thedrifter
05-25-09, 07:01 AM
Riverine Squadron sailor named Al Asad’s strongest man
5/24/2009 By Cpl. Triah Pendracki , Multi National Force - West
AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq —
The United States military holds its service members to high physical standards, and there are some who take those standards to the next level, pushing themselves above and beyond what’s expected of them.
Seven such service members rose to the challenge for Al Asad’s Strongest Man competition, May16, 2009, which is held monthly aboard Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, and sponsored by the base’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation office.
“The last seven months I’ve been on deployment, I have been lifting weights at least six days a week,” said Seaman Chris Spencer, a coxswain with Riverine Squadron 1.
In a contest separating the strongest from the strong, participants completed six challenges.
The first test of strength was the overhead press that required the competitors to lift 135 pounds above their head as many times as possible. The next event was a dead lift, and each strongman competitor lugged 225 pounds off the gym floor for as many repetitions as their body could handle in a two-minute time period.
The third event was a test of endurance during which the service members held two 20-pound dumbbells straight out to the side and parallel to the floor. Though already dripping sweat and having lifted hundreds of pounds, the strongmen were next challenged to max out their weight lifting potential.
The last indoor event was the only part of the competition that allowed competitors to choose their load. For the dumbbell power press, each strongman had three attempts to lift the heaviest dumbbell they thought they could handle over their head for one repetition. The service member who lifted the most weight claimed first for the challenge.
The strongmen then moved out into the blazing Iraqi sun for the final two events of the competition – the timed flipping of a 600-pound tire and a series of carrying events. The person with the most tire flips in the shortest time was designated the front runner of that event.
Finally, it was time for the last and most anticipated segment of the competition that tested the service members’ strength and endurance. Much like the final relay in the popular “World’s Strongest Man” competition, the strongmen raced to complete a farmer’s walk, chain drag and Atlas stone carry – events requiring the participants to pick up and carry items weighing hundreds of pounds and carrying them a set distance.
After almost two hours of grueling physical challenges, it was Spencer who came out on top of all the other strongmen by winning every event in the competition.
Although Spencer feels that he was more than prepared for this competition, he already has a strategy for next month’s competition.
“I’m going to take my time and not rush as much,” said Spencer. “I think it’s best to go last, because then you know where the bar is set and you can see their techniques before you go.”
Event organizers are planning a few new challenges for future strongman competitions, but welcome outside ideas from the competitors.
“I would love to see a humvee or a 7-ton truck pull,” said Lance Cpl. Andrew Grundel, a machine gunner with Combat Logistics Battalion 7 and participant in the competition. “Something big and something heavy would just be really cool to try.”
Ellie
5/24/2009 By Cpl. Triah Pendracki , Multi National Force - West
AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq —
The United States military holds its service members to high physical standards, and there are some who take those standards to the next level, pushing themselves above and beyond what’s expected of them.
Seven such service members rose to the challenge for Al Asad’s Strongest Man competition, May16, 2009, which is held monthly aboard Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, and sponsored by the base’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation office.
“The last seven months I’ve been on deployment, I have been lifting weights at least six days a week,” said Seaman Chris Spencer, a coxswain with Riverine Squadron 1.
In a contest separating the strongest from the strong, participants completed six challenges.
The first test of strength was the overhead press that required the competitors to lift 135 pounds above their head as many times as possible. The next event was a dead lift, and each strongman competitor lugged 225 pounds off the gym floor for as many repetitions as their body could handle in a two-minute time period.
The third event was a test of endurance during which the service members held two 20-pound dumbbells straight out to the side and parallel to the floor. Though already dripping sweat and having lifted hundreds of pounds, the strongmen were next challenged to max out their weight lifting potential.
The last indoor event was the only part of the competition that allowed competitors to choose their load. For the dumbbell power press, each strongman had three attempts to lift the heaviest dumbbell they thought they could handle over their head for one repetition. The service member who lifted the most weight claimed first for the challenge.
The strongmen then moved out into the blazing Iraqi sun for the final two events of the competition – the timed flipping of a 600-pound tire and a series of carrying events. The person with the most tire flips in the shortest time was designated the front runner of that event.
Finally, it was time for the last and most anticipated segment of the competition that tested the service members’ strength and endurance. Much like the final relay in the popular “World’s Strongest Man” competition, the strongmen raced to complete a farmer’s walk, chain drag and Atlas stone carry – events requiring the participants to pick up and carry items weighing hundreds of pounds and carrying them a set distance.
After almost two hours of grueling physical challenges, it was Spencer who came out on top of all the other strongmen by winning every event in the competition.
Although Spencer feels that he was more than prepared for this competition, he already has a strategy for next month’s competition.
“I’m going to take my time and not rush as much,” said Spencer. “I think it’s best to go last, because then you know where the bar is set and you can see their techniques before you go.”
Event organizers are planning a few new challenges for future strongman competitions, but welcome outside ideas from the competitors.
“I would love to see a humvee or a 7-ton truck pull,” said Lance Cpl. Andrew Grundel, a machine gunner with Combat Logistics Battalion 7 and participant in the competition. “Something big and something heavy would just be really cool to try.”
Ellie