The Strongest Man on Earth - Our Thoughts

[@trident1314]

At first I thought Damn Loz's delts are absolutely massive then I realised it was the couch 😂

[@hafdeiros]

bruh same lol almost the same color

[@DeadFrozeKorro]

Lmfao

[@espenstoro]

Ego boosted and deflated in a single sentence 🤣

[@WeiderMystic]

same, but they are huge lol

[@booooboooo2010]

I think we all took a double take when the vid started lol. Big Loz is looking cut.

[@zeakwildfire3936]

Something that you guys didn't touch on. I really liked the commentary this year. It was great having loz, jerry, terry and even brian switching off on events and hopping in the commentary seat. You guys all did a great job commentating this year. Can't wait for next years competition.

[@romanteni]

The commentary and all the media was amazing. It was almost like NFL/UFC level quality, well as close as you can get there. It was awesome.

[@paddathehutt]

Agreed, was a real step up and thought that the viewing experience was much improved from previous years and other shows

[@romanteni]

@@paddathehutt The team just keeps getting better and better, but at this size, Brian needs to learn how to delegate (to the right people). If you try to do everything yourself, you will fail, we're just humans. He needs to find the right people, will obviously have to pay them, etc,. Can't wait for next year already!

[@hulkslayer626]

Loz got so much sun he is blending into the couch! Lol

[@diggypooper]

Did loz address the half reps?

[@mrsshahlaei451]

@@diggypooperI’ve put chapters in the video to make it easier to skip to any events you’re particularly interested in 🙃

[@CWPWWRESTLING]

@@diggypooper watch the video

[@shaqitup]

lol my first thought as well. Man’s looking good though

[@wanderer_oti]

​@@diggypooper maybe watch the video?

[@tomhand1070]

Personally think it would be better for Brian to test any new equipment in the Open contests. That way he can tweak it and get weights more accurate for the Pro show the following year. And it will help bring more eyes to the Open contests because people will want to see new pieces of equipment being used for the first time.

[@vonSlinkies]

We said this exact thing!

[@ardabayar3086]

Such a great idea!

[@77slate]

Smartest take I've heard so far. 👍

[@tankeater]

You obviously don't watch Brian channel...

[@tomhand1070]

@@tankeater I usually do but obviously so much has been put out by him recently it’s hard to watch it all. Has he said something about this then?

[@roadagent5158]

Also Liz out did herself once again with the BTS videos - absolutely superb, in some ways more exciting then watching live😂

[@poolpulse3447]

That Squat machine is not half as bad as the Sled Bull at the Rogue event...

[@TheJsasr]

Half sounds right to me. But yeah that's sled was terrible

[@TobyLifely]

Power medley was my favourite event - proper strongman, huge spectacle. I don't mind no one finishing the arm over arm to be honest I quite liked seeing who could pull something stupid heavy the furthest rather than something lighter for a set distance in the quickest time

[@high-captain-BaLrog]

Yes a true raw strong.man. implement just moving random stuff from one place to another

[@aaronbarlow4376]

Comments criticising the athlete's grip on the stones are just tacky.

[@veritas2145]

I see what you did there.

[@mrgaudy1954]

It’s lucky that Thor’s press still hasn’t recovered, if Mitch had been closer to 2nd the squat lift would have been a LOT more controversial. As it stands he was so far ahead it didn’t really make much of a difference.

[@brandonbaldwin6845]

Thanks for giving a fair, honest, and insightful look at the weekend. The negative comments drive me mad and do nothing positive for the sport.

[@matt7iron]

😮 what negative comments Mitchs Alligator Leg Squats.

[@beardedbjorn5520]

I disagree, without feedback things don't improve

[@brandonbaldwin6845]

@@beardedbjorn5520 but it has to be constructive, not just moaning and complaining

[@beardedbjorn5520]

@@brandonbaldwin6845 I think there's definitely a lot of constructive criticism being said. It's just getting drowned out by the moaning

[@balkamp8888]

So happy for Lucas! Such a huge win for him!

[@paddathehutt]

Think his podium is the placing that pleased me the most. Beating some real legit competition and finishing that high amongst such great company is a huge achievement.

[@Ultramutante]

I find it infuriating that Lucas Hattons second Deadlift was retroactively taken away. He got the down signal from the judge in the front of him. At that point, it doesn't matter if your lift was actually good or not. If the lift wasn't good, the judge shouldn't have given the down signal. Therefore the judge made a mistake. And as far as i followed the debate about strongman judging, I understand, that judging mistakes to the lifters advantage (undeserved lifts given a down signal) will stand as will a judging mistake were a good lift is not given the down signal. You win some, you loose some. It feels like this hurt a core principle of strongman judging. You don't RETROACTIVELY take away good lifts, even undeserved ones. It feels so fn wrong.

[@Pepesilvia267]

Agreed. Terry even said that when he judges if he gives you a down signal and was wrong, you keep the rep because if you get a no rep that was actually good, they won’t give you it later. You have to be consistent. If you allow the result to change after the fact then you need to allow it for both

[@romanteni]

Agreed

[@Micheldied]

Agreed. Keep your hand up until you think it's good. If you give a down call, IDK how you can blame the athlete for then putting the weight down and then take away the points from him.

[@igoryounes3745]

Agreed 100%

[@ghost187x]

Ed Coan disagreed, the side ref

[@alexanderreich749]

To me the mistake with the axles is 100% on the guy designing the looks of those implements. You just can't make them look identical, just do some slight color variation, or write the number on the sides or whatever, but if you make different things look the same, those mistakes are bound to happen

[@silverbackgorilla2112]

It's pretty simple, the weight should be clearly marked on them.

[@SpockPlaysGuitar]

It's on the organisers. Put a sticker on the it or a marker next to them

[@devlin76]

Of course he wants everything to look cool, but Brian should have had a little sticker with the weight listed on the end of the axles or something.

[@espenstoro]

Tan Loz is too OP. 😁 Thank you for playing a part and making the show better, much appreciated. Thank you for taking us behind the scenes again, Liz.

[@perfectinsanity72]

Lots of controversy but Brian knows how to put on a contest!

[@petershortland478]

If he knows how to put on event then why was there so much controversy it's clear he is overthinking things just like he has done in his entire career. He needs to let athletes choose way they do things because your complicating things this is why promoters keep things simple

[@LambClone]

@@petershortland478 I have to agree, I think Brian can get a little bogged down in semantics. Strongman is a sport but its also a show for spectators and needs to be exciting.

[@petershortland478]

I get it but it needs better thinking than just trying to make things heavy this is why GL and WSM test the events and keep it simple. I get Brians thinking but he needs to let athletes choose there feet placement I think also there should been a test rep because they didn't train a comp weight

[@elky454]

@@petershortland478 Every year Shaw has some kind of machine gimmick that fails. The KISS method is always best. That squat thing did not have a level playing field. And judging for it was a joke.

[@ismaelgonzalez2432]

He failed at this one

[@spikethebulldoghackett70]

Big respect to you Loz stating that Mitch's squats were high, especially being his coach. Question is how in the world did his squats get so high compared to his set up squat?

[@williamturner8852]

His "parallel" was measured with him using a high bar squat, which puts your torso at a more upright angle. When he squatted in competition he used a low bar squat, which shortens the range of motion. It puts the bar a few inches lower at the top of the movement, which requires you to move the weight through a shorter range of motion.

[@markevans4088]

@@williamturner8852 agreed, it’s daft to photo the feet and fix them but not fix the position on the shoulders.

[@daviesugo7641]

​@@williamturner8852 he used low bar too during testing. Go rewarch his testing. The issue was, he beat his back forward more cause it was a machine during the lift and his hips shot up as a result

[@JaelPendragon]

​@@williamturner8852false, get your facts straight and stop the bs

[@carlh296]

@@williamturner8852 Not true, the bar position on their backs was taken into account at setup. They used the same bar position in the comp. However, his squat was different, he leaned forward almost like a good morning, meaning his hips had less distance to travel. Also, the weight was no moved through a shorter range of motion, the range was set, from A to B, it was the how that changed.

[@mariusjohansen702]

Other than the high squats, regular dumbbell issues and Evans deadlift being disallowed i really liked this show. I didnt like seeing novikov doing this badly tho, i know he has injuries, but 2 years ago he wasnt off the podium in any comp.

[@thesupportingcast6972]

I understand what you’re saying. Not saying you’re wrong, but he also was doing war training. Not being a smart ass 😊

[@andreiunghie]

What do you mean “other than”? Also the over head medley weights mix up. Such things can destroy the show and raise questions (as it should) As good and talented as Mitch is, you can make a point that he had a HUGE advantage. After the squat, Thor knew at that point it’s Mitch’s title and it would be too hard to catch up with Mitch so you can make a case he lost a bit of momentum / motivation. Thor is a much better squatter than Mitch and a classic squat event would have shown that + I believe there are a few more better squatters that could have gotten in between Thor and Mitch.

[@nonodonttouchmethere674]

​@@andreiunghieaccording to strongman archives Thor has NEVER won a squat event in a competition in his whole career. He came joined 1st in 2018 heats with like other 11 guys and not all were timed. How does Thor beat Mitch and "a few more better squatters"?

[@fanaticfloyd]

@@nonodonttouchmethere674 he squats 60 kg more thats how.

[@kpack1993]

​@@andreiunghie It all seems to come down to 'my guy didn't win so its a sham'

[@-Erebus]

Watching Hooper lug that big trophy around the airport was like the ninth and final event 😅

[@LeahMT.]

Those trophies were works of art. I loved that they went something more unique than other competitions.

[@romanteni]

Where did u see those videos?

[@-Erebus]

@@romanteni I was at the airport

[@romanteni]

@@-Erebus wish there was more athlete videos, only a couple of them actually posted videos from their point of view. But I get it, not everybody can afford video people. Would have loved to see the reception Mitch got in Canada/airport

[@silverbackgorilla2112]

@@hannibalb8276 I'm quite fine, thank you, and I never lie. Stay Strong!!

[@TobyLifely]

If you're allowing straps, you have to allow any hand position within the straps, you want athletes to grip the bar I agree, get rid of the straps. Having the fingetip rule is just confusing for people watching as to why the athlete didn't get a perfectly good looking lift

[@devlin76]

Completely agree. They did not allow figure 8 straps to eliminate the excessive hang and ROM advantage. They did allow regular straps, so you have to be comfortable with the little bit of hang and finger opening they allow.

[@Micheldied]

I do agree with that. I understand why Brian did it (he likes grip, and thinks people should have full grips on implements), but it makes it very confusing for viewers, especially those who know less about the sport.

[@high-captain-BaLrog]

Yes or Brian should provide the athletes with straps like how they provided low temperature tacky

[@JorgeRojas-ut3wj]

EXACTLY! 👏

[@elvikingobarbaroja]

I respectfully don't agree. The point of straps is to help you grip the bar, so the bar should completely gripped. They're not to help in any other way and if the bar is slipping down people's hands/fingers, we could end up with a "Novikov at WSM" where he's taking two inches off the ROM.

[@mrgaudy1954]

I had a massive brain fart and thought the corner of the couch was Loz’s right shoulder.

[@holyhex6520]

You weren't the only one

[@piuforte]

Same here 😂...

[@sarahstorr]

🤣🤣

[@geebutteree4755]

Me to 😂

[@joestoppable]

Brian Shaw is one of the most respected if not the most respected names in Strongman. If people think for even a minute that he would rig something or do any unethical they dont know sh*t about him (or Keri for that matter). Do people realize he doesn't have to do any of this. He could have retired and lived off making videos and selling merch/supplements for the rest of his life. But he does this competition for not only the fans, but the athletes as well.

[@DutchDread]

What I haven't seen people mention yet about the squat that I think deserves to REALLY be criticized is the risk that the competitors were put in by not letting them adjust their stance. Forcing people to squat using an improper stance is a HUGE no imo, to the point that I honestly find it a bit disgraceful. Forget zero-ing, think about peoples backs and knies.

[@milanaleksic8979]

Thor's knees going inside looked scarry. Very bad position to do squats.

[@richardturrell1484]

They could put their feet where they wanted on testing and setting up. What they were checking in the comp was that their feet were the same as setting up

[@milanaleksic8979]

@@richardturrell1484 testing was done with a much lighter weight, I think 120kg, so it's not the same. Just listen to what Loz said...

[@richardturrell1484]

@@milanaleksic8979 My point was that each athlete can position their feet where they like, the refs were ensuring that during the event the athletes had their feet the same as testing. If they messed up it's on them. I was addressing the point made by someone who said that the ref was telling them where to put their feet, they were free initially to put them wherever they wanted but comp had to be same as testing

[@Micheldied]

I think they had to test with a much heavier weight. Like 600 pounds.

[@xSpecterx99999999]

So glad to see the two of you at SMOE! It was weird not seeing you there before. Brian should hire you full time to work on the 2025 show and beyond. He needs expert help in testing and building implements. Then move to the US and get you a big house.

[@CrazyChickenFarmer]

A big cardboard house? 🤣

[@ravensdark99]

I recommend watching Mitch’s video on it where he explains all in technical detail . Obviously some people won’t care but it is really good and you get an understanding of the techniques involved

[@mcfarvo]

Mitch deserved to win, but Halfthor would have been closer if not for a few little judging/apparatus technical issues. Brian did a great job as usual. Glad for Lucas! What an emergence?!

[@diggypooper]

How did he deserve to win with half reps?

[@farmari87]

I think Hafthor would have been closer if other men would have played the events more wisely and thought more about the points (like Mitch does) - Mitchell would have lost more points. But since this wasnt the case Mitchell was pretty much top 3 in every event. Deadlift for example.

[@ВалентинДудаев]

⁠@@farmari87in fact if it was only Thor vs Mitch, Hafthor would be a winner

[@nonodonttouchmethere674]

​@@diggypooper By performing better on overall events and not having a bad press. Guess this is not the first title Thor loses because of a squat with people too delusional about it

[@bartb217]

Don't agree, if the issues mentioned wouldn't have happened, the outcome would have been different. We are talking about a lot of points and contestants (not Thor and Mitch) that did not get any points or a lot less than they could have had without those issues.

[@danthechauffeur1323]

Fantastic review, guys, and thank you for your continued, highest quality behind scenes coverage. I'm a black guy, but Uncle Loz, blimey brother, you're making me look pale in this video😂😂😂. Keep up the fantastic work guys, all the best to you both.👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿

[@tannerhutton5888]

Austin Andrade and Lucas Hatton impressed me a lot. Trey was also very impressive, considering his recent performances. I think Trey had more in the deadlift, and I think he was capable of doubling the 550 stone if he hadn't started with the lighter one first. Probably just wasn't sure how hard he could push it. Disappointed he couldn't move the wheelbarrow, but that's always been an issue with him. Also Disappointed that he couldn't slide that 600 block a half inch further onto the top platform before running out of time 🙃

[@TobyLifely]

Loz looking swole!

[@toddapplegate3988]

While perfect isn't possible Shaw is making every effort. He doesn't design the competition for one athlete.

[@CarmaineCotham]

Love the Embassy suites couch. Love your point of view on the contest. Was so nice meeting the both of you. Cant wait til next year.

[@calumtodd9879]

The thumbnail makes Lucas Hatton look like he's about 3 ft tall 🤣

[@scottessery100]

There’s innovation and there’s reinventing the wheel

[@silverbackgorilla2112]

Exactly. The Squat Apparatus and Event was a Total Fail. The Arnold Classic setup in 2022 is the way to do it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qIWveYuEbs-sebMsi=ELcUlXPQI2VJVj9g

[@AlexanderBromley]

Love the work you guys do behind the scenes and giving context to the events! I'm pulling for SMOE to clean itself up in the next years... but who knows. Maybe the controversy is better for engagement!

[@zcddrew]

Love you Bromley!

[@thorthewolf8801]

"All publicity is good publicity" is bs. Sooner or later everyone will figure out that what you are selling is shit. Not at all sustainable, and not something Brian is going for.

[@TylerThurke-ki4bv]

Great recap as always! So glad I had the chance to meet you both in Colorado, thank you for taking the time. Coach Loz's team all showed up and competed well!

[@shade89]

T-Rex deadlift was good! 100%. Other than that great show!

[@spikethebulldoghackett70]

So was Lucas 2nd attempt

[@Nicknoone1936]

Not if their thumbs weren't touching their fingers. Rules were clearly stated to all athletes. Come on now ya whiney ass

[@travLee7]

With the rules you can't let the bar hang in your straps so your fingers have to touch.

[@LogHewer]

Not according to their rules. 🤷

[@mustang8206]

Not according to the rules. It's not hard to wrap your hand around a bar

[@MrAcp897]

So appreciate you both being at the show, being a part of the show and for all you do!

[@roadagent5158]

The points system is what it is and has been for ages, but as it stands it does not particularly reward an event win. In motorsports for example a win has traditionally had a bit of an air-gap over second place etc, with lower placings being separated by just a point. It does mean the best all-rounder will end up on the top step which is very valid, BUT it is a shame to see lots of event wins not really having that much clout. Also if an athlete has a howler (Tom) he has to rely on the guys ahead having their own disaster as even event wins won't allow you to claw it back as the delta is so small. Is what it is

[@andrewgilbertson5356]

Thank you both👏👏

[@ThorsHammer88]

The squat definitely put a damper on things but it was a great comp overall

[@vonSlinkies]

We went in person and it was a phenomenal show. True, it was disappointing seeing so many events with half the field zeroing, but as a local I'm inclined to think that the weights chosen underestimated the effects of altitude, rather than being inherently set up poorly.

[@JorgeRojas-ut3wj]

A lot more than half the field zero'd multiple events, bud. You had 16 participants and on half of these events you had only 0 - 4 guys finish or get points. The contest was a zero points party.

[@LogHewer]

​@@JorgeRojas-ut3wj We want to see who is strongest...not who can do the most reps with a weight light enough for the weakest men on the field to lift. 🤷 Weak is a relative term in this context, obviously.

[@andrewgilbertson5356]

Mitch 👑🦀 Hooper does it again. He is brilliant . Reads the rules and works out how they can be used to gain a slight advantage . The other guys had the option of doing the same. However, because of his quad strength in the squat he got more out of raising his hips than the rest. For most of the others they are more glute, hamstring squatters and therefore had to stick to a hips down squat. At least that’s my take on it. Now to watch the vid and see what the experts think.

[@mustang8206]

Imagine glazing a split jerker

[@hannibalb8276]

That's basically what all the experts think too, lol. It's only thor's GOT fanboys that are crying about this.

[@nicholasskridla2475]

Loz looking jacked, and Liz lovely as always. Strongman's power couple!

[@groggdog15]

Unreal that Mitch got his squat measurement to be that far off of parallel, huge fan of Mitch and Thor and was rooting for everyone to do well, but there’s a reason he got sooo many more reps than the rest of the field as they struggled massively as most no repped it.

[@bronchoped]

The main reason is that this was not a squat but a quad dominant smith machine. As thors coach said they all made a mistake in foot position and how they approached it. You needed a narrow stance and quad drive to get out of the hole. No one on the planet is beating mitch at that implement. You could have lowered mitchs depth by 5 inches and he still wins it easily. This is why Bobby abd lucas beat thor too. As both did the narrow stance quad push.

[@LegendofNelda]

​@@bronchopedThor is a much better squatter than Mitch

[@haloextreme0]

@@bronchopedI disagree. Mitch was the only one who actually did low bar which allows more hip engagement and reduces range of motion

[@splinter357d6]

@@bronchoped Its especially quad dominant when you switch your stance from low bar to high bar and only do quarter reps

[@bronchoped]

@@splinter357d6 he didn't switch stance. Go look at the equipment testing. Any other conspiracies you want to make?

[@HubertTheMad]

Great to hear your thoughts! Thanks for the work you two have put in during the weekend, and hope you both get some much needed rest!

[@bradvine4564]

Welcome to Red Loz Official

[@fredkemp1444]

Loz, Liz, thanks as always for making strongman entertainment for us fans! Safe travels!

[@TheDudeAbidesMan1969]

Good win for mitch but very dubious squat. Referees had a few dodgy calls but entertaining show.

[@createachanneltopost]

The squat was measured to depth at 90 degrees in the knees, not to break parallel with the femurs. That's why all the high bar squatters were squatting "high" and the low bar squatters were going much lower. It's confusing but it's not cheating.

[@davidkosiba624]

​@@createachanneltopostYou really gonna spam this under every comment? Lol

[@awallner1]

@@createachanneltopost I understand what you're saying. But it may be tomfoolery in convincing these people that it's not cheating. They just won't understand. May be to get around this is for Brian to say everyone squats high.

[@askme2985]

The height is adjustable on the bar for that squat machine. Hooper got measured for the bar with a highbar stance, but opted to low bar squat it in the event to decrease the ROM. Brian should have noticed it and disallowed it. Hooper gamed the system and knew exactly what he was doing.

[@diggypooper]

@@createachanneltopostno, it’s just cheating

[@johne.hilbert2046]

Fantastic to see you two there this year!!!!!!!!!

[@benstewart8516]

Impressed by Loz's David Dickinson impression

[@outlimboed]

Mitch's win was a real Bobby-Dazzler

[@Wyoboy7220]

Thank you for your coverage and view points, you guys are always a class act.

[@FoxwalkPrimitive]

The squat should’ve been based on depth alone. They should’ve set Hooper’s depth at parallel. Biggest blunder of the whole show.

[@Micheldied]

I honestly think this is an equipment issue. The load can only go down so far before stopping, and only the bar height is adjustable. So the only way to make it deeper is you make the bar height much lower, which makes the unrack much harder. Squat technique can change a lot as weight increases. My bet is Mitch had a more upright torso position in testing, which made his hips lower, and when it came to 800 pounds, his hips shot back more and thus were higher (since the load stops at a fixed point). Whether he did it subconsciously or intentionally, this is an issue with the implement.

[@daviesugo7641]

They did measure to parallel, he just bent his back forward during the actual lift to get the most from the machine.

[@FoxwalkPrimitive]

@@Micheldied the issue you’re describing is just “rack height”, and that wouldn’t have made his unracking impossible. It was a fixed bar path, so if he couldn’t unrack he never would’ve been able to lock out at the top, anyways. They should’ve set his depth lower at parallel. Knee joint angle and foot placement never should’ve been a factor, because they are irrelevant for depth.

[@FoxwalkPrimitive]

@@daviesugo7641 idk, from what I’ve seen on the videos they were entirely too concerned with graphing out foot placement, and a 90 degree knee bend with an actual protractor. Either way, the judges should’ve stopped his lift, and reset his rack height after the first rep. However many inches he was above parallel is how many inches the rack height needed adjusted down towards the floor. Would’ve solved everything.

[@Micheldied]

@@FoxwalkPrimitive I don't think you understood what I was saying. The only way to force an athlete to go lower is to lower the rack height, because the load mechanism is not adjustable and always bottoms out at the same height. If you make the bar height (or rack height) too low, it becomes difficult for an athlete to unrack. Not saying it's impossible, but try unracking a squat that's like 80 percent of your max from a height set to the bottom of your sternum. It takes way more energy out of you just to stand up with that first unrack. Rack height adjusts for athlete height, but to adjust for different leverages and techniques, you need the bottom of that top load to be adjustable as well. That is the best way to ensure depth if you want to use an apparatus like that. That, or don't have a stopper for the load.

[@wyattheeney]

Just want to say thank you two for covering these events as always, but especially for giving an educated look into what happened with some of the controversie/mistakes that were made. It made me sick seeing so much hate in the comments on some of the videos that came out about the contest nobody especially not, brian, keri, terry or mitch deserve such disgusting comments when all they did was there best. ❤

[@bruuhhhh]

God damn Loz is looking chiseled

[@scottessery100]

Loz and Terry look swoll

[@Adam-r6h5c]

Loved the show! Loved Uncle Loz' commentary on the PPV and your videos during the show and this wrap up! Thanks!

[@FoxwalkPrimitive]

The only problem with the axle fumble that I have is the fact they were custom made for the show and didn’t have the weight labeled on them.

[@balkamp8888]

No idea why they did t put the weight numbers on them

[@FoxwalkPrimitive]

@@balkamp8888 just a stupid oversight

[@JorgeRojas-ut3wj]

Same with the stones. Custom made and brand new so they were slippery as hell.

[@jaket2274]

@@JorgeRojas-ut3wj except some didn’t struggle with them, Thor, Mitch, Andre, and Lucas all had easy (enough) lifts thanks to choosing the correct tacky and not overestimating their abilities after all the earlier events

[@loismccray5302]

Really enjoyed the show, the live stream was such good quality!

[@davidp2391]

Both attempts at squat machines in this competition have went horribly. If he insists on having a squat in the competition, make it free bar with three judges just like powerlifting. But even that can cause a lot of problems with bad judging. So I don't really know the best option but I know this the last two we've seen are not the option I would pick LOL

[@williamturner8852]

The only way I see it being objective is to have the athletes squat to a box that is custom measured for each athlete.

[@NBSV1]

A big part of it is putting on a show. Squatting a big machine with stuff stacked on top can make it much more of a spectacle. More like what the old time strong man competitions were. They did lots of stuff that didn’t make sense and didn’t really work that well, but they were trying to put on a show.

[@thorthewolf8801]

​@@NBSV1The WSM globe squats are easily more impressive

[@Hesher93]

@@NBSV1 The problem is, on the livestream we didn't even see the hole "apparatus", the same way the deadlift for reps at rogues, to us it looks like the squated/deadlifted an empty bar.

[@jonathanking8800]

Trey Mitchell beat 7 athletes that will be at the Rogue Invitational. Luke Stoltman wasn't at the SMOE but is scheduled for RI. Lucas Hatton will also not be there so it's looking like the gap between Mitch/Thor and the rest will be even bigger.

[@markevans4088]

Thanks. There’s a lot of ‘that’s strongman’ and ‘Brian wants the best’ to gloss over the mistakes from people who don’t want to upset Brian. Overall having no one complete events is a mistake from the organiser, it’s not good for the fans. To use straps if you don’t want athletes to get the benefit is daft. The squat machine was a complete c**k up. The strict judging works for a regulated sport, if consistent, but strongman is a spectator event, and the judging was confusing for the spectators. I think Brian does want the best, but he’s probably grown the show a bit too fast, and maybe he should consolidate before stretching things further.

[@henrynagle8097]

Havent gotten through the whole video yet, I loved the contest through and through. No question at the end that the strongest athlete won this contest. Hooper dominated and showed that he was clearly the best.

[@randyperreault7102]

Mitch likely would have won the event regardless, but the squat event's setup reflected poorly on the event and on Brian Shaw. Although Mitch wasn't responsible for the setup, it did not make a good impression.

[@romanteni]

Mitch posted a response and almost flat out admitted that he was aware of what he was doing and was just "using the rules". They don't call him the smartest one for no reason. But I don't agree with what he did. He tainted that event. He knew he was "cheating within the rules by means of a loop hole". And basically said that "it's not my fault others didn't figure it out".

[@justman-br3cv]

​@@romanteni🤮🤮🤟🤟

[@jaylongton]

@@romanteni You nailed it! They don't call him Hooper the Sooper Snake for nothing!

[@CrazyChickenFarmer]

Where did he post that respons

[@romanteni]

@@jaylongton just because there's ways to use loopholes, doesn't mean you should. This is strongman, not politics. I hate that there's ways to use the points system. Event wins need to be rewarded MUCH higher than every other placing.

[@susanmunoz7688]

You guys did great! Thanks for your comments.👍👍👍👍👍

[@TheJsasr]

IMO SMOE, wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. Honnestly the reffing was way to much, I truly believe than powerlifting ref should stay in powerlifting. I rather to have 5 magnus with quicker down command than a shit tons of zero (or not knowing why they didn't get it). I'm not even talking about the axle mistake and or the stones or TRex deadlift or the deepth on Mitch squat or the foot positionning for that squat. I was so disappointed. The Shaw Classic was awesome to watch, I loved it. My only complain was with the camera. I want to see the 4 lanes from toes to head. I want to see the clean, the press, the action, not a focus on a the face.

[@andrewgilbertson5356]

The livestream for both The Classic and SMOE was very good.

[@douglasnisbet1189]

Great competition overall but machine lifts have to go. Hooper did not do full reps. Fact.

[@jaylongton]

That's why they call him Hooper the Sooooooper Snake!

[@raiderraider84]

Rest assured the mistakes will be corrected and the show will get better next year. I hope Brian keeps Loz and Liz as a staple part of the show as they mean so much to the strongman community!

[@Steve-po4it]

Questionable win for Mitch to be honest. He’s some athlete that’s for sure and I’m not taking away from what he’s done but it would seem it was more a contest of how smart you are rather than actually lifting weight. Too many grey areas in this comp for it to be actual be judged.

[@alfieday6896]

Lmao salty

[@Nope145]

I thought it was a good competition. Yeah, there was some glitches and controversy but show me a competition that doesn't have that. I really appreciate what Brian is doing for the sport. It's because of people like him and Loz that I got interested in the sport in the first place.

[@SpockPlaysGuitar]

To me, this is Rogue 2023 of the year. This show should have been so much better than it was. If WSM made all of these mistakes the community would be ripping into them, but because it is Shaw people are giving them a free pass

[@parttimecomix]

I appreciate your breakdowns, some unfortunate growing pains year one but sounds like a great show for the future

[@Ont785]

Why don’t they just do squats like what they do for the dead lift? You pick your numbers based on what other people have chosen and just do a bloody squat..

[@devlin76]

Regular barbell squats are dangerous and boring in competition. You need multiple spotters and judges, so it makes a bad event for spectators/viewers while still being more dangerous than deadlifts. WSM has done squats many times in the past, and it is normally globes or something and the athlete squats down until the plates/globes hit boxes. You still have to get the rack height and box height set correctly for each athlete.

[@AbsoRuud76]

I was rooting for Lucas to take 3rd place and I'm very pleased. He did so well at Arnold's and I see a huge future for this guy. If he can manage to up his deadlift a bit he's gonna be up there with Thor and Mitch.

[@ChasingChevy]

They should give extra points for breaking a world record. Not because I am fanboying Thor and wanted him to win but because there is no incentive to lift the 600lbs stone or beat #2 in the deadlift by a good amount of weight currently. I think it would add to the kind of show Brian is trying to put on each year.

[@JunkSilverKid]

I think a huge improvement that could be made in terms of "scoring" the competition would be to have it scored like a decathlon. It would involve more strategies and we would see more max efforts throughout the leader board.

[@GoofballLOL]

After having seen Mateusz at the Arnold's alone, but now Thor at SMOE, I've doubled down on my opinion that if you win 1st place in at least 60% of the events of a meet, and set world records in 2 of them, then you deserve to win the whole thing no matter what. Mitch is strong, don't get me wrong, and I love the guy... but Thor is the strongest man on the planet right now and we all know it. Mitch is consistent, but he's not besting Thor when it comes to raw power and strength.

[@jaylongton]

Bingo! 100% spot on! Brian should make another trophy and give it to the true 2024 SMOE, Thor. That would at least hold true to Brian's motto of no politics and no corruption. Your comment is a breath of fresh air. I have been following Strongman for over 50 years and watched the first WSM in 1977 in real time. I can't believe how idiotic, stupid and ignorant people have become today. I'm old school and that's the right way! These people today are polluted and diluted, can't think for themselves, and can see the truth head on and not even realize it.

[@letsdoolinthis2533]

Hatton dropped big points on a few events but he has true potential to be dangerous.

[@connorsmith284]

Big take away from this comp is to stop being so quick to slag off other big comps. The things Brian slates other comps for were shown why theyre so hard to achieve this weekend. So maybe wind neck in a bit.

[@liquidpebbles]

Maxime had a legendary strongman moment. He deserves a spot at the next smoe

[@GRD211]

Mitch would've won the competition either way but that squat was a joke. Brian does a great job with these comps and I'm fully behind him and Kerri in pushing the sport forward but there were definitely some issues this time. The power medley was visually dull on the stream, the overhead implement mistake was poor and the manhood stones didn't really work (natural stone to shoulder might have worked better). Maybe too many athletes as well. Too many athletes phoning in performances in the later events because they were out of it. 12 might work better. Top bloke though Brian and I'm sure he'll continue to improve the event going forward. Great performances by Lucas Hatton and Austin Andrade. I think Austin in particular will be one to watch going forward.

[@franz61xxl13]

Some controversy in this SMOE comp. but still very exciting ! ! Love it to see Lucas Hatton on the podium ! ! P.S. Loz, Thor we got something in common, for me and me and many others, the worlds best coach: Sebastian Oreb #strengthsystem AUS

[@willw1753]

The show was great, just lots of butthurt fangirls mad that their guy didn't win and will find any and everything to bitch and cry about. Mitch did precisely what he was supposed to do. He only needed 1 rep on squat to win the show. If Thor's overhead pressing was better, he would have won.

[@RobSimpson-BarbellsandBurpees]

Damn Loz, looking jacked and tanned mate. Great video guys and great coverage across the whole weekend, Thank you,

[@jetsum]

See weird hate for Hooper and weird comments suggesting SMOE allowed Mitch to cheat - what?? Let's be very clear - nobody let Mitch cheat. Were the apparatus/setup and rules ideal to identify the best squatter - definitely not. But it was a coincidence that the weird rules/setup suited Mitch. Mitch took advantage of that - plain and simple. You cannot change the rules after the competition has started.

[@justman-br3cv]

I was rooting for Mitch up to this point with the squats. Now I realized he is a cheater, just like the bench press with an arched back and 1 inch amplitude. He is a cheater, not the strongest. Shame

[@justman-br3cv]

I was inspired by such little strongmen as Novikov and Mitch, I'm disappointed in Mitch

[@jaylongton]

Hooper was treated differently than every other competitor.

[@jaylongton]

@@justman-br3cv Right on! They don't call him Hooper the Sooper Snake for nothing!

[@jarretsmith2043]

Replay review needs to be a thing at SMOE too. Because at the Arnold they gave Thor a rep then took it away afterwards after reviewing it. The same should be able to happen in reverse for giving reps to athletes when the athlete clearly has a rep locked out but didn’t get credit for it

[@carlh296]

Tom needs to change his approach to competitions, he aspires to be one of the greatest, well even if he wins 4 or 5 WSM that will not happen if WSM is all he ever wins. Mitch and Thor turn up with their coaches, Tom turns up with his missus... The best thing for Tom would be Luke retiring and then starting to coach/manage Tom. Being their for every comp, helping make those on the spot decisions. Tom zeroing an event 2 years on the bounce just shows how lacking his approach is. He needs his brother in his corner.

[@petershortland478]

Luke actually has his own coach they train separately and have done for bit now

[@carlh296]

@@petershortland478 Thats not the point. Luke is on his way out, he's done as a top strongman. 38 and injured.. But if he helped Tom I see Tom doing much better in these other shows.

[@thomasrosendahl2783]

The actual controversy is that many strongman fans have criticized Tom Stoltman for not doing better in all the other major shows outside wsm. You would be surprised how many also have stated that Tom did not beat a prime Shaw, Hafthor, Licis or an injury free Mitch recently in 2024 wsm. Let us have a dialogue going here, and hear everyones opinion without sugarcoating it.

[@christianchapman9420]

Long time lover of your channel ♥️ thanks guys xxx

[@patterdale4332]

Mitch can only go by what the ref says BUT for Brian to keep giving the squats as good is a disgrace. It made Brian look very bad it should have been stopped after the first one and the machine altered,but the squat setup was a joke sorry Brian

[@bronchoped]

Would it have made any difference? Absolutely not. Mitch needed one rep that's it. That wasn't a squat as many think. It was a quad dominant smith machine. Closer to a leg press than a squat.

[@patterdale4332]

@branch I'M having a go at Brian not Mitch it's a disgrace on Brian to keep saying they were good squats when everyone watching nos the were not,it doesn't matter if Mitch would have won the competition regardless

[@magnitorfasson9238]

Based on this comp i think rogue announced the full list of athletes to soon, there are some guys that are in better shape than others.

[@TheSLK66]

I don't see why a stone record that was done in a gym should be acknowledged. People give Thor crap for doing the 501 deadlift at his gym and are quite willing to dismiss it, but Tom's stone record should count? Consistency people, either Tom gets it in competition or he doesn't. As far as that goes, it seems Thor regained the king of the stones title.

[@fynlairobertson5801]

😂😂😂Thor king of the stones after one event...yea right

[@Kragaar]

In my opinion it feels like a lot of the vocal people saying Thor doesn't have the record because it was a gym lift are mostly Brits in strongman who are big fans of Eddie and his record, so they won't see a problem with Tom's lift because he's from Scotland and didn't beat the record of one of their friends.

[@Hesher93]

@@fynlairobertson5801 Thor also has the WR at the heavy set of stones at Giants Live, which Tom couldn't beat. Tom has the WR on the lighter stones.

[@jebudylajtwejt8051]

@@Kragaar It's because it's like you say it's "vocal" people. These people are just jealous of Thor's success

[@thomasrosendahl2783]

The actual controversy is that many strongman fans have criticized Tom Stoltman for not doing better in all the other major shows outside wsm. You would be surprised how many also have stated that Tom did not beat a prime Shaw, Hafthor, Licis or an injury free Mitch recently in 2024 wsm. Let us have a dialogue going here, and hear everyones opinion without sugarcoating it.

[@aaronbarlow4376]

Thor's keg throws cleared the bar so easily it was ridiculous, they sailed over, even the record throw.

[@A-A-RonDavis2470]

SMOE was almost a major flop imo. All of the most hyped events had problems, and the rest had bad reffing. Deadlift had two reps that were counted out, Evan's and Hatton's. OH medley was a travesty, multiple athletes went on the screwed up setup before somebody with a brain seen that it wasn't ok. Then Max had to black out trying to re-do it. I'm ok with the Mitch/Thor results. Mitch is technical and strong, and Thor is just not up to snuff yet. Mind you, he lost 8 pts. This'll be important to count later. Keg Toss was fine. Thor breaks a record easily. Manhood stones sucked, as no one repped the 600, and half the field was peacocking, saying they'd do it. Sucks for Tom to not understand a brand-new 600 lb stone is not getting repped at the end of a comp day. Squat For Reps was the worst. Even in Brian's videos prior woth testing and stuff, the squat depth was too high, and the point at which it was attached was just a engineering head-scratcher. It looked bad from the beginning. And don't get me started on Sooper Snake's gaming the machine to get 10 half-reps and beating the next guy by 6 reps. The machine dictates the form here, not the athletes. Thor was looking markedly stronger in the squat, and only did 3 reps because of his stance. Mitch's comments after the event were just outright arrogant, not even Eddie would say something like that. At least he knows what is just and what is not. Here come the medleys that are filler for the 8 event show. Power Medley was fine. Thor won as usual. DB medley was eh. Thor had a good rep, but Terry waited too long and discounted it. Thor DOES have a tendency to drop a weight before a down call though to be fair. But that one rep discounted made a 7 point swing between him and Mitch. That's the real bs. Fingal's Fingers into Power Stairs was ok. Thor won as usual. The problem wasn't even the squat, Thor lost 3 pts due to that, it was the DB medley that screwed him over. 7 pts for one rep. I also realize that any event that wasn't hyped or introduced was basically a medley in place of that. He needs to reduce load, event number, or come up with other events that test the athletes without decimating their cardio because they're a freaking mile high up. They were huffing oxygen after every event.

[@keithwenger450]

Yeah I went and personally loved the show. All I will say is that I think the reffing was good but you should be able to challenge with an instant replay to get the extra rep. I feel that both Thor and even should have gotten that rep and they should have been able to challenge and not just have it be “what the ref says goes” because different ref different result. I just hate to see people lose points due to having a stricter ref than the other guy.

[@DialSquare-r2l]

Congrats to Hafthor for most wins in the show for setting two world records ! Congrats to Mitch aka Mr Consistent. No weaknesses. However I have to say those squats were looking a bit suspicious. Probably still would have won the squats or finished second if he had the same depth as all the other athletes. But still needs to be said.

[@jaylongton]

Hooper is not the true SMOE, Thor is. This isn't about track and field, which is where Hooper belongs.

[@PamDuthie]

Thanks for your perspective. I was going to ask if you thought it was too heavy. I thought that (but I know nothing) I kinda feel sorry for Mitch. He is amazing, he really is, but it seems too often he is the winner in these dodgy calls like the squat - when he is only following the rules and its not his fault, but he gets the hate

[@createachanneltopost]

The squat was measured based on 90 degree knee angle, so it will favour high bar squats to reach 90 degree at a higher depth. Many people who were squatting to "depth" were low bar squatting, which meant they reached the 90 degree knee angle at a much lower position.

[@splinter357d6]

90 degrees doesn't look different high or low bar lol that's not how degrees work. A right angle is always 90 Degrees.

[@Me-rj4vx]

Loz and Auntie Liz, For the last couple of years, I have been commenting and suggesting to Brian that you two should be involved, with Loz commentating and Auntie Liz covering the guys as an added resource overall. I was thrilled that this came to pass at the 2024 SMOE event. As always, you were both awesome. Also, I appreciate the insights regarding the botched judging. What is obvious, but has been left unsaid, is that a review or challenge mechanism should exist for the athletes, as is the case in almost all other forms of athletic competitions. For example, in the NFL, a questionable call can indeed be challenged. However, if the review (challenge) results in the original call being upheld, the party (NFL team) objecting loses a time-out (or in the case of SMOE, perhaps a point would be deducted, etc.). There must be some form of safeguard against human error. Terry Holland is not expected to be infallable, and rather than defend the call so vehemently, simply resorting to an instant replay, as is the case in other sports, would have confirmed the validity of the call. Brian (whom I hold in the highest regard) went to such great lengths so as to incorporate dazzling (albeit esoteric, if not irrelevant) technology to guage other metrics; but something as basic as an instant replay is missing from the old tool chest...go figure. In any event, it was great having you guys involved. I am a big fan. Stay well. J. ❤

[@jaylongton]

If Thor and Hooper were the only two competitors in the contest, Thor wins 5 of the 8 events and sets 2 new world records while Hooper wins 1 event and cheats on another, and Thor gives him an extra point to start with because he feels sorry for Hooper, Thor smashes Hooper for the win! The number of competitors should not change this result. This exposes a flawed system and the fans are not seeing the true 2024 SMOE crowned. The reason Hooper didn't win 5 events and set 2 new world records is because he wasn't strong enough. The system is calibrated for the weaker competitors. That's how Hooper the Sooooooper Snake won. Thor is your true 2024 SMOE! Brian should create another trophy and present it to Thor because he is the real winner and everybody knows it. And Loz, you should be honest and tell the fans the truth, you know this is fact, let's see how your integrity is.

[@NBSV1]

The number of competitors does change the results though. If it’s only 2 people the worst you can do is 2nd so it’s basically winning or nothing. With 10 people now you can distribute the points more so now maybe the top 5 get points. In that case you have to do much worse to go from max points to min points. It’s just simple math. Add up the points and whoever has the most wins. It isn’t based on number of events won, just the points.

[@jaket2274]

Except that’s not how sports work and seeing this lame ass argument 1000 times is really grating. The sport of strongman has always had this scoring and in order to win you can’t have a gaping hole in your strength

[@codyaims]

lucas hatton is the man. not only strong as fuck, very humble guy.

[@Thebuzz12]

I believe it’s time that points should be staggered and not this 1 point per athlete structure. You should be rewarded more for a 1st than 1 point difference this would create intrigue because the results would be less predictable, athletes would have to try harder instead of just saying Oo I’ll take this 3rd or 2nd, and the strongest guy on the day would be rewarded rather than someone winning 90% of events but because of an injury/mistake/weakness you don’t win the comp. 1 point per place is ridiculous

[@shaqitup]

Imo they should rate the event based on results rather than positioning. There are potential issues with this as well, but should help mitigate issues of events where the results are fairly flat but somebody is getting like 10 more points than somebody else while their result isn’t that much better I do agree that first place should garner a bonus point or 2.

[@Thebuzz12]

@@shaqitup I don’t quite understand what you mean by rate it based on results and not positioning could you give an example?….. also with a more staggered point system with all the judging/athlete injurie/ mistakes etc it wouldn’t be so costly the only reason people get outrages is because it just takes one event error for someone deserving to be totally screwed and then half way through an event or a 3rd of the way guys aren’t even trying anymore because there is no way back

[@mozzer920]

Yes I have always thought a win should be awarded 2 points more than 2nd place - that is rewarding excellence especially in the biggest shows of the year. Reward impressive feats of strength sufficiently

[@bartb217]

@@Thebuzz12 I think he means athletics decathlon point system. The higher, further, faster, etc you go, the more points you get.

[@shaqitup]

@@Thebuzz12 for example, a 420 pound deadlift is 10 points, while a 400 might be 9. Winner gets +1. I feel like points based off of their lifts would make more sense than how they placed when a small difference in results can lead to a big difference in points or vice versa.

[@craiggoins6988]

I hope you guys come back next year 😊