If you send a question, it may appear on the website. Please do not submit a question if you do not
want it published. Only your first name will be used for privacy reasons.
5th Annual DeFranco’s Strongman Contest!
Carolina Panthers guard, Mack Bernadeau, was a man on a mission!
To be completely honest, I was a little nervous about this year’s strongman contest. After all, how the hell were we supposed to top last year’s event?! Last year’s contest boasted 100+ spectators from over a dozen states and three different countries! Let’s not forget that there was a friggin’ movie being filmed about our gym as well! To top it off, the high school division ended in a tie and we had one of the most exciting finishes of any competition I’ve ever witnessed!
A classic moment in DeFranco's Training history
But then the phone call came…
A couple weeks ago, I received a phone call from a representative from the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. To make a long story short, the representative asked me if we would be interested in making this year’s contest a charity event for pediatric cancer. When I asked the representative how she found out about our annual contest, she told me she read about it on my website and she was very impressed – yet shocked – at our international following. She asked me if we really train athletes from all over the world. She also wanted to know if I would be able to write about the event – and the charity – on my website so we can reach out to more people than just the athletes, parents and coaches that would be attending the event. At that very moment, every single second I’ve spent working on this damn website and building my audience became VERY worth it! I was so proud and excited to tell her that I would love to write about the event; and I thought it would be a great way to “spread the word” about this incredible charity to a huge audience. When I told her that my website has been averaging over 3.2 million hits per month, she was ecstatic! Words can’t describe how grateful – and humbled – I was with her phone call and her enthusiasm. When I was a kid – if you would have told me that my obsession with physical strength would one day be used to help such a special cause – I would have thought you were crazy!
It was 10 years ago this summer that I first started having my athletes push my truck, lift sandbags, flip tractor tires and carry around heavy gas tanks and rocks! We did this in vacant parking lots when no one was around and no one was watching. Now - 10 years later – millions of people are able to watch our athletes train in this manner (via this website) and our efforts are being used to help find a cure for pediatric cancer. I’m actually getting a little choked up writing about this; it’s a very special feeling when you can do something you love; and help others in the process.
I wanted to mention St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital before I got into the highlights of the day because I wanted everyone to remember that this year’s contest wasn’t just about who was the strongest; it was about something MUCH more important. For all the athletes that competed in our contest and are reading this right now – whether you took 1st place or last place – don’t forget how lucky you are just to have been able to compete in such an event.
Thanks to all the athletes, parents, coaches and friends who attended the event. Your generosity and donations were greatly appreciated!
July 19th, 2008…
11:00 A.M. – The thermometer already reads 93-degrees…and it’s humid, very humid. Since I first started having “formal” competitions five years ago, it has always been brutally hot on competition day. This definitely adds to the drama and intensity of the competition!
11:20 A.M. - The competitors start arriving at our facility. The first crop of athletes to arrive are from Zach Even-Esh’s Team Underground. These kids come to play…the second they got out of their cars; the intensity level at the gym went up 100%.
Zach's kids are always intense, focused and strong; that's why we love having them come and compete!
HIGH NOON – The gym is PACKED…all the athletes have arrived and everyone is ready to go. The feeling in the gym reminded of the feeling in the locker room minutes before kickoff of a big game. I used to live for that feeling and I miss it more than words can describe.
The intensity, anxiety, adrenaline, etc…there’s nothing in the world like the feeling you get before a big game or competition. The gym had THAT feeling…it was cool as hell. Let’s just say that I had goose bumps and I wasn’t even competing!
12:05 P.M. – We call all the competitors outside for the rules briefing and a quick warm-up. As I look around, I realize that – once again – we have assembled a badass group of athletes to compete in this contest!
Jacksonville Jaguars
fullback, Anthony Cotrone
From high school freshman to professional athletes; from the USA to Denmark; from the NHL to the NFL; athletes from all sports and walks of life came to try and take home the most coveted “gym trophy” an athlete can own – the ‘DeFranco’s Strongest Man Trophy’!
Once again our contest was an "International Event" with the presence of David Plum. David traveled all the way from Denmark to train with us this summer!
15-year-old Pat Cole was the youngest competitor in a field of giants! This kid will definitely make some noise in the high school division in the years to come!
As if the title of “DeFranco’s Strongest Man” isn’t enough, the actual “trophy” had athletes foaming at the mouth this year! Every year, we try to “out-do” ourselves from the previous year; the problem was that we didn’t think we could possibly do any better than last year’s sculpted Sampson Trophy! After all, how can we come up with something more appropriate than Samson holding a lion’s head for our strongman winner? We needed to come up with something that oozes strength, masculinity, power, etc.
And then it happened…
On a random Friday afternoon, our very own Jeff Carr, came up with the ultimate trophy for the ultimate Strongman Contest.
What the hell is he thinkin'?
I don’t know if it’s because he’s from Idaho and he grew up hunting and gathering his food, or just because he’s a sick bastard, but this is what he thought would be fitting for our winners…
How’s a 51-inch sword that mounts on a custom, engraved wooden skull sound? Pretty appropriate for the toughest, strongest athletes in the country, huh?! Well that’s what we decided our winners would be taking home! This “trophy” definitely made a major statement and it definitely got all the athletes fired up!
CONTEST EVENTS
600+ pound tire flip
Hawthorne High School's Darin Wood
Last year we switched from a 500lb. tire to a 600lb. tire. Although we are using the same tire this year, I added a “plus” next to the 600 because the tire definitely got heavier! You see, we left our tire outside all year and it got rained on, snowed on, etc. The moisture definitely absorbed into the tire and made it heavier. Although our athletes struggled with it in the beginning of the summer, it turned out to be a positive thing in the end because it made everyone stronger!
Anyway, high school athletes flipped the tire 3X as fast as possible. College & Pro athletes were required to flip the tire 5X.
50-Yard Farmers Walk
Garrett Burgess, Wesley College
Athletes were required to walk 25 yards, turn around a cone, and walk 25 yards back to the starting line. High school athletes carried 172 lbs. in each hand. College & Pro athletes carried 202 lbs. in each hand!
Log Clean & Press
Ramapo College's Tom Kraus
Athletes were required to “clean” the log up to their chest and then press it overhead with their arms fully locked out. There was a 30-second time limit to get in as many reps as possible. High school athletes used a 102 lb. log. College & Pro Athletes used a 132 lb. log.
Backward/Forward Sled Drag (60 yards)
St. Louis Rams tailback, Lance Ball
Athletes were required to drag a heavy sled backwards for 30 yards and then immediately turn around and drag the sled forward to the start line.
River Dell High School's Vinny Baranello
High school athletes performed the sled drag with seven 45lb. plates on the sled. College & Pro athletes performed the sled drag with eight 45lb. plates.
High School Division notes:
With the 1st and 2nd place finishers from last year’s contest moving on to the College Division, the high school division was wide open!! There were some BIG BOYS in this division that could have hung with most college athletes! Here were the Top 3 finishers…
High School Division Results
3rd Place
Frank Spinelli, Monsignor Farrell HS
Staten Island, NY
Frank entered our contest representing Hanley Strength in Morganville, NJ…and represent well he did! This kid was built like a PIT BULL! In fact, when he first arrived at my facility and introduced himself to me, I think he broke my hand during our handshake! At a solid 6’ tall and 300 pounds, Frank would have won most other contests. Frank did have the best Farmer’s Walk of the entire high school division (18.56 seconds).
Congrats on a very solid performance, Frank! We look forward to seeing your progress next year!
2nd Place
Matt Lohrey, Dunellen HS (NJ)
When Matt first started training with us this summer, he was known as the “kid who needed a haircut from the town none of us ever heard of”! He quickly put Dunellen on the map and we now tell him he can wear his hair however the hell he wants! Matt’s work ethic and dedication are apparent…he travels over an hour each way to our facility and he has transformed in one short summer! Matt had the fastest sled drag time of the entire high school division (23.81 seconds) and he will be the #1 Ranked High School Athlete in next years competition! Keep an eye out for this kid!
1st Place
Doug Beyer
Avon Old Farms School, CT
The very first day that Big Doug Beyer walked into our facility (last summer), he had some BIG shoes to fill! You see, Doug attends Deon Anderson’s alma mater, Avon Old Farms School in Connecticut.
Tough act to follow.
To say that Doug has transformed over the past year would be a major understatement! This kid drives over an hour (from Chappaqua, NY) five times a week to train with us – his consistency and hard work has paid huge dividends!
Doug has transformed from a big and somewhat “awkward kid” into a 6’05” 283-pound “athlete” who is much stronger and much more athletic than he looks! The fact that he dominated such a talented high school division should tell you something about this kid’s ability…and he’s still growing and becoming accustomed to his new-found size and strength! He has also developed a “mean streak” that was unleashed during the strongman contest! Doug flipped the 600+ pound tire 3 times in 11 seconds, performed 17 reps with the log press, completed the farmer’s walk in 19.19 seconds and finished the sled drag in 25.75 seconds!
Congrats Doug! We are expecting BIG THINGS from you in the future!
College Division notes:
The College Division was STACKED with young talent! In fact, our Top 3 finishers this year were all college FRESHMAN! Rivalries have already started to form and it looks like we are going to be witnessing some classic battles for years to come!
Unfortunately, last year’s Runner-up in the College Division, Luis Altamiranda, was unable to compete due to a death in the family.
The 'Asshole' was also sidelined due to baseball obligations
This summer’s freak, Donnie Brown, was also unable to compete because he had football testing at school.
We look forward to having all these guys back next year!
With the above being said, I have to admit, I don’t think it would have mattered who showed up on Saturday…there was one guy who was on a mission, and he wasn’t being beat…by ANYONE!
Read on for the results…
College Division Results
3rd Place
Adam Triglia, University of Pennsylvania
Last years high school winner, Adam Triglia, cracked the Top 3 in this years College Division with another impressive performance! Although Adam’s day didn’t end with a 1st Place finish this year, he has established himself as a serious threat in the College Division for the next two years to come!
2nd Place
Ravi Pradhanang, William & Mary College
Ravi joined our program this summer and he has been an incredible addition to our team! This kid is an absolute animal! He is every coach’s dream - a true “Silent Assassin”! He’s always early for his appointments, he does exactly what we tell him to do, and he doesn’t say a word!
Ravi had the fastest Sled Drag time of the entire competition – he went 30 yards down & back with eight 45-pound plates in 18.50 seconds! Remember this kid’s name…you will be hearing a lot about him both on the field, and in the weight room!
1st Place
Brian "Curls" Pascal
Johns Hopkins University
“Curls” became a household name at our gym last year when he gave Adam Triglia the fight of his life in the High School Division! Although Adam won that fight with his epic prowler push in “overtime”, we all knew Curls would be back. What we didn’t know was that Curls would return as a friggin’ Superhero! This year, Curls showed up without his famous ‘curls’; instead, he was sporting a fresh mohawk, a cut-off “Underground Strength Coach” t-shirt, and an attitude…an attitude that said, “I aint taking 2nd place this year; I’m here to win!” And win he did…
This kid put on one of the most impressive displays of strength, power and conditioning that I’ve ever seen! He took 1st place in three of the four events and 2nd place in one event. His most impressive feat of the day was when he flipped the 600+ pound tire, five times in 13.9 seconds! That is unreal!
Congratulations Curls…you earned that sword! I don’t think there was a college athlete on the planet that could have out-performed you last Saturday! See ya next year for ROUND 3!!
Pro/Open Division notes:
This marked the first year that we added a “Pro/Open” Division to our contest. Although we always have pro football players training with us in July and we incorporate strongman exercises into their programs, I never asked them to compete in my contest. This year was different…THEY asked me if they could compete! They wanted to compete – and I allowed them to compete – for two reasons; first of all, all my pro football guys have been performing these exercises for the past four weeks. Flipping the tire, dragging the sled, pressing the log and performing farmers walks were “common” exercises for them…and they all became really good at these exercises. Also, once they heard that the event was for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital , they wanted to do it even more. I think that speaks volumes about these athletes!
So the “Pro/Open Division” consisted of the pro athletes that were in town training with us, as well as college graduates that are still training with us. The front-runner to win this division was undoubtedly EJ Barthel. EJ absolutely dominated the College Division last year and he was back to defend his title this year!
The Champ is HERE…
Pro/Open Division Results
3rd Place
Dan Davis
defensive end
Indianapolis Colts
Dan joined our program in January to prepare for UConn’s Pro Day. Going into his senior year at UConn, Dan was named to the Outland Trophy Watch List, given to the nation’s top interior lineman. Unfortunately, Dan suffered a knee injury his senior year at UConn; but, after training with us for 3 months, Dan’s knee got back to 100% and he had a great Pro Day. After his impressive Pro Day performance, Dan signed with the Colts. Judging by his Top 3 finish last Saturday, Dan is ready for training camp!
2nd Place
EJ Barthel
After dominating our Strongman Competition last year, EJ Barthel showed up very confident…maybe too confident? He did have every right to be confident; after all, last year’s victory earned him all the spoils of a true champion – A huge banner with his picture hangs high in our gym for all to see; his victory also earned him a major “role” in the upcoming documentary, “STRONG”. This “movie” role earned him some perks -- he has made guest appearances at nightclubs at the Jersey shore, he has been hired as a “celebrity judge” at bikini contests, etc. But - although EJ has had to juggle a lot of extracurricular activities - he still manages to get to the gym every day and he is still one of the biggest freaks we have! So, even though EJ may have had some “distractions” this summer, his performance last Saturday was still freaky! But, there was one man standing in his shadows who was just a little freakier…
1st Place
Mackenzy Bernadeau, offensive guard
Carolina Panthers
*The above photo shows Mack completing the 50-yard Farmer’s Walk in 19.31 seconds! (Not bad for a 318-pound guy with an extra 202lbs. in each hand!)
“Big Mack” is probably our best story of the year. Mack was the first athlete to enter our NFL Combine/Pro Day Preparation Program this year. He “limped” into our gym in December like a man on a mission. He knew the “odds were against him” and he would have to work his ass off to make it to the next level. Not only did Mack play at small, Division II Bentley College; he missed the last 4 games of his senior year with a torn meniscus. Because of this, Mack did not receive an NFL Combine invite. After working his ass off, Mack got his knee better than before his tear and he had NFL scouts and coaches in awe at his Pro Day! After his incredible Pro Day performance, the Carolina Panthers drafted Mack in the 7th Round!
Focused and confident.
Mack came back to train with us three weeks ago to get in peak physical condition for training camp. At close to 320 lbs., Mack is one of the most well-conditioned, athletic “big men” I’ve ever coached; he’s also strong as hell!
After witnessing that truck pull two weeks ago, we all realized that Mack had a legitimate shot of taking the Strongman Title away from EJ!
After putting together a near perfect performance, Mack edged out EJ by 2 points and became this year’s ‘DeFranco’s Strongest Man’!
Congratulations Mack.Best of luck at training camp!
GREAT Day for a GREAT cause!
-Joe D.
Copyright 2008
Site by Yellow House Design
We will list past questions here so that you can go back if you miss any advice Joe has given
