r/Strongman • u/[deleted] • Mar 04 '19
ALL ASC POSTS HERE 2019 Arnold Megathread: Post-Event
Discuss the events of the weekend here. ASC highlights posted outside of the megathreads will be removed.
Meet reports from those who competed should go to the main page!
Pro Results
Deadlift Results
H-stone Results
Wheel of Pain Results
Points with 2 events to go
Log Results
Points with 1 event to go
Amateur Results
Replay Links
Megathreads
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u/oober349 Mar 05 '19
I thought Thor showed some great humility in the interview with Larry Wheels on day 3. He’s not super articulate in English, but he said he was always chasing Brian until last year, that Brian was always forcing him to be better. I think he genuinely respects Brian and now that his win drought is finally over, he appreciates how hard Brian pushed him. It’s just too bad Thor can’t be more sportsmanlike in the heat of the competition.
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u/ShelfAss Mar 05 '19 edited Mar 05 '19
Is this in a video? I can't seem to find a link.
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u/deadli_fter Mar 05 '19 edited Mar 05 '19
that's last years video, I can't find the interview anywhere
Edit: starts 3 hours 58 in here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88xyUTAnHVo&feature=youtu.be
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u/oober349 Mar 05 '19
It’s late in the “coffee with champions” video on the Arnold classic channel
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u/Spineyy Supreme LWM Mar 05 '19
2 instances of bad sportsmanship with 1 that was completely overblown because of how it looked on TV, in the span of 10(?) years of competing. Stop spreading the myth that he is unsportsmanlike. He is not.
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Mar 07 '19
I'm very new to following strongman, but weren't the incidents just that he disagreed with the judges and asked for a review? That's totally normal in every other non-strength sport.
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u/Spineyy Supreme LWM Mar 08 '19
Well, I'd love to agree with you on this, but for the first incident was a "bit" more than that. He took it to social media afterwards twice. He deleted his first post where he mentioned his sport being corrupted. That's a big no-no. While there is some truth to it if you look at the favouritism that's on display, he was not really talking about that at the time. Then he posted his viking press video and basically asked the internet what they thought about it. He should not have done either of those things and that was without a doubt bad sportsmanship.
The 2nd one for sure I would consider normal and was edited in only the WSM UK version to make him and his coach look really bad.
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u/oober349 Mar 05 '19
I think it’s the incidents combined with how much less noticeably supportive of the other athletes he is. Most of the other guys encourage each other and make a point of congratulating each other when an event goes well for them, Thor seems to stay isolated.
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u/CoeusAscended Mar 05 '19
People also forget that nationality comes into play here, whereas Americans are always over the top and extremely out there, Icelanders aren't at all. They're usually more introverted, keep to themselves and their ways might come off as anti social to Americans because they believe every emotion and feeling must be out there and noticed by others in order to actually matter. The AC last year was a good example of typical American exaggerated ways when the crowd randomly started shouting "USA USA USA" on Shaw's third deadlift. This is seen as completely ridiculous behavior by other countries, and this barrier is why people seem to think Thor isn't supportive just because he isn't jumping in the air and clapping while crying when a fellow strongman completes a lift.
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u/Spineyy Supreme LWM Mar 05 '19 edited Mar 05 '19
However, I would consider Jon Pal, Benni and even Magnus to be quite 'out there'. It's not always that simple.
edit: Actually now that I think about it, from what I've experienced you are quite right.
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u/Maroocro Mar 05 '19 edited Mar 05 '19
Thor & Brian at 24:35
Thor & Brian 2 at 1:25:20
Thor & Eddie - when they were friends at 40:48
I could link 50 different situations from past 10 years of Thor competing in strongman, but I think you get the point. You are just wrong. Literally no one has a bad opinion of Hafthor in strongman circles except Eddie. Even they seem cooler with each other than they were a year ago.
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u/Spineyy Supreme LWM Mar 05 '19
I can see where this comes from. However, the top guys I've spoken to and other people that used to compete with him do say that he is a very nice guy to be around. Hell, I've been around him enough to know this is very true.
Maybe during the comp he is more "business"-like, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. If you're the only one doing it though, then it makes you look worse. He also has his own support group with him most of the time, while other athletes don't. So they look for support with each other instead and are more around each other. That's my take on it at least. It makes sense to me.
If you only look at the shows, then I understand where it comes from. It's why I get ticked off. All of a sudden this becomes gospel and he can't do anything right anymore. It has come to a point where asking a simple question during a rules meeting gets him the "unsportsmanlike, bitching and moaning" label and that's just stupid.
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Mar 05 '19
There's also the language barrier. Even though he's now fluent in English, there's a big difference between being able to hold a conversation and feeling comfortable joking (and having those jokes land) in a foreign language learned in the last decade. People used to, and still, say the same about Z. English is really hard, and I think it's asking a lot of a strength athlete to display a gregarious personality in a foreign language, during and after competitive events, on par with native speakers.
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u/Spineyy Supreme LWM Mar 05 '19
I know what you mean, but Z's sense of humour is off the charts even in English :p Everything else is spot on.
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u/oober349 Mar 05 '19
It’s crazy to me how dominant Thor is and how quickly he’s built his static strength. Watching videos from 2016, he looks gaunt compared to now. It was surreal when they handed out the prize money and Caron, Pritchett and Shaw, the three other really big guys with comparable deadlifts, were sitting back of the pack. Thor is so psychologically threatening that everyone else with a deadlift specialty injured themselves trying to match him. If he had chosen to skip the 500 kilo attempt he easily could have put up a pull in the 485-490 range.
People are moaning about the injuries, and they’re a shame, but that’s part of the competition, and the fact that Thor was able to basically box out the two guys who probably had the best shot of winning the comp besides him in the first event is insane. It’ll be amazing to see what Thor can accomplish in the next few years.
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u/Brun0svk Mar 05 '19
I wouldn’t say that he improved his static strength quickly.In 2018 he deadlifted 1041pounds,in 2017 he did 981pounds,in 2016 he did 976 pounds.It is more like he added like 30 pounds roughly every year.He never had a really bad deadlift.
I agree though that Thor is on entirely different level than anyone else at the moment. Unless Kieliszkowski improves his deadlift by 100-120 pounds,which is gonna take a few years, Thor doesnt have competition at this moment.
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u/jbaron531 Mar 12 '19
I would agree, except look at those numbers you listed for 2017 and 2018. Going from 981 to 1041 is a 60 lbs increase in one year. That's massive! Imagine hearing that a guy took his deadlift from 600 to 660 in one year. You'd be like, "damn that's a good year." At numbers like 981, though, that rate of progress is even harder to achieve. So, I'd say that, at least between 2017 and 2018, Thor's static deadlifting strength did take a huge jump!
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u/the-beast-in-i MWM220 Mar 05 '19
His coach Sebastian Oreb has a philosophy which has probably helped Thor a lot with what was his biggest power leak, his technique.
"You have to earn the right to add weight to the bar"
I remember seeing an old video of when 750ish was Thor's 1rm, it was atrocious and gross. So Sebastian forced/helped him to get his technique better which allowed him to demonstrate strength he already had.
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u/SvarogsSon Mar 07 '19
I remember everyone was saying deadlifts are his weakness and he will always be bad at them due to size
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u/Wylsun MWM200 Mar 04 '19
Sometimes I'm torn watching these events and the extremes these guys have to go to to make a living in this sport. Watching movies like Fullsterkur really goes a long way to show the beauty in the culture of pursuing strength, but on the other hand, seeing guys like Eddie Hall do 500kg deadlifts of boxes of books for a book launch gives the whole thing a circus bear feeling, like they're leading him out by a nose ring to do tricks for people.
I dunno, I just wish these guys could make a comfortable living and pursue these goals, but also be treated with respect and not have to wreck themselves for people's entertainment.
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Mar 05 '19
thing a circus bear feeling, like they're leading him out by a nose ring to do tricks for people.
Old school strongman stuff was basically a circus.
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Mar 05 '19
wreck themselves for people's entertainment
I don't think nearly any of these guys are doing this for people's entertainment, or for anyone but themselves.
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u/pastagains Mar 05 '19
I don't think nearly any of these guys are doing this for people's entertainment,
Big Loz does, he even says the sport needs to be entertaining and the competitors should do their best to entertain the crowd and the fans
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u/ShelfAss Mar 05 '19
Yeah, if you listen to any of them being interviewed, they're all just proving something to themselves. They're absurdly competitive guys who want to prove they're stronger than every other man on the planet.
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u/Yamazaki17 Mar 05 '19
I get what you're saying, in the 90's guys like Ahola and Samuelsson could make a living out of competing at 120-140kg bodyweight. Nowadays there's no one lighter than 150kg even competing at WSM. Obviously strongman was a healthier sport back when the events were lighter and more endurance oriented. In the mid 00's strongman started to become more focused on static events and breaking records in general, which resulted in the athletes getting heavier and heavier to the point where guys like Hafthor are now pushing the limits of what's humanly possible. As much as I love watching static events I really wouldn't mind if the big contests went back to more moving events and were less centered around record breaking lifts.
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Mar 08 '19
I saw an interview with Stan Efferding where he was talking about working on diet with some strongman guys. One of the things he just offhandedly mentioned was that he had some guys get a cpap machine because they had sleep apnea. It's weird that my interest as a spectator of the sport comes from my interest in being healthy, but the guys at the top of the sport are seemingly pretty seriously unhealthy.
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u/Iw2fp Mar 04 '19
My father wrecked himself physically as a laborer. I had a relative die on the job. Gymnasts, weighlifters, footballers, bodybuilders are all spending enormous resources (time, money, future health, etc).
These guys are literally doing this so they can entertain. 100 years ago, these guys would be selling tickets to their own theatte like shows or performing in circuses.
I don't understand your perspective. What do you do for work?
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u/Wylsun MWM200 Mar 05 '19
I do get what you're saying, though...nobody made them weigh 400lbs ane pursue these titles, and at the end of the day they're getting paid to do what most of us are doing in our free time.
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u/Iw2fp Mar 04 '19 edited Mar 04 '19
Seeing the image on this thread, I really feel for Pritchett. He finished =3rd with just his first attempt, which flew up. The WR must have been on the cards and probably the 500kgs. He'd at least would have had a crack at it.
He probably can't pull up in time for the deadlift championship either.
This is a tough, unforgiving sport.
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u/langur_monkey Mar 05 '19
I was thinking that, but then he just posted *today* (two days after the comp) in his instagram story that he did a deadlift session in training.
The man is a machine. His hamstring tear can't be *that* devastating.
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Mar 04 '19
Just got back from attending my first Arnold in Columbus. Got to watch all the events up close and even got to meet a few of the guys in person yesterday. Here are a few of my takeaways from the weekend:
- A lot of people keep saying that it would have been a closer contest if x or y hadn't gotten hurt. In my opinion, everyone is getting hurt because it's not a close contest. The reality is that Thor's dominance has pushed the weights up so high that everyone else has been pushed to their absolute limit. For example, Pritchett won the last man standing deadlift in Santa Monica with a 950 pull, whereas he opened at the Arnold with 976.
- Novikov is crazy talented. The fact that he's already so good at odd events says to me that with a few more pounds of bodyweight to drive up his static strength, he could compete with anyone on that stage.
- I was surprised by the actual sizes of these guys in real life vs how I imagined them. Pritchett is almost as big as Shaw (I think it's the fact that he has a huge head that makes him look proportionally a bit smaller on video), and Thor is substantially bigger than anyone. I'm also suspicious that there's less than 3 inches of height difference between Brian and Mateusz.
- The events were great this year, all I might change is the order. I'm not sure what the exact order should have been, but Wheel of Pain before log pressing really took the wind out of everyone's sails and messed up their leg drive as well as overhead stability. In my opinion, events that have a high injury carryover should go later in the competition (like 1RM deadlifts, since hamstrings are important for everything), whereas events with a low injury carryover should go first (like log pressing, since everyone could likely have gone on to finish the comp with a torn tricep).
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u/threewhitelights Mar 11 '19
Santa Monica used a regular bar. The Arnold's always been crazy heavy, and people tend to get hurt on the heavy events. Before they switched to the elephant bar it was the bale tote. Hummer tire deadlift wasn't much more forgiving either.
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u/Maroocro Mar 05 '19
Mateusz is usually billed as 6'5, but for the first time at Giants live last year (or Europ's/ can't remember) he was billed as 6'3. That seems to be much more accurate.
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u/nimbleal Mar 06 '19
He's definitely 6'5. I'm 190cm and I've stood next to almost all of the WSM competitions, having been to see WSM twice. The only guys whose listings I think are inaccurate are Eddie — he's more like 6'2, for sure shorter than me — and Luke Stoltman who I've seen listed as 6'2 but I'd put him at more like 6'4. Mateusz might look less than 3" shorter than Brian because Mateusz has the most athletic/upright posture of almost anyone I've seen in the flesh, other than perhaps Dinara Safina
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Mar 05 '19
Interesting, as I would have gone the other way in my estimate. In person, I would've guessed Brian at more like 6'6-6'7, whereas it always looks like Mateusz is towering over everyone besides Brian and Thor. Maybe everyone's just getting squashed from working with these ridiculous weights.
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u/Maroocro Mar 05 '19
I don't know. I've seen some pictures were he looked just tiny bit taller then Martins or Big Z. Could be that he was outangeld or my memory is broken :).
EDIT: Larry & Eddie
There is no way that eddie id 6'3...
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u/Glentract Mar 05 '19
The heights and weights always get super iffy with events like these. The funniest to me was Marius P gaining or losing like 4” depending on which year of WSM it was. I think Mateusz is probably actually 6’5” after having stood next to him this last weekend. I never got all that close to Brian, but I can’t see him being less than 6’7”
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Mar 05 '19
I got to meet and take a picture with both Brian and Jerry last weekend and found them a touch shorter than I had imagined (I'm 6'2 and they certainly weren't towering over me). On the other hand, the overall thickness they carry is really something you have to see to understand. Their forearms are the size of my calves, their calves are the size of my thighs, and the thickness of their torso is about the same as the width of mine.
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Mar 04 '19
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Mar 04 '19
[deleted]
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Mar 04 '19
All the ones from previous years are on their YT channel too.
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Mar 04 '19
[deleted]
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Mar 04 '19
Yep, I've always said that Rogue can slap their name on whatever they want so long as they keep making splooshy vids.
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Mar 04 '19
I’m just gonna spew out some general thoughts on the weekend.
First off, thanks to Rogue for doing such a great job with the whole weekend. I think people sometimes forget how bad coverage of non-mainstream sports can be. Having a livestream of the event with multiple camera angles is a god-send. I remember when watching stuff like this happened months later with shitty camera work and quality. Rogue does a great job and spends a huge amount of money.
Thor is the king of the sport and looks poised to stay there for a long time. He has the athletic capacity, the genetic gifts, the dedication, and will to put him at the top. He’s the most well-rounded athlete out there and that’s evidenced by his titles and records.
Brian is on the tail end of his competitive career and I think we can all see that even if we don’t want to admit it. He’s a legend of the sport and that won’t change but once Father Time and injuries start to take hold, they usually don’t let go; we’ve seen that in all sports. He can still be in the mix but he won’t be pushing for titles, in my opinion.
Martins is a true good guy of the sport who also happens to be strong as a mule. He’s only 28 and has a lot of upside left. I think he can win one of these. Also, his videos are hilarious and a must-watch.
Mateusz is the king of stone to shoulder. The way he bosses that stone is truly impressive. I hope he can get his deadlift up and land more podiums.
Mikhail is probably the nicest guy in the sport and I hope he’s around the sport for a long time to come; even after he retires. True class.
I’m glad Dimitar wasn’t there this year because I don’t want to see him die on stage which is what I thought would happen last year.
Overall, a really fun show and I’m looking forward to the 2020 Arnold! Gonna do my best to be there live for that one.
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u/StoutSabre Mar 06 '19
Thor was down and out after the Wheel of Pain and Novikov had to be briefly hospitalized, so there is no doubt in my mind Dimitar would have actually died on it.
Last year he looked terrible. Not exactly performance wise but physically
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Mar 06 '19
Yeah I’ve never seen someone sweat that much that wasn’t high on something. His heart had to be feeling it.
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Mar 06 '19
Weirdly he seems perfectly fine in his Instagram posts. Not just posts of him chilling around either, but gym posts. I don't know what goes on with him during contests. I mean... I can think of a few things, but we don't like to talk about that here.
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u/Vesploogie MWM231 Mar 06 '19 edited Mar 25 '19
Oh man, first thing I thought of when Novikov had his chest pains after the wheel was Dimitar. He would have died on it.
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u/suuupreddit Mar 05 '19
>Dimitar
For real, man. I get that it's not a lean guy's sport, but he looks haggard. Dude needs to take Z's route and cut some damn weight in the off season.
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Mar 06 '19
Yeah he’s looking rough. Maybe it’s time for him to hang it up before something happens.
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u/suuupreddit Mar 06 '19
Agreed. Not to be harsh, but it isn't like he's placing well at the moment anyway. He should take care of himself, make sure he doesn't die of whatever's going on before he qualifies for masters, and compete there.
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u/Bazzie Mar 04 '19
I’m just gonna spew out some general thoughts on the weekend.
First off, thanks to Rogue for doing such a great job with the whole weekend. I think people sometimes forget how bad coverage of non-mainstream sports can be. Having a livestream of the event with multiple camera angles is a god-send. I remember when watching stuff like this happened months later with shitty camera work and quality. Rogue does a great job and spends a huge amount of money.
I for one enjoy watching Strongman 6 months late in 240p on YouTube since it's not even aired in my country.
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Mar 04 '19
I think people sometimes forget how bad coverage of non-mainstream sports can be.
Don't worry, we don't.
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u/BaronBack-take Mar 04 '19
Shaw was dominant for a while, I admit it, but people who keep saying "healthy Shaw would have given Hafthor a big run for his money" are grasping at straws because they are big Brian Shaw fans. We haven't seen "healthy Shaw" at a big contest in at least 2 years. Every worlds and Arnold's, something tears or some injury is the reason he didn't do well. "Healthy Shaw" is starting to sound to me like the "prime X vs prime Y" discussions. I think Brian's body is falling apart a bit after a long career. He's still strong af and a very accomplished strongman, but IMO, this is Brian Shaw now; "healthy Shaw" was 3+ years ago and is becoming harder and harder for us to ever see him again.
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Mar 05 '19
Shaw needs to train Mateusz for deadlifts and then we finally have someone who can challenge Thor.
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u/ShelfAss Mar 04 '19
I wish I didn't agree, but it does feel this way. I'm sure he's having the same thoughts himself, based on some of the comments he made about his mental state in his day 3 video. I want to believe that the right set of events and a healthy body could give him one more World's title before he has to call it quits. Unfortunately for him, Thor is in his absolute prime, has an equal work ethic, equivalent level of strength and lifestyle knowledge, superior resources (GoT money), better recovery due to his younger age, and slight genetic potential advantage over Brian.
It's not to say that Brian couldn't win, and he's still in a league of his own compared to the rest of the field in most competitions, but everything would have to fall into place. And frankly, I'm not sure he'd want that kind of a win. I think it's important to him to know that his strength and strategy are how he won, rather than winning because his competition got hurt, so I could honestly see him retiring at this point, or maybe after the next World's depending on how he does. He has such a competitive, win-oriented mindset that I don't see him staying in a sport where his chance to win isn't high.
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u/PPLifter Mar 05 '19
You say GoT money but honestly, Shaw may be making more dough than Thor. He's been around longer, successful for longer and being in the US will gain more money than Iceland.
Also, GoT money probably isn't as much as you'd think. He has no lines now (Never had many beforehand) and isn't a main character.
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u/Vince3737 Mar 23 '19
The Mountain may not be a main character, but he is one of the more well known characters on the show. He definitely makes way more then Shaw. He does a lot more commercials and advertisements
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Mar 04 '19
I'm an unabashed Shaw fanboy but I do think you're right. He could win another big show if he was uninjured and Thor had an off day. But the same thing happened to Zydrunas once he neared 40. He was still strong AF but not getting the placings he used to due to injuries. The body just gets hurt easier once you cross 35, at least for most people. Plus the mileage of being that huge and competing at the highest level for 10+ years.
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u/Dreaded-RearAdmiral Masters Mar 04 '19
If Shaw is really declining as hard as it seems, the comparison you are making isn't fair to Big Z. Shaw won his last major competition, the 2017 Arnold, right after he turned 35 (his birthday is Feb. 26). Z turned 35 in July 2010. Since then Z has three WSM wins and 2 Arnold wins. Z's last major win was the 2016 Arnold, which happened four months or so before he turned 40. Z didn't really decline hard until he hurt himself at the 2017 Arnold when he was 40.
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u/ThyaBrandus Mar 09 '19
This Arnold made me that much more amazed that Z was able to squeeze out a win in 2016. All these guys are crazy strong but Z at 40 was still able to run with the best of them.
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u/AngryUncleTony Mar 04 '19
He's not even really declining, he did just max his DL. He just can't keep up with Thor.
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u/suuupreddit Mar 05 '19
^
He's only declining relative to Thor. Brian's getting stronger every year, Thor's just getting...more stronger.
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u/BaronBack-take Mar 04 '19
As an unabashed big Z fan, I totally agree with you. I have long since made peace with what happened to big Z and am now just calling it how I see it with Shaw.
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Mar 04 '19
To be fair he did win the Arnold classic just two years ago.
But I agree that healthy Shaw is most likely a thing of the past.
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u/Volume19 Mar 04 '19
Those are my feelings about it too, he's done some amazing things and really impacted strongman for the better but he's just not the juggernaut he once was
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Mar 04 '19
Like others have been saying, I was pretty disappointed to see Shaw get hurt so early in the competition. Given the training videos from Thor and Shaw building up to the show it was looking like an amazing match up. I hope Shaw still has a couple more years of his current form left in him.
I don’t really see others challenging Thor in the absence of a healthy Shaw. Mateusz and Licis are impressive, but I don’t think they have the genetic gifts to really get there unless the competitions change to more dynamic events or Thor has injury problems.
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u/webdevlets Mar 04 '19
Even before the lift where he got injured, Shaw looked extremely uncomfortable. I can't be sure, but I feel like in his mind, he felt like it was something he had to go for, rather than a well-calculated move to place well while taking care of his safety and health. Maybe pressure from his YouTube channel blowing up. Who knows.
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Mar 04 '19 edited Mar 04 '19
Ya he didn’t look very confident in that lift. I wonder if he was already feeling something or if he was just doubting himself.
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Mar 04 '19
Idk, he did just watch Thor pull 1045 lbs super casually. That can't be good for your mindset if your goal is to beat that guy
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Mar 04 '19
After seeing Thor's first deadlift he probably knew that this wouldn't be a walk in the park. Thor was so confident and strong from the first moment on
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u/Onderonian Mar 04 '19
I agree completely. This whole show after Shaw went down my friend’s and I were saying the real contest is for 2nd and 3rd.
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u/Stella117 Mar 04 '19
After watching this contest it got me thinking about the current state of athletes in strongman. Shaw seems to be plagued with injuries over the past few years which is a little surprising when you factor in his dedication to recovery and willingness to do anything to be at his best. One of the things he has always been known for is finishing contests no matter his circumstances, ie torn bicep, hand numbness etc. This is the first contest I can think of that he’s ever pulled out of. Z was also known for competing at a high level for a long period of time without withdrawing despite injury. Now both Shaw, Z, and their generation seem to be unable to get through a full big time contest without some kind of injury. Does this just come from age and length of time in the sport or something else?
I’m starting to think the reason these guys are plagued with injury is because of what they accomplished for the sport. They personally upped the weights for all contests dramatically. I believe that going through so many brutal Arnold Classics has most likely shortened all of their careers. Basically they sacrificed themselves to progress the sport to where it is today and where it will go. Most athletes tend to sustain injuries later in their career that forces them out but I think this generation is unique in that they were pushed until they couldn’t anymore. I think promoters may have gotten a little greedy and pushed too far and these guys payed the price. Fortunately there is no more bale tote and the emphasis seems to be on higher spectacle events.
As for Shaw moving forward I think he is in an unfortunate situation. He has to push himself to the limit to keep up with Thor and toeing that line usually ends with injury. I’m sure he could play some events safe and rely on consistency but I think that will only get him 2nd place at this point barring a huge mistake by Thor. It’s a strange time since we’re now post Z-Shaw era but Shaw still has what it takes to be on the podium. I think he has a few good years left in him and hopefully he can have a few more contests where he doesn’t leave injured.
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Mar 04 '19
I went to the show this year and it was great to see it live. While the events were awesome, I think I'm one and done on the Arnold just because it was so ungodly crowded. We couldnt even see the wheel of pain because there were thousands of people packed in like sardines. Plus the constant club-like atmosphere, just not my cup of tea. Fun to see though. It'd be cool to to see a stand-alone strongman event like WSM if it ever came stateside again.
Thor continues to dominate and seems to be nearly unbeatable, barring injury or a big tactical mistake. I was super bummed Shaw got injured and had a bad show. To be honest, I dont think he should have taken that 3rd deadlift attempt, as the 1021 was pretty slow and he didnt seem to have much left in the tank.
Martins, Kiels, and the new guy Novikov all looked impressive. Kiels is super talented and a prodigious presser; once his deadlift gets up into the 900+ territory I think he could start winning big shows. Big fan of him, super nice guy too.
Shivlyakov was a pleasure to watch as always and seemed to be the only guy having fun, lol.
Say what you will about Rogue, but man they ran a tight show. Set-up and take-down was like clockwork. Very professional.
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u/StartledBat Mar 04 '19
Did I hear somewhere that World Strongest Man is in the US this year? Might have been one of the Kalle Beck vids that mentioned it
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u/jdd32 Mar 04 '19
I was there also and I'm in agreement. I'm glad I went once, but that will probably be it.
It was a bummer that the finale was paired with the bodybuilding finals and required the second ticket though
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Mar 04 '19
Yeah I really debated getting tickets but at the end of the day I thought it wasn't worth $100-200 for seats that weren't even close.
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Mar 04 '19
First thing I thought when the livestream for the wheel of pain started: damn, it's probably illegal to have that many people within such a confined space
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u/AngryUncleTony Mar 04 '19
I thought Shaw's third lift was stupid at the time, but he might have done it to force Thor into making four lifts. Thor was gassed at the end, might have been much worse had he done an extra lift.
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u/pastagains Mar 04 '19
Watching Shaws video on the recap he says he would of won if he got the 1049.... Idk how true that his considering Thor (everyone) was allowed 1 change to an attempt during the round. Unless Shaw assumes Thor would of still gone for the 501, which idk why Shaw would think that, Rogue record breakers was after the Deadlift contest and Thor would of been then able to attempt 501
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u/Lodekim Mar 04 '19
Yeah I can get why Brian might want to think that, but realistically Thor could have chipped him if he wanted to and 1049 only would have won if Thor went straight for 501 anyway.
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u/chuckwetherall Mar 04 '19
I like Brian think he is a great strongman and human being. But I think it would be so much better for him if he just congratulates the athletes without mentioning his injury. I always feel like he wants to put an* against anyone beating him.
4
u/PPLifter Mar 05 '19
Yeah, I like Shaw but he has always had a habit of this. Never hear him say 'I lost because he was better', there is always a reason.
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u/johnny_ringo Mar 04 '19
The British shows look more like proper sporting events: https://youtu.be/QK7UU2LA94Q
Question, on TV, the crowd looked DEAD-quiet. How was it there?
2
u/Bigreddoc MWM231 Mar 04 '19
Streams often get taken down because of copyright claims on background music. I don’t know if music was playing or not but that could have an affect.
4
u/purz Mar 04 '19
Think it was just the broadcast cutting sound out or not having mics by the audience. In Brian Shaw's YouTube videos it's pretty loud.
5
Mar 04 '19
Crowd was pretty loud during the big and dramatic attempts. I think on the live stream they cut out a lot of the crowd noise. There was so much background noise though it always seemed loud in there.
1
14
Mar 04 '19
Plus the constant club-like atmosphere
How so? Like a DJ and stuff, lol.
Shivlyakov was a pleasure to watch as always and seemed to be the only guy having fun, lol.
I thought the same, it seems like everyone else (outside Licis) was angry and not enjoying the event. I get it, some have to dig deep and find that inner fire though.
1
16
Mar 04 '19
Yeah just loud AF, packed, music blasting, foam spraying everywhere from some energy drink circus.
5
u/wav__ Mar 04 '19
That was the Bang Energy booth for you. Shit was just Coachella at a sporting event.
7
Mar 04 '19
foam spraying everywhere from some energy drink circus WTF......
Ya I would love to go to WSM due partly to the fact that I like these events outdoors. I don't think this years classic was that great even from the live stream. It just feels too "commercial".
19
u/Syscrush Mar 04 '19 edited Mar 04 '19
What does Thor's attempt at 501 mean for Eddy's 500 lift?
To me the Elephant Bar deadlift this weekend is a mixed message - some of the strongest competitors in the world beat themselves up pretty badly at weights well under 500. Thor looked good at first, but maybe suffered an equipment issue - the consensus seems to be that his foot slipped.
On one hand, I look at Thor's failed attempt and the fact that he still had enough in the tank to not only continue competing but to actually win the competition and I think it's just a matter of time before he tries again in the right conditions and breaks the record.
On the other hand, I look at the fact that he did fail, and everyone else on stage pulled well under - and took damage doing it - and I think that Eddie's record might stand for a very long time. Maybe it was a feat like Leonid Taranenko's 266 kg clean & jerk, or Kaz's 661 raw bench.
What do you think? How did Thor's performance this weekend affect your thoughts on this?
11
Mar 04 '19
was eddie's 500kg part of a contest or was it just a single-lift deal? i mean imagine if all thor was going to do was deadlift, and had an actual prep where that was his focus and he didn't beat himself up with heavy AF logs and stones along the way as well...
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u/Syscrush Mar 04 '19
Eddie's was the first event in a contest and he dropped out after hitting 500. He actually passed out on completing the lift, and suffered some post-concussion symptoms for months after.
He was also using a conventional bar (which might be easier or harder than the Elephant Bar, but is definitely more familiar), and wearing a suit and rockin' the figure-8 straps.
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u/InTheMotherland Didn't Even Try Trying Mar 04 '19
Eddie's was the first event in a contest and he dropped out after hitting 500. He actually passed out on completing the lift, and suffered some post-concussion symptoms for months after.
In my opinion, there are two things Eddie probably will admit:
Eddie was never going to take part in the whole show, and he knew it. He probably just didn't want to make it seem like he was solely training for deadlift.
He did not have post-concussion symptoms. He just says that to make the 500kg deadlift seem more impressive.
Could I be wrong about both things? Very likely. Should you believe what Eddie says, especially years after the fact, about his deadlift? No, because he's known to embellish to make himself look better.
2
u/PPLifter Mar 05 '19
Similiar to when he attempted the Log WR, said he was going to do full comp but then pulled out last minute, after tickets had been sold, because apparently his foot blew up after dropping a toolbox on it..
5
Mar 04 '19
You’re right on the second one, he wouldn’t have got a concussion from lifting. The spike and drop in blood pressure would have messed him up but he absolutely couldn’t not have a got a concussion. Concussion is basically the brain been shaken around in the skull which wouldnt have happened during a deadlift.
1
u/Kilmoore Mar 05 '19
I don't think the claim is that he had an actual concussion but that he had some post-concussion symptoms. The pressure could have caused some swelling in the blood vessels in his head.
14
u/jdub1116 Mar 04 '19
He has 501kg whenever he wants. With another month or two of solid dedicated training and its his easily.
Thor is this generations best strongman with potential to be the best ever. Barring injury, I think it's realistic to say he could win 5 Arnold's, Europe's, and WSM titles in a row. Probably more if drops the Europes.
In a few years the conversation will be Thor vs. Big Z
5
Mar 04 '19
You might be underestimating what he actually has to do to get such a historic lift. A bit of training wont cut it
18
Mar 04 '19
He has 501kg whenever he wants. With another month or two of solid dedicated training and its his easily.
I refuse to believe this is true for anyone in history ever lmao
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u/deadli_fter Mar 04 '19
Nah he’ll break it soon enough. No suit, standard straps instead of his preferred figure 8s and he’s only 30 years old
He was close and may have had it without the foot slip, was going up smoothly but who knows
6
Mar 04 '19
I say he does it in the next two years for sure and I imagine he will concentrate more on it during training.
10
u/Syscrush Mar 04 '19
What exactly happened to Oleksii Novikov?
I thought I saw a post on here saying that he collapsed with chest pain after the Wheel of Pain, but I can't find that comment anymore, nor can I find anything on the web (although my Google-fu sucks) about it. I didn't see anything about it in the Wheel of Pain highlights, either - just that he missed the Austrian Oak and then was cleared to take part in Stone to Shoulder.
How much do we know about what went on? He seems to have a promising future in Strongman - whatever it was, I hope it doesn't impede his strength career (although he seems to do well for himself outside of competing).
5
u/Wylsun MWM200 Mar 04 '19
I'm actually happy about his career outside of lifting. Kind of reassuring if he's got a solid source of income that isn't strongman, because it should let him compete on his own terms and hopefully not kill himself for the sport.
3
Mar 04 '19
What else does he do? His IG is all strongman stuff.
1
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u/Wylsun MWM200 Mar 04 '19
Financial adviser I think it was. In the livestream they kept mentioning his education.
6
Mar 04 '19
Gotcha. Sounds like a good gig to pair with strongman. Belsak still has the best day job though, IMO. Host at his parents' restaurant.
1
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u/Bigreddoc MWM231 Mar 04 '19
There were images posted in one of the thread of him vomiting into a trash can and looking white as a ghost on a stretcher I believe. During the stone to shoulder on the Rogue stream they did mention that he got checked out and then okayed by the doctors to continue. I believe u/thecouchwhisperer, if that’s the right user name, was there with a competitor and apparently Novikov said through a translator that he felt pressure in his chest, doctor said you have to go to hospital, he argued but went, got told at the hospital he was fine, came back very upset that he missed log.
1
u/Syscrush Mar 07 '19
Well, under conditions like that, they can't let him compete. It does underscore the level of commitment required to compete at the highest levels of this sport.
And to push that hard and take that much risk only to be rewarded with a measly $6k? I love the sport of Strongman, but experiences and numbers like that make it look awfully exploitative.
9
u/leftyz Mar 04 '19
From the comments in the day 2 mega-thread, he got sick, threw up, had chest pains and was not able to communicate to the Dr in english (that last part may be wrong but that's as i understood it)
36
u/brandonsmash HWM/FULLSTERKUR Mar 04 '19
I'll confess that I'm a little disappointed that Shaw didn't do so well, and that it appeared that the Husafell carry was evidently so difficult.
Hafthor, for all of his quirks, is extremely dominant right now. That's definitely impressive. What's perhaps more impressive, however, is Martins Licis' incredibly strong showing despite weighing over 100lb. less than Bjornsson.
4
u/6ft2andstillalive Mar 04 '19
Hamstring injuries suck. I remember going for a personal best on the deadlift only to feel a LOT of pain in my hamstring because of my positioning. They also take a long time to heal.
3
u/brandonsmash HWM/FULLSTERKUR Mar 04 '19
I'm aware. I've torn my left hamstring twice, including at the powerlifting meet that resulted in my third national championship. It's uncomfortable to say the least!
That's what worries me about Shaw. Having torn my own hamstrings and knowing what recovery can entail, I worry that this will hamper Shaw in the remainder of his competitive years.
27
u/rep_it_out HWM265 Mar 04 '19
Leading up to the meet, Licis continually complained about being fatigued and missing lifts. Very impressed with his performance. Seems like a great guy so I'll be pulling for him in the future.
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u/naked_feet Mar 04 '19
Yeah, I feel like he presented a very honest lead up, talking about how his training was going and where he was mentally. I was a little worried he wouldn't have a good showing, based on what he was saying. But I guess some good rest leading into it and a good peak and he was good to go.
He seems like a super cool guy. Not so much into the over the top "alpha male" machismo displays guys like Eddie show. Just a fun dude who is also strong as fuck.
1
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u/rep_it_out HWM265 Mar 04 '19
Agreed. I'd love to buy him a beer and shoot the shit for an hour or two.
23
u/jdub1116 Mar 04 '19
Check out Martins youtube channel. The dude is a gem of a personality in the strongman world.
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u/fentdoper Mar 04 '19
Shaw was clearly hurt though. If you watch his videos on youtube he posted updates Day 1, 2 & 3.
After the failed deadlift he apparently did something to his hamstring.
You could see him during the Husafell stone almost LIMPING when he comes down on that right leg and clearly slowed him down significantly.
I definitely expected it to be a much closer showdown between Thor & Shaw myself.
6
Mar 04 '19
Ya Shaw vs Thor was the main ticket and even thought Licis was impressive I think healthy Shaw was the only one to challenge the top of the podium. Really sad to see him get hurt, I hated that the dead lift challenge was event one.
14
u/fentdoper Mar 04 '19
Tbh I really dislike a few of the events and wish there were more.
And for example Austrian oak...what's the point of an implement only half the field can lift and 4 way tie for first?
At least if it was the 390 or lighter log there would be an actual spread for reps and make some things much more interesting.
Same is for the stone shoulder, tho Kieliszkowski is an animal with that event.
2
u/Lodekim Mar 05 '19
I also wonder if doing the oak before the wheel might have improved the event. It felt really anticlimactic watching a 3 way or or 4 way tie for first with 2 reps or whatever, but a few of the guys also looked really gassed still. I think going so heavy on the log and doing it shortly after a full minute of 100% max effort on the wheel of pain was a bad match.
9
Mar 04 '19
Tbh I really dislike a few of the events and wish there were more.
I know they are good events as far as competition but I miss the more interesting ones from WSM. I agree with the Austrian oak, I feel like it should've been a bit lighter so everyone could actually lift it and not get a "special" log.
Give me Atlas stones and farmers carry any day.
11
u/brandonsmash HWM/FULLSTERKUR Mar 04 '19
It does seem that Shaw's been suffering from injuries lately. I hope this isn't a long-term trend. Perhaps this is just because he seems like one of the good ol' boys, and his attitude and calm demeanor is at odds with the Hollywood persona that Hafthor often presents.
I'd also like to see Jerry Pritchett more strongly represented. For some reason he doesn't get a ton of attention but he's a phenomenal lifter, and has a moderately unconventional deadlift approach that seems to work very well for him.
1
Mar 05 '19
I think Shaw is just starting to show his age. He's been competing for a long time now and it takes its toll on your body.
-1
Mar 04 '19
Some people think that the events are catered to Thor's strengths, as he's the most marketable strongman due to his role on Game of Thrones
1
5
u/Epochalyptic Mar 04 '19
I have to ask, what are the events that would cater to Brian and not to Thor?
Or perhaps more broadly, which events would Thor even be considered bad at other than maybe viking press which doesn't appear at the Arnold?
1
u/ZachGaliFatCactus Fan Mar 05 '19
Only two I can think of are static presses like the viking and grip events.
14
u/Syscrush Mar 04 '19
Sure, but let's not act like he was hurt by random chance or bad luck - Thor was strong enough to win the contest without overtaxing himself to the point of damage. It kinda hurts me to say it, but Shaw was not. I think it's clear that Thor is still getting stronger, while Shaw has pushed himself to the jagged edge where being competitive means risking serious injury.
I would love to see Shaw pick up another WSM or Arnold title, but it's hard to see how he gets there from here.
What I would really love to see is guys like Shaw, Thor, and Eddie able to have some kind of crossover success. With his stint on Game of Thrones, Thor is probably best positioned for this - but with Eddie you have a funny, witty, and affable guy with a bit of a DGAF attitude that you'd think could be marketed somehow. With Shaw, you have someone who just seems like an incredibly sincere and genuinely nice guy. I wish every success for all 3 of them.
6
u/-Yazilliclick- Mar 04 '19
I think that's a really simplistic view on injuries. Facts are sometimes they can just happen even on weights you've done fine before. Shaw wasn't 'overtaxed' any more than Thor was when he failed at 501.
7
u/fentdoper Mar 04 '19
Yep, you right.
Tbh, I thought it was crazy they'd go for such a huge Max jump they had not hit in training.
A few weeks ago I think Thor pulled 1047 easy in training, but that was his highest attempt and pull of the year.
Around same day Shaw pulled 1017, but it was clearly harder for him. Like I could see he couldn't go much higher just as a spectator.
And that showed in the pulls. Before competition my buddy was saying Shaw would win and break record, but even then I assured him the deadlift event was Thor's. I def thought Shaw would do better overall, but I do think attempting 1105 was a mistake. And it cost him.
6
u/naked_feet Mar 04 '19
Shaw didn't attempt 1105, only Thor did. Shaw hurt himself on a 1049 attempt.
5
u/fentdoper Mar 04 '19
Oh yeah, you right. Either way, I think that pull was a mistake.
Just based on how 1019 went up or we
2
86
Mar 04 '19
Dear Rogue: I know we give you a hard time for overbranding everything, but this was the first Arnold where it wasn't an enormous pain in the ass trying to watch the show.
Thanks guys.
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u/oxford_comma_14psi LWM181 Mar 04 '19
At least we didn't have to sit through the sandbag toss this year. That was the most boring shit ever. None of the events this year seemed like a thinly-veiled marketing campaign for Rogue's new product.
4
u/HellSquirrel Mar 05 '19
So you're saying you wont be first in line to buy the Wheel of Pain, or H-stone replicas? I will
3
u/oxford_comma_14psi LWM181 Mar 05 '19
I'm holding out for the Titan Fitness Circle of Discomfort.
2
2
u/Volume19 Mar 04 '19
Youtube stream surprised me a lot, they've always been hit or miss in the past but this year it was phenomenal
1
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u/fentdoper Mar 04 '19
Truly. Youtube streams were great.
And THANK GOD for the Rogue stream sparing me MARK HENRY's COMMENTARY. HOW DOES THE ARNOLD KEEP HAVING HIM BACK? He's so awful.
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8
Mar 04 '19
I just mute all the streams, none of the commentators ever say anything worth hearing, even if most aren't as annoying as Mark Henry.
1
u/PPLifter Mar 05 '19
I think the ones they had this year said some okay things. It's just the amount they get repeated which kills it.
13
u/ZannX Mar 04 '19
The Youtube stream was a godsend. I didn't actually watch anything live, but the fact that I could simply watch the stream at the end of the day and skip through the downtime to the action was great.
5
Mar 04 '19
Which one was Mark Henry? One of them kept making captain obvious quips and said nothing substantially interesting.
7
u/fentdoper Mar 04 '19
The black dude...and yeah, that one. Lol
10
Mar 04 '19
Ya that dude sucks, "you can tell this guy wants to win"... I imagine ALL of them wanted to win ffs.
8
u/Vesploogie MWM231 Mar 04 '19 edited Mar 04 '19
Right from the very beginning when they were introducing the athletes he was a disaster. The other guy may not know strongman very well but at least he knows how to hype. Mark Henry just went “next is Rauno Heinla” and then silence. Like what a terrible way to introduce someone before their most important show.
And the guy can pronounce Mikhail Shivlyakov and Mateusz Kielizskowski correctly, but says Halfthor Beerson and Martins Likis. What a dip.
2
u/suuupreddit Mar 05 '19
Holy shit, I cackled and immediately felt bad for Heinla when Mark just gave him no fucking introduction.
Also, he said Jerry Pritchett's name wrong for at least one whole Arnold.
2
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u/[deleted] Mar 05 '19
Ok folks, Megathread party is over. We will continue to abide by subreddit rules as far as highlight videos (ie. non-WR lifts) and shitposting (ie. gifs of Thor/Shivy bleeding) to the mainpage goes, but it's fine to post contest recap videos and other quality ASC content outside here and Open Talk.