A couple of weeks ago I went and did my Strength Quest grading at Definition 352 in Doncaster. Strength Quest is Australia's new system for strongman. The idea is that, to enter a competition, there will be a minimum grade required. You achieve your grade based on your performance in the yoke, log clean and press, deadlift and farmer's walk. I decided to attempt C grade as a heavyweight.
First up was the yoke walk. I needed to walk 300kg for 15m. Having only first walked a yoke two weeks before that, and with only 230kg, I knew this was going to be my hardest event, and it proved to be. Getting my first couple of steps sucked and I dropped it soon after. On the second pick, I finally got some momentum and moved about 7-8m before dropping it again. In the end, after a couple more drops, I stopped at 10.5m, saving my energy for the other events.
I would've liked to get the full 15m, but given that it was only my second time doing yoke walks, and I only needed 1.5m to get my grade, I was very happy with my result. I asked a couple of the other guys how to improve and I've got a few things to add to my training to get better now!
Next up was the log. I needed 100kg. I love pressing and I do all kinds of pressing multiple times a week, so this was an easy get. 100kg flew up!
By this point, it had been a few hours since I ate breakfast and I was starving, so I ate a peanut butter + jam sandwich. I swear it was the best damn sandwich I've ever had! This was also a good time to get a bit of foam rolling in.
The deadlift was next and 210kg was the target. I deadlift every week and have pulled 210kg many times before, so this was also an easy get.
Last was the farmer's walk. I needed to carry 100kg per hand for 25m. Again, having only done farmer's walks with proper farmer's bars two weeks before, I was a little worried about making the distance, but I was fine! Although I felt a little slow, I managed to walk the full 25m without needing to re-pick the weight, so I'm a lot more confident about this event now, and actually enjoyed it more than the first time around. A pair of farmer's bars are very high on the list to buy now.
I'm pretty confident that, with a bit of planning, I can hit the numbers for B grade by the end of the year.
One of the things I loved about the day was the amount of cheering everyone was doing. Everyone wanted everyone else to hit their numbers. Everyone gave everyone else advice on how to approach a tough event. Everyone congratulated everyone else when they hit a PR. Everyone was supportive of everyone else. And that's something I can get used to!
All up, it turned out to be an awesome experience. George Mariolis put on a great day at Definition 352 and I met a bunch of new people who were all super nice and very willing to talk about anything. I'm looking forward to more!
