This is a NOVICE-ONLY strongman competition. If you are an experienced competitor, this is not an appropriate contest for you.

It is an unsanctioned charity event co-hosted by Warpath Strength, FTX CrossFit and Midwest Strength + Performance to benefit Team Red, White and Blue (Team RWB), which is one of our nation's leading veteran service organizations. It is just for fun. There are no qualifying spots for a national competition or any other contest. This event is perfect for anyone curious to try the sport of strongman in a fun, low-pressure environment. 

If you have competed in powerlifting or CrossFit, or if you're just someone who likes to lift weights, this would be a great opportunity to try something different and challenge yourself.

This competition will consist of the following three events:

Event 1: Axle Bar Overhead Press from a rack (for max reps in one minute)

Event 2: 16" Axle Tire Deadlift (for max reps in one minute)

Event 3: Strongman Cornhole

Here are the rules for each event:

EVENT 1: AXLE PRESS FROM RACK (FOR REPS)

We will be using solid, un-knurled axle bars for this event.

• Athletes may start with their hands on the axle in the rack.
• Athletes are not required to clean the implement from the ground.
• When the judge gives the "LIFT" command, athletes will unrack the axle and lift it to overhead as many times as possible.
• The athlete must wait for the "DOWN" command from judge for lift to be counted.
• Athletes will only be given a "DOWN" command when the athlete’s knees, hips, shoulders and elbows are all locked out and the athlete is clearly in control of the implement (their feet are even and not moving).
• There is a 60 second time limit for this event.
• All kinds of pressing is allowed such as split jerk, power jerk, push press.
• The athlete who completes the most successful reps within the one minute time period wins.
• Dropping the axle from overhead will result in a zero for the event. Please respect the equipment.
• If an athlete loses control of implement and has to lower it to the floor, the athlete must return it to the rack unassisted before he/she will be allowed to start pressing again for the remainder of the time.
• Equipment allowed: elbow/knee sleeves, wrist wraps, chalk (powder or liquid), belt. Please note that you will be allowed to wear one (1) soft belt and one (1) hard belt like a leather Pioneer-style belt or a hard velcro belt, but not both.
• Equipment NOT allowed: No grip shirts, knee wraps, elbow wraps, straps, suits/briefs of any kind or tacky (not from a jar, spray can or towel).

EVENT 2: 16” AXLE TIRE DEADLIFT (FOR REPS)

We will use custom-made 7’ or 9’ axle bars with no knurling for this event (the bar's length will depend on the athlete’s division and bar weight) loaded with truck tires and steel plates.

• Athletes will have one minute to deadlift as many reps as possible.
• The athlete who completes the most successful reps within the one minute time period wins.
• Athlete’s hands must remain outside his/her knees for each pull (no Sumo pulls will be permitted).
• Athletes will be allowed to hitch.
• Athlete must wait for the “down” command for a successful rep to be counted. If the bar is dropped without the athlete being given a “down” command, the rep will not be counted.
• Equipment allowed: Belt, knee and elbow sleeves, knee and wrist wraps, wrist straps, gloves, chalk.
• Equipment NOT allowed: No deadlift suits, hook-grip straps and absolutely NO tacky of any kind (not from a jar, no spray, no towels, no tape).

EVENT 3: STRONGMAN CORNHOLE

• Each athlete will be given three attempts to toss a strongman “throw bag” into a giant (3’ x 6’) custom-built cornhole board.
• All women’s division athletes will throw their bags from a line 12 feet from the end of the board. All men’s division athletes will throw their bags from a line 15 feet from the end of the board.
• All women’s division athletes will use 15#, 20# and 25# throw bags, and all men’s division athletes will use 30#, 35# and 40# throw bags.
• Each athlete will have one minute to complete all three throws. If the athlete attempts their third and final toss as time expires, the attempt will still count if the bag is in the air and out of the athlete’s hand(s).
• Athletes may toss the bag using a double overhand or a single-hand grip.
• The athlete’s hand or arm may cross the line during an attempt, but the athlete’s feet must stay behind the line. If an athlete’s foot or any part of their foot touches or crosses the line, the toss will not count and the athlete will be given a “zero” for that attempt. Athletes will not be allowed to make another attempt with that bag. They must move on to the next heaviest bag.
• A bag that goes through the hole is worth 3 points.
• A bag that lands on the board and stays there is worth 1 point, but if a bag hits the board and then slides off the board (either partially or completely) no points will be given. The bag must remain on the board.
• A bag that lands on the ground or hits the board, but remains partially on the ground is worth 0 points.
• In the event of a tie for this event, athletes will be given additional throws, but with a twist that I will announce on the day of the competition.
• Equipment allowed: Chalk is permitted for this event. I don’t care what brand it is, and I don’t care if it’s a powder or liquid. Use as much as you want. Supportive gear such as a belt, elbow sleeves, and wrist wraps will also be permitted, but none of those things are likely to help very much so what’s the point?
• Equipment NOT allowed: No gloves, no tape, no straps and no tacky of any kind (not from a jar, no spray, no towels, no tape) will be allowed.

TIE-BREAKERS

In the event of a tie within any of the divisions, we have a special tie-breaker activity that will not be announced until the day of the competition.

INDIVIDUAL ATHLETE'S FUNDRAISING EFFORTS

A donation page has been created through Team RWB, and we've set a fundraising goal of $5,000. I kindly ask each athlete to commit to raising $100 for the organization. The event organizers will not touch these funds. The contributions of the athletes and/or their friends, family members, and co-workers will be directed straight to Team RWB. Thank you in advance for your support.

Here is a link to the donation page:

https://donate.teamrwb.org/campaign/warpath-strength-push-pull-for-patriots/c682617

T-SHIRTS AND AWARDS

Every athlete will receive a competition t-shirt as part of their registration fee and we ask all competitors to wear the shirt for the duration of the event. In addition, there will be trophies for first place and medals for 2nd and 3rd place winners.

WEIGH-INS

This is an unsanctioned event that is purely for fun. We will not be doing weigh-ins. The different weight "classes" are aligned only with the weight of the implements and have nothing to do with the weight of the athletes. So, there will be no need for any of the athletes to weigh in and "make weight."  Eat as much as you want. Please check the weight matrix to see the weights of the different implements.

SPECTATOR INFORMATION

There will be a $10 admission fee for all spectators ages 13 and older. Any children (12-year-old or younger), toddlers, and infants will be admitted for free. There will NOT be any advanced ticket sales.

PARKING INFORMATION

There is a small parking lot at FTX CrossFit, but there is also a large parking lot located south of Geneva Road and east of Gary Avenue that has plenty of additional parking spaces.

FOOD VENDOR

There will be a food vendor onsite at the competition, but we are still working through the details about this with the vendor. We will post updates on social media as our plans become finalized.