Competing in any sport is a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s an exciting prospect! It can also be daunting, with lots to consider. What kit will I use? Will it be the same as what I’ve trained on? How will it be judged? How should I train correctly? What should I eat? How do I hydrate properly? Where do I begin and how difficult of a first comp should I sign up for?
Forget the leaderboard and focus on beating your previous self. Strongman is a super fun sport with a fantastic, supportive community. If you need help, or get overwhelmed, speak to another competitor or organising staff. Most of us have had the pre-comp and comp day jitters – we know how it feels!
What Exercises Are In a Strongman Competition?
All competitions will differ as to the exercises you will perform, the weights you will need to lift, and the equipment you will compete with. Some competitions may have a specific focus, i.e. grip competitions, although typically a competition will generally consist of 5-6 events, and see you complete in -
• A form of deadlift event (train with our Deadlift Barbell to get your form perfected).
• A form of overhead press event.
• An atlas stone event.
• A sandbag event (our Sandbags for Gym up to 150kg).
• Moving events and loading races.
• Vehicle pulls.
This list is not exhaustive, so it is worth picking a competition where you can familiarise yourself with the types of kit you’ll be using. Typical equipment you can expect to see include barbells, axles, logs, giant dumbbells, sandbags, kegs, farmers handle, duck handles, atlas stones, frames and yokes.
How Are Strongman Competitions Judged in the UK?
All competitions will have slight variations on how they are judged. It is important to arrive with plentiful time before the start, for the athlete briefing. This is the first order of the day and is when the referees will explain the rules for each event, such as timings and equipment.
It’s important to take any lifting aids you use in your training, as well as some alternative items just in case you can’t use your normal supports but to also ensure you don’t leave yourself at a complete disadvantage. A prime example: some deadlift events allow figure-8 straps, some don’t. Take more than one type if you have them.
In terms of the events themselves, events are often A-to-B with your preferred technique, as long as it’s allowed. You can typically expect full lockout with down commands to be implemented for deadlifts and overhead movements, ‘break the line’ and ‘hands off when finished’ for moving events, and full depth for squat events.
Some competitions will have separate scorers to the referees, and your points will be calculated based on your reps, time or lifts in relation to your fellow competitors, with the highest number of points being awarded for a first-place finish. If there is a tie, you may receive equal points, or it may be based off the time taken to complete the final distance for a max distance/and reps achieved for a max rep.
How Should You Train for Your First Strongman Event?
How you train for a strongman competition is the key to getting results on the day. Whilst strongman is a fun sport, that can really get you hooked, it’s also easy to get carried away and forget just how fatiguing it is. Competition prep phases are typically a quick 8-week peak with a de-load week to finish, or a longer, 16-week cycle with a de-load in the middle and at the end of the prep.
It's important that regardless of the route you choose, you train within your abilities, and build up weight, reps, speed and stamina in a manageable and sustainable manner, remembering to work on technique rather than just chasing numbers. Top tip: if it feels like you are overtraining, or you’re struggling with weights you can normally manage, be kind to yourself, deload, and take a couple of days off to let your body heal.
What Does Progression in Competitive Strongman Look Like?
Options for competing in strongman are plentiful, and growing rapidly, so there’s something for everyone! Competitions are separated by gender. Beyond this, at the grass roots/local gym level, you have categories based on difficulty and experience, broken down into first timers, beginners, novice, intermediates and opens. You also have a master’s category for those over 40.
Alongside this, you have weight category options. This differs for men (U80kg, U90kg, U105kg, and U120kg) and women (U64kg, U73kg and U82kg, as well as open weight categories for competitors outside of these weights.
Moving up from grass roots you have the Official Strongman Games for the home nations, Europe, and World's strongest man and woman, which are often done by weight category. If you win the open weight category you can gain an invite to Giants Live events (pictured here in this blog), and potentially make your way to the open weight World's Strongest Man.
There’s lots to get excited about in the world of strongman! Add to this that there’s a great community, with lots of opportunities for competing and categories for everyone, there’s never been a better time to get your name down for your first competition. Hopefully this blog will have provided you lots of useful information to digest, in preparation for your first comp. Just remember, keep yourself in check, listen to your body, focus on training within your limits, give it your all on comp day, and more importantly, have fun doing it!
For more content, follow us on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and on our official Mirafit Facebook page.
