NYC Strong Challenge 1: Some Benchmarks

The NYC Strongmen + Strongwomen Facebook group is hosting the first of what we hope to be monthly challenges. This month of August we decided to ask people to clean and press a thick handled dumbbell using only one arm. This lift is a classic among performing strongmen dating back to Thomas Inch and his challenge dumbbells. Currently men and women of the newer sport of strongman are also familiar with monster dumbbells, which are a perennial pressing event.

We are custom to cleaning thick handled dumbbells and fat bars for pressing. With two hands, most of us continental clean our heaviest weights before pressing them overhead. For our single arm pressing, we are able to clean the dumbbells to our shoulders with both hands, thus allowing us to handle considerably more weight. 

This summer, American Strongman Mike Burke just narrowly missed cleaning two Thomas inch dumbbells. Weighing in at 172 pounds each, and sporting a handle greater than 2" thick, the Inch challenge dumbbell has lived on as a feat of strength beyond the years of it's namesake, Thomas Inch.

Twelve years ago, US strength legend Mark Henry cleaned the Inch dumbbell to his shoulder and easily pressed it overhead. Henry is the first man to do so. Three years ago, Rich Williams joined this exclusive club when he also cleaned the dumbbell to his shoulder and easily pressed it overhead. Matt Brouse and Bill Kazmaier succeeded in continental cleaning the dumbbell to their shoulders before pressing it.

Rich Williams clean & pressing the Inch is as good as it gets.

The men listed above are obviously elite when it comes to grip and overall strength. In my own attempts, I succeeded in continental cleaning a 98 pound monster dumbbell with a three inch handle before easily pressing it. With a standard dumbbell and Fat Gripz, I got a 115 dumbbell continental cleaned to my torso before hitting myself in the face and nearly knocking myself out.

I would guess a 100 pound clean is average. At 120, the weight is significant. If you can reach 149 like Adam Glass in the video below, you are likely at the elite level and no doubt a total badass.

Adam Glass clean's a 149 pound shot loaded Atomic Athlete bell.

For women, however, I am struggling to find any real numbers. Therefore, this contest is really the first time that we have the opportunity to see what women can clean and press with one arm using a thick handled dumbbell!

For more information, check out our contest announcement here and on Facebook.

And since following the link might be difficult for some people, here are the specifics of our contest:

1. Must be a minimum 2" thick handle. Please show us the measurement or show us the application of the Fat Gripz.

2. Only one arm/hand may clean and press the dumbbell.

3. You may clean the dumbbell all the way to your shoulder in one motion or use the continental style (as in my video).

4. You may use any monster dumbbell or apply a Fat Gripz handle to a standard dumbbell.

5. Most weight cleaned and pressed successfully will be our winner (one male and one female).

6. You may submit up to 3 videos by August 30! Please submit to the NYC Strongmen + Strongwomen Facebook page
7. Support our sponsors Titan Support Systems, Inc and The Sox Box. Also, use our discount code for 10% off your own pair of Sox Box socks: NYCSTRONG

What I Learned from the 2014 Crossfit Champions

So here are a few takeaways from the Crossfit Games winners two weeks ago that are applicable to anyone competing in strongman. Coaching, diet, strength, and weak point training are the basics here. I'm sure if you hooked these four horses up to a carriage it wouldn't move because they are all dead but perhaps you are missing part of the picture. For me, this confirmed what I already knew and reassured me I'm on the right track.

1. Coaching

While Froning appears to be the roguish cowboy who follows no set plan and basically trains as he wants, Leblanc-Bazinet's coaches program for her. I think this is an important tool that we can easily forget to use. If you pay attention you will also see that many pros and high level amateurs in strongman either have a coach who assists with or designs their program. Plus, there are many more that train with a group that pushes them past their capabilities should they train or plan their training alone. That extra watchful eye and authority you must be accountable to beyond yourself can push you to new heights and expand your own wealth of training knowledge.

2. Diet 

Fucking eat already.  Leblanc-Bazinet eats like a bodybuilder! She claims to consume 200 grams of protein a day in about six meals! Ok, two of those meals are shakes, but this girl is putting away some calories. She also said in interviews that her main carb source is the sweet potato. High protein, sweet potatoes... Sounds familiar? 

You've seen this.  After the chicken and the vegetables come the sweet potatoes.

As for Froning, he does whatever he wants. Again. Like Leblanc-Bazinet, he relies on lots of protein shakes to get through the day, but at night eats whatever he wants. This doesn't include bread or pasta, which he doesn't like (wtf?). But he does like lots of peanut butter which he washes down with whole milk.

Another huge front squat for Leblanc-Bazinet

3. Strength base. 

Did you know Leblanc-Bazinet did a double bodyweight front squat! 265 at 130! That is fucking strong. The bulk of her training is also barbell training, either building strength with squats and deadlifts or working on her weightlifting technique, as she reports in a recent interview: "I don’t even do a lot of wod … it is a lot of strength training and skill work… some aerobic too... I might do typical sod [skills] 4 times a week but mostly strength work…"

Froning is also strong, showing us what he is capable of with that 377 overhead squat in the games. But he doesn't have a plan for getting there so we'll just not talk about him anymore...

"I just do what I want, dude."

4. Weak point training.
The whole idea of this sport of fitness is to be well-rounded. At least that's the definition of fitness according to some of the the commercials aired during the games. For Leblanc-Bazinet, as a smaller athlete, she needs to be efficient and strong. She has repeated in interviews that weak points are the focus of her training and thus you can see how, being smaller, strength is key. Her coach had this to say about the matter:

"I wouldn’t say that Camille had any major weaknesses. She’s a smaller athlete, so she needed to get stronger to handle the heavier loads we expected [and saw] at Regionals. She had already started to focus on Olympic lifting and was making great progress. We kept that focus and added in supplemental strength and skill progressions. We worked a lot on cycling moderate to heavy loads for multiple reps, and we carved out time for her to continue to develop her gymnastics skills outside of the pressure of the clock. We structured her energy-systems training so as not to impact her strength development and then moved into building her aerobic base later in the season.”(1)

There you have it. After the Games, I looked into the winners and I wasn't surprised to find out what I did. In strongman or any other sport, you must train, eat, and problem solve to reach the highest levels and do so consistently.

NYCStrong Challenge 1: Thick Handled Db Clean and Press

NYCStrong Challenge 1: Thick Handled Db Clean and Press

Sponsored by Titan Support Systems, Inc. and The Sox Box

There will be prizes courtesy of our sponsors for our male and female winners!

Here is a video so you can see what the lift looks like:

This is done by continental cleaning and pressing a 98# monster dumbbell.

Here are the rules:

1. Must be a minimum 2" thick handle. Please show us the measurement or show us the application of the Fat Gripz.

2. Only one arm/hand may clean and press the dumbbell.

3. You may clean the dumbbell all the way to your shoulder in one motion or use the continental style (as in my video).

4. You may use any monster dumbbell or apply a Fat Gripz handle to a standard dumbbell.

5. Most weight cleaned and pressed successfully will be our winner (one male and one female).

6. You may submit up to 3 videos by August 30! Please submit to the NYC Strongmen + Strongwomen Facebook page

Get those submissions in and let's have some fun!

And don't forget to check out our sponsors and use this discount code for 10% off your pair of Sox Box socks: NYCSTRONG