My name is Nick Hickey and I have worked for HouseOfMuscle.com since 2007. I am proud to be a member of The House Where Muscle Is Built and it has been a privilege to service you, our valued customers for the past 7 years. It has been exciting to be part of the ever-growing movement that is House Of Muscle and I look forward to being part of the continual building process that is The House Where Muscle Is Built.
During my entire time here, IN THE HOUSE, I have always tried to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. I do strive to maintain the House Of Muscle mantra, Train Hard! and I do live the weightlifting lifestyle day in and day out.
Back on 08/26/13 we sent out HouseOfMuscle.com email newsletter #156 titled Nick's First Powerlifting Contest. In this email we detailed my first attempt at the world of competitive powerlifting. I set personal records in all three lifts in that competition, and I had a fantastic time. I learned a lot from the training leading up to that contest.
I trained extremely hard and built my body up to 310 lbs. Even though I was big and strong I felt that my body-fat percentage was too high so I decided to improve my body composition. Since that powerlifting meet alluded to above I have not competed in any specific athletic competition. What I have competed against is myself as I continuously push to Train Hard! day in and day out. My focus shifted to getting my weight down to a more healthy and athletic size. I have accomplished this, along with some other personal goals, but I do miss having a specific athletic competition to train for. So, I am back for more.
This time, my strength endeavor is going to be a little different. I am going to try my hand at a Strongman competition. Strongman has always been something that has interested me. You may know that HouseOfMuscle.com Founder Joel Sward has a background in Strongman competitions. Working for Joel since 2007 and essentially growing up within House Of Muscle, I must admit I look to Joel as a mentor for training and success. Being that he has competed in numerous high-level Strongman contests, I couldn't think of a better resource and role model for advice. Joel is excited about being able to guide me and provide me with advice for getting into the sport.
So, this is where I stand at the moment. I am 25 years old, 6'6" and 280 lbs, and I am continuing to try to gain strength and size. I think my height is an advantage for this sport, while it can be considered a disadvantage for conventional powerlifting. I had never trained on any Strongman implements or used any Strongman equipment until very recently, when I decided to compete in a contest. I have committed to compete in my first Strongman competition on 02/08/15 in Wilkes-Barre, PA, USA.
This competition is a NAS (North American Strongman) Level 1 Contest, which means they will have a novice division. I am entering the heavyweight novice division, since this is my first contest. Entering this division will allow me to compete with other athletes who have either never competed, or have never won their division at a contest. I am not concerned with the status of my competitors, but only with my own performance. The weights and events for the contest are already posted, so I have structured my training to include them. Here they are:
1. Viking Press: 230 lbs -- maximum reps in 60 seconds.
2. Trap Bar Deadlift: 425 lbs -- maximum reps in 60 seconds.
3. Conan's Wheel: 600 lbs -- maximum distance (no time limit).
4. Sandbag/Keg Carry Medley: 200 and 230 lbs -- 50 feet each for speed.
5. Atlas Stone Over Bar: 220 and 280 lb stones -- maximum loads in 60 seconds.
I am excited to give Strongman training and competition a shot, and I have already begun to dabble with some event training (more info to come soon). Something about signing up for a contest just takes your training to a new level of motivation. If you are on the fence about signing up to compete in something, I suggest you take the leap and give it everything you've got. You won't regret pushing yourself.
We are going to keep you guys updated about my process as I move towards and then ultimately compete in my first Strongman competition via this newsletter, our Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as posting some videos of my training on YouTube. In this video, you'll see me training Farmer's walk and Atlas Stones for the first time.
I am excited to embark on a new training journey and also to provide some insight into my training and lessons I learn along the way. I look forward to feedback from all of you, our valued readers and customers. It is time to push forward and get training. Stay tuned for updates. Thanks for reading.
