The Strongest Men In The NFL

[ChrisD]

Who are some of the strongest men in the NFL and who would have the potential to be in Strongman? How about Shaq in the NBA?

[AaRoNSnider]

Ive heard that Shaq isnt that strong..just big.There are guys in the NFL that would probably do well in strongman,if thats what they put their focus on.I dont watch football much,so I couldnt name any names.

[Matt Meinrod]

Larry Allen, Shawne Merriman, Montrae Holland, Ray Lewis, Jamal Lewis, Greg Jones, Amos Zeroquoe, Scott Young, Zack Pillar, Willie Roaf, Warren Sapp, Adam Archuletta

Those are off the top of my head. Plenty more if I really thought hard.

[ChrisD]

Larry Allen supposedly squats 900 pounds. Is this true?


I have met Antoine Davis and he said he squatted 700- 750 .

[Matt Meinrod]

Lol, they said on TV last weekend that Tiki Barber has a 900lb squat...yeah I call bullshit

Can't speak on Larry Allen. I'm just going out a limb and saying he hasn't done that much. I'm not saying that he can't, but I find it hard to believe he'd go that heavy and risk injury with his multi million dollar contract on the line.

[Mr_T]

Lol, they said on TV last weekend that Tiki Barber has a 900lb squat...yeah I call bullshit

Can't speak on Larry Allen. I'm just going out a limb and saying he hasn't done that much. I'm not saying that he can't, but I find it hard to believe he'd go that heavy and risk injury with his multi million dollar contract on the line.

True that! They don't have to prove anything to me. Whatever they're doing is obviously working for them. I've done Nebraska's weight training program before and I got some serious gains from it. I can only imagine how nice it would be to have the accomodations that the NFL players have.

[AaRoNSnider]

I saw a video with Tiki Barber training a while back.I doubt he has a 900lb squat.He was doing squats with the safety squat bar(using the handles)with a pretty good amount of weight,but I dont think it was anything even close to 900.He was actually doing some strongman type stuff too,which was surprising

[Chris McNatt]

Larry Allen supposedly has a 700lbs bench press. That is in the rumor mill we call the internet.

I wnder how well Shannon Sharpe would do, he's tall, athletic, strong, and well conditioned.

[Scott Porter]

Archuleta would be a top LW no doubt.

[BrianKing]

Actually, they did show Larry Allen's 700 bench during a Monday Night game. Think it was last year. He had help I think. By looking at the center spotter, he had his hands all over the bar during the entire lift. Still pretty strong though. I can't or could'nt do it . Think it was a raw bench too.

[Mac Smith]

Larry Allen is the strongest man in the NFL, according to just about every player in the league. He did bench 700lbs on tv, but he had a great 'spot'. But it was a raw bench and I guaranteed the skinny DB that spotted him didn't give him as much help as some of the shirts out nowadays. Many in the Cowboys organization (I know a couple) can vouch for the fact that early in Big Larry's career he could squat in the high 800 for reps. But because of injuries and old age (I guess), not to mention contract stipulations, he doesn't train heavy.

Brian Urlacher is a strong MoFo also. He broke all the Linebacker records at UNM (including some of mine). Although he was a DB, the coaches wouldn't let him post under the DB records because he was more of a LB type. I think he could do well.

Adam Archuleta is a work out freak, but my LW tops would go to either Brian Dawkins or Tiki Barber. Both are also work out freaks and are much stronger than Archuleta.

Shag is not just big, but from rumors and from other NBA players, he has the best bench in the NBA, mid 400's I do believe. But I guarantee that if he trained, Lebron James would be a force in strongman. The kid is only 19 or 20 6'6 and 250lbs. He was a standout WR before concentrating slowly on basketball and according to his high school coaches, one of the strongest players on his high school football team and the strongest on the basketball team by far.

[Jonathan Macfarlane]

What would a normal top level powerclean be for high school, college and NFL players be? Do many high school kids do more than 330?

[Jesse Marunde]

[QUOTE=Mac Smith]Lebron James would be a force in strongman. QUOTE]

Thank you! Finally some one that agrees with me. I stood 10 feet away from Labron when I was in China. He was doing a promo for Nike and I went to it. I could not beleive how THICK the dude is. you might think 250 for a guy that's 6'8" is thin, but I'm telling you he's very lean and muscular in an athletic way. In other words, though his arms are big, he's not all beach muscle. And man I've seen him jump on TV, but in real life, that dude FLIES. And he's QUICK too. Strongman, football, ping pong whatever. Guys like him simply pick the sport they like the most and excel at it. Unreal athlete.

Jesse

[Paul Neuhaus]

Jonathon,

I see a few high school football players at my gym sometimes doing powercleans with no more than 225 lbs. But, keep a few things in mind...

1) They're just kids, and still not very strong
2) Thay're not training for an Oly comp, but for explosiveness on the field
3) Our gym owners are too damn cheap to buy an Oly platform and good Oly equipment. So, if you do PCs at our gym, you have to use a light enough weight that you can "set" it in the ground instead of dropping it.

I just read Jesse's post below mine. I think another problem out here is also the fact that these HS coaches don't don't teach these kids proper form and technique for Oly lifting, because they don't even know it themselves. These kids just come into the gym with a routine that the coach drew up, but their cleans look sloppy as hell.

But, one thing our high school coaches do know is powerlifting. Anyone who competes in PL in this state fears competing against Neenah HS....just a few miles from me. They've been dominating the high scool PL meets for years, and they send kids to Nationals and Worlds every year. They just had a kid last year set the new high school state record with a 750 squat!! A freakin' kid!!!!

[Jesse Marunde]

What would a normal top level powerclean be for high school, college and NFL players be? Do many high school kids do more than 330?

Not many highschool kids do over 330, though I know of a few, and all went on to play college ball. Building a 300+ power clean is totally possible by any 200+lb high school athlete if he starts lifting properly when he's in 9th grade. Problem is, most highschools don't have proper coaching in the weightroom. Football coaches take over the duties. Soem how being a football coach makes them think they know the ins and outs of building strength on the platform...

Jesse

[Tony Moses]

Thats something I noticed too Jesse, it seems as if a high school kid is at the mercy of his 'coach' in a majority of cases when it comes to whether or not he will learn to train properly and possibly be in the iron game for life. Of course if a kid is big enough, fast enough, or good enough, he'll end up at a big school with a good S and C program.....but it makes you wonder how much better the average HS player could be with proper S and C coaching. A lot of HS kids clean with the reverse curl/upright row/jumping jack hybrid simply because the person who taught them has no clue. A lot of kids also think curling will make them better athletes.....Honestly, I blame Flex and Musclemag for that shit, not only the kids, but their coaches grew up reading those rags, and if that is your only source of training info, I dont envy you, lol.

At some point in the future, I'd LOVE to volunteer to help out in a weight room of a high school.....I think kids will buy into true training when they see the results that it brings. Real training, which is focused on big movements and progressive increases in weight over time, and proper form, so that they take pride in their lifts.

I also want to mention I think Lebron James is a freak. For what it's worth, I remember reading something a while back that said Larry Allen had the highest bench in the NFL, but I can swear it was 550 raw. Impressive feat or not, in my hearts of hearts I can't give any credit to a lift where someone touched the bar from start to finish, but that's just me. I do believe the 550 figure, and if he even tried 700 on TV, I would at least hope he was somewhere in that neighborhood, but there are only maybe 2, 3, or 4 guys in the whole world who can perform a true, raw, 700 bench, so I just can't see a guy who doesn't train specifically for that doing it, not that he doesn't have the potantial for it though. Tikki Barber works out like a madman, and he is obviously a strong guy, but if he can squat 900lbs on an olympic bar past paralell in a belt and wraps at most, then I am the queen of England. I also remember Shannon Sharpe being regarded as one of the league's strongest players with a 475 bench at 230 or something like that...... I saw a picture of Brian Urlacher once power cleaning 385 somewhere with horrendous form, so I imagine with some good coaching he is capable of MUCH much more. Actually, lol, I think power cleaning big weights with bad form DOES say a lot about someone's strength, because you sure as shit can't accuse his of being all technique and finesse in the pic I saw, lol.

I read in ESPN Mag that Ben Wallace benches 465....he looks like a fast twitch freak and I have no reason to doubt it, super tall guys never seem to have great gym lifts, but Wallace isn't as tall as advertised, he's 'only' maybe a legit 6'7" , and with his body type I can believe he has good gym lifts.....Shaq always looked to me like he has that natural country strength....but I really can't see a guy that tall benching mid-4's, I have never really seen a guy in the 7 foot range who is proportioinately strong on gym lifts, but thats just what I have seen, I'd be shocked and impressed too if he can bench that much. Not saying he isn't functionally the strongest guy in the league, but I just don't see him having jaw dropping gym lifts.

Personally, from what I have seen personally and read, I think the strongest, most explosive athletes with the most impressive gym lifts and sprint times are world-class shot putters. Nobody ever mentions them though, I just think they get overlooked. 400+ cleans and 300+ snatches are almost prerequisite for your 70 foot throwers. Louie Simmons said Udo Beyer could squat over 970 with no gear, and he said he saw him do 10 singles with 660 in a behind the neck jerk. And Louie isn't the announcers on Monday Night Football, if he said he saw a gym lift, I believe it was legit.

[Chris McNatt]

I've seen a highschool guy do 225-230 for 10 reps as part of football maxes. He weighed about 183 and ended up going to Montana to play ball. Regular weights not bumper plates.

[Craig Smith]

and he said he saw him do 10 singles with 660 in a behind the neck jerk. .

:eek: :eek: :eek:

[Tony Moses]

:eek: :eek: :eek:

I know.....unreal.

[Tony Moses]

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/factor-of-time.htm

There is the URL

[Mac Smith]

If you've ever seen Shaq in person you would see that he would be capable of benching in the mid-4s if not higher. I met the man (I had the priveledge of shooting craps with him at the Venetian a couple of years ago, I actually got personally invited to his table with some other pro ballers). Anyway, Shaq is not built like a normal 7 footer. He is a very large man without the hint of giantitis. He is very thick, broad hips, etc. He is built like a football player, not a basketball player. Most 7 footers are naturally tall, lanky, and skinny. You could tell that if Shaq didn't stay in 'shape' he would be way over 400lbs or possibly 500lbs.

A lot of people underestimate the strength and athletic potential of basketball players. Many have the misconception that these guys are all tall and skinny but many are very strong and carry the tremendous potential to be great strength athletes. Many are inner city athletes that have no access to solid strength programs. Most inner cities don't have football programs or other programs that emphasize strength. Most have parks all around the city where they play basketball. And it's cheap because all you need is a ball and nothing else, unlike other sports. And like shot putters these guys are extremely explosive. To see a dunk contest (I've competed in a few), these guys are amazing. I've seen guys touch the top of a backboard. I once saw a contest 'in da hood' where guys were taking turns seeing who could take the most quarters off the top of a backboard (quarters were laid side by side). If that doesn't take unbelievable explosive strength, I don't know what does. I'll stop ranting now!LOL!

[Ryan Phillips]

yeh udo was a nutter!! i've heard some crazy crazy stories about him. 650 bench for 5x5
and other craz feats. and i dont doubt them at all. i've got videos of him throwing and he has horrible technieque and is slow as. the only thing that made him throw far was brute strength. he could standing throw 70ft most of his career. which not many can do today with a full glide/spin

i think Christian Cantwell (74ft putter) would b a force in strongman. 660 bench. 400 cleans for reps, squats with no gear and for reps with somewhere round 700 and can run 40 yards in under 5 seconds. his stats are just stupid!! super super explosive man. i think he would clean up with a few years of training in strongman. can dunk a basketball from a standing postion. 6ft 6 and 330lbs. and hes only 25

Big Scary Man...

http://www.photorun.net/images/Track%20&%20Field/USOT04/D2/Cantwell_Christian3-USOT04.JPG

[Tony Moses]

I've never seen Shaq in person, but what you're saying Mac is believable to me because of the way no other center in basketball who plays against him can match him in strength. Maybe they are the typical 7 footers then and Shaq is the exception. I've never seen the guy personally, I was just saying that the majority of the time, guys over the 7 foot mark just don't seem to have the proportionate strength you'd think they would. A former Bulls center has a summer home not too far from me and he was working out at a local college gym a few years back, 7'1" and not skin and bones by any means, maybe 280-290lbs, and he had some piss poor gym lifts by anybody's standards, but the guy looked functionally strong, like farmer strong if you know what I mean. But you are right about Shaq though, he is put together like Warren Sapp, just about a foot taller.

B-Ball players have great explosion, I think a lot of it gets overlooked because most are so tall, that you EXPECT them to dunk easily, you need to look at the vertical jumps....a 3 foot vert is a 3 foot vert, impressive on anybody....however, if a guy is 6'10 with a 23" vertical, he can still dunk, with the shot putters I think they get recognition more because they're generally 6'-6'4" and VERY heavy and you wouldn't look at them and think they can run a sub 5 second 40 or can leap 36"....where as most NBAers look athletic as hell and big numbers on explosive testing aren't so jaw dropping. With O-lifters and leaping, Shane Hamman at 5'9 and 350 plus is going to get more ohhs and ahhs dunking than a guy who is 6'9 and 190lbs, the 6'9 guy may have a 44" vertical, but still, the seemingly "short, fat guy" will get the freak show looks because a tall, lean guy damn well should be able to dunk is what most people are thinking.

Thats an excellent point Mac made about the inner city schools not having access to S and C programs. Last year (or maybe the year before) in Pennsylvania, the PIAA (governing body for high school athletics) allowed the Philadelphia area schools to compete in the state playoffs. Now, everybody up in coal mining town where I am was grumbling that they're gonna sweep all 4 classifications and blah blah blah.....I said they probably have some incredible athletes and have some crazy speed, but I don't think they'll hang with the perennial state powers because they can't compete up front with the schools with a S and C program with kids who have been lifting since 7th or 8th grade.....and sure enough not one of those schools made it far in the state tournament, and I don't believe any of them are still alive in this years tournament and the quarterfinals are this weekend.

[Jesse Marunde]

Personally, from what I have seen personally and read, I think the strongest, most explosive athletes with the most impressive gym lifts and sprint times are world-class shot putters. Nobody ever mentions them though, I just think they get overlooked. 400+ cleans and 300+ snatches are almost prerequisite for your 70 foot throwers. Louie Simmons said Udo Beyer could squat over 970 with no gear, and he said he saw him do 10 singles with 660 in a behind the neck jerk. And Louie isn't the announcers on Monday Night Football, if he said he saw a gym lift, I believe it was legit.

Without a doubt. But your're wrong about 400+ cleans. Try more like 500+ cleans. Elite shot putters are legit olympic lifters, many might even be good enough to come close or qualify for the olympics. Also, many shot putters have amazing 40 yrd and 100m times. In fact, I know of several high schoolers who were state champs in the 100, 200, shot and disc. I've heard about some putters doing 600+ behind the neck jerks. It's not impossible, considerying weightlifters are doing 560+ after cleaning it. But, 660 is stretching it, especially for 10 singles. I won't say it's impossible, but if it really did go down, then why was it never documented or photographed or videod? I mean, that's like running a 3 minute mile in the middle of no where, or catching a 30 pound lake trout with one spectator... Well, asuming it did happen, just imagine the work of loading and unloading all those plates after every attempt, cause you know he was dropping the bar to the floor after every single. I hope I never get that strong, that would be just too much work! :T:

[Tony Moses]

Never thought if 660 was possible or not, it is all so unfathomable to me, lol. And that would be a PAIN unloading and resetting the bar.
A lot of Eastern European athletes have reprtedly done some stuff of legend during training, but of course there is no proof, maybe it makes for better discussion and BS sessions.

Jesse's post made me think of Ken Patera. 66 foot shot putter, well 65+++ at the olympic trials and didn't make the '68 olympic team because the US is that damn good, then turned his focus to weightlifting and won the Pan AM games...bombed out of the '72 Olympics, but still, a great, great athlete that often gets overlooked. Many don't even know about Patera's athletic resume or strength feats because he became more famous mainstream as a pro wrestler. One of the greatest overhead lifters who ever lived. Dunked b-balls at 330-340 around 6' or 6'1....all around good athlete, had impressive SQ/BP/DL numbers when he did some powerlifting too.

Brian Oldfield is another shot putter who was an amazing athlete.....some say to take his numbers with a grain of salt, but regardless of what is 'folklore' and what isn't there is still enough documented proof of what a freak of nature Oldfield was.

[Paul Neuhaus]

I don't know jack about the strength of football players, or how to train for oly or track and field. But I do know one thing.

A silverback gorilla would whoop 'em all!! :BB: :T:

[Sean Crabbe]

I don't know jack about the strength of football players, or how to train for oly or track and field. But I do know one thing.

A silverback gorilla would whoop 'em all!! :BB:

speaking of gorrilla strength, here's pic of one of my friends, Tony Leiato, at the HSM competition a few not too long ago (corey, jesse, travis, kevin, grant, were all there). A ususal competitor and former HSM winner, Tony wasn't even in competition! he's the one of the few human beings that i know whose phenotype comes close to that of a gorrilla, let's not forget that he's humble as is large. :eek: (i hope this doesn't count as highjacking the thread, if it did, sorry)

<center>
<a href="http://www.stclairstrength.com/index.php" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.stclairstrength.com/albums/album15/282710954203_0_ALB.jpg">
</a>
</center>

[Mac Smith]

Word class throwers are other-wordly IMO!!! These guys amaze me with the all around strength, speed, athleticism, and explosion, not to mention the technique expertise. I've got mad respect for these athletes.

[Ryan Phillips]

mad respect from Mac :mag:

i was 2 time Australian Junior Champ

[Jesse Marunde]

[QUOTE=Tony Moses]Brian Oldfield is another shot putter who was an amazing athlete.....some say to take his numbers with a grain of salt, but regardless of what is 'folklore' and what isn't there is still enough documented proof of what a freak of nature Oldfield was.QUOTE]

That video of him dunking a 16lb shot is sweet. He's so fast twitch I don't doubt he did some great pulling movements. But in another video I watched, his jerk was not impressive by weightlifter or modern throwers standards.

[Jesse Marunde]

Word class throwers are other-wordly IMO!!! These guys amaze me with the all around strength, speed, athleticism, and explosion, not to mention the technique expertise. I've got mad respect for these athletes.

Which brings me back to our previous discussion about how freakishly talented really good football players are. Many top throwers have been recruited to play ball based on their amazing stats. I don't know of any that made it big except for one. I'm drawing a blank on his name... he put the shot like 82 feet in college I think. Then went and played for KC I think.

Jesse

[Ryan Phillips]

ahh i'd say u'd be thinking of Mike Carter. He was a FREAK!!! He won a silver medal at the 84 Olympics and im pretty sure he won 2 superbowls. welli know he def won 1. But yeh, he was the only top thrower to make the change over to football and do really well at it

im off to the gym now. catchya

[Mac Smith]

Which brings me back to our previous discussion about how freakishly talented really good football players are. Many top throwers have been recruited to play ball based on their amazing stats. I don't know of any that made it big except for one. I'm drawing a blank on his name... he put the shot like 82 feet in college I think. Then went and played for KC I think.

Jesse


Jess,

I think you would notice more football players with Oly lifting strength and speed, if there were more Oly lifting experts in high school. Unfortunately there are very few olympic lifting coaches in the entire US, much less at the high school level. It's just easier to teach the powerlifts rather than the olympic lifts. I really want to teach my sons the lifts, but I can barely lift em properly myself. I wish I would have had better coaching in those techniques because it would have made me a better football player at every level and a better thrower in high school (I threw 58' as a senior).

[Tony Moses]

Mac, a 58' throw in HS is no joke. I'd have to say most years in most states it is good enough for a state title. I also think that a lot of pro athletes in other sports could be respeced much more for their olympic lifts if they were taught properly. The lifts rely on so much athleticism, I just can't see how guys with 40" verticals and other attributes like speed and balance wouldn't excel at them if they were shown how to do them.

I agree 100% that it's hard for a pure thrower (or anybody without a football background) to cross over to football. It is kind of like that Brock Lesnar theory on how such a physical freak didn't make it in the NFL......but I want to pose another issue......How many potential elite throwers end up pursuing football? What I mean is in college.....Most of the state champs in discuss and shot usually also play football in HS and the ones good enough to get a scholarship to a big school for football usually take it, I'd imagine for the glory and that chance they will go pro and make some money. Plus track doesn't have the available scholarships football does and a lot of kids settle for partial scholarships, many have to pursue the college instead of the other way around, and many have to walk-on teams. I was killing time online one day and I looked at the PA track and field championships the last few years and I could pick out names left and right of the place winners in discuss and shot that ended up choosing fotball in college.

So, it is common discussion that Olympic Lifting would have a much greater talent pool in the US if big glory, big money sports weren't more popular, but do you guys think US throwers would be unstoppable if a lot of those kids winning high school state titles or placing very high didn't opt to play football. The US already has some damn good throwers and is a powerhouse on the international scene, and is in no way comparable to US weightlifting......but what if throwing were as popular as football?

[Jesse Marunde]

Jess,

I think you would notice more football players with Oly lifting strength and speed, if there were more Oly lifting experts in high school. Unfortunately there are very few olympic lifting coaches in the entire US, much less at the high school level. It's just easier to teach the powerlifts rather than the olympic lifts. I really want to teach my sons the lifts, but I can barely lift em properly myself. I wish I would have had better coaching in those techniques because it would have made me a better football player at every level and a better thrower in high school (I threw 58' as a senior).

It's not hard to teach kids the basics. Just a little bit of understanding goes a long way in the weightroom. My highscool football coaches didn't even make us lift. My intro to weighliting came from our distance running coach, who was a top level runner in college. He had the knowledge of how to improve my game even though we were in different sports. You can still teach your sons how to perform the lifts if you know the right terms and can communicate them. It's the old saying, "you don't have to be a good player to be a good coach."

58' is amazing. I mess around once in a while, and I still can't throw that far!

Jesse

[Mac Smith]

Mac, a 58' throw in HS is no joke. I'd have to say most years in most states it is good enough for a state title. I also think that a lot of pro athletes in other sports could be respeced much more for their olympic lifts if they were taught properly. The lifts rely on so much athleticism, I just can't see how guys with 40" verticals and other attributes like speed and balance wouldn't excel at them if they were shown how to do them


I went to high school in texas. Most of the top throwers were throwing 60'+. The year I graduated a guy name Ceasar O'Neil from Houston threw 64' for the state title. 58' in Texas at the time was in the top 20, I guess. And every single top thrower in the state ended playing offensive or defensive line in college (except me I only weighed 220 and ended up a linebacker).

[dave barron]

Hang on - you threw 58' at 220 lbs? And you stopped throwing because...?
:eek:

[Adam Keep]

58' is a great throw. My senior year I weighed about 210 during track season and threw 55' and some inches. That didn't get me to state though. Only the top 2 in the district made it to state, which sucked because other districts had weak throwers and were sending guys to state with 48' throws and placing. My average throw would have gotten me 3rd in state. The top 2 from my dist. went 1st and 2nd both throwing over 59'.

[Ryan Phillips]

when i was 17, i threw just over 19m (around 64ft)

how does that go against ppl my age in the US? do any of u know? just wondering how i would've done over there.

[Mac Smith]

Hang on - you threw 58' at 220 lbs? And you stopped throwing because...?
:eek:

Because I got a scholarship to play football at a D-1 college and all I wanted to do was concentrate on school and football. I had enough outside concerns (wife and child right out of high school), that I didn't need one more.

[Tony Moses]

Mac, you should have moved to PA....55'-59' is usually good enough for all state honors.....the best throw I remember at states in recent years was 59 and change several years back and the kid went on to play O-tackle for Penn State, if you decided to throw in college, as you got heavier and stronger I think you could have competed for real in college with the 16lb shot, and I don't know how tall you are, but if you're under maybe 6'2" or 6'3" they probably would have taught you to throw the hammer too in college and I bet you could launch that as well.......Ryan, you would be one of the best throwers in the country and have college track coaches drooling with a 64' throw your Sr. year of high school, I'd say you'd be guaranteed top 3 in just about any state in the country, and most states you'd probably be guarenteed a title.

[Mac Smith]

Mac, you should have moved to PA....55'-59' is usually good enough for all state honors.....the best throw I remember at states in recent years was 59 and change several years back and the kid went on to play O-tackle for Penn State, if you decided to throw in college, as you got heavier and stronger I think you could have competed for real in D 1, and I don't know how tall you are, but if you're under maybe 6'2" or 6'3" they probably would have taught you to throw the hammer too in college and I bet you could launch that as well.......Ryan, you would be one of the best throwers in the country and have college track coaches drooling with a 64' throw your Sr. year of high school, I'd say you'd be guaranteed top 3 in just about any state in the country, and most states you'd probably be guarenteed a title.


Texas is known for football, so little emphasis is placed on other sports. I actually began my football career (at age 7) in Irwin PA. I didn't take throwing or any other sport serious in high school, just football, because I was being recruited by colleges since my sophmore year. I figured my success was there. I never thought about throwing the hammer until I did a highland games a couple of years ago. BTW when I graduated from high school I was a bit under 6'2 and by the time a graduated from college I was a bit under 6'4 (6'3 5/8 according to NFL scouts).

[Tony Moses]

Mac, having a family right out of high school and going on to play college ball says a lot about your character, thats impressive to me.....a wife and kid is a big responsibility as it is, especially for an 18-19 year old kid.....school and football is a big responsibility as it is....combine the two and not too many people can do it....I give you all the credit in the world.

[Mac Smith]

Mac, having a family right out of high school and going on to play college ball says a lot about your character, thats impressive to me.....a wife and kid is a big responsibility as it is, especially for an 18-19 year old kid.....school and football is a big responsibility as it is....combine the two and not too many people can do it....I give you all the credit in the world.


Thanks bro!!! All that pressure was just extra motivation to graduate and take my shots at the big time!

[Adam Keep]

when i was 17, i threw just over 19m (around 64ft)

how does that go against ppl my age in the US? do any of u know? just wondering how i would've done over there.

Ryan, that would have placed you very well here. I don't know of many teens throwing that far anymore.

[dave barron]

I never thought about throwing the hammer until I did a highland games a couple of years ago

How did you do? Any thoughts of doing another one?

[Mac Smith]

How did you do? Any thoughts of doing another one?

I finished third behind Mike Adelman and Joe Harris. Both have competed in several highland games before. It was my first. They hold a pretty good size Scottish fair and highland games in Rio RAncho every year. I can't remember how far I threw the hammer at that contest, but I do remember I won the event. Not bad for throwing it for the first time. LOL!! I've been told that they hold a major highland games event in Nevada every year in the spring. I may do it if time permits, but I've really been trying to concentrate on making some noise in strongman this upcoming year.

But the whole Scottish fair and displays was very fun. It's always great to see the look on the faces of people when a black dude comes out in a kilt and proves Scottish heritage. The people were great and it was a lot of fun. I will definately do another one, I just don't know when.

[Paul Neuhaus]

http://www.ivanko.com/wayzata.html

You guys have got to see this. It's a high school gym!!

Maybe this should be on a new thread, but this was part of your conversation here.

[Dave Ostlund]

http://www.ivanko.com/wayzata.html

You guys have got to see this. It's a high school gym!!

Maybe this should be on a new thread, but this was part of your conversation here.


HA! Wayzata was in the same conference as my high school. Edina always gets shit because everyone thinks we're all spoiled rich kids, which earned us the nickname cake eaters. OUr weight room was bare bones compared to that though.

[Jesse Marunde]

http://www.ivanko.com/wayzata.html

You guys have got to see this. It's a high school gym!!

Maybe this should be on a new thread, but this was part of your conversation here.

that is so insanely cool...

[Jonathan Macfarlane]

Yeah cool deal with the throwing everyone. I feel like a little girl compared to some of you guys. I've thrown 61 with the 11 in training lately, but not done in a meet so doesn't count. I'm hoping to get a 340lb powerclean before the year is out while I'm at school.

[Ryan Phillips]

when i was 17, i threw just over 19m (around 64ft)

how does that go against ppl my age in the US? do any of u know? just wondering how i would've done over there.

Ryan, that would have placed you very well here. I don't know of many teens throwing that far anymore.


awesome :KD: thanx, i was just wondering, cause i could never find any rankings on the net for highschool throwers in the us. i dont do shot anymore, though i wish i did with the strenth i have now. back then i could only bench 225 for 2 reps. lol. though it was about as fast as i bench 132 for 2 reps. real explosive. i had a few throws over 66ft in training but could never produce in comps (choke) but it was all good fun lol. cheers

[Kÿle Vezeau]

awesome :KD: thanx, i was just wondering, cause i could never find any rankings on the net for highschool throwers in the us. i dont do shot anymore, though i wish i did with the strenth i have now. back then i could only bench 225 for 2 reps. lol. though it was about as fast as i bench 132 for 2 reps. real explosive. i had a few throws over 66ft in training but could never produce in comps (choke) but it was all good fun lol. cheers

What weight was the shot ?

I could only put a 12 lb shot about 12 m as a senior in high school. I remember a guy by the name of dominic tossing it 11 m without any leg drive, the 450 # bench press probably helped. Which is not a bad for farmboy that had only been lifting for 3 years.

[Jonathan Macfarlane]

when i was 17, i threw just over 19m (around 64ft)

how does that go against ppl my age in the US? do any of u know? just wondering how i would've done over there.


Did you go to world youths for aussie by any chance? I thought you threw like 20.28m 5kg in a meet. DId you use the spin?

[Eric Johnson]

http://www.ivanko.com/wayzata.html

You guys have got to see this. It's a high school gym!!

Maybe this should be on a new thread, but this was part of your conversation here.

Nice gym, my highschool had a great gym in it's day (graduated in '87) and they recently remodelded it, see pic below, it is really nice now. It is Kamiakin HS in Kennewick WA, same highschool Ryan Kennelly went to.

[Paul Neuhaus]

That makes me jealous. My HS didn't even have a weight room. And if they did, the students probably would have used the weights as weapons!

It was a bad school in Chicago.

[Ryan Phillips]

What weight was the shot ?

I could only put a 12 lb shot about 12 m as a senior in high school. I remember a guy by the name of dominic tossing it 11 m without any leg drive, the 450 # bench press probably helped. Which is not a bad for farmboy that had only been lifting for 3 years.

yeh it was a 12lb shot. with the 14lb i had aout 61 ft

[Ryan Phillips]

Did you go to world youths for aussie by any chance? I thought you threw like 20.28m 5kg in a meet. DId you use the spin?

hey, yeh i did go to world youth champs in 03 and threw crap. i pulled my glute the first day off the plane. cause i was sitting down for 14 hrs straight from the flight my muscles got really really tight and cause i've never had to deal with that before i didn't know to get it a days rest and extra stretching. so when doing fast power squats the day we got off the plane i pulled it. onnly ended up throwing a weak 17.30m or something.

i've never had a 20m throw in comp. but if its writen down somewhere that i have, then i'll claim it :D:

[Ryan Phillips]

oh and yes, i used the spin :D

[Tony Moses]

http://www.ivanko.com/wayzata.html

You guys have got to see this. It's a high school gym!!

Maybe this should be on a new thread, but this was part of your conversation here.

If I were still in high school, I'd ask my mom if she'd consider moving to WA in that school district, lol.