is a little shorter than most Strongmen and weighs about 30-100 less than most guys about his height. But these stats do not necessarily mean that your friend could not be a Strongman.
What I would like to know is how much your friend can overhead press, squat, deadlift, powerclean and cheat curl?
I know one guy that is a 220 lbs Strongman and he does a lot of overhead pressing, front squatting and Olympic lifting.
The majority of the Superheavy weight Strongmen were successful PLers, but there bench power does not apply to most of the events. Incline log press is probably the only event that would utilize bench power.
So, leg, back and shoulder strength, along with overall physical conditioning is what would probably determine your friend's possibel success.

 

[buffer1]

no doubt he,s strong,he should maybe try a few of the routines that the guys do on the challenges and se how he fares,i had a buudy that thought about it an he was gym strong also but he tried a few of the routines the challenge guys do and found it really hard,maybe just conditioning i,m not sure

 

[Diggerman]

6 plates is very strong no doubt, but alot of the of the events are very suited for a good squatter and deadlifter. If he's strong all over, then he's definitely got a chance, otherwise I'd suggest he'd enter Benching competitions in Powerlifting as he's definitely got it as regards a bencher. If he doesn't even train to compete and can still bench 6 plates and only 24 years old - wow thats potential. Suggest a Bench competition to him

 

[KillahBee]

as many others said, having that great base strength is a definite positive and many strongmen have PLing backgrounds. however, strongman comps are a whole other world, specifically with implements. there is also a big cardio/stamina aspect of strongman. does he have access to any implements or friends that have any of the implements?

 

[riverrock]

It was just that he mentioned it this morning. I remember the big debate about Ronnie Coleman entering strongman here a while back and how some felt Ronnie had a great strength base, while others felt he wouldn't have the cardio or the ability to handle awkward objects like big tyres etc.

I'll get a few of the items off a few guys I know and we'll give my friend a trial. He's got the natural strength no problem. Even as a child he was way above the rest of us and no surprise he's still a cut above the rest as an adult. He takes nothing but creatine. Imagine if he took Var!!! (he says he'll never juice as he says he loves natural strength more than anything else) I'll have a word with him about trying some of the strongman events. How many evernts are there and how long would a competition last. Seen it on TV, but what is the standard routine?

 

[KillahBee]

It was just that he mentioned it this morning. I remember the big debate about Ronnie Coleman entering strongman here a while back and how some felt Ronnie had a great strength base, while others felt he wouldn't have the cardio or the ability to handle awkward objects like big tyres etc.

I'll get a few of the items off a few guys I know and we'll give my friend a trial. He's got the natural strength no problem. Even as a child he was way above the rest of us and no surprise he's still a cut above the rest as an adult. He takes nothing but creatine. Imagine if he took Var!!! (he says he'll never juice as he says he loves natural strength more than anything else) I'll have a word with him about trying some of the strongman events. How many evernts are there and how long would a competition last. Seen it on TV, but what is the standard routine?

check out this thread - these links should give you a ton of info:

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=386954

different comps have different events at them - they announce them before hand, but you never know. I went to one in March, which had 18-inch DL, axle clean and press (for reps), Zercher carry, keg load and wheelbarrow, tire flip (never got to that one cause of time). timing of the contests depends on the size of the field and how fast they can get through it. the one in March took literally all day and they still didn't have time for the tire flip.

sounds like your friend has the strength, which is important of course. no matter how strong he is, it will feel weird working with oddly shaped implements that have a completely different weight distribution than what he is used to, but with practice anybody can do it. you just gotta have the heart and determination.

 

[b fold the truth]

The bench press has nearly ZERO carry over to any Strongman events.

I am a pretty lean 6'2" 280 pounds and I'm basically the smallest at every Pro show I've been too. www.nastrongman.com will show you the Amateur side of Strongman (which has weight classes).

To be a good strongman you must work on your squat, deadlift, overhead press (standing), athletic ability, core work, cardio capacity (short range), and the list goes on and on and on.

I've known lots of people who were REALLY strong in the gym but who were horrible with the events and I've also known people who were not so strong in the gym but VERY good with the events because of their natural athletic ability and heart.

B True

 

[riverrock]

I've known lots of people who were REALLY strong in the gym but who were horrible with the events and I've also known people who were not so strong in the gym but VERY good with the events because of their natural athletic ability and heart.

B True

Well, I do remember that he squatted 5 plates for high reps a while back. However, he seems obsessed with having a big bench. Its a real hardman's gym and he seems to want to be the strongest of the whole lot of them. This guy is 100% into strength. I'm the same. You get big anyhow, its just you get more "blocky" and look like a rugby player as opposed to a well toned Bodybuilder. I prefer the rugby player look anyhow.

So, your right in that the Bench isn't any use, I just gave it as an example of his natural strength, but he's got alot more research and finsing out to do yet before he knows whether he'd be good enough or not

 

[Madcow2]

There's plenty of local or regional meets. He should drive out to one - if nothing else, it's very entertaining. If it's a smaller meet maybe he could just enter and see how he does. If he's the competitive type he might not care much for losing and really take to the training and come on strong at his next contest.

 

[Mithrandir]

I am 5'10 and 167, can I be a strongman?

 

[guldukat]

*snip*

I've known lots of people who were REALLY strong in the gym but who were horrible with the events and I've also known people who were not so strong in the gym but VERY good with the events because of their natural athletic ability and heart.

B True

Good point biggun' (and hey! I hope you're doing well). This was definitely the case with the late Curtis Leffler, a real beast of a top NPC guy in the mid-90s. Curtis was about as "gym strong" as anyone, but he didn't do very well in WSM contests. It was saying something for him just to compete in them and I'm sure he had plenty of heart, too, but he simply didn't stack up to the other guys in most events.

 

[JohnRobHolmes]

im 5'10" and 140 lbs. can i be one too?

 

[riverrock]

im 5'10" and 140 lbs. can i be one too?

Yes. On Playstation 2!

 

[JohnRobHolmes]

alright! time to go work out my fingers!

 

[b fold the truth]

I am 5'10 and 167, can I be a strongman?

Heck yeah you can...there is a 175 and under class in NAS here in the US. VERY competitive!!! Check out www.nastrongman.com.

B True

 

[b fold the truth]

Well, I do remember that he squatted 5 plates for high reps a while back. However, he seems obsessed with having a big bench. Its a real hardman's gym and he seems to want to be the strongest of the whole lot of them. This guy is 100% into strength. I'm the same. You get big anyhow, its just you get more "blocky" and look like a rugby player as opposed to a well toned Bodybuilder. I prefer the rugby player look anyhow.

So, your right in that the Bench isn't any use, I just gave it as an example of his natural strength, but he's got alot more research and finsing out to do yet before he knows whether he'd be good enough or not

I've been accused of looking like a bodybuilder a time or two...

 

[riverrock]

I've been accused of looking like a bodybuilder a time or two...

Thats excellent! Thats why strength is so important to myself and my friend. You develop all the major muscles from the heavy reps and sets anyhow. You look great, are really strong too (unlike the clenbuterol boys who can't even get out of bed they're so drained!) and I see no excuse for strength athletes not watching their diet. No excuse for eating juke. Train hard, eat well, and rest - you'll see results and obviously you already have!

 

[view]

I've been accused of looking like a bodybuilder a time or two...

props to you man! there is nothing I appreciate more than a strongman/powerlifter who actually has a pleasing look as well!

 

[Diggerman]

props to you man! there is nothing I appreciate more than a strongman/powerlifter who actually has a pleasing look as well!

Damn Right. I can never understand out of condition strongmen. there is nothing to be gained by carrying around extra bodyfat, nothing at all. Looking lean is the way to go and the Big Cyprus man here leads the way!

I agree with Riverrock about strength. Its a great feeling being in a big crowd like a packed train and still well able to hold your ground. Add into that a positive physique and I want immortality like that!

 

[b fold the truth]

Thats excellent! Thats why strength is so important to myself and my friend. You develop all the major muscles from the heavy reps and sets anyhow. You look great, are really strong too (unlike the clenbuterol boys who can't even get out of bed they're so drained!) and I see no excuse for strength athletes not watching their diet. No excuse for eating juke. Train hard, eat well, and rest - you'll see results and obviously you already have!

I wake up near every morning and hurt..it is part of the game. EVERYTHING hurts on me right now from training Sunday and Monday...everything.

I eat A LOT. 6,000 kcals a day...every day...or more. 2-3 pounds of ground pork a day (can't get ground beef), about 1/2 to 1 pound of chicken every other day, Fried chicken on Friday nights (a 14 piece KFC meal), 3 Liters of whole fresh milk a day, lots of potatoes, white rice, and pasta. I try to eat 3 oven pizzas a week too.

Training like I do...it makes it hard to gain weight even on LOTS of kcals. I'd post a link to my training journal but it is on another site and I'd want permission from a Training Board Mod before I did.
Sunday: Max Effort Lower and Events (3-5 hours)
Monday: log press, axle press, inclines...sprints (2 hours)
Thursday: LOTS of hurting and resting
Wednesday: Box Squats and Deadlifts, extra ham, calf, and quad work (1-1.5 hours)
Thursday: lats, biceps, triceps, abs... (30 minutes or under)
Friday: same as Tuesday
Saturday: lots of food and rest, always go out somewhere with my better half

It should be noted that I'm not even a top level US-Pro. Probably top 20. I now compete for the United Strongman Series here in Europe.

B True

 

[MsBeverlyHills]

Is his stats good? Can he do strongman, or do you think he's a little too heavy and not tall enough? He's 24 years old.

check out this link.. it takes more than a strong bench to be competitve in this sport-

http://www.ontariostrongman.ca/Resources/training/basic_primer.html#health

 

[Mithrandir]

really truth, a 175 and under class??? haha, that is awesome! Since most of my str comes from sports, I am compartively stronger outside the weightroom by a factor of 5..and if athletic ability is great for these then I have a chance...all I do is play sports! Karma to truth for giving me hope!