This year, Bruut did not celebrate its 9th anniversary with one large competition, but with a festive week full of activities. One of the most interesting events to me was the Strongman Mini Comp: a test event with creative challenges, developed by Crushclub.
When I saw the setups, I immediately thought of this video by Emil Abrahamsson. Although the tasks were not pure climbing problems, the elements of climbing, such as grip strength, were clearly present.
Challenge 1: The Pincher
You sat on the ground and had to squeeze two wooden boards together with one hand while a scale showed your strength. Everyone had three attempts. My first attempt went well, and on the second I reached the maximum score of 46 kilos. Since several participants achieved the same result, there was an additional round using the other hand. I am clearly less strong on my left side, so I ended up just below the maximum score.
Challenge 2: The Rise and Roll
Next came another strength game. Lifting a weight by rolling a wooden beam. With each round, the weight became heavier. Although the task looked simple, it caused sore spots around the thumb for many participants. Because of blisters, I stopped at 55 kilos.
Challenge 3: Armwrestle Showdown
With the elbow on the table, a weight had to be lifted. It resembled arm wrestling quite a lot. This turned out to be my weakest event. I did not get beyond 10 kilos.
Challenge 4: Grip and Raise
In this game, you had to pull up a beam that was fixed at one end. The closer you placed your hand to the end point, the heavier it became. Almost everyone managed the first four positions, but position five was reserved for only two participants. My maximum was fourth as well.
Challenge 5: The Edge Pull
The final task was to pull on a small edge with both hands while your strength was measured. My 100 kilos seemed good, but several men clearly did better.
My Experience
The challenges were original and fun to do. It truly felt like something different from climbing, yet still familiar. I had hoped to score better, although I knew that these kinds of specific strength tasks are not my strongest side. Being strong as a climber does not automatically translate into high scores in these kinds of challenges. Climbing is about much more than pure strength.
Potential for the future
This mini competition was mainly a test event to see whether this concept could develop into a larger competition. I definitely see that happening. The main challenge will be to keep the flow running smoothly. This time, we completed all parts in groups, which led to longer waiting times. In addition, challenge two could be improved to prevent injuries.
Winner
With my results, a podium place was out of reach. Congratulations to Daan, the clear winner. He made every task look effortless and reached the maximum score several times. An impressive achievement.
EN 
NL