Time for an u120kg weight class?

slimsim said:
But should the weight of the competitor alone mean they are relegated to being classed as some sort of sub-standard athlete?

slimsim said:
Some come argue on here that Shane is one of the best (non-professional) strongman in the UK currently based on his domination of the u80's event and hopefully, an opportunity to compete on the world stage at the Arnold's u175lbs. Should he be stuck doing charity comps, regional comps etc, or have a platform to showcase his abilities?

chaos said:
I do - even though I'm a complete hypocrite!!!
Although I'm not decided on the impact to the u105's if you had the u120 categroy. On the one hand it would leave the comp more open to the 'smaller' u105s but on the other hand it may draw some of the best athletes away form it!!!

Ben_Something said:
I dont think that is relevant here, a 120KG who was comparatively as strong as Shane would have no issue showcasing his abilites on whatever platform he chooses.

Stetec said:
You say it should stay an "elite" sport, the problem with that is it excludes people who are not elite. Exclusion is exactly what this sport doesn't need. It needs more numbers and should be bending over backwards to get more people involved NOT less.
And to all these bigger guys who keep saying "get stronger" what planet are you on? Its that easy eh? Not everyones wants to eat anything that stays still long enough and juice to the eyeballs. Is that what you're saying in effect, if you're not prepared to go that route then don't do strongman? Because, lets not bulls**t, thats what it takes to get to those heights. Anyone who suggests otherwise is dellusional or is some kind of denial.

Duncan said:
It's really not that hard to get strong. People need to realise that it takes time, Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is a world class Powerlifter/strongman.
You don't need to "juice to the gills" to get strong, to be no 1 "maybe" but not to be competitive.

slimsim said:
Sorry Ben, once again I probably didn't make my point clear. I was inferring that disagreeing with a 120kg weight class in effect means people should (if being consistent in their argument) disagree with other weight classes. However, this thread has shown that this generally isn't the case and in reality the inclusion of the other weight classes has increased participation. So what evidence do people have that the inclusion of a 120kg class isn't going to do anything other than increase participation again? None, just gut feelings, which are generally just people's in built resistance to change.
Now as good as Shane is he couldn't win an open contest, or even a u105's but is world class at u80's and potentially u90's. So having a higher number of weight classes (provided it is fairly consistent worldwide) allows people to compete at higher levels when their ability allows them.
Obviously, there has to be a limit on the number of weight classes, but 5 catering for guys weighing under 80kgs to guys weighing 160kg+ hardly seems excessive.

terryhollands said:
Slightly off topic but totally agree with this, people seem to think that it's just about juice, it's not

chaos said:At least it took 24 pages to start talking about juice!

Ben_Something said:
Again, we are largely in agreement. Weight classes are good, but having too many dilutes the sport.
The interest between 105 and opens currently doesnt warrant an additional class (look at this years regional qualifiers).
There aren't a lot of really strong 120-125KG that want to showcase there talent in a u120 class, because they already do so in the open class.
There are some 120-130 guys who arent strong enough to compete at open level who instead of getting stronger or just enjoying slightly lower standard comps want a new weight class introduced so they can feel competitive without ever having to maximise there poteintial. If you want to be competitive expect to train hard, if you dont want to train hard, enjoy the comps that are already out there.

IrishMarc said:
Obviously not but let's be serious orange squash is a massive component to getting REAL strong.
You can obviously get to a decent level with out the man from delmonte's help but if person A and person B where to do the same training and person B is drinking his squash he is going to get much better results.

terryhollands said:
Of course. Some people seem to think its the only reason though and bucket loads of it too

terryhollands said:Back to where we was. In theory I like the idea of 120 but I just don't think we have the numbers to do it. Loads of guys from130 down would be doing it which IMO would dilute the open scene. Let's be honest probably 50% of the open guys in Britain are around 130ish and carrying a bit of fat so these guys could easily make 120.