Matt Vincent: Youve got to. Pleasetell us a bit about yourself, and be sure to include your height, weight, and age. The first was the Greenville (NC) Scottish Games in which he was ranked 158 out of 334 in the Master's Division. Those are really your best places. If Im going to risk getting hurt with a maximal weight, I may as well do it on the platform while Im competing. Its a really interesting strength sport out there. We will feature discussions over training methodologies, program templates, and general weightlifting topics. Programs like Training Lab, Strength Lab, and other block periodization programs give Highland Games athletes a solid plan and foundation for the weight room throughout a season. Whats your advice for someone who wants to start throwing cabers and hammers around? These are a little different and dont look like anything else, so theyre basically a steel block on the end of a chain with a ring. Okay, Ive always noticed that Im pretty good at rotational actions such as throwing, swinging, and striking. Like, why did they come up with Im going to throw a giant pole. Youve written a lot of books. You know, the hammer was, actually, like a sledgehammer and then Im sure it developed into I think I can do this better than you.. So, I went to a game and had a great time and the got a hold of some people and located some more games and traveled and did that for about a year and a half as an amateur, and then got invited because I won an amateur world championship to the professional world championship in 2011, and I took second place at that, and Ive been doing it ever since. I kid. DM: What an awesome day that was! How important are the glutes in Highland Games competitions? It's a fascinating strength competition, and one I've long wanted to learn more about. Take your performance on the mats to the next level! Ive got a few ways people can follow my competitions, training and life in general. Mikes core philosophy is that in order to become a better athlete, you must gain strength, but you must also learn how to apply it with speed and precision. And I think you make a good point about the throwing I do. For me, both mentally and physically, I have to have an off-season away from the sport. except the caber but it probably wont be more than 90lbs. However, people believe that if they want their stomachs to shrink, they should do the exact same thing with their abs. He is, I do this other thing. Two Dumbbell Clean and Press: start light and go up to max. -Henry Rollins, By Scottishfury in forum Workout Journals, My Highland Games In-Season Training Program, Powerlifting Workouts - Training Journals, Post Your Pictures and Introduce Yourself, 5-3-1 For Highland Games Lightweight thrower. Its probably been in the last three years that Ive understood recovery and properly doing things like that, you know. Id like to expound on this. Thats his goals and his things. Man, life gets in the way. The camaraderie is great, because theres probably only 20 of us that are at the top end in the world. If that person is going to squat and kind of grind it out and take two seconds on a way up, like a big, hydraulic, slow, strong lift. Matt Vincent: Of course. I thought Id put something out for you guys that may be interested in coming out to compete. Dan McKim Website 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. Brett McKay: For our listeners who arent familiar with it, what is sub-maximal loading? What I aim to provide is a program that optimizes your time spent in the weight room and enhances your Heavy/Light throwing practices and, by extension your games results. Abs are cool and all, but I wouldnt skip some delicious dinners with my wife to have abs. Usually like a rattan handle, or something like that and its 22 and 16 pounds again, and you kind of anchor yourself into the ground with boots that have a blade on the front of it, so one end of this thing is spinning around your head. We also talk about his programming that hes created called The Hate. Well talk about why he calls it The Hate as well, in a bit. Theyre similar type of battle things, like throwing rocks to defend yourself or the weights, actually were The old 56 and old 28, these are all part stone weights, right. The hammer throwing event features a hammer made from a metal ball weighing around 22 lb for men or 16 lb for women, attached to a wooden pole or handle. Im guessing the throwing ones. Anyways, today on the podcast, I have a world champion Highland Games competitor. Its really fascinating. 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. However, being strong never goes out of style. DM: Haha! Liberty or Death: SCBC goes all in at the LibertyOpen. It never freaks out on me, never runs. I feel like singles and heavy singles are more of a test than they are an actual strength building exercise. "Highland Games is a combination of balance, speed, strength, and technique," says Vincent. What I usually want to do is the stuff I'm really good at in training. Is there How do you overcome plateaus, how do you deal with setbacks, k mean, what is your mental game like? Thats why Ive always said that a good thrower is both strong and athletic. How should you setup your program to Bench Press the most? How do you deal with that? Matt Vincent: Yeah, so the history of the Highland Games, the way it really started was it was a test between the clans, Im sure which developed just from farmers, basically, coming up with being bored, and not having nearly the distractions that we do no, you know, I bet I can throw this rock further than you. This continued to grow as men tend to find challenges and things like that to do against each other. Yes, I believe it is unfair. We also throw the lighter stone, which is 16 pounds and it can go up to 18. That gives a lot of direction, too. How does someone If they want to get started with Highland Games, how do they do it? Dan McKim YouTube Look man, if I was really happy, I would just lay on the couch and play video games, just be content, and that would be great. I was like Oh, hes spelling heavy different, then I was like, oh no, hviii, that makes sense.. What I mean by that is accelerating mass. Tiger Woods looking to make a successful transition to Highland Games competition. Good idea. Training Tuesday: Highland Games Programming. October 13, 2014 at 6:54 pm. Equipment Required: A sandbag, A BOSU ball, A punchbag. Growing up as a baseball player, Mike transitioned to fencing and chased the Olympics for a decade. Once I get below that I really start feeling weak. Man if I could just get on the treadmill a little bit more, these abs. That being said, strength is only a part of being a successful competitor. As things moved on, Im sure someone took one and said, I think I can throw it further than you or higher. Thats what the original ones actually looked like, and they were counterbalances for the other side of the scale. The key is accumulation of work with the lighter weight instead of putting something on the bar and saying, Oh, shit, I think I can go for a PR, and add 15 pounds and risk the injury. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that youre a god or a total bastard. I have coached complete novices that have never set foot on the field, the top pros in the world, and every level in between. Add in 2 lifting sessions, one reppy, one snappy. Those have been my most consistently top-ranking events. The aim is for the caber to land in line with the original run. This involves eight men pulling against another team of eight, coached by an additional member of the team whoshouts encouragement and instructions to spur them on topull their opposite number across the line. The Games are also noted for their unique sporting and athletic events many of which involve throwing and lifting. BC: Not too shabby my friend. Powerlifting Benching for Big Throws Bench is one of the most common exercises used in every gym in the world. Thats probably been the event that Ive been the best at over the last couple of years, as well as the weights for distance. Does not get any better than this.Bret and the Scottish Games two of my favorite thingsThanks for the info Dan McKim. DM: I do. Set and Reps: We are aiming for 3 X rounds of this workout. DM: I have all the throwing implements at my house, so when its time to practice, I load up my truck and head to the park. 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. 03-19-09 05:30 PM - Post# 537024. Go see if you actually like it first or if you like the environment. The trick is balancing the weight and the body. 20# Sheaf Toss: 352. Sorinex sells a glute ham roller, a new piece, that I love doing leg curls and glute ham bridges with. Matt Vincent: Its definitely one way to do it. Theyre not always the most fun, but its for the greater good. In that window is really where I perform my best. I pretty much will just save my carbs for bourbon, whenever the time is right. So today on the show I talk with Highland Games champMatt Vincentto get the lowdown. Whats the saying if looks could kill? I kid. Like I said, you are probably already strong enough to handle the weight. Dan McKim Twitter He is now a Highland Games Athlete, and won the 2016 U.S. Highland Games Lightweight National Championship, and in 2019 he won a Masters World Championship. Matt Vincent: Mine is a little different. If you want a peek into the life of a professional Highland Games competitor, check out Matts siteand follow him on Instagramtoo. DM: Taller guys do have leverage advantages as well as release point perks, but Id say your success in those actions is due to your athleticism. 3 sets of 8 with a minute rest OR 55 OR 53 OR Pyramids OR multiple Pyramids, aka Waves. I cant just get as absolutely as strong as possible. Thats one of Jims big principles. Ive been very fortunate to be part of a sport that allows me to travel around the world and do some pretty awesome stuff. Im not missing any lifts in training. 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. You could also do, Overhead Squat 3-5 x 3 go deep and stay tight, 1 Arm DB Clean and press go to a heavy single, then a few back off sets, Throw A different two or three events if you have the implements. How do you split it up, and how many exercises, sets, and reps do you typically perform? Brett McKay: How does it differ from 531? (Brets note: below is my friend Jim Kielbaso showing off the glute ham roller). What are your current bests in the various Highland Games events? Some of the guys have, and some are now using testosterone-replacement therapy (TRT). Or, Im going to take a big, giant burlap bag and hoist it over with a pitchfork, whats going on there? Matt Vincent: You know, I dont know. I'll usually get 2-3 short throwing sessions a week. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Ive really spent a lot of time over the last couple of years trying to improve that event and its been a relatively futile attempt. Dan McKim Facebook Fan Page An 800# Deadlift and more great progress from JuggernautAI users! Are you in your 30s, Im guessing? What are you going to do, just quit? Brett McKay: You talk about you wear kilts when you do this. Matt Vincent: Its very, very similar to when I was a collegiate athlete. Great interview, Bret. It is comprised of eight (internationally) or nine (US and Canada) events. 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. We are not weight lifters who throw, we are throwers and must train accordingly. That helps me keep that. I was already lifting weights prior to starting his program but working with Mikes lifting program was a welcome shift in focus. How can you best recovery from your Hypertrophy training? I do speed work as well as the Olympic lifts. Your leverages all change on the events How far I have to lean or how hard I have to sprint. Before we get into talking about what Highland Games are, because I think very few people are theyve probably seen it, they dont know its called Highland Games. I mean, theyre stones, theyre not perfect and you get a full approach like that. Ive been competing in it for 10 years now, so its becoming more and more important that I dont bury myself with the Highland Games. When I first started, I was so addicted and excited about throwing that I practiced five to seven days a week for 18 months straight; rain, snow, cold it didnt matter. Ive got other things and responsibilities in my life; and not every day is great, so what this does is just allows me to kind of auto regulate a little bit more and say I can get the work done. If things feel great on the last set, I can push a rep max. Some days arent going to be great and some days are. If you did, you probably lived a really boring life. Daniel McKim, who is also a multiple time Games World Champion said he believed in maintaining his training intensity throughout the season. Dan and I are different athletes, and Ive beat him some and hes beat me some. Hes very good with the hammers, and hes got world records in both of them. Im assuming that you have somewhere to train locally where you can perform the various competitive lifts. I have started to think of pinning my big toes to the bottom of my shoes, which forces my knees to track better and keep me from hitting rock bottom. Its pretty simple. English (North America) English (Europe) English (Oceania) etina Deutsch Espaol (Espaa) Espaol (Latinoamrica) Franais Magyar Italiano Polski Portugus (Brasil) Romn Trke English (Philippines) English (Singapore) Indonesian Ting Vit Youre still going to get the Olympic lifts, youre still going to do some speed work, and youre still going to work on max strength. I havent got much better at it. Learn more about concurrent training for Strength & Endurance, Add some new twists to the traditional plank. A shot put coach told me long ago that strong biceps help the triceps-the real throwing muscles-function better by allowing the forearm to decelerate faster. Post-college, I gave It a run at owning a bicycle shop, and that didnt work so well. DM: Probably my 341 lb. If youll notice, these exercises do a lot for stabilization of the body. How did you get to be a guy who throws around cabers around the world. These came from Scotland. One of them is a heavy stone, and one of them is a light stone. Brett McKay: Is there an event that you specialize in, particularly? 3 Days Per Week, 2 Week Microcycles, 8 Week Mesocycles, 0 Unicycles. Matt, this has been a great conversation, and a lot of insights about a sport that I knew little about. DM: Well, since I met with you, Ive started to switch my set up a bit. Work is Join Chad for some fun with the boys from Massenomics, Matt Sharafinski has added over 300 pounds to his total with JuggernautAI, Huge numbers for elite powerlifter Carlos Moran. The traditional plank Ive been very fortunate to be great and some days arent to! They were counterbalances for the caber to land in line with the original run but I wouldnt skip some dinners! Further than you or higher Pyramids or multiple Pyramids, aka Waves really boring life you! Against each other swinging, and they were counterbalances for the other side of the highland games lifting program have, that! The Games are also noted for their unique sporting and athletic events of! The lowdown to when I was already lifting weights prior to highland games lifting program program! Take your performance on the podcast, I have to have an off-season away from the sport a guy Throws... Matt Vincent: its definitely one way to do it throw a giant pole,... 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