In case you missed the live Q&A with Amy Wattles and Sheri Whetham, here are a few questions that readers asked. For complete answers and more questions, visit our elitefts Strong(her) Facebook page where you'll find the entire thread. 

Q&A with Amy Wattles

Question #1

Alexandra Dymon I am really interested in strongwoman competitions, but I never know where there are held or how participate in them. where can I find this information?

Amy Wattles North American Strongman and United States Strongman are the two sanctioning strongman bodies in the US. Each organization has state chairs/reps. Check out both of their websites and get in contact with your state chair who can point you in the right direction. Each site also has a calendar of events that you can search. And of course, I am ALWAYS available to help if needed.

Question #2

Yessica Martinez Amy Wattles, which implement did you find the hardest to master?

Amy Wattles While not technically an implement, standard DL because I'm tall and don't like bending over. Serious, it's a continual struggle which is good because OHP used to be #1. That's the common moral of the story, right? How about you Yessica?

Yessica Martinez I actually have several: the yoke and the farmers walk. Do you have any advice on what's the most important thing to improve on those? To be quick with such heavy equipment is pretty challenging. To go up and down is one thing, but distance wise its a whole other ball game considering you are going against time

Amy Wattles My answer for both is heavy holds for time. Yoke is so reliant on core and stability that I seem to get solid carry over working on heavy holds and good mornings. With farmers, it depends where you are at. If your still working on mastery of the weight versus moving quick.... Now stick with me on this, there is where my memory for details fails. So when running a 40 yr dash, the quickest point is within the first 10 yards. So the recommendation to improve the 40 is to improve the first ten. I am in the testing process of transferring that thought process as it applies to strongman. Or something like that,Yessica.

Yessica Martinez I never thought about it like that. Thank you Amy Wattles!! 

As far as grip work, I'm using the fat grips with all my assistance.

Question #3

Alexandra Dymon powerlifters often joke about losing gains from doing cardio workouts. what is your opinion towards cardio workout when training for powerlifting or strongwoman competitions?

Amy Wattles I prefer -prowler, sled drags, loads, etc. Quick, effective and over before it even got started. Typically would be 5 runs x 50 feet at end of sessions plus event training to help the cause.

Question #4

Lacy Okey Amy - What has been the biggest factor in staying injury free for all these years?

Amy Wattles Oh man, you had to ask THAT question. Two things: listening to my body, backing off or stepping away when appropriate and being a natural competitor. Once a competitor crosses over, the predictable clock of injuries begins, typically at the two year mark. By the third year they are generally not competing any longer or rarely. I will forward all hate mail directly to you. 

Q&A with Sheri Whetham

Question #1

Heather Crum what weekly workout would you suggest for a beginner with kettlebells to do to improve strength and endurance?

Sheri Whetham Hi Heather, I would suggest using kettlebells 3 or 4 times a week for approximately 30-40 mins. for a beginner I would suggest getting some instruction first from a certified kettlebell instructor. Once you know the basics I would begin with mastering the swing, the clean, the press and the squat. Put those 4 things into a set and you can go for time or reps.

Question #2

Alexandra Dymon powerlifters often joke about losing gains from doing cardio workouts. what is your opinion towards cardio workout when training for powerlifting or strongwoman competitions?

Sheri Whetham Alexandra I train with kettlebells as well train for powerlifting, I need both conditioning and strength to compete in both sports, and kettlebells are definitely cardio ! I would recommend both and I will continue to train both, I don't want to be an out of shape strong powerlifter who can't catch her breath after a 350 lbs squat !

Question #3

Strongher Elitefts Tell our readers one of the most common mistakes you see with Kettlebell training

Sheri Whetham If you do not hold the kettlebell in the correct hand position you can cause injury and fatigue a lot quicker than when holding the bell properly. Another common mistake is with the swing, the hips don't get utilized properly and people tend to "Muscle" the bell up using their arms. 

Question #4

Yessica Martinez Sheri Whetham does your KB training transfer to powerlifting or vice versa?

Sheri Whetham Hi Yessica, absolutely, my first Powerlifting meet I only ever trained the 3 main lifts as I was teaching 9 hours of kettlebells per week, the training has huge carry over.  Swings for example train abs, glutes, quads, grip strength and forearm strength. From powerlifting to kettlebells, the strength alone carries over and allows for more endurance especially performing a 10 min sport set!

 Amy's Training Log

Sheri's Training Log

Strong(her) Facebook Page

elitefts Strong(her) Q&A

Strong(her) Apparel