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Self-Identity and Strength Sports

  Strength Sports and Identity: A Focus on Positive Self-Image We all started strength sports for a reason. For some, it was seeking a community. For others, it was to fulfill that desire for competition. Or, maybe you just really love lifting weights. What happens when a competitor dives too far into the “strength sports athlete” identity? This article isn’t written out of bitterness, or pettiness, just to act as a simple reminder to remember the cool things about yourself that have absolutely nothing to do with strength sports.  I found myself in this situation five years ago. Every workout that I felt like I underperformed, I would be angry. Every second of every day, I was thinking about my programming, my next show, and what other competitors were doing. During this period, I signed up for as many opportunities as I could, regardless of the cost. Why?  It’s easy to look back on it now and be embarrassed of the reason. Hindsight is vibrant, and it’s important to r...
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A Self-Critique of Online Coaching

  An Introspective Self-Critique of Online “Coaching” As I write this, I want to be clear, I AM NOT ATTACKING ANYONE SPECIFICALLY, nor am I attacking myself. From a “business” perspective, writing this is a horrible idea. The only way I can be painted is in a negative light, which I am fine with. Kindness and self-evaluation go hand in hand. If you are kind to yourself, you can accept your own shortcomings, and make changes to your practice that improve your abilities in your field. By writing this, my hope is to provide a realistic overview of online coaching, and the traps I’ve fallen in.  I started online coaching two years ago. An athlete (who I am still friends with and still coach) reached out to me asking if I could write a program. I was unsure how I felt about the ordeal. I had never written a program, and I wanted to make sure that whatever I did was beneficial to the individual. We worked out a monthly cost (60 dollars) and went from there.  In the beginnin...
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The Paradox of the Weight Class Athlete

  The Paradox of the Weight Class Athlete  Overtime, our bodies change. My body from 19-29 has changed significantly. As we age and continue to get stronger, our weight is going to change. Forcing yourself to stay in a weight category because that’s where you have always been is counter-intuitive to the goal of strength sports; to become stronger overtime. There are some obvious caveats to this, and these caveats will be addressed. The goal of this article is to help you decide whether it is time to move up a weight class, or stay where you are.  The Journey At 18 years old, I was 175 pounds. I had just completed a cut from 250 pounds, with a goal of having “sweet” abs. Well, my sweet abs were of course skinny abs, but at that age any semblance of definition is narcissistically celebrated.  I started competing in strongman at 22. At the time, I was 183 pounds. The decision was easy; I was a lightweight competitor. My composition was still skin, some muscle, and bones...
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Balancing Life and Training: The Busy Competitor's way to be Successful

I only have 45 minutes to train. Can I actually have an effective strongman workout in 45 minutes? For whatever reason, we tend to think of training as so concrete. We put these arbitrary times next to our workouts without including the context of our lives, and end up tired and frustrated. I’ve been there.  When I first started my “big boy” job after college, I tried every way to cram three sessions of two hours into my day. Here’s what I tried…  Waking up at 3:30 AM to train. In my head I thought this was making me “mentally tougher”, but really I was just becoming more exhausted. The things we do at 22, right? (Note: NOT a knock on people who actually have to do this. There are some people who absolutely need to train early mornings. I’m poking fun at the guys who post things such as “WOKE UP AT 3:30 TO TEST MYSELF”! Congrats, your workout probably wasn’t as excellent as it could of been and now your just tired for work. Yay you!).  Splitting my workouts into a morning...
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Utilizing 5/3/1 for Strongman; Playing the Long Game

  Before I write any of this, I want to be clear: Jim Wendler is the owner of this program, and his work is fantastic. If you haven’t picked up a copy of 5/3/1, you should. It’s a great read and explains the principles of 5/3/1 better than I ever could. It’s 22 dollars, which compared to the useless supplements you are probably spending money on, is worth a buy.  https://www.jimwendler.com/products/5-3-1-for-powerlifting-ebook-version Why 5/3/1? I started my strongman journey believing I was a higher level than I was. Combine arrogance with being 22 years old (or the byproduct perhaps) and an undeserved ego, I rightfully got my ass handed to me in numerous shows. The issue? I simply wasn’t statically strong.  My legs were weak.  My back was weak.  My upper body? Weak.  My initial solution was to jump to complex ideas… “I have to press with chains and against bands, and sleeveless!”  This is all nonsense.  Not that bands and chains don’t have a pla...
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