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In this podcast (download iPod compatible, 40MB), Dave Liepman demonstrates the strong man tire flip on his driveway. As we learned in his initial podcast, Dave has gone through quite an experience gathering training implements. Here we see that he has a 658 lb. tire with lots of wear and tear, including holes to let the rain drain out.

The tire flip is not just about brute strength. Dave notes the following factors:

• Grip is important. Dave demonstrates both three and four tread grips. If your grip gives out, you're done for.
• Leverage is important. As can be seen in the photo above, Dave uses his knee as part of the final thrust. The knee is well positioned for effective leverage.
• Surface is important. Dave makes the point that the tire tends to slide on sandy surfaces allowing you to get considerable distance without having to fully lift the tire.

In our next segment, we'll look at the keg carry.

In this podcast (download iPod compatible, 38MB), Dave Liepman gives us an introduction to how he performs in strong man events. This podcast kicks off a short series on the mechanics of performing in strong man competitions. We'll see Dave perform the tire flip and a keg carry in later episodes.

Dave has been performing in strong man competitions since he was 20 and saw an advertisement for one at the gym where he was working out. He then had a layoff of 7 years and decided to compete again when he saw that they had a weight class that fit his size (200 lbs. and under). When I asked him what initially piqued his interest, he mentioned how, growing up on a farm, he had always wanted to perform feats of strength.

For me, the key takeaway from this conversation was the amount of strategizing that goes into the strong man competition. As Dave points out, it's not just brute force. That will only get you so far. To lift really heavy weights, you have to understand your body's leverage points and how to capitalize on them. To get a good sense of how he can best use these leverage points, Dave attempts to train with the competition implements themselves (kegs, tires, etc.)

Additional Links

• This wikipedia article gives a good account of the World's Strongest Man Competitions. Of note, Iceland is the country with the most winners, notable given its small population of under one-half million.

In this podcast (download ipod compatible, 47MB), Troy Garver and I discuss something he calls the third law of thermodynamics in dieting. It's actually a contradiction because while you may believe that cutting calories (energy intake) will lead to weight loss, it frequently just does not. That's because the body is itself a dynamic system that tries to conserve energy as you cut intake.

After I mention to him what I like about the atkins diet: hunger remains after control and after induction energy is manageable if not bountiful, Troy mentions that "satiety" is one of the key factors he looks for when helping people manage their diets. He basically looks to give people foods from the groups they like but cleaned up, meaning without processed foods, and of course, reduced in calories.

We're going to switch topics in future podcasts. We have a strong man who is going to provide a couple of exercise analyses and some upcoming interviews with Paul Wright about his gym expansion plans.

Additional Links

• This site provides an interesting perspective on calorie needs and how they change with age and activity.