Blonde will make you STRONG

[EvilPie]

Incredible raw strength and frightening to imagine he could pull 200kg first time he ever tried. Freaky genetics without doubt.

Can't help but feel he's started too late to have a chance of becoming a true great. There's only so much muscle you can gain in a year and most of the top guys started packing it on at least 10 years his junior.

Might make the finals at some point but the gulf between qualifying and top 3 is insane.

[arbboy]

Incredible raw strength and frightening to imagine he could pull 200kg first time he ever tried. Freaky genetics without doubt.

Can't help but feel he's started too late to have a chance of becoming a true great. There's only so much muscle you can gain in a year and most of the top guys started packing it on at least 10 years his junior.

Might make the finals at some point but the gulf between qualifying and top 3 is insane.

Totally agree with everything you said but my modern day video of pulling 200kg just sunk a little when i read a 30 stone fat fucker from scotland just turned up and did it!   I agree the gulf between finals and top 3 is huge.  Rob oberst will never top 3 but will make the final for years just because his over head power is huge.   Being top 3 needs the lot or eddies ability to go to 200kg and nearly kill himself to compete with the monsters.   Exciting times for uk strongmen.   All 8 out of the 25 could easily final.  Felix is just insane albeit juiced to fuck.   55 is just bonkers even juiced.

[EvilPie]

Incredible raw strength and frightening to imagine he could pull 200kg first time he ever tried. Freaky genetics without doubt.

Can't help but feel he's started too late to have a chance of becoming a true great. There's only so much muscle you can gain in a year and most of the top guys started packing it on at least 10 years his junior.

Might make the finals at some point but the gulf between qualifying and top 3 is insane.

Totally agree with everything you said but my modern day video of pulling 200kg just sunk a little when i read a 30 stone fat fucker from scotland just turned up and did it!   I agree the gulf between finals and top 3 is huge.  Rob oberst will never top 3 but will make the final for years just because his over head power is huge.   Being top 3 needs the lot or eddies ability to go to 200kg and nearly kill himself to compete with the monsters.   Exciting times for uk strongmen.   All 8 out of the 25 could easily final.  Felix is just insane albeit juiced to fuck.   55 is just bonkers even juiced.

If you want to make yourself feel bad compare yourself to Stefi Cohen. First time she ever tried a sumo deadlift she pulled 140kg weighing in at about 8st

She was trained at the time and could squat and weight lift but it was her first ever sumo pull.

Holds multiple world records including a 230kg deadlift weighing in at 54kg!!!

Mark Felix seems to keep going forever. Truly one of the greats to have managed to compete at the top level for so many years.

[arbboy]

felix is clearly geared up but even so at 55 to be competing at this level is just bonkers.   He started late relatively strongman wise but his natural genetics and body at 55 are just insane to even be at the worlds after setting a deadlift 'world record' at the weekend.   His grip strength is just mental.   Love to see him final more than any other brit.   Hope he gets a good draw/event schedule to suit.

[GreekStein]

lol they're all geared up.

Still incredible to be doing it at that level at 55

[iRaise]

This is my third week on the trot of only doing three sessions per week. It's just been Monday, Tuesday and Saturday as I've not felt up to training the usual 5 per week.

Anyway it's not affected my benching as I hit a couple of nice gym PRs today with a single at 150kg, couple of doubles at 140kg and then finished with 120kg for 9.

I was helped hugely by the gym allowing spotting again which I think is worth a rep at least just from the help with the lift off. The 150kg felt relatively easy so I'm confident there's a bit more to come now that we can lift off and spot.

Everything else is going pretty terrible. Can't do anything squat or DL related without hurting myself and really don't know what to do about it. Might just accept that I can't do them and stick with variations that are easier.

How's everyone else? Back in to it yet?

You love to see it.

[iRaise]

Only trained twice last week, as my gym seems to be selling half the equipment, and most of the best bits I use every week  

'They're getting lots more stuff' is the reason, but they've only got one big multi-exercise thing that looks like an eyesore, and I can't make out what any of the stations do.

Might have to find another gym end of June when my membership runs out, as I'm going to be pretty limited in what I can do the next month or so, unless lots of new kit turns up.

198 this morning, but I've eaten a lot of crap this week

Back to 4 sessions this week, and will hopefully be someone there when I train on Monday to show me what this new monstrosity is supposed to do.

Sucks when they f**k with your gym doesn't it. Hopefully they'll improve it but if not you can't be scared to make the switch. There's so many gyms out there these days you really should be able to find something that works well for your needs. Might be able to find one with PTs in house as well so you always have someone there to assist you.

198 seems pretty good, weren't you up to 210+ at one stage?

I'm hovering around 230 to 235 at the moment but pretty happy at that. Carrying slightly more body fat than I'd like but nothing too excessive so I'm not going to go hungry trying to drop half a stone that I'll just put back on.

I'm not worried, and I've already spoken to my mate who was my PT. He said that one in Weymouth would be good for me, as it's all in one room and open plan for me to stagger around.

Got unti holidays (hopefully) to see what happens, and will see what happens when I get back. As you say, hopefully they'll replace all the kit with like for like stuff.

I was 275 when  I started back in the gym before Xmas 2015, 195 summer 2018, then back up to 230-240 last summer. I've ditched most of it just being sensible over the last lockdown, and not being too invested in being chief Haagen Daz taster in the house.

Nosey Q, but how was life at this? In terms of quality of life, getting to that weight, staying at that weight?

[iRaise]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbPqEKJ4UYY

This Scottish fella's story is amazing if true.   What a natural beast.    So raw and uptapped and pulled 400kg already.   WSM coming up real soon.  Stoltman's look in great nick in their you tube videos especially the eldest who i thought might simply be a cheer leader and training partner for his younger brother nowadays.  Shaw looks as lean as ever and highly motivated for number 5.  

https://barbend.com/2021-worlds-strongest-man-roster/

Lot of the usual suspects involved.  Felix is 55 now and broke another WR at the uk strongest man at the weekend doing 515kg silver dollar deadlift and it looked easy.  Holland's looking lean after his year off bodybuilding.  Father time might have caught up him though at the very top level.   He is there to get to the final.   We could easily have 5 or 6 Brits in the 10 man final.   UK never had more depth in history.

Luke seems to have put on a serious power belly, love to see how he performs because he was top 5 in the world without it. What do you think the price for Shaw is? One hand, age is a real thing, the other experience and knowing when to peak for these kind of comps is huge. Surely very very tough to win another now? Especially after his last few years?

Felix is just unreal, if humans could bottle those genetics we may all live well til 150.

[iRaise]

Incredible raw strength and frightening to imagine he could pull 200kg first time he ever tried. Freaky genetics without doubt.

Can't help but feel he's started too late to have a chance of becoming a true great. There's only so much muscle you can gain in a year and most of the top guys started packing it on at least 10 years his junior.

Might make the finals at some point but the gulf between qualifying and top 3 is insane.

I have heard some anecdotal stories from rugby players where they've never DL'd and just rip 160-180 off the floor. Pretty sure someone said he had a mate who was a builder/manual labourer type job who went to the gym for the first time when he was 25/26 and just repped out the 50s on flat bench. Always skeptical with these stories but it is crazy how strong people can get from life.

[iRaise]

Incredible raw strength and frightening to imagine he could pull 200kg first time he ever tried. Freaky genetics without doubt.

Can't help but feel he's started too late to have a chance of becoming a true great. There's only so much muscle you can gain in a year and most of the top guys started packing it on at least 10 years his junior.

Might make the finals at some point but the gulf between qualifying and top 3 is insane.

Totally agree with everything you said but my modern day video of pulling 200kg just sunk a little when i read a 30 stone fat fucker from scotland just turned up and did it!   I agree the gulf between finals and top 3 is huge.  Rob oberst will never top 3 but will make the final for years just because his over head power is huge.   Being top 3 needs the lot or eddies ability to go to 200kg and nearly kill himself to compete with the monsters.   Exciting times for uk strongmen.   All 8 out of the 25 could easily final.  Felix is just insane albeit juiced to fuck.   55 is just bonkers even juiced.

Would love to know what he takes. I think I could believe it if you said anything from 250mg of test a week to Jarrell Miller ibiza shred.

[iRaise]

lol they're all geared up.

Still incredible to be doing it at that level at 55

Would also love to see peoples protocol across the top 20 in the world. Feel like it varies so much. Thor got lean real real quick, which I am sure diet has played a huge roll in just cutting out 2-3000 a day, but you get the feeling he's on s complex cocktail.

[iRaise]

Gym wise, slowly starting to enjoy it again, so hard to start from the bottom evrey time. Didn't lift a weight other than 3/4 banded workouts the week or so before everything reopened. Training with my two housemates this time, so concentrating a little less as they dont move that great yet, but weirdly hasn't made too much difference numbers wise. Main lifts still creeping up but accessory stuff seems to be flying.

Squat back up to 3x8 100kg
Bench 3x8 85kg
DL 150kg 8/6/4 (I think just fitness got me here, aiming for all around).

RDL back up to 2x12 120kg
DB flat 3x8 42kg (lifetime PB I think).
LPD 4x12 86kg (Lifetime PB although every machine is different, but definitely a lifetime PB for that machine).
Seated shoulder 4x6 30kg (lifetime PB I think)
Leg press 3x8 230kg (not a lifetime PB, think thats 240)

As ever, avoiding lunges as long as possible. Still on single leg- leg press.

Sitting at around 85 with absolutely no visible abs unless I am under some very generous bathroom lighting, so at some point I need to sneak back down to 80. Moved in with my two best friends, so diet becomes much harder as they dont care and there's always cake in the house. But now strength is coming back up, happy too tail back somewhat on the cals and start a slow decline over the next few months.

All in all enjoying training about 7/10, but I hope in a few weeks we sneak into the 8/9s again.

[Marky147]

Only trained twice last week, as my gym seems to be selling half the equipment, and most of the best bits I use every week  

'They're getting lots more stuff' is the reason, but they've only got one big multi-exercise thing that looks like an eyesore, and I can't make out what any of the stations do.

Might have to find another gym end of June when my membership runs out, as I'm going to be pretty limited in what I can do the next month or so, unless lots of new kit turns up.

198 this morning, but I've eaten a lot of crap this week

Back to 4 sessions this week, and will hopefully be someone there when I train on Monday to show me what this new monstrosity is supposed to do.

Sucks when they f**k with your gym doesn't it. Hopefully they'll improve it but if not you can't be scared to make the switch. There's so many gyms out there these days you really should be able to find something that works well for your needs. Might be able to find one with PTs in house as well so you always have someone there to assist you.

198 seems pretty good, weren't you up to 210+ at one stage?

I'm hovering around 230 to 235 at the moment but pretty happy at that. Carrying slightly more body fat than I'd like but nothing too excessive so I'm not going to go hungry trying to drop half a stone that I'll just put back on.

I'm not worried, and I've already spoken to my mate who was my PT. He said that one in Weymouth would be good for me, as it's all in one room and open plan for me to stagger around.

Got unti holidays (hopefully) to see what happens, and will see what happens when I get back. As you say, hopefully they'll replace all the kit with like for like stuff.

I was 275 when  I started back in the gym before Xmas 2015, 195 summer 2018, then back up to 230-240 last summer. I've ditched most of it just being sensible over the last lockdown, and not being too invested in being chief Haagen Daz taster in the house.

Nosey Q, but how was life at this? In terms of quality of life, getting to that weight, staying at that weight?

Much the same as it is now, I was still using crutches to get around indoors, and my wheelchair when I went to the hospital etc.

I was a bit stronger back then, as my training was really consistent through the whole of 2018. I just slowly crept back up to 240 over the following couple years, and the first lockdown was a lot of eating fun

Looks like you're flying from that workout there, so massive congrats!

[EvilPie]

Great video of the Stoltman brothers showing how the mental side can affect you far more than the physical.

One of the best deadlifters in the world can barely move 350kg one day then smashes it for 5 the next.....

Very brave of him to put this out there in my opinion.

[vegaslover]

Changed their technique a few weeks ago, Tom in particular seemed to struggle with it at first (though not surprising considering his well documented struggles with certain stuff)