Interrogation with Florida Strongman, Tom Mitchell Part I

© http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com 1 1) Tom, thanks for being here with us! I have heard awesome things about you from our members and I've seen some awesome pics of your home gym! Who was your first influence in the world of strongman?

TM - Zach, the guy who really inspired me for Strongman was Odd Haugen. I didn’t know much about Strongman at the time and happened to catch a WSM competition on ESPN which had Odd competing at the age of 51 or 52 and doing very well for himself. Seeing that I was 42 in 2002 and Odd didn’t even start competing in Strongman until he was 46, gave a great deal of hope to an “old guy” like me.

On a personal note, I have been training since 1976 and have competed in both power- lifting and arm wrestling competitions and almost got involved in competitive bodybuilding (but I just love to eat too much, so I passed on that). When I found out that Strongman had a Masters Division however, my love for strength athletics was rekindled and here I am.

2) Strongman training has become an integral part of what I use to train my athletes. How have you implemented strongman training with athletes, and, how do you change the methods according to their age and physical preparation?

TM - Strongman training brings a lot more to the table than typical gym lifts. I feel that Strongman training can benefit virtually anyone who is interested in improving their strength, conditioning, overall fitness levels and their physical appearance. I obviously have a bit of bias in this, but I truly believe that Strongman is the best and “purest” form of true functional strength training.

Let me address the “age” question first. I am currently 46 years old and I have a 14 year old son and 16 year old daughter and, of course, my beautiful 41 year old wife. This type of age spread within my own family gives me a great opportunity to “test and prove” some training protocols that I feel very strongly about.

© http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com 2 I believe virtually anyone who is in reasonably good health can greatly benefit from a few basic Strongman exercises to get them started. I will talk about two of my favorites.

1) Keg Carry: With a new person you would simply get them warmed up and have them carry a keg 50 to 75 feet down and 50 to 75 feet back. I have them use a parallel grip on the keg with no shouldering. You simply lay the keg flat on the ground and they reach down, pick it up, and begin to walk with it. Keg Carry’s are incredibly effective and functional. What is more practical than picking something up and carrying it?

The “starter” keg may only be the empty keg itself which is normally around 27lbs. or so. As they work up in volume regarding the total number of sets or “runs” they would then graduate to the 50lb. keg which is partially filled with water to maximize the “slosh” effect and this of course makes the Keg Carry considerably more difficult. I have kegs up to 300lbs. with a 325 and 350 on the way…so it’s not likely they will outgrow our keg selection anytime soon.

Initially, a totally raw beginner may only do 1 or 2 Keg Carry’s when they first start out. Consistency is your friend however, and when having your students/clients do Keg Carry’s once per week, their conditioning and strength will improve amazingly fast. My 14 year old son is now doing a 150lb. keg for his 75’ down and 75’ back Keg Carry’s. He did, however, spend a great deal of time doing the 50, 75, 100 and 125 kegs prior to ever touching the 150. Regardless of how heavy his “work sets” are, I always have him do a run with the 75, 100 and 125 first. This provides an ample warm-up along with the conditioning that goes along with it. Once he gets to the 150, I will have him do 3 to 5 total runs.

Incidentally, the Keg Carry event is safer than most in that you can simply show the individual how to drop the keg if it gets too heavy.

With my more advanced guys and gals, I will normally have them do Keg Carry Medleys. This would entail carrying a series of kegs nonstop for 75’ down and 75’ back.

© http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com 3 For example, I would line up 4 kegs that weigh 100, 125, 150 and 205. You begin with the 100lb. keg and you don’t stop until you finish with the 205 (no rest between kegs). This sounds easy enough as I write this, but trust me, when carrying these kegs in thick grass, it becomes a “near death” experience. I always start the medley with lighter kegs and work my way up. This allows for a tremendous warm-up within the medley itself as you gradually increase keg weights for each part of the event. Very few people are able to finish the 205 in this particular sequence. We will repeat this entire medley 2 to 3 times.

2) Keg Loads: Keg loading is great for everybody. First, there is familiarity with the implement as you have been using it already for Keg Carry’s. Second, it builds a tremendous amount of overall body strength and conditioning, and finally, it is extremely “functional” in that you pick something up off the ground and load it. In addition to all of that, it lays a solid foundation for the future regarding being able to do Atlas Stones, Husafel Stones, Log Bar, Farmers Walks and several other Strongman exercises.

Once again, this is a relatively “safe” exercise as long as the person remembers to keep their feet out of the way when they de-load the keg from the platform.

I currently have two platforms that are 8’ long and 48” high. These are set side by side which gives me a 16’ run to load on. For someone who is totally new, they may simply load and de-load an empty keg for a number of sets and reps. Once they are able to do 5 sets of 10 reps, I would move them up to the 50lb. keg. Keg loading at this stage is done with a parallel grip on the keg as opposed to a cross grip. I am more concerned with the person learning technique and improving their conditioning than anything else at this stage.

Once a person becomes a bit more advanced, I would have them either work up to a keg load series using, for example, the 125, 150, 205, 255, 275 and 300lb. kegs. Each keg would be placed at the foot of the platform and you would simply load them from the 125 up to the 300. A total of 3 to 5 runs would be a normal target for this type of training. This is not a medley as such, so once you load all of the kegs, you would de-load them

Another method I use is to simply “own” a particular keg. This is nice when you don’t feel like dragging all the kegs out and you just want to “kill” yourself quickly and get it over with. An example of this which I have personally done is to load the 150lb. keg for 10 sets of 10 reps. Another example is to load the 275lb. keg for 20 reps in a row. Yet another example would be to load the 255 for 5 sets of 5. This type of training is somewhat insane, but its effectiveness is undeniable.

As an added note, before any of my trainees move up to a heavier keg, I normally make them lift the heaviest keg they can for 5 sets of 10…this is a rite of passage of sorts. And once you can do a keg for 50 reps, you pretty much “own it” mentally. For example, when you can lift the 150 for 5 x 10, I then “graduate” you to the 205 which you would then begin to use for 3x5’s or 5x5’s.

As the kegs begin to get heavier, I teach a person their various grip options for doing the movement. Initially, everyone goes parallel, next comes the cross grip and finally, they get to do a modified parallel grip for the heaviest kegs.

These two Keg events can be used as a total training day for new people and advanced athletes alike. They are reasonably safe, very functional and practical, and they will build an incredible amount of strength and conditioning. There are tons of other events as well, but these two have proven to be invaluable.

3) For the beginner entering strongman or simply using strongman methods in conjunction with their current program, what suggestions can you give them with all the mistakes you've seen and personally experienced from your early days?

TM - Zach, let me outline what I feel to be the biggest mistakes/problems with the vast majority of people who train.

1. Lack of Intensity 2. Lack of Consistency 3. Lack of Common Sense 4. Isolation Movements 5. Too Many Exercises

Lack of Intensity: It is very difficult for me to convey what level of intensity one needs to train at until I, or someone like yourself, actually trains them. While I don’t advocate “destroying” new people during their workouts, there is a place in one’s strength and conditioning career where they better learn to push the envelope or they will forever be the same.

Most everyone feels that they train “hard”. Those people are generally mistaken.

Lack of Consistency: You need to be consistent in your training. Productive, result producing training cannot be achieved by the “part time” athlete or the weekend warrior.

In Strongman specifically, while you can have some “fun” dabbling around with the various implements, you will never get appreciably better with them until you incorporate them into your workouts on a regular basis. The more consistent you are with the proper levels of intensity, the better your results will be.

Lack of Common Sense: I am amazed at how rare Common Sense can be at times. You have to incorporate a methodical and pragmatic approach in your training programs. You simply cannot do what you are doing in the gym and then decide to “add on” intense Strongman training as you would icing to a cake. It will result in injuries, over-use issues in your joints and tendons, and perhaps, a bit of mental burnout. Common Sense also goes “out the window” for most people when we address the issues of rest and nutrition, but I will save that for another interview.

© http://UndergroundStrengthCoach.com 6 Isolation Movements: Unless one is planning to compete in Bodybuilding, isolation movements will simply slow down your progress as a general rule. You need to think in terms of Big, Heavy, Compound, and Volume. Rugged strength and conditioning comes from rugged training. I cannot think of any isolation movements that qualify as rugged when compared with flipping an 1100lb. tire or loading a 370lb. Atlas Stone without using Tacky.

Too Many Exercises: Most guys try to do too much in a workout and succeed in doing nothing very well. Pick out 1 to 3 exercises or events and totally destroy them. That way there is no “sand bagging” and you don’t have to “save yourself” and thus give yourself a convenient excuse not to train hard at the beginning of your workout.

Stay Tuned for Part II Coming Soon………

Tom Mitchell North American Strongman Florida State Chair www.floridastrongman.com

Tom Mitchell is currently the #2 Ranked Master Level Heavyweight Strongman Competitor in the USA. He stands 6’1” and weighs 310lbs. He is 46 years old and resides in Clearwater, Florida with his wife of 20 years and his two teenage children.

In addition to having trained hundred’s of people at his home over the past few years, Tom has a Personal Training business and works with a number of Strongmen and various athletes on both Amateur and Professional levels.

Don’t forget to check out ‘The Ultimate Underground Strength Kit’ Right HERE, which is loaded with strongman training secrets to skyrocket your performance and strength!