Strong man conditioning

Flex, Dec, 2008

In preparation for the fitness competitions of the 2008 Houston Pro (where she was third) and Europa Super Show (where she was second), Erin Riley utilized strongman-style exercises twice per week, supervised by trainer Jon Chipko (bodygoals.com) to combine cardio with resistance training, including:

* Walking 100 feet with a man on her back and dragging a long, heavy rope behind her. Then, sans man, gathering the rope up via a "tug-of-war" pulling motion.

* Pushing a weighted sled (100-150 pounds) at a brisk pace 60 feet, then back, over and over. The 195-pound sled has 55 pounds more on one side than the other to force her muscles to compensate for the imbalance.

* Carrying a 100-pound boxing heavy bag on one shoulder (switching sides periodically) while walking briskly 100 feet and back, over and over.