This week was full of firsts. While the Fit Team workouts definitely apply to Strongwoman training, I felt that it was important to give each event a practice run. That way I can see which events need some extra TLC. My trainer Buck and I scheduled a training day at the Under Armour World Headquarters to practice each event and see where I’m at.
Medball Weight for Height “Each contestant has 75 seconds to throw five med balls over a 10′ bar. Med balls will be two 10lb balls, two 15lb balls and one 20lb ball.” Buck marked on a wall a 10′ marker. I did better than I thought I would! A couple of the balls went just at or above the marker. What I didn’t realize was that the power comes from the hips, not so much the arms. These throws are from behind, which is why I need to really work on extending my hips with as much power as possible.
Log Press for Max Reps “Each contestant has 60 seconds to clean and press the 85lb log for as many reps as possible. Competitor must clean the log each time.” We practiced with an empty log just to get familiar with the mechanics. From a deadlift, to power clean to press, there are a lot of movements to remember. We’ll dedicate a session to this one later.
Truck Pull Self explanatory. All divisions will pull the same truck for 75 feet. This one I’ve practiced after Fit Team multiple times. In the photo below I’m pulling 140lbs, but my actual max is 325lbs. Not bad!
Yoke Carry “Each competitor will stand behind the line and carry the 275lb yoke 50 feet.” We stacked a barbell and totaled the weight to 245. I definitely surprised myself here! We tried to start at 275 but I couldn’t get the bar off the rack. Reaching the 50 foot mark with 245 on my back was the most difficult physical exercise I’ve ever done. I had to keep a firm grip on the bar, keeping my elbows back to keep the bar up, while waddling my feet toward the finish line. I was very shaky toward the last 10 feet, but I did it!
Stone to Shoulder “Each competitor will have 60 seconds to shoulder the stone to her shoulder as many times as possible.” This one will be slightly difficult to train for, as the gym doesn’t have a 75lb stone. We were able to practice the mechanics with a smaller, dense 70lb medicine ball. This one also has multiple movements to finesse (scooping the ball from a squat from off the ground, bringing in the ball towards the chest while bringing thighs together for support, and finally using the hips and legs to roll the ball upwards and over the shoulder). With the medicine ball, I was able to successfully complete a few reps and feel comfortable. As long as I perfect the mechanics, the size difference shouldn’t be too difficult to adjust to. Hopefully.
I felt amazing after this session. I left feeling more confident in knowing what I have to do to train from here on out. Just thinking, “I can really do this thing” was so energizing, though my body was exhausted. From here, I’ll continue Fit Team while spending an extra 15-20 minutes on Buck’s Strongwoman daily training program. Next up: practicing power cleans!
Invictus Fitness 