Charm City Strong Woman Contest 2020, Pandemic Style
Strong Woman Carly competed in the 9th Annual Charm City Strong Woman Contest (Pandemic style) on Sunday, and WHAT A DAY it was. She competed in the Master’s division and, because of the format for this comp, we got to choose Carly’s order of events, which is a rare treat. Competitors were divided into groups of 4 and assigned an hour-long time slot to do their events. There was PLENTY of time to warm up and do events without feeling rushed. Everyone in the gym wore masks at all times, kept a distance, and equipment was cleaned between competitors. Spectators weren’t allowed this year, which really changed the comp’s feel, and I’m okay with that trade-off. Life won’t always be perfect, and we can’t sacrifice safety to make ourselves feel better.
First event: Hub Hold for Max Time
Carly started with a grip event: hub hold for max time. The weight was 16.5lbs, and Carly held onto that thing for a very impressive 40ish seconds. This is a new PR (personal record) for her.
Event #2: Log Clean and Press for Max Reps
Next up was the log press. Competitors were to do as many reps as possible in 60 seconds, and Carly’s weight to lift was 95lbs. Her previous PR was 85lbs, and that extra 10lbs was a big jump. Not only did she actually lift 95lbs, she did TWO REPS in the allotted time… and upon reviewing the video, she did those reps in just under 30 seconds. WOW. Wow. Another PR in the books. (Scroll to the second video to see the log clean and press)
View this post on Instagram
Event #3: Stone to Shoulder for Max Reps
After celebrating and resting, we approached the stone to shoulder event. Athletes had 60 seconds to get the stone from the ground to shoulder as many times as possible. Carly’s weight was 95lbs. Her previous PR was 75lbs. Guess what Carly did? She smashed another PR, this time adding a massive 20lbs to her previous record. Carly got the stone up to her shoulder once in the 60-second window. Third PR of the day. (Scroll to the third video to see the stone to shoulder)
View this post on Instagram
Final Event: Hammer Hold for Max Time
After MORE celebrating and resting (and stepping outside to breathe), we did the final event of the day: hammer hold for time. The weight was 20lbs and had to be held with arms straight out in front. Carly held that hammer for a whopping 1 minute and 14 seconds! You guessed it: another PR.
This was Carly’s second competition ever, and she hit four PRs in one day. Carly also PR’d on effort. She fought HARD for those log press and stone to shoulder reps, probably harder than I’ve seen her fight before. You’ll also notice that Carly stopped when she had reached her limit for the day, and for the log and stone that was before the 60-second window ended. As a coach, I LOVE that she was aware of and honored her limits rather than push past them and risking injury. There’s a difference between a “comfort zone” boundary and a hard physical boundary. I think Carly expanded her comfort zone and honored her hard physical boundary. So congrats to you, Carly, and all the other athletes who competed over the weekend!
The icing on the cake: Carly got second place in her division. Carly, thank you for all your hard work and dedication! I cannot wait to see where you go next.
And a huge thank you to Emily and her crew of volunteers at Fivex3 Training for providing a competitive outlet that also kept everyone safe. The purpose of this event is to be a fundraiser for the Ulman Foundation, and I appreciate that we were allowed to give back during a year when nonprofits have far fewer options for fundraising.
–
Have any questions? Email me at dylanirvingfitness@gmail.com. I’d love to chat!
–
Ready to meet your goals? Click here to schedule your free consultation.
–
Want more great content? Click here to sign up for the newsletter.
–
Want to learn more about the Strong Woman team? Click here to read more.
