it is not till after the show, that I realize the reward; when athletes come to me and say they had fun and can’t wait till next year.  It makes it all worthwhile and fuels my energy to carry on with the sport that I have grown to love over the years.

When I do have the time and energy to train. I actually have a great time doing it!   Oddly enough,  I still surprise myself by what I am able to achieve…. despite the fact that I am undertrained and a bit frayed around the edges!

When I first began strongman in Western Canada, the sport was not well known.   There was one-off events but nothing stable or constant.  Now after five years, our organization has continued to grow as more and more guys discover this “best-kept secret”! Strongman offers a true test of the human spirit along with sportsmanship and camaraderie.

Recently I have observed a trend amongst certain strength athletes who suffer from burnout.   Unfortunately they enter into the sport with the notion that they need to overtrain to achieve their goals.  In addition they end up spending lots of money on travel to compete as much as they can.   This often leads to burnout especially when executed too quickly.  Like most things in life, there are no shortcuts in strongman and pacing yourself is important.

My advice to anyone who participates in this sport or any sport is to maintain balance in their lives.  Train in a manner that is sustainable, eat healthy and do your best during competition while still having FUN.  Prize money for  this sport is normally small and it does require a passion to be strong and competitive.  The upside is the confidence and sheer joy of fulfillment that is shared by those who participate,  not to mention the friendships that evolve over time.

If you find yourself feeling burned out, maybe it is time to stop and ask yourself whether you are still having fun.  Often making a few adjustment to maintain the balance that best suits you  will go a long way and will allow you to ultimately continue to enjoy this sport for years to come.

Robin Wright
Founder and Director, BCEAA.org

Robin Wright, rwright@bceaa.org, Kamloops, BC Canada

Founder and Director of the British Columbia Extreme Athletics Association www.bceaa.org

Special thanks to my webmaster Diane Roberts: www.sbwebstudio.ca

Justin Cuzzetto: Reflex Nutrition, Kamloops, www.reflexnutrition.com

The City of Kamloops, BC, Canada Tournament Capital of Canada, www.kamloops.ca

and many more sponsors who have helped and are helping make the BCEAA strong in its continued success.

Call it reading into something. Or reading between the lines. It could be either or a combination of the two. But it certainly appeared on Saturday night during the pre-judging for the 2008 Mr. Olympia that reigning two-time champion Jay Cutler and Dennis Wolf are going to be in the forefront tonight at the finals.

Both received a raucous ovation when introduced, and even more so when they were placed next to one another during the comparison stages. That may have been what occurred when the two behemoths were performing the requested poses, but the interesting moments came as they stood off to the side while some of the other competitors were posing.

What they were doing wasn’t the issue, but rather what they were not doing. Camaraderie runs high between the bodybuilders, even during strict competition. Many of the men, including, Cutler, were congratulating each other when the head judge called their name. A small handshake, fist pump or backslap were common, but Wolf and Cutler stood next to each other for a good length of time on and off stage without nary eye contact, let alone an exchange of words.

While that may have gone unnoticed by the majority of the crowd, it was glaringly obvious that these two have become fast rivals. Possibly Cutler is growing annoyed by the talk that Wolf may unseat him this year. Cutler’s blocky physique has been spoken about negatively and critics called his 2007 victory questionable at best.

Wolf has been compared to Arnold Schwarzeneggar, due to his thickness, height and close homeland (Germany and Austria). He is the ‘sexy’ pick to take the Sandow from Cutler and the questions keep coming. When asked directly about Wolf on Thursday, Cutler gave a short, “He’s good” answer without elaborating.

Perhaps it is nothing and just an illusion of bad blood. But a rivalry only gets more intense when the parties are cold to one another.