A strongmans log - British champion u105KG
- Thread starter exploitah
- Start date
Quick update:
Competed last weekend, qualified for England's strongest man (open weight class) which is being held the first week of July.
Trained Mon, Tues and Wed this week, kept things light as I'm still dieting and have England's 105's this Sunday.
I was 109.5KG this morning, hoping to be 109.0KG first thing tomorrow, should set me up nicely for making weight on Saturday.
Competed last weekend, qualified for England's strongest man (open weight class) which is being held the first week of July.
Trained Mon, Tues and Wed this week, kept things light as I'm still dieting and have England's 105's this Sunday.
I was 109.5KG this morning, hoping to be 109.0KG first thing tomorrow, should set me up nicely for making weight on Saturday.
The UKs one would be an interesting one, I think that you would do well at it!
Must be hard trying to lose weight for 105's while still doing opens comps
Competing as an open at 110KG whilst on a diet isn't ideal. I'll have two weeks to eat before I do England's, where the top 5 qualify for UK's.
Good work yesterday fella, had no doubt you were gonna win!
Looks like you got a few more comps off the back of that win also, gonna be hard keeping to u105 for a while I think
Would have come and said hello but had to keep an eye on my kids! I'll only have my boy at England's so will say hello (we have 2 people in the juniors competing hopefully).
Looks like you got a few more comps off the back of that win also, gonna be hard keeping to u105 for a while I think
Would have come and said hello but had to keep an eye on my kids! I'll only have my boy at England's so will say hello (we have 2 people in the juniors competing hopefully).
Last edited:
A few things have happened since I last updated this:
Last weekend I competed in the southern qualified for England’s strongest man (open weight class). I only did 4 out of the 5 events which was enough to secure me qualification with a 3rd place finish.
Last week was mainly spent recovering from that qualifier and resting in preparation for yesterdays England’s strongest man 105KG. I managed to squeeze in 3 or 4 light sessions, working on a few weakness but nothing really worth recording here!
23/06/13 England’s Strongest man 105KG
This was my first time competing in the lighter weight class for over 10 months, my bodyweight was up to 116KG in April, so I had a fair bit to lose! I was still trying to maintain strength and energy levels to compete in the open weight class at the same time.
I made weight at 12pm on Saturday, weighing in at 104.7KG. I’d had to diet hard for the last 2 weeks and ended up dropping 6KG through dehydration in the 24 hours leading up to weigh in.
I woke up Sunday morning, feeling properly rehydrated and full of energy, I was free from the normal aches and pains and ready to go.
First event – 125KG log for reps (in 75 seconds)
There was a field of 14 athletes and I’d drawn number 10 so was one of the last to go. I knew that my main rivals in this event were all out before me. By the time it got round to me few guys had managed 2-4 reps, one had done 5 and the current leader had done 7. I knew that I’d need 8 to win. Having done 130KGx8 last weekend, I was fairly confident. The first 6 reps took a lot out of me, I was unstable and already running low on energy. I used the full 75 seconds to secure what I’d done easily in 60 seconds the week before and got the 8 reps I needed. I realised at this point that I wasn’t quite in the shape I’d thought and hoped to be.
Second event – Deadlift for max
Rising bar deadlift, starting at 240KG. Once you’ve lifted the opening weight you can pick and choose when to lift again. I opted for 240, 280, 310, 330, 340 and then failed 350. Deadlift has been going well recently and I was expecting a lot more going into the comp. All of today’s lift felt heavy, the plan was to go straight from 330 to 350, but I simply didn’t have the confidence on the day. The 340 I lifted was good enough for a share of second place, the event winner; Karl pulled a very easy 350KG and would have done more if needed. I was more than happy to take second behind him, but was frustrated with my own performance.
Third event – Farmer medley 120 x 20m and 140 x 20m
My grip remains an issue, farmers cost me last weekend, albeit through a bit of bad luck. They nearly did the same again this time round! The two sets of farmers had very smooth handles, which worried me slightly! I knew I’d be quick if I could hold onto them. I finished the 120KG’s nice and quick and got going well with the 140KG’s however 5m into the 20m course I felt me grip weaken. I knew that any drops would ruin my chances of a good placing as it was already very tight between 1st and 6th. I slowed slightly and tried to reduced any movement in my hands, hoping my grip would hold. It worked and I finished without any drops, I was quick enough for 3rd and doubt I’d have caught either 1st or 2nd anyway. Another frustrating event from a personal perspective, I’ve been working hard on my grip and will continue to do so, but it really shouldn’t be an issue on 140KG farmers!
At this point I was leading by 6 points overall, but only because Karl had dropped the farmers inches from the line and ended up in about 12th place. I was fairly happy with my placing in the first 3 events, but was frustrated with my overall performance and starting to feel very low on energy.
Fourth event – Fingal’s finger 6 flips for time.
8 or 9 people had gone, only 2 of which had managed all 6 flips before the bolt acting as the pivot point snapped. This was subsequently replaced, before snapping again! At this point it was agreed that the event would be scrapped. Slightly unfair on those that had worked hard for 75 seconds flipping the thing, but there was no alternative at this point. I didn’t get a chance to do it, being one of the last to go. It’s a good event for me, so it’s a shame it broke!
Fifth event – Block press snooker – 100KG (1 point) 110KG (3 points) 120KG – (5 points)
Pick the block to press and score as many points as you can in 75 seconds. Again, being one of the last to go, I pretty much knew what I needed. First place had scored a very impressive 20 points, second place currently had 8 points. I knew that 20 was beyond my own capabilities (even on a good day) so planned to do 3 reps on the 110KG for 9 points and hope that was enough to take 2nd once everyone had gone. As it turns out I did an easy 4 reps on the 110KG, which previously has felt much heavier! I took 2nd place and managed a performance I was happy with!
Sixth event – Atlas stones – 100KG, 120KG, 140KG, 155KG, 175KG.
Last to go with a 8 point lead over the 3 people tied for second place. I knew that I could do all 5, something only 1 other person had managed. I didn’t need to go flat out, but wanted to do enough to win the event. 5 stones in 26 seconds was enough to do just that and finish the competition on a high.
In the end I won the competition by 9 points, it could have been much closer if Karl could do farmers! I am really pleased to retain my title of England’s strongest man 105KG and qualify for UK’s and Europe’s strongest man later in the year. The spot at Europe’s is what I’d come for. Slightly disappointed with my own performance on certain events, but in all honesty I think I can put that down to the amount I’ve competed over the last 3 weeks and the dehydration on Friday night.
I have a lot more competitions coming up over the next 2 months and will be taking this week to assess whether or not I can do all of them!
Last weekend I competed in the southern qualified for England’s strongest man (open weight class). I only did 4 out of the 5 events which was enough to secure me qualification with a 3rd place finish.
Last week was mainly spent recovering from that qualifier and resting in preparation for yesterdays England’s strongest man 105KG. I managed to squeeze in 3 or 4 light sessions, working on a few weakness but nothing really worth recording here!
23/06/13 England’s Strongest man 105KG
This was my first time competing in the lighter weight class for over 10 months, my bodyweight was up to 116KG in April, so I had a fair bit to lose! I was still trying to maintain strength and energy levels to compete in the open weight class at the same time.
I made weight at 12pm on Saturday, weighing in at 104.7KG. I’d had to diet hard for the last 2 weeks and ended up dropping 6KG through dehydration in the 24 hours leading up to weigh in.
I woke up Sunday morning, feeling properly rehydrated and full of energy, I was free from the normal aches and pains and ready to go.
First event – 125KG log for reps (in 75 seconds)
There was a field of 14 athletes and I’d drawn number 10 so was one of the last to go. I knew that my main rivals in this event were all out before me. By the time it got round to me few guys had managed 2-4 reps, one had done 5 and the current leader had done 7. I knew that I’d need 8 to win. Having done 130KGx8 last weekend, I was fairly confident. The first 6 reps took a lot out of me, I was unstable and already running low on energy. I used the full 75 seconds to secure what I’d done easily in 60 seconds the week before and got the 8 reps I needed. I realised at this point that I wasn’t quite in the shape I’d thought and hoped to be.
Second event – Deadlift for max
Rising bar deadlift, starting at 240KG. Once you’ve lifted the opening weight you can pick and choose when to lift again. I opted for 240, 280, 310, 330, 340 and then failed 350. Deadlift has been going well recently and I was expecting a lot more going into the comp. All of today’s lift felt heavy, the plan was to go straight from 330 to 350, but I simply didn’t have the confidence on the day. The 340 I lifted was good enough for a share of second place, the event winner; Karl pulled a very easy 350KG and would have done more if needed. I was more than happy to take second behind him, but was frustrated with my own performance.
Third event – Farmer medley 120 x 20m and 140 x 20m
My grip remains an issue, farmers cost me last weekend, albeit through a bit of bad luck. They nearly did the same again this time round! The two sets of farmers had very smooth handles, which worried me slightly! I knew I’d be quick if I could hold onto them. I finished the 120KG’s nice and quick and got going well with the 140KG’s however 5m into the 20m course I felt me grip weaken. I knew that any drops would ruin my chances of a good placing as it was already very tight between 1st and 6th. I slowed slightly and tried to reduced any movement in my hands, hoping my grip would hold. It worked and I finished without any drops, I was quick enough for 3rd and doubt I’d have caught either 1st or 2nd anyway. Another frustrating event from a personal perspective, I’ve been working hard on my grip and will continue to do so, but it really shouldn’t be an issue on 140KG farmers!
At this point I was leading by 6 points overall, but only because Karl had dropped the farmers inches from the line and ended up in about 12th place. I was fairly happy with my placing in the first 3 events, but was frustrated with my overall performance and starting to feel very low on energy.
Fourth event – Fingal’s finger 6 flips for time.
8 or 9 people had gone, only 2 of which had managed all 6 flips before the bolt acting as the pivot point snapped. This was subsequently replaced, before snapping again! At this point it was agreed that the event would be scrapped. Slightly unfair on those that had worked hard for 75 seconds flipping the thing, but there was no alternative at this point. I didn’t get a chance to do it, being one of the last to go. It’s a good event for me, so it’s a shame it broke!
Fifth event – Block press snooker – 100KG (1 point) 110KG (3 points) 120KG – (5 points)
Pick the block to press and score as many points as you can in 75 seconds. Again, being one of the last to go, I pretty much knew what I needed. First place had scored a very impressive 20 points, second place currently had 8 points. I knew that 20 was beyond my own capabilities (even on a good day) so planned to do 3 reps on the 110KG for 9 points and hope that was enough to take 2nd once everyone had gone. As it turns out I did an easy 4 reps on the 110KG, which previously has felt much heavier! I took 2nd place and managed a performance I was happy with!
Sixth event – Atlas stones – 100KG, 120KG, 140KG, 155KG, 175KG.
Last to go with a 8 point lead over the 3 people tied for second place. I knew that I could do all 5, something only 1 other person had managed. I didn’t need to go flat out, but wanted to do enough to win the event. 5 stones in 26 seconds was enough to do just that and finish the competition on a high.
In the end I won the competition by 9 points, it could have been much closer if Karl could do farmers! I am really pleased to retain my title of England’s strongest man 105KG and qualify for UK’s and Europe’s strongest man later in the year. The spot at Europe’s is what I’d come for. Slightly disappointed with my own performance on certain events, but in all honesty I think I can put that down to the amount I’ve competed over the last 3 weeks and the dehydration on Friday night.
I have a lot more competitions coming up over the next 2 months and will be taking this week to assess whether or not I can do all of them!
Good work yesterday fella, had no doubt you were gonna win!
Looks like you got a few more comps off the back of that win also, gonna be hard keeping to u105 for a while I think
Would have come and said hello but had to keep an eye on my kids! I'll only have my boy at England's so will say hello (we have 2 people in the juniors competing hopefully).
Cheers bud, I did wonder if you were there! You should have at least said hi!
I'll see you at England's.
From my blog:
I was the 105KG champion 2 weeks ago, I lifted last Sunday in a small Olympic lifting comp and was up against the heavy weights today!
I wasn’t feeling particularity confident going into today, I knew that I’d be in with a chance if things went my way. But I’d been too busy competing to train any of the events and my body had been tired and sore all week.
Two of the events were changed at the last minute, which suited me as it meant I wasn’t the only one that hadn’t trained them! Also I ‘d take log for reps over max log any day. There was a last minute change to the line up, Eddie Hall (current UK strongest man and WSM competitor) had decided to compete.
Things got under way a little late, the junior comp had overran by an hour or so. The weather was incredible… if you were sat on the beach with a cold drink and a sun hat! I was feeling much better prepared by now, my body felt better than it had done all week and my energy levels were much better than 2 weeks ago thanks to the additional bodyweight (I was 112KG first thing).
First event – Truck push
This event had changed from truck pull to arm over arm and was then changed again on the day. Out of the 12 competitors there were only 1 or 2 that had ever done a truck push before, so it was a fairly even playing field…no-one really had a clue! I was out 9th, it was clear that the best technique involved leaning your back against the truck and driving with your legs to get it moving before turning round and pushing in a more conventional fashion; with your arms on the bumper. I had no idea what to expect and was pretty nervous going into this event, all the times were fairly close so I knew that any mistakes would be costly. However it turned out really well, I got it moving straight away and managed a quick turn before pumping my legs as fast as possible up to the finish line. My time of 18.xx seconds was good enough for 2nd place. In an event that should favour the heavier guys, I was delighted to get things off to a good start.
Second event – 145KG log for reps (in 75 seconds)
This was the second change to the scheduled events, having been listed as a log for max. I was out 2nd to last by which stage some of the best pressers in the country had done 6 reps. A lot of the field hadn’t even managed one. I was hoping for 5 reps to secure 3rd. Based on that I paced myself, in an attempt to ensure I didn’t waste any reps. The clean felt nice and easy, it then felt very heavy on the chest, but the press (jerk in my case) was simple enough. I did the 5 planned reps and even had time for a 6th to take a tie of the lead.
Third event – Deadlift for max (straps only)
I was the leader going into this event but I knew that in this field my deadlift was going to be a weakness, It was a case of damage limitation. I’d pulled 340KG two weeks ago at England’s 105, failed a 300KG last Friday and wasn’t really sure what I’d be capable of today. I knew that I’d need at least 350KG to secure reasonable points. I did the 300KG opener, skipped the 320KG, pulled a comfy 340KG and then battled with the 350KG before finally locking it out. I had one attempt left but didn’t bother with 360KG, it might have gone on another day but knew I didn’t have it in me today. Good enough for 5th and I managed to hold onto the overall lead, albeit now tied with two others.
Fourth event – Conans wheel 300-350KG.
The sort of event I like, and I’ve done fairly well on it in the past (3 years ago) but haven’t touched it since! I’d already decided that I was going to move as fast as possible once I’d picked it up. A strategy that paid off. I managed 3 and a bit revolutions, at least 1 more than the rest of the field apart from Ed Hall who dropped a few inches short of my mark. 1st place and regained the overall lead.
Fifth event – Atlas stones – 100-175KG
Stones have been going well for me recently, I had the advantage of going last and knowing exactly what I needed to do. However knowing what to do and actually doing it are two very different things! I made a silly mistake with the second stone, I thought I’d finished loading it, turns out I was wrong and it ended up back on the floor. I loaded the next two quickly before making another mistake on the last stone. I missed the 175KG stone twice, both attempts were a few centimetres short. Its a stone run I’ve done many times before, but wasn’t to be on this occasion. My time for the first 4 was still good enough for 5th but the two mistakes had given Ed hall a 4 point lead going into the last event.
Sixth event – 130KG farmers for 40m
I was last to go, head to head with Ed. I knew that I could win the event, but didn’t think it would be enough to take the overall victory. I did everything I could, winning in a time of 18 seconds, Ed finished a few seconds behind me I needed him to be 5th or worse to make up the 4 point deficit.
After several long minutes of calculations, the referee and organisers worked out that not only had me and Ed tied on points, but we were exactly equal on count back as well.
Because the title of England’s strongest man was at stake they decide that they needed a winner, 1st place couldn’t be shared.
The decision was made, we would do a head to head farmers hold to decide the overall winner. I was pretty happy to have pushed Ed this close, I didn’t much fancy my chances but figured I had nothing to lose.
Seventh event – 150KG Farmers hold for time
They allowed straps so it was just a battle to see who could hold on the longest. My straps started to slip about 60 seconds in, my biceps were pretty sore, but otherwise I was okay. I looked over at Ed and he seemed to be struggling a little, however with continued movement in my straps I knew I didn’t have long left. I managed to squeeze out another 16 seconds for a total of 76 seconds before my straps gave and I dropped. Ed held on for another 3 seconds to take the win and overall title.
Really please with my performance, I finished on 62 points with Ed Hall, 10 or so clear of the rest of the field. Happy to have qualified for the UK’s.
It’s a shame I dropped the farmers on my foot at the end!
I was the 105KG champion 2 weeks ago, I lifted last Sunday in a small Olympic lifting comp and was up against the heavy weights today!
I wasn’t feeling particularity confident going into today, I knew that I’d be in with a chance if things went my way. But I’d been too busy competing to train any of the events and my body had been tired and sore all week.
Two of the events were changed at the last minute, which suited me as it meant I wasn’t the only one that hadn’t trained them! Also I ‘d take log for reps over max log any day. There was a last minute change to the line up, Eddie Hall (current UK strongest man and WSM competitor) had decided to compete.
Things got under way a little late, the junior comp had overran by an hour or so. The weather was incredible… if you were sat on the beach with a cold drink and a sun hat! I was feeling much better prepared by now, my body felt better than it had done all week and my energy levels were much better than 2 weeks ago thanks to the additional bodyweight (I was 112KG first thing).
First event – Truck push
This event had changed from truck pull to arm over arm and was then changed again on the day. Out of the 12 competitors there were only 1 or 2 that had ever done a truck push before, so it was a fairly even playing field…no-one really had a clue! I was out 9th, it was clear that the best technique involved leaning your back against the truck and driving with your legs to get it moving before turning round and pushing in a more conventional fashion; with your arms on the bumper. I had no idea what to expect and was pretty nervous going into this event, all the times were fairly close so I knew that any mistakes would be costly. However it turned out really well, I got it moving straight away and managed a quick turn before pumping my legs as fast as possible up to the finish line. My time of 18.xx seconds was good enough for 2nd place. In an event that should favour the heavier guys, I was delighted to get things off to a good start.
Second event – 145KG log for reps (in 75 seconds)
This was the second change to the scheduled events, having been listed as a log for max. I was out 2nd to last by which stage some of the best pressers in the country had done 6 reps. A lot of the field hadn’t even managed one. I was hoping for 5 reps to secure 3rd. Based on that I paced myself, in an attempt to ensure I didn’t waste any reps. The clean felt nice and easy, it then felt very heavy on the chest, but the press (jerk in my case) was simple enough. I did the 5 planned reps and even had time for a 6th to take a tie of the lead.
Third event – Deadlift for max (straps only)
I was the leader going into this event but I knew that in this field my deadlift was going to be a weakness, It was a case of damage limitation. I’d pulled 340KG two weeks ago at England’s 105, failed a 300KG last Friday and wasn’t really sure what I’d be capable of today. I knew that I’d need at least 350KG to secure reasonable points. I did the 300KG opener, skipped the 320KG, pulled a comfy 340KG and then battled with the 350KG before finally locking it out. I had one attempt left but didn’t bother with 360KG, it might have gone on another day but knew I didn’t have it in me today. Good enough for 5th and I managed to hold onto the overall lead, albeit now tied with two others.
Fourth event – Conans wheel 300-350KG.
The sort of event I like, and I’ve done fairly well on it in the past (3 years ago) but haven’t touched it since! I’d already decided that I was going to move as fast as possible once I’d picked it up. A strategy that paid off. I managed 3 and a bit revolutions, at least 1 more than the rest of the field apart from Ed Hall who dropped a few inches short of my mark. 1st place and regained the overall lead.
Fifth event – Atlas stones – 100-175KG
Stones have been going well for me recently, I had the advantage of going last and knowing exactly what I needed to do. However knowing what to do and actually doing it are two very different things! I made a silly mistake with the second stone, I thought I’d finished loading it, turns out I was wrong and it ended up back on the floor. I loaded the next two quickly before making another mistake on the last stone. I missed the 175KG stone twice, both attempts were a few centimetres short. Its a stone run I’ve done many times before, but wasn’t to be on this occasion. My time for the first 4 was still good enough for 5th but the two mistakes had given Ed hall a 4 point lead going into the last event.
Sixth event – 130KG farmers for 40m
I was last to go, head to head with Ed. I knew that I could win the event, but didn’t think it would be enough to take the overall victory. I did everything I could, winning in a time of 18 seconds, Ed finished a few seconds behind me I needed him to be 5th or worse to make up the 4 point deficit.
After several long minutes of calculations, the referee and organisers worked out that not only had me and Ed tied on points, but we were exactly equal on count back as well.
Because the title of England’s strongest man was at stake they decide that they needed a winner, 1st place couldn’t be shared.
The decision was made, we would do a head to head farmers hold to decide the overall winner. I was pretty happy to have pushed Ed this close, I didn’t much fancy my chances but figured I had nothing to lose.
Seventh event – 150KG Farmers hold for time
They allowed straps so it was just a battle to see who could hold on the longest. My straps started to slip about 60 seconds in, my biceps were pretty sore, but otherwise I was okay. I looked over at Ed and he seemed to be struggling a little, however with continued movement in my straps I knew I didn’t have long left. I managed to squeeze out another 16 seconds for a total of 76 seconds before my straps gave and I dropped. Ed held on for another 3 seconds to take the win and overall title.
Really please with my performance, I finished on 62 points with Ed Hall, 10 or so clear of the rest of the field. Happy to have qualified for the UK’s.
It’s a shame I dropped the farmers on my foot at the end!
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Fantastic effort especially considering the weight disadvantage 
Weather was scorching, I was sweating just watching the juniors! Couldn't stay to watch you Ben, but was good to say hi anyway 
When Ed turned up nobody realised he was competing, just that he was there. To then hear after we left that he was actually getting involved was a shock lol.
Shame he did for you as you would have won the comp, which would have been amazing! Not that coming joint first with Ed is not amazing mind, shows how well you have progressed
When Ed turned up nobody realised he was competing, just that he was there. To then hear after we left that he was actually getting involved was a shock lol.
Shame he did for you as you would have won the comp, which would have been amazing! Not that coming joint first with Ed is not amazing mind, shows how well you have progressed
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Congrats on the result! Amazing stuff. And thanks for signing onto OcUK for sharing your experience with us!