MCM is back! New weekend, new location, new events, new weight classes (including 50+ and TEENS!)... all with the same commitment to excellence for our athletes! 

YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS THIS!

WANT TO GET INVOLVED? CHECK OUT THESE OPPORTUNITIES:

• SPONSORSHIPS
• VOLUNTEERS

AWARDS & QUALIFICATIONS:

Stay tuned for details on awards!

*The following classes will receive an award and qualify for 2026 USS Nationals:

• Novice Classes: 1st
• Open Classes: 1st-3rd
• Masters Classes: 1st-3rd
• Teen Classes: 1st-3rd
   

REGISTRATION DEADLINE:  

Sunday, September 7

WEIGH-INS:

Friday, October 3 10am-12pm AND 4pm-7pm at Detroit Muscle Gym, 736 Junction St, Plymouth MI 48170

• All competitors must weigh-in on Friday
• All applicable implement heights for athletes will be recorded at weigh-ins
• No weigh-ins on comp day

VENUE FOR COMP:

Redefine Real Estate, 770 Davis St, Plymouth MI 48170

• Directions and other info will be emailed to competitors closer to the comp date

SPECTATORS

Spectators are welcome and encouraged to come check out cool strong people doing cool strong things with our cool strong friends! 

• Spectators can purchase tickets for $10/ea below, or, if still available, at the door for $10 cash only or $15 Venmo
• Spectators include coaches/handlers, family (kids under 13 free), friends, community members, etc.
• Spectators may enter the comp area starting at 9:00am
• We will be outside this year! Please bring camp chairs, small shade tents, etc. for those in your party as we will not have chairs or shade available
• In true spooky season spirit, please feel free to wear your favorite (appropriate) Halloween costume! 
• Spectators will be asked to please use the designated outside portable bathrooms and leave the other bathrooms available for athletes and volunteers
• Thank you for your support!

COMP DAY SCHEDULE:

• All events and activities will be held outdoors!
• Event doors will open at 8:00am for athletes and their coaches/handlers ($10 ticket, purchase below). Guests/family/spectators may enter at 9:00am ($10 ticket, purchase below, no exceptions). If not sold out before, spectator tickets may be available at the door for $10 cash or $15 Venmo. Kids under 13 are free
• Athletes should store their gear in the designated athlete area only
• We will have a designated area marked for general athlete warmup space. General athlete warmups can begin after event doors open for athletes at 8:00am; warmups for each event on comp equipment will be announced at the comp. More details about warmups below
• Volunteer meeting will begin promptly at 9:00am. All volunteers should plan to attend this meeting
• Athlete rules meeting will begin promptly at 9:30am. All athletes must attend; coaches may attend. All other spectators should not plan to attend
• National Anthem will be at 9:50am
• Lifting begins promptly at 10:00am
• We will run a couple family-friendly, audience-participation games between events as volunteers are setting up. Sponsorship opportunities are available for these activities!

PARKING:

Parking will be available on a first-come, first-served basis in an adjacent parking lot, or on city streets. Please obey all signage and park only where permitted. Please respect private property and do not block driveways, sidewalks, etc. DMG or our affiliates/sponsors are not liable for tickets or other infractions. More details will be emailed to athletes before the comp and some signs will be posted on comp day

HOTELS:

There are several hotels within a few miles of DMG: https://tinyurl.com/DMG-HOTELS

OTHER GENERAL INFO:

• More info to come!

WARMUPS:

• We will have an area set aside for general athlete warmups. Event warmup on specific comp equipment will be announced at the comp. Warmup time on comp equipment will be limited so please plan accordingly. It may not be possible to warm up to a higher weight on specific comp equipment but there will be alternate equipment (i.e., you may not be able to warm up to comp weight on the actual implement, but you will have access to a bar and weights)
• Once official lifting begins for an event, all warmups on that equipment will cease

EVENT RULES AND INFORMATION:

Events, rules, and weights subject to change without notice. The rules meeting on comp day will go over the rules for each event.

GENERAL RULES:

• Comp shirt must be worn for the group picture and for any events where a grip shirt isn't worn
• No OSG or Strongman Corp grip shirts or other federation’s gear allowed 
  • This is a USS sanctioned comp and DMG's owner is the USS Michigan state rep (Jen), please respect this by not repping other federations at the comp. Thank you in advance!
• Feet must be covered; i.e., no bare feet
• Being reckless with equipment, the facilities, or otherwise endangering the safety of any person will result in an immediate disqualification from that event and a score of 0 for the event, and egregious incidents may result in expulsion from the comp and facilities
• Please do not approach the scorekeepers or scoring table. Scores will be updated on Iron Podium in real time
• **Any questions must be brought to a designated volunteer who will be introduced during the rules meeting. Only the athlete may bring any issues to the volunteer's attention, not coaches/friends/family. (Thank you in advance!)
   

EVENT 1 – Double Overhand Axle Deadlift:
Sponsorship opportunity available!

• Cerberus Strength Axle (55#)
• Athlete will start with hands off the implement
• Double overhand grip only! No straps, no hooks, no tacky/sticky substances on your hands, no mixed grip allowed - you'll need to lift the loaded bar with just your regular old chalked up double-overhand grip and the crowd's thoughts and prayers
• Min weights: 145# men, 75# women
• Jumps: each bar will start with 10-20# jumps and may decrease to 5# as weight increases
• Comp volunteer will announce weight on the bar and athletes may jump in at will, so please pay attention to announcements
• 30 second time limit per attempt
• 3 attempts per athlete following Wessels Rule
  • Wessels Rule: 3 attempts; if you miss an attempt you are finished; if there's a tie the person who got the lift in an earlier attempt beats the other
• No hitching, hips and knees must be locked out, athlete must wait for judge's down command and control the bar to the ground
• No lift / zero will be given for soft lockouts, jumping the down command, intentionally dropping the bar from lockout, hitching, or exceeding the time limit
• Athlete's shins and feet must be covered (leggings, knee high socks, etc)
• Allowed: chalk (liquid or dry), wrist wraps, knee sleeves/wraps, belt/built up belts (1 hard* + 1 soft), mouthguard 
• Not Allowed: straps, hooks, sumo, gloves, tacky/any adhesive or sticky substance, doubled up anything besides belt, no bare feet (socks ok)
   

EVENT 2 - Overhead Clean & Press Medley:
Sponsorship opportunity available!

• Implements we anticipate using (all implements will use drop pads on stall mats):
  • Cerberus Strength axle 
  • 8" Rogue log for NWLW, MWLW 50+ and TWLW, 10” Pitbull log for all other women’s classes, 12” Pitbull log for men’s classes
  • CDBs:
    • 6" globe: NWLW, MWLW 50+, TWLW
    • 8" globe: NWHW, MWHW 50+, TWHW, OWLW, MWLW, OWMW, MWHW
    • 10" bell: OWHW, OWSHW
    • 10" bell: NMLW, TMLW, TMHW 
    • 10" globe: NMHW, MMLW 50+, MMHW 50+, MMLW, MMHW, OMLW, OMMW
    • 12" globe: OMHW, OMSHW
• 60 second time limit
• Athlete will complete one rep each (clean & press) on the axle, log, and CDB (in that order) then rep out (clean & press each rep) on their implement of choice for the remaining time. Each rep = 1 point
• Each rep must be fully locked out overhead and under control with feet even and still, and make eye contact with judge; athlete must wait for judge's down command
• No lift / zero will be given for soft lockouts*, jumping the down command, split stance at lockout, dropping the apparatus from overhead (tree-topping), or exceeding the time limit
  • *Athletes are responsible for showing their judge any credible physical limitations that may prevent full lockout
• Allowed: 
    Technique: strict press, push press, double dip, jerk
    Equipment: wrist wraps, elbow sleeves, grip shirt (no OSG or SC), knee sleeves/wraps, belt/built up belts (1 hard** + 1 soft), mouthguard, chalk (liquid or dry)
  • **Hard belts must have buckle turned to the side or back
• Not Allowed: gloves, straps, suits, doubled up anything besides belt, tacky/ any adhesive
   

EVENT 3 - Car Deadlift for Reps:
Sponsorship opportunity available!

• Side handle car deadlift
• Athlete may strap in before beginning the lift
• Athlete to perform as many reps as possible within 60 second time limit
• Athlete's hands/palms must be wrapped around the bar; no "fingertipping"
• Athlete must wait for judge’s down command
• There won’t be an ‘up’ command, but no bouncing or touch and go; apparatus must come to full stop before initiating the next rep (judge’s discretion)
• Allowed: deadlift suits, belt/built up belts (1 hard + 1 soft), straps, wrist wraps, elbow sleeves, knee sleeves/wraps, mouthguard, chalk (liquid or dry)
• Not allowed: lifting hooks, tacky / any adhesive or sticky substance, bare feet (must wear full cover footwear or socks) 

EVENT 4 - Yoke Walk:
Sponsorship opportunity available!

• Rogue Yokes
• Athlete will carry the yoke ~60’ straight shot
• Entire yoke must cross the line
• 60 second time limit. Time stops when the back of the yoke crosses the finish line
• Unlimited drops. Any slides will be given a 2 sec penalty; judge has final say on sliding
• Fastest time wins. Distance will be taken if athlete doesn’t finish the course
• Required: Shirt and shoes
• Allowed: belt/built up belts (1 hard + 1 soft), grip shirt (no OSG or SC), wrist wraps, elbow sleeves, knee sleeves/wraps, mouthguard, chalk (liquid or dry)
• Not Allowed: tacky / any adhesive or sticky substance, bare feet (must wear full cover footwear) 

EVENT 5 - Head to Head Stone Over Bar:
Sponsorship opportunity available!

• This will be head to head over a bar (yoke). Athletes will line up and  complete in descending order (last place to first place). The athletes in last place will be first to start, elimination style. One athlete will pass the stone over to the other, back and forth until failure. Athletes must start their rep within 15 seconds or it will be considered a failed rep. 
  • Once one competitor fails, the next competitor in line will come in and start their turn. The event will continue in this fashion until the last (wo)man standing, where they will be able to complete reps until failure. 
• 48” height for women, 50” height for women
• Equipment allowed: Tacky, grip shirt, belt/built up belts (1 hard + 1 soft), knee sleeves, shoes/boots (no platform shoes/boots) 
• Not allowed:  Strongman Corp/OSG grip shirts, chalk, bare feet
   

TIE BREAKER:

If any podium spots come down to a tie, we will do one final event to see who wants the win more. Event will not be announced until we are in the moment.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

FB Event page

DMG's Instagram

ATHLETE COMMUNICATION:

• Athletes will receive registration confirmation directly from Iron Podium
• DMG will send periodic emails with important information before comp day
• Weekly emails will start 3-4 weeks before comp day

CONTACT:

All inquiries: info@detroitmusclegroup.com

• Jen Preinitz 920.843.0719
• Bob Pensari 734.658.1463

*this is strongman - weights and event details subject to change, of course...