Separate from the Pack
By
Tony Montgomery
After serving four years in the Marine Corps and one tour in Iraq, I was
finally done. I had served my country valiantly and fought for my freedom. I
said to myself, “It’s time to let loose.” So I did exactly that. Five months and
thirty pounds of fat later, I was a mess. I became another statistic, another
face in the crowd. I was one of the sixty plus percent of overweight people in
this world.
This was something that I thought would never happen to me. I was raised to
stand out from the crowd and excel in life. I let myself, my family, and more
specifically, my wife and kids down. I took a good, long look in the mirror on
August 12, 2008, and knew it was time for a change. On that day, I took my life
in my hands and decided to make numerous changes.
The first step was to set a goal and pick a date to do this. I enlisted the
help of EliteFTS’s own Shelby Starnes and expressed to him my concerns and
disappointments. I told him my goal was to get down to single digit body fat
within three months. It was a long, grueling process, but I knew it had to be
done. I had to take myself out of the majority column and put myself into the
minority one. Three months later, I reached my goals. Man, did it empower me to
achieve more!
Still, after all this, there was something inside me that said do more, be
the best. I decided again that this wasn’t good enough for me. I needed
something bigger, something more fulfilling. So I set my sights on a Strongman
contest sometime in July of 2009. This gave me eight months to transform myself
into a Strongman competitor. I knew this would give me enough time to prepare
mentally and physically. I set up my template to focus on my weak points while
continuing to improve my strong ones.
My template was pretty basic because I didn’t know what to expect at a
competition.
Monday
Max effort overhead press, 1–5RM
Heavy triceps, 3–5 sets, 6–10 reps
Back, 3–5 sets, 10–15 reps
Triceps finisher, 3 sets, 25–50 reps
Circuit abs, 3 sets, 10–15 reps
Tuesday
Max effort deadlifts, 1–5 RM
Squat variation, 5–7 sets, 6–10 reps
Grip, 5 sets of random exercises
Traps, 5 sets, 10–20 reps
Wednesday
Off
Thursday
Upper body plyometrics, 10 sets, 3 reps
Back, 4–6 sets, 3–10 reps
Triceps, 3–4 sets, 8–12 reps
Biceps, 3–4 sets, 8–12 reps
Heavy abs, 5 sets, 8–10 reps
Friday
Off
Saturday
Strongman training
(All I had for equipment was a 700-lb tire, Farmer’s walk, and a sled. I just
did medleys.)
Sunday
Off
I continued to do carb rotation and managed the micros and macros myself. On
training days, I consumed a healthy 3600 calories, and on the low days, I
consumed 2800 calories. I monitored my weight and made adjustments as I
continued to progress. I wasn’t worried about putting on 30 lbs of muscle and
increasing my deadlift by 100 lbs. That is impossible to do in the short amount
of time provided to obtain my goal. I knew if I stuck to my plan and made small
improvements I would be fine.
Day in and day out I was in a zone. All I could focus on was getting in the
gym, setting PRs, and crushing the competition. Slowly but surely I was putting
on some good size and strength. I couldn’t be deterred from my goal, and I
wouldn’t let anything or anyone get in my way. Finals week in school wasn’t a
problem. Neighbors complained about the noise, but I didn’t care. They were the
statistic that I once was and would never be again.
I was obsessed with being the best. I read any and all books related to
strength and performance to hone my skills. I had to learn from the best so I
took a trip up to New Jersey to train at DeFranco’s. I was there for one week
learning from the best and training with his NFL crew. That was an experience
that will affect the way I do things for the rest of my life. I loved the
feeling of being a rare breed, and I wanted more. I continued to set goals and
plan my life around the steel. I opened my own gym and continued working on my
degree in exercise science all while pounding the weights to achieve my goal.
The day finally came—July 18, 2009, the 3rd Annual SW Florida
Strongman Show. I competed in the novice division with ten other Strongmen. I
knew I had my work cut out for me. I was undersized in an open weight class, and
these guys were on the same path that I was.
First up was the log press—215 for reps in 60 seconds. I pushed out 12 reps
and thought maybe I should have tried this before the contest. The second event
was the axle deadlift—405 lbs for reps in 60 seconds. I knew this would be my
event. I blasted out 13 reps and then my grip gave out. The third event was an
18-lb crucifix hold in each hand. I held it for one minute and seven seconds.
Going into the atlas stones, I was in second place and had to set the time to
beat. Just before the judge said go, all I could think about was becoming one of
the elite and separating myself from the pack.
The first stone was 200 lbs and it went up like a pillow while the second,
third, fourth, and fifth did the same. This was the first time I had ever
touched stones, and I lifted 200, 220, 240, 260, and 280 lbs like they were my
33-lb, three-year-old daughter. I finished in 15 seconds and waited patiently as
the guy in first place went. He struggled with them, and I knew that right then
and there it was mine for the taking. It was time to fulfill the life I was born
to live. I was separating myself from society, from the pack. The scores were
in. As they called out my name and everybody cheered for me—the guy who took
first place—I knew my life would never be the same.
I was amazed at the feeling I got when they called my name. That was the
validation I needed. That was the separation I desired. That fed me for about
two minutes and then I wanted more. Now, I’m on a journey to turn professional,
and I won’t stop until I get it.
Tony Montgomery is training to become a professional Strongman and a
leader in the strength and conditioning industry. After honorably serving four
years in the Marines, he is currently pursuing a degree in exercise science from
Florida Atlantic University. He specializes in training athletes of any kind to
reach their peak performance. He trains a wide variety of clients from
tri-athletes to football players and everything in between. Tony is currently
located in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Visit his website at
samsonstrengthconditioning.com.
Elite Fitness Systems strives to be a recognized leader in the strength
training industry by providing the highest quality strength training products
and services while providing the highest level of customer service in the
industry. For the best training equipment, information, and accessories, visit
us at www.EliteFTS.com.
