STATIC MONSTERS + NORTH EAST VICTORIA'S STRONGEST MAN AND WOMAN
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On the 28th of October, Alira and I ventured to Valeo Movement Academy, to compete in North East Victoria's Strongest Man + Woman.
The gym, located in Wangaratta, is owned by 3 of the strongest lightweight mother fuckers you'll ever meet. The competition was paired with the worldwide "Static Monsters" competition. So the first two events for the day were a max Log Press and a max Axel Deadlift. I weighed in around 84kg, to compete in the Under 90kg category for Static Monsters. I completed the rest of the competition in the Heavyweight division. Alira weighed in under 62.5kg for Static Monsters, and competed in the U82.5kg for the battle of North East Victoria's Strongest Woman. We had only landed in Australia after our America trip two weeks prior to this comp, so neither of us had trained specifically. I believe a true Strongman competitor is always ready for any competition, and weaknesses should be trained year round, regardless of upcoming competitions. The main reason for competing was for both Alira and I to qualify for the Static Monsters World Championships, to be held on the Gold Coast in May 2018. The top 10 from each weight category receives an invite. Last year I placed 1st Worldwide in Static Monsters in the Under 80kg division, with a 127.5kg Log Press, and a 210kg Axel Deadlift. The events for this competition were: 1 Max Log Press 2 Max Axel deadlift 18" 3 Arm Over Arm Truck Pull 4 Carry Medley 5 2rm Stone Over Bar |
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My Log attempts were a successful 120kg and 125kg press, followed by a failed attempt at 132.5kg, which would have beaten my current PB and Victorian U90kg record of 130kg.
Alira hit all 3 of her attempts, with her 3rd lift of 70kg being an Australian record in the U62.5kg class! I opened on a 300kg Axel Deadlift, which I knew was risky, seeing as I had not performed this movement since Static Monsters 2016! But I knew I would need a big lift to qualify for the Static Monsters World Championships, and anything under 300kg wouldn't cut it. I knew after making the first lift that i was good for 325kg, but decided to take 315kg as a safe second, as a previous rib injury had sparked up again. 315kg went up okay, but left me inquire a bit of pain in my rib. I called for 325kg as my 3rd, as I knew I had the strength to lift it, if I could ignore the pain. I spent the next few minutes debating whether or not to take the lift. I had already out-liftted everyone at my competition, but I knew I would need a bigger number to increase my chances of qualifying for Worlds. I told myself I could ignore the pain and make the lift, but it proved too hard a task. The weight didn't budge off the ground, and the injury became more inflamed and painful, leaving me unsure if I could finish the rest of the days events. Alira opened on a 170kg Axel Deadlift, a weight she had hit almost 2 years prior. Second attempt of 182kg was a grind, and the 3rd attempt of 185kg was extremely close, but balance became an issue and the lift wasn't completed. Alira's height proves a hindrance on the 18" Axel deadlift, whereas for me it adds a lot of kilos to what I could normally lift. You'll see a lot of U80kg Strongmen pulling massive numbers from this height, compared to the heavyweights, who are often much taller and therefore lifting from a less than advantageous position. |
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With Static Monsters completed, it was time for the following 3 events to find North East Victoria's Strongest.
The arm over arm truck pull proved to be entertaining as always.
With no real way to warm or practice for this event, it's about finding the right positions and technique while you're doing it, hoping to figure it out faster than your competitors. I managed to pull the truck with the fastest time for the day, without any pain in the ribs, and Alira placed first in her weight category, and had one of the fastest female times for the day.
Event 4 was the Carry Medley event. 15m with the awkward "Barry carry" followed by 15m with a heavy farmers carry.
I couldn't pick up the Barry object when it was empty without pain in my ribs. So I was extremely nervous about lifting it loaded to 120kg! Alira and I had both never used the object in training or competition before, but we figured it out pretty quickly. Both of us came first in the event. Alira managed to finish her farmers carry with 87.5kg per hand, and I managed to move 125kg halfway down the course, which was further than anyone else, so I didn't pick up the weights to try to finish the full 15 metres.
The 4 event wins meant Alira and I had 1st place wrapped up before the last event. Alira attempted a 105kg stone for the last event but failed. I went with around 110kg (can't quite remember). I wish I had skipped the last event, as I spent the rest of the night in a lot of pain through my whole back, but I was extremely proud of myself for blocking out the pain during some of the events.
I learned a valuable lesson about injuries and risk taking during this comp. This is something I will be able to share with my clients and athletes on the team. Experiences like this can prove to be extremely valuable in the future.
This was a super fun comp and I am hoping to take a larger Vic Strength team next year! Everyone was happy and loving and happy to chat.
Both Alira and I qualified for the Static Monsters World Championships next May!
Alira finished 4th Worldwide with a 252kg total. I finished 6th in the World and 3rd in Australia.
The arm over arm truck pull proved to be entertaining as always.
With no real way to warm or practice for this event, it's about finding the right positions and technique while you're doing it, hoping to figure it out faster than your competitors. I managed to pull the truck with the fastest time for the day, without any pain in the ribs, and Alira placed first in her weight category, and had one of the fastest female times for the day.
Event 4 was the Carry Medley event. 15m with the awkward "Barry carry" followed by 15m with a heavy farmers carry.
I couldn't pick up the Barry object when it was empty without pain in my ribs. So I was extremely nervous about lifting it loaded to 120kg! Alira and I had both never used the object in training or competition before, but we figured it out pretty quickly. Both of us came first in the event. Alira managed to finish her farmers carry with 87.5kg per hand, and I managed to move 125kg halfway down the course, which was further than anyone else, so I didn't pick up the weights to try to finish the full 15 metres.
The 4 event wins meant Alira and I had 1st place wrapped up before the last event. Alira attempted a 105kg stone for the last event but failed. I went with around 110kg (can't quite remember). I wish I had skipped the last event, as I spent the rest of the night in a lot of pain through my whole back, but I was extremely proud of myself for blocking out the pain during some of the events.
I learned a valuable lesson about injuries and risk taking during this comp. This is something I will be able to share with my clients and athletes on the team. Experiences like this can prove to be extremely valuable in the future.
This was a super fun comp and I am hoping to take a larger Vic Strength team next year! Everyone was happy and loving and happy to chat.
Both Alira and I qualified for the Static Monsters World Championships next May!
Alira finished 4th Worldwide with a 252kg total. I finished 6th in the World and 3rd in Australia.
