Mudcat Festival Strongman Contest 2013

So yesterday I did the strongman contest at the Mudcat Festival in Dunnville. I've been doing this contest every year for more than 10 years now and I've managed to place in the top three every year. I'm always really nervous about it and have butterflies in my stomach for at least a week before. Because I've always done so well, I feel a lot of pressure to keep winning because I know that sooner or later that year is going to come when I'm not going to win. I'm always worried that I haven't trained enough or that I'm getting too old. I turned 35 just over a week ago. I tell myself that I do this for fun, and I do, but fuck if I don't love bringing home trophies.

First event yesterday was a deadlift lockout and hold for time.

The weight on the bar was only 275 for my weight class (I was a middleweight at 176 lbs). I was yelling at the crowd during this, trying to get some excitement going but to be honest, I can see how this is not exactly the most exciting event to watch. Especially with such a light weight on the bar. In any case my performance in this event was nothing short of abysmal. I was expecting to dominate it since I've been doing so much thick bar work recently but a little bit after a minute the index finger of my left hand gave out. Fuck. To say I was disappointed is a huge understatement. What bothers me even more is that I had considered using a hook grip but then decided against it at the last minute, thinking it unnecessary. The superheavyweights later on used 455, which I picked up easily using a hook grip and held onto for a pretty good time but it didn't count for shit. I just felt like I needed to redeem myself.

The next event was the overhead press, which I've always done fairly well at. I got 11 reps with 185 in 60 seconds.

I managed 15 reps with that same weight three years ago but, whatever. I was just happy I got any at all. The most I've gotten overhead on my fat bar this year is 170 for a single. I need to get serious about my overhead lifting again.

Again, I attempted the weights for the heavier weight classes just to see for myself if I could still do it. Doing this doesn't earn me any extra points or anything but it's fun and helps me keep my adrenaline going throughout the day.

The 225 was actually cleaned from the ground, which is why my hat fell off, but my wife didn't get the camera going in time to catch it. When I do shit like this I have to hurry in there quickly before they start stripping the weights off so there isn't time for me to say "Hey, honey, get ready to film this!" Felt pretty good though. But yeah, my overhead definitely needs work as it has clearly gone downhill in recent years. Not by much, mind you, but enough that I'm no longer happy with it where it is.

Third event was the Medley. Now this was fun!

While I was doing it, that car felt really slow, particularly at the end when it was stuck up on its side there. I wondered if it was actually going to go over. Thankfully it did. I would have felt like shit giving up on it at that point.

And the final event was the Truck Pull. This year's truck was the heaviest I've ever pulled. I think somebody said 48,000 lbs but I have no idea what it actually weighed. It was fucking heavy though. I told my brother that I would do pushups after diving for the line. I was hoping to get 100 but got nowhere even close. This truck was really hard to get moving and I think I let go of the rope a bit too early. Truck pulling is always a fun event though.

So all in all, despite a few personal disappointments and realisations that certain areas need a shitload of work (grip and overhead) I had an awesome time and can't wait to do it again.

I won First Place in the middleweight division and my brother won First Place in the heavyweight division. It might not look like it but yes, he's quite a bit heavier than me. I'm a lot lighter than most people think though. People tend to assume that I'm over 200 lbs but I never have been. Not even with my work boots on.

And I'm going to admit that posting this one is just purely self-indulgence. To be perfectly honest, unless I'm looking at pictures like this I have no idea that I'm that ripped. When I look in the mirror, the guy in this picture is not who I see so, yeah, I think it's fucking cool that I actually look like that. I won't forever so I might as well enjoy it while it lasts.

So there it is. Another trophy for the shelf and now it's time to start training for the next one.