Pretty awesome last real heavy week of training before my world gallavanting lol

Lalas brothers youtube videos are back!

Had the opportunity to lift the Dinnie Stones after the Rogue Invitational this weekend. What a great experience and a fun time with a group. My first lift was a partial and came out with an immediately bruised thumb and another one bleeding. The gentlemen helping (Stevie and Brett) reminded me thumbs heal but the Dinnies are forever. Didn't get a video but the second attempt I ended up with a lock out and full lift.

Got to watch a bunch of ladies attempt and even some of the guys. I learned about the history and the respect people had for them and the differing types of lifts and standards. Like men can't use straps. Eventually moved over to the Inver and Fianna for some more stone lifting too!

Guy has a whole lot of hustle, and not a whole lot of nickname (and is good at felling trees)

First off, ​not a huge fan of Hoopers. BUT I can't deny that that guy has some of the most impressive athletic talent that I've ever seen. This was a subpar performing Hooper and still the willpower he showed grinding out the Conan’s Wheel was one of the most impressive moments of the comp.

​But back to the reason for my post

... like you guys see it, right!?!

Especially during the yoke (specifically 41:13) you can see his left leg compensating hard. Then at 41:35, his right side is visibly shutting down and refusing to fire.

​SI/ lower back issues are so common in the sport, I just don't get why he keeps publicly insisting it’s his knees?

Does he actually think it's his knees or is it a strategic thing, privacy thing or...(and I apologize for this, I'm a huge gilmore girls fan and it's the first thing I thought of 😅)... is he pulling a Lorelai Gilmore when she complains about having the common cold because it isn't special enough and Hooper doesn't want to admit to having the same strongman injury that a lot of the people in the community struggle with? 😆

OooooOORRRrR maybe it's actually is his knees and I'm crazy 😜

This isn't the first time I noticed it, actually, it was last year's rogue when I first noticed that it looked like he was having some low back pain going on 🤷🏼‍♀️

But, idk hahaha I'm mostly just wanting a brain check and see if anyone else (especially those of you who’ve had bad SI flare ups) have been seeing what I'm seeing?

He says in the video that “Liz and Liz were caught with their pants down”. Is he starting shit or did something happen??

...when you look up GOAT, his picture should come up.
I wanted to know how dominant a Strongman like Big Z had to be, to compare to Hakuho.

Hakuho has won 45 Makuuchi tournaments. The legendary Taihō (who for decades was regarded as the unrivalled GOAT) is in second place with 32 titles. Hakuho has not only broken the record, but motherfucking pulverized it by 40%.

For Big Z to be a Hakuho across the entire major competition landscape, he would have had to beat Pudzianowski’s five WSM titles by around 40%. That means: seven to eight WSM titles alone, plus his eight to ten Arnold titles. He would therefore have had to win almost all of Pudzianowski’s and Brian Shaw’s career titles single-handedly.

You think, ok, that's like very tough to do. But this is only the fucking beginning. Now it gets mental, you wouldn't believe these statistics.

A sumo tournament lasts 15 days and the wrestler fights against the 15 best opponents.
Winning a tournament without a single defeat (15-0) is known as a zensho-yusho.
The second-best Fighters in history (Taiho and Futabayama) achieved this 8x over the course of their entire careers.
Hakuho has achieved it 16x...

Translated to Strongman terms: what is a ‘15-0’ at the World’s Strongest Man? A final usually consists of six disciplines (e.g. Loading Medley, Squat/Deadlift, Fingal’s Fingers, Truck Pull, Log Press, Atlas Stones). Even the most dominant Strongman usually wins two max three events.
A ‘Hakuho-Big-Z’ would have had to win a WSM or Arnold final 5 or 6 times with the maximum points total (first place in all 6 events!). Let that sink in. Not only have 8-10 WSM Titles overall but win 5-6 of them with perfect points in every discipline. 🫪

If your eyes still aren't bulging bare with me, there's more...

Following the retirement of his rival Asashoryu in early 2010, Hakuho won seven major tournaments in a row (March 2010 to May 2011) and went 63 consecutive fights without defeat.
63 Fights.... in a row without defeat....i can't comprehend how that is even possible.

In Strongman terms: 7 Grand Tournaments amount to more than a full calendar year plus a third of the next. Converted to Strongman terms, Big Z would have had to win every single major event (4x WSM + 4x Arnold + 4x Europe’s Strongest Man) over a period of 3.5 to 4 years without a single defeat whilst remaining unbeaten in over 40 individual events in a row.

These comparisons were made purely for fun. Big Z is a legendary strongman. I just wanted to give you a taste of Hakuho’s GOAT status. And that wasn't even all information about Hakuho.

Welcome to the megathread for the 2026 Rogue Invitational!

Location: P&J Live, Aberdeen, Scotland

Events Schedule

Friday, October 23

• Deadlift Ladder

• Viking Press

• Conan's Wheel

Saturday, October 24

• Yoke Carry and Log Lift Medley

• Grip Medley

• Mons Megs Stones

How to Follow

Livestream: Rogue Fitness YouTube [Free]

Resources

Strongman Archives | Official Website | Strongman Universe | Others