“In 2023, I lifted the Dinnie Stones.”
When I say that to folks, they usually return a blank stare. That’s ok with me. It’s pretty uncommon. I saw once that more people have submitted mount Everest than have lifted the stones. Makes the story even better 😁.
I smile and continue my tale of lifting 733 pounds of metal rings and stone, becoming the 249th person to do so.
You can watch the video of the lift here, and if you’re interested in the 10+ year health and training journey, read on…
How it started
How the heck did I get interested in this in the first place?
Back in 2010, I started having issues with my back. It started going out of alignment and would have me hobbling around bent over or just lying on the floor or in bed for days.
Here’s a picture of what my back looked like during one of the episodes:
Not great.
After the third time it happened I went to the doctor and they ordered an MRI. It came back with two or three degenerative disks in my lower back (see the black and dark gray where bright white disks should be?):
After receiving that diagnosis, I met with the doctor about next steps. They said I had two options:
- Get surgery on my back, attaching a cage to my spine and perminently reduce my range of motion
- Start doing some PT and strengthening my “core” (think pilates, yoga, planks, holds, glute bridges, etc.)
Even though I’m not a fan of any of those options, I opted for options #2 and headed out the door.
To say that I wasn’t consistent with my exercising was an understatement… I really don’t like yoga or pilates. If you do, I’m super happy for you. I just have never jived with those. I’d rather run…
So, that’s what I did… Or tried to start doing…
Road to recovery and the inspiration
While I couldn’t immediately start running, I tried biking to work and walking more. I’d been a grad student during the time of my back going out, so I was sitting a lot, and generally wasn’t really working out or doing any training.
By 2012 I’d graduated and my wife and I had move to South Korea (we ended up staying for five years, it was amazing!). About a month in, I decided to go for a walk. Maybe there was something in the air, but I decided to give jogging a go. I hadn’t run since 2010, and I was nervous. But, I picked up my pace…
For probably 42 seconds, I jogged… And then I stopped and did a quick check to see how I was feeling. I felt… fine. Good even. So, I started jogging a little more.
No, this didn’t turn into a Forrest Gump-esque run across Asia, but I did jog off and on for about 10 minutes. I was jazzed!
From then on, I started jogging about 3 times a week. I think just doing that made me feel better.
This lasted for another 2 years, and then I was bending over to tie my shoes to go play basket ball in 2014-ish, and I felt that familiar slip… Ugh! (insert much profanity). It wasn’t as bad of an episode as it had been in the past, only lasting a day or two, but I was scared. I decided it was time to do something about my “core”.
Around this point, I’d started reading several nerdfitness.com articles and learning about kettlebells and deadlifts, and how good they were for your lower back. I grabbed some simple weights and started doing swings and deadlifts with a make shift kettlebell.
And, predictably, I started feeling more stable and stronger.
I started working out at the school gym, focusing on deadlifting. It was awesome seeing my progress and moving the weight off the floor. Quickly, I remember hitting 135 and then 225 pounds, I couldn’t believe I was lifting this weight. I’m 6’3″, and have long legs and arms, so I have a bit of a mechanical advantage for deadlifts.
But wow, picking up that kinda weight is amazing. Before we moved back to the U.S. in 2017, I was lifting 325 for sets of three.
I’m not exactly sure when I started lifting, but I think it was early in 2015.
The inspiration
Sometime in the fall of 2018, I was checking out my Instagram feed, and I came across this video:
This is Leigh Holland-Keen of Australia. At this point, she is the “1st lady in history to be awarded a full lift of the Dinnie Stones”. I must have rewatched this video five times.
What is this?
Where is this?
Is that a modified deadlift?
Could I do that?
Wait wut? Am I crazy for thinking I might someday be able to do this?!
The idea of lifting the stones one day lodged itself into my brain and I kept on thinking about it. At that point, i think there were less than 100 people who had ever lifted the stones. I started researching and seeing what people were doing for training. Apparently, lots and lots of deadlifting heavy.
So, I started to up my deadlift training. I also reached out to a man who had recently lifted the stones at 59, at that point the oldest person to have lifted them: Gordon Ingram. I’d asked him what he was deadlifting at the time he lifted the stones, and he said, “500 lbs”.
“Ok,” I thought, ” that’s the goal now.”
I spent the next couple years not really doing anything about it. Then in late 2021 I mentioned to my wife I wanted to give this a go. She, graciously, was very supportive. She’s amazing 🤩 🥰.
My goal was simple: get to a 500+ pound deadlift.
After a few programs, I found one that started working for me and improving strength quickly: Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1. I finally hit a 500 pound deadlift around June 2022. At that point, I double checked with my wife that we should actually go and do this, and she said “yes”.
Cerberus Strength had some Dinnie Stone trainers built to scale with rings, so I ordered those and got to work.
Training and qualifying
Over the next 6 months, I was diligent and regimented about training three times a week and getting my diet in line with gaining muscle. This was a ton of fun to do the work.
By the end of December, I’d been in touch with Steve Shanks, and asked if I’d be able to participate and lift in The Gathering in 2023. He told me I needed to qualify quickly. To qualify, you need to lift 660 pounds from an elevated trap deadlift or with the ring trainers.
The problem was, I was running out of weights at home to get the weight heavy enough. So, I started looking for a powerlifting gym. Primal Strength ended up being the gym I decided to check out. Luckily enough, at the end of 2022 they were having a present drive and lift for under-resourced families and kids.
After getting introduced to everyone, I told them I’d been training to lift the Dinnie Stones, and they said they wanted to see a demo. So, I started to load up the weights and go to about 600 pounds pretty easy.
Well, that’s not too far away from qualifying! So, I slapped another 60 pounds on the trainers and…
Qualified!
Dang, was I jazzed! And the ugly Christmas sweater wasn’t a bad choice either 😁!
The Gathering was in August of 2023, so I joined up at Primal Strength and went over once a week to lift really heavy. Honestly, it was a great time waking up at 5am to drive 30 minutes, train for an hour, and driving home in time to wake up the kiddos for school. I really enjoyed and treasured that time.
So, the next 7 months flew by, and then, it was off to Scotland and Potarch, to lift the stones!…
The big day
We arrived at the Potarch Café the next day and I was so excited!
As we were pulling in. I saw Luke Stoltman and Martin Licis, two of the worlds Strongest Man athletes I flipped! So cool! I couldn’t believe they were there! Luke and Harry Stoltman were there too as well as Big Loz. I thought, “What are these guys all doing here?! This is going to be an epic day!”
After the march of the lifters, I got warmed up for my lift and watched the women go first to qulify for the Jan Todd Games later that day. Awesome lifts! They both did it!
Then it was my group’s turn to go. We looked around to see who would go first. Brett Nicol pointed at me and said, “Come on big man. Let’s go!” So I went.
There were probably a couple hundred people in the crowd cheering me on. Adrenaline pumping I set up and started to lift the stones… and they moved!
They came up right up… but at the top of the lift, the right stone slipped out of my hand, tearing a callous. (profanity removed 🫢) Brett gave me a peptalk and I tried again. I lifted and the stones came up again… and slipped again! Another callous torn… (more profanity removed 🫢)…
Ugh… 🤬 they told me to take a break. I went to the side to collect myself and focus. I had one more chance. My dad came over and encouraged me.
Others went; some lifted the stones, some failed. I was starting to feel the pain and knew it was time to go.
Mark Haydock came over and offered to set my grip. I quickly accepted. He holds the record for longest hold with the Dinnies, so of course I readily accepted his help! He and Brett came up with me. Mark set my grip and told me to “hold on hard and don’t let go.” They both patted me on the back and I focused, pulled up and pushed down, ignoring the pain in my right hand and…
🎉 Lifted the Dinnie Stones!!! 🎉
What a feeling!!!
While I didn’t have a “smile for the camera” moment like I’d hoped for, I’d done it!
I was so happy!!!
After all the hugs and congratulations, Dad handed me a beer. Best beer of my life!
I mostly took it easy for the rest of the day and met a lot of awesome folks and some heroes in the stones.
We had a celebration dinner that night with my family and who had come to watch and support me. I was really overwhelmed with the love and support.
I slept peacefully for the first time in over a year that night.
I woke up the next morning, not worrying about lifting the stones. I’d done it… ☺️