On Oct. 22, 2022, strongman Zach Hadge shared a post on his Instagram page wherein he coaches elite CrossFit athlete Chandler Smith in the log press. While it was curious at the time of the post why Smith was training a maximal lift in a different strength sport, it became clear when seven of the 10 events for the 2022 Rogue Invitational were announced a few days later.
The 2022 Rogue Invitational will feature a one-rep max log lift event titled “Texas Oak” on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. Check out Hadge’s post below:
Note: scroll to the left to see Smith’s lifts.
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Elite CrossFit contests such as the CrossFit Games and the Rogue Invitational have incorporated a lot of strongman-inspired events into their program over the past few seasons. The 2022 Games event titled “Capitol” included a farmer’s carry and Husafell sandbag carry in its final stretch.
The 2022 Rogue Invitational follows that trend, and Smith seems to be preparing to press a potential event-winning weight overhead. Hadge’s caption in his post expressed how impressed he was with how Smith took to the new overhead variation:
This kid is something else. I haven’t been around focus like his in a very long time.
Smith also posted a video of himself from the training session on his Instagram, offering another angle. He wore a lifting belt but eschewed elbow sleeves, wrist wraps, and knee sleeves. Check it out below:
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I was fortunate enough to get the chance to work with two world-class strongmen in Rob Kearney and Zach Hadge ahead of the 2022 Rogue Invitational.
Hadge commented on Smith’s post that Smith’s max lift was 285 pounds.
Smith finished eighth overall at the 2021 Rogue Invitational, won by two-time reigning Fittest Man on Earth®, Justin Medeiros. As of this article’s publication, three of the 10 events have yet to be announced.
We’ll see if Smith’s strongman training in the lead-up to the competition kicking off on Oct. 27, 2022, in Round Rock, TX. He will compete against 19 other elite CrossFitters in the Individual Men’s division for six figures in prize money.
Featured image: @hadge_brothers on Instagram