Pictures & videos from Gatineau, Quebec

Flying into Ottawa airport.

Corey St Clair, Scott Cummine, Grant Conners, and HIGA.

Yummy...LOL

Corey St Clair and Hugo Girard.

Quebec's version of chocolate milk.  I ordered one of these every night!

Jessen Paulin, Grant Conners and Scott Cummine.

"TEAM USA" having breakfast.

Group shot outside of Buffet des Continents.

Buffet des Continents was our sponsor that fed us breakfast & dinner everyday.

"Geez Ivan, can you please move over and make some room for a BULKY BOY?"

Contest t-shirt.

Brad Dunn and Corey St Clair.

Chad Coy, Brad Dunn, HIGA and Karl Gillingham.

Sylvie and Yves.  The greatest Strongman fans in Quebec!

They gave me an awesome care package of gifts for Kaiea & Kalani.  Merci!

Part of the Hot Air Balloon Festival.

Brad Dunn updating his Facebook status...LOL

Team USA getting ready for battle.

The staff let out some air on the front tires of the truck to make it harder for us to pull.

Hugo's yokes.

Hugo's logs.

Nicolas and me.  Nicolas is the Director of Cinemedia TV and is in charge of all the TV filiming of this contest.  It will be broadcast nationwide in all of Canada in English & French.

Mr Dupuis, Ivan and Guillame.  Ivan is always making fun of my height.  Tabernac!

Whats in Scott Cummine's gym bag?  INSTANT COFFEE.  He drinks a couple of scoops of that with water before the start of a contest.  NASTY!

Hugo giving us a rules briefing.

Hugo had two 955 lb tires in the back of the truck for extra weight.

Brad Dunn getting into the truck pull harness.

HIGA pulling the truck.

Chad Coy getting into the harness.

Chad Coy

Coy & Karl Gillingham.

Our scorekeepers: Nadine Girard & her friend.

Chad Coy

HIGA about to pickup 850 lbs in the Yoke Walk.

HIGA walking with 850 lbs on his back.

HIGA almost to the finish line.

All done with 850 lbs.  Now onto 950 lbs on the Yoke.

Josh Thigpen (Texas)

Josh Thigpen walking with a heavy Yoke.

 

Hugo Girard at the MC's table calling the play by play.

Brad Dunn dropped his Yoke right at the finish line.  This was a no-no in the rules meeting.

Karl Gillingham

Karl Gillingham

Brad Dunn and HIGA.

HIGA about to start the Hercules Hold.

This is not a good event for me, so I was trying my best to get those cars set before they let go of the brakes.

Holding back two 4,000 lb cars on ramps.

Corey trying to help me through it.

Taking pictures with some of the fans.  I wonder how many Molson's that guy behind me has had today?

Jean-Francois Caron tore a callous on the Hercules Hold.

Me and Joe DeSilva.  He is the Deputy Mayor of Gatineau.

 

This was the 1st place winner in the "Graffitti Art" contest.  Only spray paint cans were used.

Corey St Clair's wife Meg, painted this one.  She had never used a spary paint can before!

Dinner at Buffet des Continents.

Me and Tony from Buffet des Continents.

Karl & HIGA signing autographs for some fans in the restaurant.

I gave Hugo a "Submission Impossible" shirt from Bulky Boy.  He was stoked!

That 3xl fits him perfect!

Corey in front of this dessert place that Hugo loves to go to when he is in Ottawa.

Corey St Clair & Jessen Paulin.

Karl Gillingham getting ready for the Train Wheels load.

This young lady asked us to sign her shoe!

Me and Jacki Ouellet.  This kid is only 24 years old and will be a BEAST.

Guillame and his newborn daughter.  She is only 1.5 months old.

Hot air balloons in the sky outside of our hotel.

Higa & Corey with Mark, the owner of Buffet des Continents.  Merci for all the food Mark!

Mark had us autograph a plate so that he can display it in the restaurant.

Corey and I doing a skit for Canadian TV.

"So Grant, why do you always look so sexy and have huge calf muscles?"

"Well Corey, I usually do alot of  Speed Walking to restaurants to help develop my calves..."

Samuel Dubey and Higa.

"Canada's Strongest Man" and the winner of Gatineau, Christian Savoie.

Corey St Clair accepting his prize momey from the mayor of Gatineau.

Corey got 7th place overall.

Karl Gillingham getting his prize money for his 5th place finish.

Jessen Paulin accepting his 4th place prize money.

Scott Cummine accepting his 3rd place prize money.

Final group pictures with the mayor and other sponsors.

This boy Justin, wanted my contest shirt after the show.  He was very happy.

Karl, HIGA and Coy.

Nadine Girard and me.  Merci Nadine for all your hard work too!

Repping the ANIMAL PAK gym bag in Gatineau!

HIGA and Nurse Nancy.  She is there every year to make sure we are not injured and we appreciate her!

HIGA, Brad Dunn and Chad Coy.

Huge marmot in front of our hotel.

That kid Justin, who I gave my shirt too, was eating with his family at Buffet des Continents.

Some kids wanted to take a picture with the Strongmen.

I always see this couple every year at the Gatineau contest.  You gotta love Quebec strongman fans!

Canada Parliament building.

Pretty crazy sculpture outside a building in Ottawa.

Thank you  Hugo Girard for the best strongman contest that I have been a part of for the past 4 years.  He always puts on a great contest and extends the best hospitality to all of the athletes.

Merci,

Grant Higa Bulky Boy strongman team

Final day of the "North America's Strongest Man" (Gatineau, Quebec)

The final day of competition was just completed.  Unfortunately, RAIN was our nemesis today.  This made conditions tough for us all, but thats Strongman for you.

1. 955 lb TIRE FLIP (75 feet):  I was paired up with the "Wolverine" Brad Dunn in this event.  In true strongman fashion, we had no warm-ups with the tire and it was raining pretty good.  I did about 4 sets of plyo jumps onto the tire to warm-up and some bodyweight squats.  Brad started out slightly ahead of me but at the 6th flip, I saw him lose his grip on the tire.  I knew I had to pounce on this opportunity and get my next flip.  Got the tire up and pushed it forward with all my might.  Referee said "5 seconds left" so I felt like I beat Brad.  Then I look and Brad got another flip in before the time expired.  I SCREAMED AT MYSELF cause I thought Brad snuck by me...however, Hugo said I beat him by 3 inches!  Whew!  I ended up with a distance of 64' 11" out of 75 feet.
2. 270 lb Log clean and press for reps:  Still pouring rain and in true strongman fashion, we had no warm-ups and went straight to the Log.  I paired up against "The Myth" Jessen Paulin and I got 7 reps to his 5 reps.  Ended up tying for 4th place with Karl Gillingham & Christian Savoie (we all got 7 reps).  Brad Dunn & Scott Cummins tie for the win with 9 reps each.
3. MEDLEY (310 lb Farmers Walk for 50 ft, duckwalk a 420 lb Anvil for 50 ft, drag a 600 lb chain 80 ft):  Still raining, but the show must go on.  No warm-ups and I was paired up against Brad Dunn again.  I picked up the Farmers and took them 50 ft with no drops.  Grabbed the anvil and I lost my grip on it 10 ft before the line, but picked it right up and finished it.  However, the chain was slick from all the rain and pulling on it SUCKED.  Made it really tough to pull and the slick asphalt didn't help either.  I didn't finish the chain drag and in fact no competitors finished the entire chain drag because of the rain.

Final overall placings
Christian Savoie 94 
Jean-Francois Caron 85
Scott Cummins 72.5
Jessen Paulin 67
Karl Gillingham 64
Jacki Ouellet 61
Corey St Clair 54
Grant Conners 51
Brad Dunn 50.5
Grant Higa 37
Chad Coy 31
Josh Thigpen 29

Overall, it was another great time in Gatineau.  Hundreds of fans brought their rain gear and STAYED the entire time for the contest.  I love that!  True strongman fans!
Hugo Girard promoted another great contest and truly takes care of us everytime we come here.  Beautiful hotel, free meals, and transports us everywhere.
"Merci" to the city of Gatineau and to all the fans that supported us this weekend.  I have tons of pictures and videos, but can't upload them here at the hotel because the Wi-fi restricts me from doing it for some reason.  I will load them up when I get back home to Washington tomorrow night!

Ciao!
Grant Higa Bulky Boy strongman team

Day 2 results from "North America's Strongest Man" (Gatineau, Quebec)

Had an AWFUL second day of competition.  I need to pull my head out of my butt and come back strong on day 3 tomorrow.

1. WHEELBARROW FOR MAX WEIGHT (20 ft distance):  Starting weight was 1,550 lbs and I completed it for the 20 feet distance.  The next weight was 1,850 lbs and I could only carry it for 17 feet.  I was very dissapointed in myself cause I was confident that I could finish after the first attempt, but I think the 300 lb jump was not what I expected.  The winning weight finished was 2,150 lbs for 20 feet.
2. TRAIN WHEEL LOAD (310, 330, 355, 370 and 410 lbs wheels.  60', 48', 36', 24', 12' away):  Hugo made us run for it this year.  Running with a 310 lb wheel for 60 ft seemed so far away!  I loaded the first 4 wheels and got to the big 410 lb wheel.  Couldn't get that huge thing into my lap and ran out of time.  Only 2 guys loaded all 5 wheels and Jessen loaded them all after it started raining! (Jessen Paulin & Jean-Francois Caron).
3. ATLAS STONES (284, 308, 338, 355 and 385 lbs to a 56" pillar):  It started to rain, so that kind of sucked, but thats Strongman for you.  I loaded the first two stones with no problem and got the 338 lb stone up thinking I was high enough and MISSED the pillar by an inch.  I was mad at myself cause I should have shouldered it to guarantee a loaded stone.  After I dropped it, I could not get a grip on it again cause it was so dirty and gravelly.  Chad Coy could only load 1 stone, and Karl Gillingham loaded 3 stones.  No one loaded all 5 stones.  The winner did only 4 stones.

OVERALL POINTS
Christian Savoie 63
Jean-Francois Caron 52
Jessen Paulin 48
Jacki Ouellet 45
Scott Cummins 42 tied
Karl Gillingham 42 tied
Corey St Clair 38
Grant Conners 35
Josh Thigpen 29
Brad Dunn 27
Chad Coy 23
Grant Higa 21

Five Canadians are in the top 5, so they are really whooping butt.  Our goal is to get Karl into the top 3 so that he get can get into the top prize money.
I dropped from tied for 9th place, to last place so I need to come back strong on the last day.
Events for tomorrow are 955 lb Tire Flip, 270 lb Log clean & press for reps, and a Medley (310 lb Farmers Walk for 50 ft, duckwalk a 470 lb Anvil for 50 ft, then drag a 600 lb chain for 80 feet).

Grant Higa Bulky Boy strongman team

Kristyn's 8.30-9.04.2010 workouts

August 30, 2010


Overhead Press
5x45
5x65
5x95
5x115
2x5x145
2x155
Left my knee brace off until I hit the sets with 145.


Bench Press
3x45
3x65
3x95
3x115
3x125
3x135
2x2x145
I still feel like my bench is going nowhere!  GRRRR!!!  I think I really need to spend some time working on my form.  I could definitely arch a bit more and learn how to really use my legs in the lift...

Seated DB Military Press/DB Flies
3x5x30/3x5x30

Dips
3x6xBW
Man these hurt when you haven't done them in a while!






August 31, 2010


SPIN CLASS for an hour!!!  Woo!  Good leg workout :-) Just for kicks.



September 1, 2010


Squats
3x45
3x95
2x135
2x155
2x185
2x205
2x225
2x245
2x275
Didn't put my knee brace on until 245...  the 275 set is definitely a PR.  My squat is feeling really strong. I'm thinking I might be able to hit 315 for a single fairly soon!!!


Stiff Legged Deadlift
5x65
5x95
5x115
5x135
5x185
5x205
5x225

One Legged Bench Squat
3x5xBW

Hypers/Lunges
12xBW/8x10's
10x10/6x25's
8x25/6x25's



September 2, 2010


Pull-ups/H.S. Seated Rows
5xBW/8x50
5xBW/8x70
3x5xBW/3x8x90

Rope Curls
8x40
8x60
8x70
8x80
8x90

Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns
10x70
8x90
3x5x100

Hammer Curls
4x6x25's



September 4, 2010
Warehouse was closed today, so I just hit the gym for a bit of work with John.  I'm feeling pretty beat up from this week's workouts.  Hoping to be fresh and ready to hit some big numbers on Monday!


Snatches
3x45
3x65
3x75
2x3x85

Squat Picks (6")/Decline Situps
5x45
5x95/15xBW
3x135/15x10
3x185/15x25
3x225/15x25
3x275/15x25
3x315/15x25
3x365/15x25
3x405/15x25
3x455
3x495
Waited until the 455 set to put the knee brace on...  I probably should've put it on much sooner than that. Feeling it a bit in my knee, but I'm sure it's all good.  I'm betting my core is gonna be super sore in the next day or two!!!

Day 1 results from "North America's Strongest Man (Gatineau, Quebec)

Well, day one is in the books.  It was very cloudy, windy and cold today.  However we were lucky and the rain held off and didn't downpour like last night.

1. TRUCK PULL (100 ft):  Pulled a box van loaded with two 955 lb tires in the back of it.  They also flattened the front tires.  I pulled it 32 seconds.  There were 4-5 of us within a 10th of second of each other, so I ended up with 6th place in this event out of 12 guys.
2. MAXIMUM YOKE WALK (30 ft):  Starting weight was 850 lbs.  I had no problem with it.  Then I did 950 lbs.  Next weight was 1,050 lbs and I did it with no drops!  After that, Hugo Girard said that we are going to do 1,150 lbs for maximum distance.  I took the 1,150 lbs for only 17 feet.  Thats the heaviest Yoke I have ever done.  As sick as this sounds, I got 7th place in this event for walking with 1,150 lbs on my back.  The winner took it for 44 feet.  Alot of guys got hurt in this event (Karl Gillingham heard something "pop" in his posterior shoulder, a Canadian guy hurt his knee and Josh Thigpen really hurt his lower right back.  I had to help carry Josh's gym bag to his room and I don't think he will be able to compete tomorrow which sucks.
3. HERCULES HOLD (hold two Pontiac cars on ramps):  I am not good at this event, so I was just trying to do what I could.  I actually held it for 13.23 seconds.  Thats a personal best for me.  The cars weigh 4,000 lbs each but I felt like it was pulling my right elbow real bad and I didn't want to risk injury.

So, I am tied for 9th place out of 12 guys after the first day.  I had a good day with the first 2 events, but with the logjam of guys that were so close in the Truck Pull and Yoke Walk, it hurt the overall points score.

Keep you posted!  I'm off to eat supper (as the Candians call it).
Grant Higa Bulky Boy strongman team.

HIGA MONSTER is off to Gatineau, Quebec!

Well, I am off to Ottawa late tonight on a red-eye flight.  I will make sure to update as best I can.  Its a 3 day contest and our first day of competition is Saturday at 1pm EST.
All 3 days of the show are televised nationwide in all of Canada on the sports networks TSN (English) and RDS (French).

This is the 23rd year of the "Hot Air Balloon Festival".
The strongman contest is promoted by legendary Canadian strongman, Hugo Girard.
http://www.montgolfieresgatineau.com/anglais/athletes2010_en.htm


"NORTH AMERICA'S STRONGEST MAN"

Day 1 Saturday:
Semi-truck pull w/harness
Wheelbarrow
955 lb Tire Flip for 80 ft

Day 2 Sunday:
Yoke Walk for maximum weight
Atlas Stones
Hercules Hold (hold 2 cars on ramps)

Day 3 Monday:
Train Wheels loading
270 lbs Log clean & press for reps
Medley (310 lb Farmers Walk for 50 ft, then duckwalk a 470 lb Anvil for 50 ft, then drag a 600 lb chain for 80 ft)

HIGA's last workout before flying to Ottawa, Canada tomorrow.

Zack was TOAST after his Javorek Complex!

"Dude, my forearms are shot!"

Reppin the banner in the garage.

Training hard as my Chuck Norris magnet baby!

Aloha,

Grant Higa Bulky Boy strongman team