Strongman at the Washington State Reformatory, 7.27.2010

As many folks know, I (Kristyn Vytlacil) teach ABE/GED and Stress/Anger Management Classes at a prison in Washington.  In the three and a half years that I have worked there, I have encountered a number of inmates who are interested in strength training.  Recently, two PL meets were held at WSR where I work.  As part of a Diversity Fair, I was able to bring in some strongman implements for the guys to compete with.  For the WSR Strongman Event, we had a Farmer's Walk for Distance, Last Man Standing Log Press, and DB Carry around the Bases for Time.  Due to the fact that this was our first go at this, we did not split the competitors by weight class.  We may do that in the future.

Farmer's Walk
For this event, all of the participants had to carry 184 lbs in each hand (with inch and a half handles) for as far as they could go.  We had a 100' course, so that the guys could work on their turns.  Seven of the competitors made it 200' or more.  For these guys, we had another round of farmer's with 234 lbs.  The winner of this event got the 234 handles a full 200'.  VERY IMPRESSIVE!!!

Log Press
For this event, we started with an empty 12" log, which weighs 90 lbs.  Every competitor had to press 90, then 110, then 140, 160, 180, 200, 210, 220, 230.  Everyone did really well with the lighter weights.  Once we hit 160, many competitors began dropping out.  Many of the guys may've been good in the gym pressers, but as we know, pressing a barbell and pressing a log are COMPLETELY different!  The winner got the 230 up, mostly strict pressing, which was definitely awesome!

DB Carry
One of the organizers for this event actually came up with this event, where each person had to carry 50, 70, 90 and 100 lb dumbells around the bases of the baseball diamond.  The fastest time of the night was 24 seconds, which was super fast!  I actually did this event myself and it took me around 50!!!

All in all, this was a really fantastic event!!!  All of guys were very gracious and demonstrated amazing sportsmanship.  I was so proud of all of them!  I am hoping to make this a regular thing, maybe start some lifting clinics at work or something.  Working out is a great motivator for keeping the guys out of trouble, as it is a privilege to have a "weight card" there and the inmates pay a monthly fee to use the gym.  I can't wait to bring more of strongman into the prison and see what some of these guys are really capable of!