Training Diary 11

Here’s a 90%-of-contest-weight axle clean and press. That 2-step move to get the axle to my shoulders is called a continental clean. It’s uncomfortable. The contest event is a 225 lb. axle that I have to press for the maximum number of reps in a minute. I’m not the strongest presser so I’m shooting for 3 reps on contest day. I’m a lot better than I was thanks to all of the Olympic lifting I’ve done in the last year. I’ll get another session of heavy work before the contest.

So much of strongman looks like brute strength (and it def. helps to be strong) but damn if there isn’t a ton of technique involved.

Based on this video, I need to work on a couple of things:

  • the 1st step of the clean is sloppy and I need to stay on the bar a little longer
  • the transition from my belly to my shoulders needs to be faster. At contest weight I won’t want to waste time resetting before I go to my shoulders.
  • I need to work on getting lower in the snatch. I’ll be tired after the first rep and I need to give myself a chance at keeping the bar up.