Two Lessons from Winning the Tactical Strength Challenge

I’ll be honest: I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to write that title.

Don’t get me wrong – my goal this year was to win the Tactical Strength Challenge. I spent the last month leading up to the Challenge telling myself everyday that I was going to finish first overall.

But my other goal this year was to completed The Beast Tamer Challenge. And well, that didn’t go as planned.

So to see my last 6 months of training cumulate winning the TSC? That’s pretty friggin’ awesome.

And for those that don’t know, the Tactical Strength Challenge is a worldwide event put on through StrongFirst. The three events are a max powerlifting style deadlift; max strict bodyweight pull-ups (palms forward and no kipping, obviously); max kettlebell snatches in a 5:00 time period. The challenge exemplifies general physical preparation, as person needs to have enough maximal strength (deadlift), relative strength to their bodyweight (pull-ups), and endurance (snatch test).

By winning the Men’s Open category, I’m able to mimic a feat accomplished by some of my idols in the industry.

Expect the Unexpected

I’ll always remember my first TSC in 2016. It was the only time everything went according to plan. It was also my weakest performance.

I’ve said it before, but this saying has stuck with me: “only the mediocre are always at their best.”

I had a good deadlift, but I was mediocre at pull-ups and snatches. It wasn’t hard for me to set PRs on all three events, because my overall training on two of the events wasn’t that high.

I didn’t have to expect the unexpected.

The next year? I put in hours of work each week to improve my pull-ups. And while I did improve my deadlift and sntaches, I didn’t improve a single rep on pull-ups. I finished 9th overall, but if I had hit the number of pull-ups I had steadily been averaging in my own sessions, I would’ve finished in the top 3.

This year?

-Instead of just competing, I was in charge of running and organizing the TSC at our location.

-About three weeks before the competition, a biopsy on my face came back with Basal Cell Carcinoma – a non-threatening, very treatable form of cancer (it doesn’t metastisize). Still, it’s the big C word and something I’d need to get taken care of soon.

-One week before the competition, my uncle passed away. He was someone I had always looked up to and tried to emulate with my sense of humor. And so with 4 out from the TSC, I flew to New York for his funeral. It was an emotional few days.

-And did I mentioned my wife was 36 weeks pregnant at the time of the competition? While we were pretty sure our baby boy wouldn’t make his appearance beforehand, it was just another thing to add onto my plate.

A younger version of myself would’ve been worried about how I’d be affected by all these factors. But experience has taught me that these circumstances are exactly what your training is for.

Consistency > Everything

Someone’s program doesn’t matter nearly as much as their consistency.

And that’s not just consistency with getting to the gym. That’s consistency with everything else outside the gym that you need to be successful. Some of these are:

Is someone consistently getting 8+ hours of sleep?

Is someone consistent with their nutrition?

Are you consistently limiting the alcohol?

Are you consistently prioritizing all of the above?

The goal, of course, is not highlighting what will help someone win the TSC. It’s illustrating all of the behaviors you need to reach your goals.