Ahnold 2023

Powerlifting, Olympic Weightlifting, Strongman, Highland Games

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Hardartery
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Re: Ahnold 2023

#21

Post by Hardartery » Tue Mar 07, 2023 1:46 pm

BostonRugger wrote: Tue Mar 07, 2023 12:48 pm The Wheel of Pain not powering a grain mill is such a miss.
Exactly. It would make it a much cooler event.

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mouse
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Re: Ahnold 2023

#22

Post by mouse » Tue Mar 07, 2023 3:10 pm

Some thoughts on Walcott... after I went back and watched her attempts, on both the 270 and the 220... and dug on her IG a bit...

Nah, wasn't happening and it wasn't JUST poor technique. Not trying to be a douche but I don't think either was a sure thing even if she could clean it.

I think she's a highly specialized powerlifter but doesn't have that much top end strength overhead. To her credit, you can see she made a ton of progress in the last couple months, looks like mid Dec was the first time she ever touched a log (she faced the handles in towards her). A few weeks later she posts a much better looking clean, but struggles with the press and Barbend reports it as a PR... at 90kg.

Could she have added the strength to hit 220 once or twice by March? Maybe... depends on her training and coaching... which as we've already speculated, is probably lacking.

I mean, I'm nobody but I can tell somebody taught her to 'deadlift the log' because she does her little powerlifting ritual setup beforehand every time...

Watching her attempts, she just didn't have the strength at all to keep 270 pinned to her chest on the roll. She almost does with 220, and it looks more technically sound at first, but she fatigues FAST and you can see her lose the strength again.

K, that's my in depth analysis... short training windows, not stellar coaching, VERY strong woman but with VERY SPECIFIC strength... and it ain't on a log...




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Re: Ahnold 2023

#23

Post by Hardartery » Wed Mar 08, 2023 3:47 pm

mouse wrote: Tue Mar 07, 2023 3:10 pm Some thoughts on Walcott... after I went back and watched her attempts, on both the 270 and the 220... and dug on her IG a bit...

Nah, wasn't happening and it wasn't JUST poor technique. Not trying to be a douche but I don't think either was a sure thing even if she could clean it.

I think she's a highly specialized powerlifter but doesn't have that much top end strength overhead. To her credit, you can see she made a ton of progress in the last couple months, looks like mid Dec was the first time she ever touched a log (she faced the handles in towards her). A few weeks later she posts a much better looking clean, but struggles with the press and Barbend reports it as a PR... at 90kg.

Could she have added the strength to hit 220 once or twice by March? Maybe... depends on her training and coaching... which as we've already speculated, is probably lacking.

I mean, I'm nobody but I can tell somebody taught her to 'deadlift the log' because she does her little powerlifting ritual setup beforehand every time...

Watching her attempts, she just didn't have the strength at all to keep 270 pinned to her chest on the roll. She almost does with 220, and it looks more technically sound at first, but she fatigues FAST and you can see her lose the strength again.

K, that's my in depth analysis... short training windows, not stellar coaching, VERY strong woman but with VERY SPECIFIC strength... and it ain't on a log...

Seems fair. It is normal for PLers to get strong carryover to Log specifically. Frequently, if they can clean it they can press it. The implement forces a backbend that makes the movement more like benching which helps them a lot. It was very clear that she either did not have the upper back to hold that log or had not been coached to do it correctly. There's just no standing up with the thing at your hips and getting a magic hip pop to get it to the shoulders. That is the gimme event though. Other stuff really requires that you can go outside of your ritual movement patterns and demonstrate a base of strength in multiple planes.

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Re: Ahnold 2023

#24

Post by MarkKO » Thu Mar 09, 2023 1:43 am

mouse wrote: Tue Mar 07, 2023 3:10 pm Some thoughts on Walcott... after I went back and watched her attempts, on both the 270 and the 220... and dug on her IG a bit...

Nah, wasn't happening and it wasn't JUST poor technique. Not trying to be a douche but I don't think either was a sure thing even if she could clean it.

I think she's a highly specialized powerlifter but doesn't have that much top end strength overhead. To her credit, you can see she made a ton of progress in the last couple months, looks like mid Dec was the first time she ever touched a log (she faced the handles in towards her). A few weeks later she posts a much better looking clean, but struggles with the press and Barbend reports it as a PR... at 90kg.

Could she have added the strength to hit 220 once or twice by March? Maybe... depends on her training and coaching... which as we've already speculated, is probably lacking.

I mean, I'm nobody but I can tell somebody taught her to 'deadlift the log' because she does her little powerlifting ritual setup beforehand every time...

Watching her attempts, she just didn't have the strength at all to keep 270 pinned to her chest on the roll. She almost does with 220, and it looks more technically sound at first, but she fatigues FAST and you can see her lose the strength again.

K, that's my in depth analysis... short training windows, not stellar coaching, VERY strong woman but with VERY SPECIFIC strength... and it ain't on a log...



I agree with you on this.

As far as powerlifting goes, Walcott is about as close to a complete athlete as you'll ever find. Higher level PLers with one very good lift are a dime a dozen; with two are significantly rarer; but three, that's something else. You're into Dan Bell, Malanichev, Green, Belkin territory and their ilk.

There is absolutely no doubt she is incredibly good at squatting, benching and deadlifting and the latter is particularly impressive given her frame and proportions.

If she does want to have a shot as strongman, good on her. However, she will need to accept that for a significant time she is going to suck because she will have to start close to square one. I don't know the inner workings of strongman but I would be surprised if she gets many more shots at that level if she doesn't improve, and improve fast. I would expect that this means she will need a competent coach to start with.

I would guess that this might also play into her social media presence because it's hard to see how she can keep putting a positive spin on being bad at something. If I recall Larry Wheels briefly dipped his toe in strongman and then jumped back out. I might be wrong though, she earns her living doing something else entirely and I have no doubt she has significant reserves of determination so she might just say fuck it, bring on the suck and within a few years end up very good at strongman.

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