Toughman 2015

2012 ... one person tapped out and 3 others took more than 5 minutes

2013 ... no one tapped out and no one went over 4 minutes and 30 seconds

2014 ...no one tapped out and no one went over 3 minutes and 30 seconds

Unless you have the math skills of a zygote, it should be readily apparent that our guys were starting to destroy the Toughman.

With that, I decided to change the Toughman events for the first time in 3 years.

My main goal was to make it more about strength and less about speed or endurance. At the same time, I wanted to keep it centered around being tough.  

To make this happen, here is what we did:

1. We shortened the working distance from 40 yards to 15 yards.

2. We increased the weight on every station by almost 50%

3. We replaced the running sled pull with a seated sled pull.

4. We added a 5th station to the event, by making each athlete do sliders as their first and last station.

The diagram below details exactly how the event was set-up. 

Each athlete would move from the right side of the event to the left, not taking any breaks between each station. The person with the shortest time wins.

The Results

Despite adding 50% more weight and a 5th station, our guys ended up dominating this Toughman even more than they had in the previous design.

An ignoramus would say I made it too easy.

The world's greatest detective would look deeper into the situation.

I see moisture patterns on the sliders ...

There were 3 key factors to our domination.

1. We trained like animals.

2. Anyone who did not train like an animal could not participate.

3. It rained before and during the event.

What does rain have to do with it?

It has to do with a little thing called friction. Look it up!

Now for the results ...

Bronze Metal: Nick Fugallo

In 2014, Nick only got to watch the Toughman.

I would not let him participate, as he had not officially been training with us yet. 

His official training began a month later, and to be honest, he got smoked by the Prowler (a.k.a The Predator).

He also got smoked by the farmer's walk.

And he got smoked by the sliders.

Things weren't looking good for Nick ... too bad ...

Too bad Nick didn't care. 

He kept training like a savage. 

He worked on his grip.

He did extra reps of the prowler.

He improved his technique on the sliders and bam ...

He gets the bronze on test day by finishing in 1 minute 28 seconds.

(Note: Nick could have trimmed about 5-10 seconds off of his time had he not fumbled the farmer's walk in the middle of the event. This picture does not do the scenario any justice. You need to watch the full video at the end of the this blog to appreciate the hilarity of the situation.)

Silver Metal: Joe Sarno

In his rookie debut in 2013, Joe Sarno came in 3rd.

In 2014, he came in 3rd.

In 2015, he came in 2nd.

This gives him 3 metals in his first 3 events.

(Note: The only other athlete to do this was Toughman legend Teddy Clohessy.)

Joe has the grip strength and the temperament of a gorilla, which makes him a fierce competitor.

He literally plowed through every event, not showing a single sign of weakness or fatigue.

He completed the event in an incredible 1 minute 15 seconds and would have won had it not been for ...

Gold Metal: Ryan Smith

For the third straight year, Ryan Smith has come in 1st place in the Toughman.

(Note: The only other athlete to do this was Toughman legend Teddy Clohessy.)

He completed the event in 1 minute 13 seconds.

The only year he did not win was his rookie debut in 2012, where he came in 7th.

From that point on, it's been over Johnny.

Because I am brilliant, who better to quote than myself when talking about Ryan Smith in 2014.

"It is going to take someone with a great deal of talent and a great deal of drive to beat him in future events.

This is going to enrage a lot of people out there ... but face the facts.

When was the last time Ryan Smith missed a training session?

When was going to a party more important than getting better?

When was sleep more important to him than winning the Toughman?" - Coach Mahoney, 2014

This quote still holds true and probably will until Smith retires from Advanced Training.

I don't see too many guys willing to give up sleep and their social life to beat him.

Honorable Mention: Nick Carroll

Due to prior injuries, I did not allow Carroll to participate in any Toughman training (or the event) in 2014.

His condition was so bad, I didn't even let him perform sprint sessions with us.

Through some really hard work and really smart training (you're welcome), Carroll made himself a competitor in 2015.

If he continues to progress at this pace, he will be a threat in the future.

Purple Heart: Joe Schillaci

Over the past year, Joe has had a broken leg and a torn rotator cuff. When he came into Advanced Training, we really had to be careful about what he could and could not do.

As a result, he could not fully participate in Toughman training until about a month ago.

Despite all of those circumstances, he had a very, very good rookie showing.

He missed the bronze metal by under 2 seconds.

His only flaw was that he threw my poor farmer's walk down a hill during the event.

So, in reality, the Purple Heart really goes to my farmer's walk, and not Joe Schillaci.

(Like the picture of Fugallo fumbling the farmer's walk, this picture does not do the scenario any justice. You need to watch the full video at the end of the this blog to appreciate the situation.)

Schillaci throwing the farmer's walk

To see all the stats, click HERE.

The video I referenced a few times is attached below. Special thanks to Joe Mreczko for a great job of filming it. Next year he will be participating, so I am putting out the call now for a new camera man.