Brian Schoonveld Interview

[Mike Westerling]

I thought I would post this here until it got a permanent home on the interview page.....
Enjoy!

First off I’d like to say thank you for taking the time away from a schedule so busy it caused you to put your strongman career on hold for a while.
Not a problem Mike.

Could you give us a little insight as to what your life is like now and if you are planning on competing anytime soon?
I am very busy with work. I work 91 hours a week. I get 3-4 days off every 4 months. I have been eating an all raw food diet I tell ya I feel better than I ever have. I have not been sick or anything. I read an article in Ironmind and thought I would give it a shot. No raw beef just raw Yellow fin Tuna. I found a store that sells sashimi grade fish. I won't be competing anytime soon. I am hoping to get time off next summer. I am hoping I might be able to hit a contest or two then.

You mentioned you are almost back to your competitive weight. What are your current stats and how do they compare to your best?
I am currently 340 pounds, I am triing to get my weight down. I am not worried about weight I really just want to concentrate on getting in shape. I joined a community center down here in West Virginia. They have an Olympic size pool, so I am swimming again. As far as lifting, I do what I can with what I have left at the end of the day. I did find an old Train axle to deadlift. It weighs roughly 540 pounds and has a 2 and 1/2 inch axle. I try to lift it twice a week for how ever many I can get(ussually about 5 reps for 3-4 sets). I am not any where close to my best.

How old where you when you started training?
I was ten years old.

Where you always stronger than average? What where some of your lifts like in the first few weeks/months of training?
You could say that. I started triing to lift anything I could get my hands on. My first bench press when I was 10 was 140 pounds. I worked on my grandparents farm baling hay in the summer. I started this when I was twelve. My uncle was surprised that I could throw the bales of hay that typically weigh 90-120 pounds up into the hayloft. I did this till I was 17 and then I started laboring for bricklayers. This really helped my grip. I would train everyday ,when I got my license, at the gym. Before I just lifted at home with my brother's weights.

Who has influenced your training the most and what was it about them that caused you to follow their methods? Eddy Coan, Chad Coy, Karl and Brad Gillingham have been major factors in my development of strength and developing my skills for strongman. I have to thank them for all there help.
Eddy for getting me on the right rode to training and becoming one of my closest friends that has stuck with me.
Chad for getting me started in the world of strongman. Helping me get better at the events. Being one of my friends.
Brad and Karl helping me figure out my weaknesses and addressing them. And being just good people to be around.

What got you interested in powerlifiting and what where your best lifts?
I started getting burned out with strongman, so I looked to see what I could do with Powerlifting. I only did two meets in the USPF. So it was strict judging and single-ply gear. In Texas Cup 2003 : squat 747 bench 585 deadlift 727. That qualified me for Mountaineer Cup 2004 in Las Vegas. There I squatted 870 benched 705 deadlift 755 for a 2330 total and second place to Brian Siders. I had competed 2 weeks earlier in the IFSA world championship in Latvia. So I was pretty happy with my performance.

[Mike Westerling]

What was your training for powerlifting like?
Trainning with Eddy Coan you know it is very strict. Eddy is always looking at form and technique. I have learned alot under Eddy's eye. He has helped me with my trainning and mental focus. Every weight that you lift is all planned and completed as layed out. When I trained with Eddy I never missed a lift. He taught me to develop a plan and stick to it.

What got you interested in strongman?
My old gym owner in 1999 asked me if I ever thought about doing strongman. I had no idea what he was talking about. He said I had the build for it. So he told me about Chad Coy. I competed in the Central USA contest. One of the hottest contests I ever did. I didn't know what I was doing but I ended up third in my weight class to John Beatty and Wade Gillingham who got first. I had Chad yelling at me the entire time telling me this wasn't a bodybuilding contest. Chad and my gym owner had a constant pissing matches about who had stronger guys and better built guys. My gym owner was a former Mr. World champion in bodybuilding. So they had a rivalry. That is how I got started. Then Chad got me invited to the AFSA nationals in Vegas where Chad told me I would get my ass kicked. I surprised everybody and got second to Odd Haugen.

What are some of your personal bests in strongman?
I placed fourth in 2001 in Super Series World finals in Sweden, competed in 3 World's Strongest man contests. Won the American nationals 2 times (2000 and 2001) Held the appollon's axle record twice and still the current holder at 396 pounds. In 2001,in Hawaii did a 341 pound farmers walk for 194 feet beating Magnus Samuellson by ten feet. Being the first American to beat Phil Pfister in St. Louis and then heard it was a fluke so beat him again in Boston in 2001. World record holder in stone pressing in Holland I did a 136 kg field stone for five reps. Pulling 1550 at the Snowman Challenge in a six inch deadlift

How did your training evolve as you started to focus on strongman?
At first I steared away from gym training. This was fine at first when most contest were evolved around events. I still did alot of pressing movements. As I trained events I got really good at them and pushed the envelope on them all the time. Then we started seeing contests with the deadlift coming back. This opened up my weak spot. This proved to be fatal at Nationals in 2002. I placed close to last in the deadlift and watched my chances of three-peating slip away. I decided I had to take it back to the gym and get strong again. I knew how to do the events I just needed to be stronger. There are a few events that I feel that need to be done. Mine were the stones and conan's wheel. These were events I had to stay on top of or I would lose the feel for them.
The video of your axle world record for 4 reps was one of the most impressive pressing feats I have ever seen and it looked as if you had another rep in you. Thank-you, I felt like I could have did about 8 of them if I had to. I sold myself short though. I should have taken my third attempt and broke the 400 pound barrier. I just didn't know If I could get it cleaned after cleaning 396, I had no doubt I could have pressed alot more that day. Randall Strousen and Kaz thought I could have done 420 or so. It was just a great day.

What do you think is the key to overhead pressing strength and how do you train it?
This is a secret, it is a lift never seen before that I do. FRONT SQUAT!!!! That's it. That simple and easy. I found that without training front squat I was stuck pressing about 385 pounds. After doing front squats, My pressing power took off to new heights.

What where the weeks leading up to that lift’s workouts like?
This was months in the making and planned out very carefully. I knew I had the upper body strength I had to develop the drive to move larger amounts of weight. Front squat what better lift to develop drive for pressing large amounts of weight. I mean Olympic lifters do it. It just makes sense. So I started front squatting twice a week once heavy and once with about 225 pounds for explosiveness. I still worked alot on my pressing strength.

How did you split your training up like when training for strongman? Could you give us an overview of your typical routine sets reps etc?
Sunday: Squat I followed the 5x5 program set-up by Brad Gillingham at Jackyl's gym.com. Then a 10 minute break and sled drags ten sets of 80 feet continue to add weight to every set. The last set was special though. I would do a continous drag for 320 feet having a guy adding a plate every 10-20 feet till I couldn't pull no more then start pulling weight back off till I finished. Stiff legged dealifts 4 sets of 8. Sometimes I would trade sled drags for leg press and just do one huge set of about 100 reps and call it good. Glute and ham raise 2 sets of 20-25.
Monday: Front Squat. 8 sets of 3 with 225. go home after I was finished.

Tuesday: Farmers walk. I had 350 pound concrete cylinders I either did them or I didn't. If it was a good day 2-3 sets of about 150-180 feet. Bad day 1 set of about 50 feet and go in the house and bitch and realize you can't do it all the time. Sometimes you need more rest.
Wednesday: High bar squat 405 5 sets of 2.
Bench with a little wider than shoulder width. 8-10 sets with 3-10 reps depending where I was at with my training schedule
Close-grip bench shoulder width grip same as above.
Dips lovem best for overall development of the shoulders and triceps. 3 sets adding weight to each set. 5-15 reps.
Thursday: Front Squat followed Russian program that Brad Gillingham uses.
Deadlift Program by Brad with a little Eddy Coan twist thrown into it.
Atlas stones made a few runs till I just couldn't do anymore.

Friday: Rest!
Saturday: Light High bar squats 225 10 sets of 5
Light benches to warm up.
Heavy inclines 3 sets of 3-8 reps. Then I would shoulder press. Standing first then move to seated to finish off. Dumbell work side and front raises. If I was going to a contest with log press I would trade out the bar for the log.

Have you had any problem lifts or events/weak points and how did you overcome them?
Deadlift, As Eddy says "You have to deadlift to be a good deadlifter". Conan's wheel I do good in training then lose it when I get to a meet. I don't know.

What do you feel are your greatest strengths?
Mentally fighting myself against my body and making my body do what I want it to do. My wrestling coach told me once " If your still breathing your not dead. Now do what you have to do to win."

[Mike Westerling]

Any tips on training and/or technique on the following?

Yoke Start light and work on taking off fast and under control. Add weight slowly and develop going faster.

Farmers Either you can farmers or you can't. You can develop grip strength. I have beaten alot of guys in farmers, but I can't do the things they can on grippers and rolling thunder.

Conans Finding the sweet spot for yourself to carry it same as husafelt carry.

Stones Practice makes perfect. Hamstrings and hips.

Tire Hate it! dumbest event ever. Who ever thought of this event should die.

Log Partial front squats to develop drive

Axle Same as log and press. You can't be a great presser with out training it.

Squat Watch Eddy Coan's video that is where I learned before I met Eddy.

Deadlift Same as above.

Bench Same as above.

Grip Thick bar training, griippers anything that can and loooks like it would help try it and do it.

Can you give me a few comments on the following athletes?

Jouko First modern day strongman

Mariusz Going to be one of the greatest.

Svend Great competitor, showing with proper training and conditioning longevity in strongman

Magnus S Always a top performer since starting over 10 years ago.

Magnus Ver M All time greats Could look at an event and figure out the most efficent way to do it.

Travis O One of best stone lifters. Needs to slow down a bit so he doesn't burn out. Take it from somebody who learned it the hard way.

Zydrunas Strongest Man I have ever seen destroys anything that needs to be lifted. Just when you think he can't do something fast he blows you away. Atlas stones at IFSA world championships where he smoked everybody at the end of the day.

Vasyl V Risen to the ocassion fixed his weak deadlift and kicked Mariusz's ass in wrestling at WSM.

What are your thoughts about Phil Phister bringing the WSM back to American soil?
I am glad so many guys did so well at WSM this year and American's are back on the podium. I will give Phil credit he brought it when it needed to be brought. It was good to hear for once he didn't caught up in the political side and just went and competed.

Who do you think was the greatest strongman of all time and why?
Jouko Ahola, Big power in a little body. Modernized and showed that you don't have to be over 300 pounds to win.

Who was your favorite strongman (if different) and why?
OD Wilson Showed agility beating Jon Paul in a loading event and then got screwed by Douglas Edmonds later by changing an event he knew OD couldn't win. Should have been WSM.

Any other people you would like to comment on?
Eddy Coan Truly amazing to watch lift. The aura he brings when it is time to lift is awesome. Again showing proper training brings longevity. 25 years of being on top.
Karl and Brad same longevity through proper training.

Thank you Brian,
-Mike

[Steve Ryan]

Thanks!
Steve

[Matt Burns]

Great interview! Thanks guy's, I cant believe I missed this till now.

[Jared Enderton]

nice interview again!! great info.

[Jeff King]

Great interview. Good that Brian is doing well. Met him at the OHIO VALLEY STRONGMAN in 2002. Was a great guy!

[Vincent Dizenzo]

I have been around Brian a few times and competed against him once. He is an awesome guy. He is wild and just fun to be around. I hope he gets back into competing. He really is an animal.