My friend and Elite Fitness Platinum member Clint Darden is perhaps the Training Discussion Board\'s most respected member. Posting as "b fold the truth," Clint spends several hours on Elite everyday and helps just about everyone with strength and training questions. And that\'s a great thing because Clint is the strongest man in the State of Kentucky and is well on his way to becoming the strongest man in the United States as he competes nationwide in the Strong Man circuit. In this weeks issue of Elite Fitness News, it gives me great pleasure to profile our own Membre Platine Clint Darden and get him to share some of his secrets for transforming himself from a skinny 155 lbs kid into a huge 6\'2", 300lb. mountain of a man -- all at the young age of only 24.

In case you are not familiar with the Strongman Circuit, a typical strongman competition consists of six events. The first three events are used to qualify eight finalists for the last three events. There are about fifteen different events established so far. The promoter of a particular competition chooses from among these fifteen. Many of these events were adopted from traditional, centuries old contests like the Scottish Highland Games and the Basque contests in Spain. Variations of regular powerlifts are used to test pure strength.

The composition of competitions vary to prevent favoring certain types of competitors. Par example, if you were to have two pressing events, you would make it easier for Olympic lifters and powerlifters. Qualifying heats must be arranged if there are lots of competitors. Généralement 10 à 15 men are invited to compete in a regular competition, as a larger number would make the competition too long. In major contests like World\'s Strongest Man, qualifying heats and final heats are held on separate days. There is also a women\'s league.

Some of the most common events are:

* Farmer\'s Walk -- Competitors carry heavy "suitcases" weighing about 110 kg (245 lbs) in each hand for a set distance, and compete for the fastest time. Autrement, they compete for total distance. *Car Walk -- Distance event. A car with roof and floor removed is carried with harnesses as far as possible. Usually the load is around 350-400 kg (775-880 lbs). *Loading -- Timed event. Five heavy objects weighting 100-150 kg (220-335 lbs) are loaded onto a truck bed or onto some kind of platform. The course is about 15 m (50 ft) long and the objects range from treasure chests, to sacks of sand, to ship anchors. *McGlashen Stones -- Timed event. Five heavy round stones weighing 110-150 kg (220-335 lbs) are put on top of high barrels. The course is about 5-10 m (16-33 ft) long. Scottish tradition. *Truck Pulling -- Timed event. A heavy vehicle is pulled across a "finish-line" hand-over-hand style with a 30 m (100 ft) rope as fast as possible. Sometimes the vehicle is pulled with a harness. *Log-Press / Stone-Press -- Strength event. Heaviest possible load is pressed overhead or lighter weight is done for repetitions.

Check out more pics of Clint performing in the Strongman competitions in his gallery.

*Hercules Hold -- Timed event. A competitor stands in a cable-cross-type machine with 130 kg (290 lb) weighted cable handles in each hand. Grip strength is tested for time.

*Stone Lift -- Strength event. Heaviest possible stone is lifted to shoulder height. From the Basque tradition.

*Log Throw / Caber toss -- Strength event. A five meter long log is thrown for distance or for height over a bar. The distance throw is from the Scottish tradition.

*Weight throw -- Strength event. UN 15-20 kg (33-45 lb) weight, usually a large ingot, is thrown for height over a bar.

*Tug of War -- One on one tug of war in a single-elimination tournament. Competitors pair-off based on their current point standings.

*Pole Pushing -- One on one pole pushing in a Sumo-style ring in a single-elimination tournament. The pole has handles at either end.

*Crucifix -- Weights are held straight out at the sides for time.

*Car Rolling -- Rolling cars over different courses.

Obviously strength is an important qualification for competitors. Not surprisingly, powerlifters do well, but competitors must have all-around strength and athletic abilities. Tremendous explosive power and superb endurance are required to cope with the pushing and pulling of different objects required of competitors throughout the competition. Competitions of this type demand such a wide repertoire of capacities that specialized training is required to excel. Heavyweight bodybuilders have sometimes done well, owing to their usually better aerobic capacities as compared to powerlifters.

The North American Strongman Society held 11 contests in 2001. They have nearly thirty planned for 2002, and they are growing by leaps and bounds.

Last June Clint competed in the Tennessee Strongman Challenge and placed 2nd out of two in the super heavy weight class. He lost by only one point -- to a very good competitor who trained with the contest equipment on a regular basis. He had never touched any of the implements before. In October of last year he competed in the North America\'s Strongest Man competition and placed 2nd out of 6 in the 300-pound weight class. This was the North American Strongman Society Nationals -- the best competitors from all across the United States. This past February he competed in the New England Strongman Showdown in Boston, MA. It turned out to be the largest amateur strongman contest ever. Il y avait 27 competitors in his class and he finished 5th, losing to the same person that he lost to in Texas, but only by one point.

Clint is currently training for the New England Strongman Showdown in Boston in February. Boston is always noted for having the best and newest equipment, being EXTREMELY heavy, and the contest which kicks off the competition year. It is the contest that everyone wants to win right now. They only allowed the top 14 competitors in the US to enter this year (last year they let 27 enter) because they only wanted the best. Clint was very happy to be accepted (being ranked #4 in the US Amateur rankings).

Clint set a few new personal records over the past few weeks. He deadlifted a raw (no belt, no wraps, no straps, no suit) 680lbs a few weeks back. He\'s been training his abs very hard, lourdes, and intense for the past 8 weeks and is starting to get very good signs of having a 6 Pack. He jokes that he\'s never seen them before, but is looking leaner and harder.

Clint is training to weigh around 290-293lbs. by February 8th for Boston and be in the best cardio shape of his life.

I recently had the opportunity to interview Clint and here it is:

GS: With all your traveling to the various competitions, do you ever get to meet any of the Elite Fitness members?

Clint: I hope to meet more and more Elite members over the next several months as I travel with Strongman. I have been blessed with meeting some of the greatest and most wonderful people on Earth because of Elite. My life has changed because of the friends and loved ones that Elite has brought me closer to in the real world. I can not thank Elite enough for that.

Anyone who can attend the Boston contest on February 8th, you will not be disappointed. Happy Scrappy went last year (helped me out greatly) and had a blast too (something about some hot woman from Finland...lol). It is always a good time at EVERY contest. Here is the link to that contest.

GS: Tell me about your diet?

Clint: My meals are not the same every day, I have a basic grocery list that I work from and have a goal as to how much I eat. The basics always entail milk, tuna, rice, eau, pâtes alimentaires, peanut butter, cheese, steak, hamburger, and of course...pizza. The employees where I work also spoil me rotten with all kinds of foods that they make too.

When I am getting ready for a contest I shoot for am excess of 6,000kcals per day. I try to get 250-350 grams of protein in every day and as many carbs as I can. I really do not count fat at all, but for my sport I am very lean. When I am on the go, I always just make sure to be constantly eating something. I feel that eating something is always better than eating nothing. Being a full-time student and working full-time, I spend a lot of time on the go.

GS: How about rest and recuperation?

Clint: After a contest I try to give myself tons of time to rest. Total rest. I relax from the gym, from event training, from food, and from discipline in the sport. Two weeks later I am fired up to go again. As the contest gets closer I begin to spend more and more time on my diet and food intake. I add in Triple Threat protein shakes, extra carbohydrates and fat, eau, powerade, creatine if I have any, and I get really focused. I need that down time from training in order to have that killer attitude that I need to have when I train and compete.

GS: What about aerobic training?

Clint: I do light sled dragging once or twice a week during contest prep and I always do events every Sunday. My sled dragging usually only takes about 15 minutes and my event training takes about 3 heures. The sled dragging is very low intensity and focuses on muscular endurance. My events are focused on strength, vitesse, and endurance.

GS: Tell me about a typical week\'s training program? Clint: Weekly Weight Training Program: dimanche: Maximum Effort Lower body day and Events I usually start with some sort of good morning or deadlift and work up to a heavy triple or single such as the Westside Barbell routines. When I finish my gym lifting, I spend about 3 hours going through my events for whatever contest I am preparing for. Events vary every week in some sort: harness pull, farmers walk, hussefeld stone carry, atlas stone work, super yoke, tire flip, deadlift hold for time, truck push, crucifix hold, etc.. There are tons of variations for every event too...it is always fun. Lundi: I just lay around, go to class and work...and hurt a bit. I try to drag my sled for active recovery and to increase my body\'s work capacity if I can. Mardi: See Monday...lol...

Check out more of Clint\'s training pics in his gallery.

Mercredi: Dynamic Effort lower body
Box Squats: 8 ensembles de 2 REPS avec 45 seconds of rest between sets. I also add bands for added explosive resistance every week. They can really make a set MUCH harder too. A set of blue (lourdes) bands can add 200+lbs to the bar weight at the top...and you must be very explosive to make it through the lift because the bands pull you back down to the box. I use anywhere from 275-325 plus the heavy bands each week for speed work.
Stiff Legged Deadlifts: 2-4 light sets of 3-6 reps
Extensions de la jambe: 2 ensembles de 50-100 reps, very light to simulate a sled drag
Calf Raises: usually standing with a barbell on my back, 2 définit

Takes about 45 minutes or less.

Jeudi: Rest totally.

Vendredi: Dynamic Effort upper body
Speed Bench Press: 8 ensembles de 3 reps with 45seconds between sets with 225 ou plus. I also add mini bands to this exercise to help increase speed when I can.
Incline Bench Press: 1-3 ensembles de 1-8 reps
Flyes: en option, to help with the atlas stone and hussefeld stone...squeezing movement
Tricep Exercise of choice: reps and sets vary
Dbell cleans for rotator cuffs: 3-5 light sets of 10-15
Rows of choice: 3 sets of medium to light weight
Dbell Curls: en option, 1-3 light sets of 6-10 reps

Takes about 45 minutes or less also.

Samedi: Rest totally.

GS: How long have you been training to get where you are today?

Clint: Eight years .

GS: And how have you progressed? Clint: When I was 16 I had just bulked up to 175lbs from 152. I remember feeling so big when I started buying XL shirts. I will never forget my first workout in the gym where my trainer made me write everything down because I would appreciate it later. I towel benched, with his assistance, barely 95lbs. I missed the bar on smith machine squats in the same workout. I will never forget that day for the rest of my life. By age 18 I was a lean 220. I then decided that I was not going to get far if I stayed lean the rest of my life, so began to bulk for my bodybuilding career. I reached 265 for quite a while and sat around that bodyweight till about age 22. At that point I began lifting in my garage at home due to time constraints with school and work. That time was very critical to my lifting goals as I know them now. I had to create things to do, as I no longer had cables, machines, etc...to work with. Squats, deadlifts, and bench presses HAD to work for me because there was NOTHING else for me to use. I also realized that I was going to have a 38" waist with abs and that I was never going to be a bodybuilder. I hate doing reps above 6 on anything and the weights were just calling my name more and more. En septembre de 2000 I remember telling myself that I was going to weigh 300lbs or more that year. I had 3 months to go from someone who had slacked off in their training at 278lbs to a monster at 300. I ate and ate and ate and trained and ate and ate till on December 26th I weighed 305lbs. I was not in shape at that bodyweight...but I had gone from 152lbs to 305lbs totally natural and in 7 années. Soon after that I decided that I was not healthy and I would start to get into better shape. I picked up a few new magazines and began reading them. I learned about the sport of strongman and everything that it entailed...it really intrigued me a lot. I bought an old combine tire and began flipping it on the weekends. I also made some thick bars that I could use to strengthen my grip. June of 2001 I entered my first strongman competition and placed 2 sur 2 in my class. I almost won though. My 2nd contest was the North America\'s Strongest Man in Euless, Texas that October. Hannibal (from the Discussion Boards) spent countless hours helping me come up with a plan of attack for this contest and it really made a huge difference in my strength. I placed 2nd out of 6 in the 300lb weight class at a bodyweight of 280. I got a lot of looks from a lot of larger people there. In February of 2002 I competed at the New England Strongman Showdown in Boston, MA. It was a very large contest, possibly the largest amateur contest in the world. The weights that we used as amateurs were heavier than those used on the World\'s Strongest Man contest that you see on television. I placed 5th out of the top 27 competitors in the nation. I weighed in at 289lbs. GS: What are your goals? Clint: I would like to be an in shape 300lbs. I am not looking for ripped abs...just a very in shape body. I would like to earn my pro card in the next 2 years and begin competing for a spot at the World\'s Strongest Man. Graduation is in the not to distant future for me, so that is always a priority.

GS: Do you use supplements?

Clint: I have not had a lot of luck with supplements in the past. The major problem I see with them is the expense/benefit ratio. If I am going to use a supplement, I want to use one that is going to add to my already full diet. I do usually add creatine into my diet for the last 3-4 weeks before a contest and I take Triple Threat protein year round.

GS: Tell us a little about your lifestyle.

Clint: La plupart du temps, I don\'t do much of anything wild and crazy. My life revolves around school, travail, entraînement, my kids (dogs), family, and a few friends. Well...and Elite of course, lol. I live at home with my family and I love them to death. I am convinced that they are the best in the world, and it is great when they surprise me at work by bringing me some food.

I live in a very small town in Kentucky, born and raised, and I love it here. I take back roads to and from work every day, driving 35mph all the way. I love the scenery, farms, trees, etc... I love the small things in life. Maybe being poor does that to you, I don\'t know. There is just something about running through the grass barefoot on a Saturday night with your dogs that I just love.

GS: Are you married? Single?

Clint: I am not married but have been seeing Night Fly from Elite for a long time now. I am convinced that we are meant for each other. I have never met anyone like her in my entire life and hope that we grow together both emotionally and physically, lol.

GS: Have kids?

Clint: I refer to my two dogs as my kids all the time and I get some funny looks. Isaiah is a 13 year old Doberman and Jordan is a 2 year old blue healer. I love them to death.

GS: What do you do for a living?

Clint: I am a security guard while going to school at the moment. My major is Organizational Communications, or the study of how an organization runs.

GS: How did you find out about elitefitness.com?

I actually found out about elitefitness.com through a friend who used to be a member on the board. He helped me sign up and it didn\'t take long to get hooked. There is just so much information shared on the boards as well as the many friends that you meet.

GS: How many years have you been on our site?

Clint: I have been a member for two years.

GS: What part of the site do you use? The boards? Free encrypted email? Free web pages? Articles? Dating?

Clint: I have read about every board on Elite, but spend most of my time on the Powerlifting, Training, and Chat and Conversation boards.

GS: What got you interested in weight lifting?

Clint: I have trained and competed nationally in Martial Arts since I was 8 years old and found that weight training really helped me come back from injuries. I had torn the muscles across my lower back when I was 15 I believe and weightlifting was introduced to me by a trainer at the gym. Of course I had that thought of "but I don\'t want to get too big." 150lbs later I love it, haha.

GS: What are your plans for the future?

Clint: I hope to finally graduate very soon and maybe start to work on my 2nd bachelors degree, but who knows. My job is ending as our facility is moving to Mexico, so part of my NAFTA benefits include total scholarship towards my education for two years. That is hard to pass up at any age or level of education.

GS: Are there any obstacles you have overcome, personal or training related?

Clint: I have overcome several small injuries throughout the years...but the largest was definitely when I got sick when I was younger. I had mono from age 14-16 straight. I was told by my doctors that they could not do anything else to help me as my liver and spleen continued to swell and my immune system lowered. I was told that I would always be skinny and would never compete in Martial Arts ever again. When I was 17 I competed again and won first in weapons, first in forms, first in fighting, and overall grand champion. I also weighed 305lbs at age 23 trop. I\'d say I overcame that pretty well.

GS: Where do you see yourself in the next 5 années, 10 années?

Clint: In five years I see myself married and being a pro strongman. Where I will work and where I live is yet to be determined, as long as I can have fun and train.

Dans 10 années, à l'âge 34, I would like to still be competing in strongman. I would like to have my own gym/large warehouse to train in. It would also be nice to have a child by then too.

GS: Do you have any training advice for our members? Clint: If I could tell anyone one thing about training, it would be this: If you really want to be great, do not make one single excuse. Find a way to do it. No excuses. For anyone who does not visit on a regular basis...PLEASE come over to the Training Discussion Board and say hello. Give advice, take advice, learn. That is why we are all there.

PS, you can chat live with Clint and the other Platinum Members when you become a Platinum Member of the Elite Fitness Discussion Boards.

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