If you enjoyed this podcast, Id really appreciate it if youd give us a review on iTunes or Stitcher, it would really help us out in our rankings there. I think, when Im done doing this that strength will become less of a focus for me. Today on the podcast, we discuss the Highland Games, whats involved with it, how you can get started if you want to try throwing a caber while wearing a kilt, the type of training you need to do, strength training to get ready and prepared for Highland Games competition. It's a fascinating strength competition, and one I've long wanted to learn more about. In the caber toss, a full length log, usually made of Scots pine, is stood upright and lifted by the competitor using both hands under the bottom of the caber to rest against their body. Hes very good with the hammers, and hes got world records in both of them. You believe that this is unfair, right? Dan McKim Instagram. The moves are called out and it's fun to take part and learn a bit about Scottish dancing with Downeast Scottish Country Dancers! But most will not be able to do this. I work them in once a week for looks, but mostly for auxillary work. I met with a collegiate strength coach who put me on their Force Plate to test my strengths and weaknesses. We will feature discussions over training methodologies, program templates, and general weightlifting topics. BC: Great points. Sound too good to be true? I feel super confident going into to games this year. In that window is really where I perform my best. And thats spelled hviii. We take a look at some of the traditions and typical features of any Highland games: The caber toss has come to almost symbolise the Highland games and no gathering anywhere in the world would be complete without it. Theres a Highland Game usually every weekend. Matt Vincent: I wish that I could just say that. The trick is balancing the weight and the body. Take your performance on the mats to the next level! Its really fascinating. Brett McKay: It seems like theres a lot of camaraderie in that sport, in the Highland Games. (Brets note: I randomly found a video of Dan performing hex bar jump squats so I embedded it below). I pretty much will just save my carbs for bourbon, whenever the time is right. Again, Im guessing. When we were lifting together, you informed me that you cant squat deep, and I saw that you have a nasty case of buttwink when you try to squat rock bottom. What I mean by that is accelerating mass. When Im done competing, Ill still program like this, as I simply love to work out. Dr. Clinton Lee helps you improve your shoulder health. Brett McKay: Right, exactly, thats something Ive learned. Thus, Heavy/Light Lifting will supply the strength, power, and physical preparedness that the Heavy Events demand. I really do thank you for helping me line up my programming better. I cant see myself becoming a guy thats finishing tenth in the world and still grinding at that. That being said, strength is only a part of being a successful competitor. Abs are cool and all, but I wouldnt skip some delicious dinners with my wife to have abs. The competitor then runs forward, building momentum, before tossing the caber into the air so that it turns end over end with the upper end landing before the end originally held by the competitor follows through and hits the ground. Whats the saying if looks could kill? I kid. I set to work, as I did with throwing, to find what the common threads were among the most successful athletes. Kind of the same as Strong Man is, but now with YouTube and the Internet, its a hell of a lot more accessible. It doesnt pick you up and throw you on the ground. Brett McKay: Boredom probably was the impetus. As I prep for this off-season, Im excited to move my depth from letting my buttwink hinder and hurt my squat development. Top end athletes, to the lowly Johnny . Brett McKay: Who is the Hviii for? Then, the caber The caber has a lot of I think it was used for this, but it was crossing a stream, you would you know, flip it, so it would lay at one end and fall on the other side, directly across the stream, and you could get across. Brett McKay: How does it differ from 531? Matt Vincent: Like anybody, through high school, and growing up, I basically played everything I could; and, to some, I guess the extent of being decent at a lot of things, but not very good at any of them. A novice class is basically just like anything else, you just sign up and go. Athletes that had that different drive than your normal people. It is sad, but any strength sport will have guys who feel they need to cheat and destroy their bodies to throw far. Should the biceps get more respect? Brett McKay: You talk about you wear kilts when you do this. DM: The best tool is www.nasgaweb.com. If Im going to risk getting hurt with a maximal weight, I may as well do it on the platform while Im competing. Thats his goals and his things. Then, we have another distance event where we throw the hammer, which is a steel or a lead ball on the end of a stick. It takes a long time for you to finally learn that, its like, OK, just diet.. If you did, you probably lived a really boring life. Matt Vincent: You need that speed to apply that force, instead of just, you know, a 600 pound bench press, right. Theres eight traditional events and in the States, we do nine. The Games are also noted for their unique sporting and athletic events many of which involve throwing and lifting. Matt Vincent: Five, three, one doesnt focus on any Olympic lifts, and with a three day program, my Hviii, day three is Olympic lift, and youre going to snatch and clean. In fact, Im often better at these activities than my much stronger lifting partners. Training has been a passion of mine since I was 14. Brett McKay: My guest today was Matt Vincent. Matt Vincent: Im really bad at the hammers. Matt, this has been a great conversation, and a lot of insights about a sport that I knew little about. Okay, Ive always noticed that Im pretty good at rotational actions such as throwing, swinging, and striking. Matt Vincent: Yeah, hes done a little bit of stuff, right. My plan is to put 3 implements (14 pound stone, 16 pound hammer, and 42 weight for distance)in the Hyudai and throw at lunch. Doing that is going to allow you to be a little bit smarter in training and think which one actually makes more progress. Matt Vincent: Youve got to. YouTube, Ive got a lot of information going up, and that channel is Matthew Vincent. I have a twin and we put my poor mother through hell, but you have 5 boys in total, I couldnt even imagine how much of a handful that is. Brett January 27, 2016 Last updated: September 28, 2021. In the past six years, I have coached Highland Games athletes from a dizzying array of backgrounds. The Games are also noted for their unique sporting and athletic events many of which involve throwing and lifting. Look, its relatively bad, right. Man if I could just get on the treadmill a little bit more, these abs. Curlz are admissible, too, as they may have some carry over in flipping the caber, if you are so inclined. I like being able to move. We really didnt dead lift much in college. In prior years, Ive had the police watch me and even ask to, clean up when youre done. During the season (April through September) Ill typically practice the events two to three times a week. Was someone like, you should do this? For the longest time, because, you have a brand, right, thats called the Hate. How do you work around this? Former Highland Games World Champion, Matt Vincent, and former thrower, Chad Wesley Smith have both said that training in the gym only gets you so far. Then, Ive also got to be able to be quick enough to use the momentum of me moving my body or spinning and rotating so that I can apply force for a longer time. for most. Jim has been a huge influence and a really good friend for the last five or six years. That just kind of comes with the territory, and look, father time is undefeated. Check out the Training Tuesdays Google Sheet that includes upcoming topics, links to discussions dating back to mid-2013 (many of which aren't . Podcast #295: Kettlebells and the Psychology of Training, Weightlifting Shoes and Barbell Training [VIDEO], Art of Manliness Podcast #76: Barbell Training With Mark Rippetoe Part II, Podcast #118: A Wrestling Life With Dan Gable, How Matt became a professional Highland Games competitor, The different events in the Highland Games, How to get started with Highland Game competitions, Matts philosophy on training and dieting for performance and notaesthetics, Overcoming mental barriers in competition and strength training. Dan and I instantly hit it off. You probably didnt know they were called the Highland Games but youve seen the events in the Highland Games. You throw twice a week and you lift twice a week. How many events are there? October 13, 2014 at 6:54 pm. Im curious what does your strength training program when youre also competing in Highland Games? What Ive been fighting for in my sport is, essentially, the same rules that the NCAA, IOC, SHGA, WADA, etc. Brett McKay: You mentioned time is fleeting for you. This Highland Games Training Camp will be a true 3 day immersion in all things lifting, throwing, and overall health related with John Odden. Having someone structure my lifting program that knows the demands of highland games and how to support throwing with the lifting really takes away the guesswork and allows you to focus on getting better instead of what to do next. I didnt feel like I was floundering for what to do in the gym everyday. Ive been very fortunate to be part of a sport that allows me to travel around the world and do some pretty awesome stuff. Youve probably seen on TV or on the Internet, the Highland Games. I always enjoy going to my local gamesThere is nothing sexier to this Glasgow Gran than strong men in kilts. On throwing days we work to perfect technique. His name is Matt Vincent. Where core work will mostly consist of abdominal and low back muscles, stability work will include all the small muscles of the torso. Or is it a combination of all three? Build power with these Clean tips from Max Aita. I really save that for the platform. Say, do a hundred reps a day of curls of some sort, and my biceps will better. With the help of Joe and Adrianne Wilson, he competed in his first and second ever, Highland Games competitions. Competitors are judged on how closely their toss lands to 12 o'clock. I was already lifting weights prior to starting his program but working with Mikes lifting program was a welcome shift in focus. The cards are going to fall where they fall. Ive really enjoyed the online coaching and stuff, the little bit that Ive done of it. Also be sure to check out my True Victory page! Im not missing any lifts in training. You may have seen theHighland Games online or on television: guys in kilts throwing giant logs, tossing hammers over their heads, etc. Matt Vincent: No clue what thats like, anyway, all of that happens in the kitchen anyway, it has nothing to do with your gym time. Competitors throw a large stone of around 20 - 26lbs in weight as far as they can. Thats a really bad idea. Hes done the weight over bar, which is of all the ones with any like, I guess, if youre just going to be a brute and give it a go, that one is your best bet of being able to figure out. I havent got much better at it. $30/month($15/month if also signed up for Throws Programming). In the day and age of information overload it is nice to have a way to simplify my efforts and put my energy into lifting and throwing instead of planning what to do next. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. (Questions not related to today's topic should be directed towards the daily thread.) What you should do is work and do your job every day. Ill find something else to do to you know, care more about diet, and try to figure out that when I dont have to worry about being strong. Since then, he has competed in Powerlifting, Strongman and CrossFit. Dan McKim Facebook Fan Page The Art of Manliness participates in affiliate marketing programs, which means we get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links. I think its really important as an athlete that you knowing how to manipulate your own body weight is kind of key, how to adjust yourself in space and move quickly. Friends may come and go. He could help with his hip flexion issues. American Dan Williams broke the record in 2014 with a throw of 6.17m (20ft 3in). I'll usually get 2-3 short throwing sessions a week. Training Tuesday: Highland Games Programming. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Anyways, today on the podcast, I have a world champion Highland Games competitor. The stone is thrown either after a short run-up to the toeboard or from a fixed standing position, depending on the rules of the competition. Some of the guys have, and some are now using testosterone-replacement therapy (TRT). BC: How does one start learning more about The Highland Games if one is interested in training and competing? You know, if my knee is bothering me, maybe Ill box squat for the next two weeks, you know, a little high. I kid. Just search for him on Instagram, hes got a really entertaining Instagram feed as well as find him on YouTube. I dont ever want to look back and question like Maybe I should have done this, or, what if I had trained harder, or what if I would have done this? I know Im doing everything I can to give it a go. What aspect does quickness or athleticism come into the .. Like throwing a sheaf over your head. Brett McKay: Matt Vincent, thanks so much for your time, its been a pleasure. 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