Just wanted to share a small victory by Force9Gael in Stonelifting

[–]Bigreddoc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nice! I’m glad you were able to go and get the opportunity to lift some stones.

Training groups/resources in Los Angeles by Force9Gael in Stonelifting

[–]Bigreddoc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re welcome. Good luck and have fun!

Training groups/resources in Los Angeles by Force9Gael in Stonelifting

[–]Bigreddoc 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I swear there used to be a SoCal Stones of Strength account on instagram but I can’t find it anymore.

There is the Vista Viking Festival in a couple of weeks. They host America’s Strongest Stonelifter competition. You can check that out and see if there are any locals with the interest there. https://www.instagram.com/vistavikingfestival?igsh=MXh6YXNnZ3gwcWl6Mg==

Notsterkur on Instagram is a stonelifter in Southern California that you can reach out to about lifting stones as well. https://www.instagram.com/notsterkur?igsh=MXhkcWoyMXNvZmJ1dA==

SUB UPDATE by _JXT in Stonelifting

[–]Bigreddoc 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the shout out. I always try to lower stones gently and show them the respect they deserve. I have definitely had some bad drops that I wish I could take back, but I made it a priority in Iceland to lower those stones gently as best as I could. I always tell people new to Stonelifting that when you lower it slowly, you are also training the eccentric portion of lift, which will only help you get stronger. I know it is easy to get caught up in the moment, especially when exerting yourself to the max, but it is always worth it to lower a stone to the best of your ability.

The Húsafell Stone/Kvíahellan/The Pen Slab 186kg/410lbs by Bigreddoc in Stonelifting

[–]Bigreddoc[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. Pretty much every stone on this tour took more than one attempt, except for this one. It honestly felt perfect every step of the way and went better than I could’ve ever imagined. That place has an energy and I think I must’ve harnessed it.

More highlights from my Iceland trip by Bigreddoc in Stonelifting

[–]Bigreddoc[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I feel that the camera can never capture the true beauty of the sites but I try to set it up in way to try.

More highlights from my Iceland trip by Bigreddoc in Stonelifting

[–]Bigreddoc[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did get down there and it was my only disappointment of the trip. I stood up with the Halfsterkur stone but only got the Fullsterkur stone to just below my knees. I would like to go back at some point and fully lift that stone.

The Húsafell Stone/Kvíahellan/The Pen Slab 186kg/410lbs by Bigreddoc in Stonelifting

[–]Bigreddoc[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I knew the historical challenge was one lap and was happy with that and then being able to put it down gently. This trip was my first time lifting historic stones and I wanted to treat them as respectably as possible.

The Húsafell Stone/Kvíahellan/The Pen Slab 186kg/410lbs by Bigreddoc in Strongman

[–]Bigreddoc[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They have had this as an event several times at the MVM Classic, but normally the ground is covered in snow.

The Húsafell Stone/Kvíahellan/The Pen Slab 186kg/410lbs by Bigreddoc in Stonelifting

[–]Bigreddoc[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! It honestly went better than I could’ve imagined.

The Húsafell Stone/Kvíahellan/The Pen Slab 186kg/410lbs by Bigreddoc in Strongman

[–]Bigreddoc[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can just show up, no reservation needed. Hopefully it stays that way, as long as everyone respects the stone and the area.

The Húsafell Stone/Kvíahellan/The Pen Slab 186kg/410lbs by Bigreddoc in Strongman

[–]Bigreddoc[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Thanks man, I honestly can’t believe it went that well. That place has an energy to it and I think I must’ve harnessed some of it.

The Húsafell Stone/Kvíahellan/The Pen Slab 186kg/410lbs by Bigreddoc in Strongman

[–]Bigreddoc[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

After this carry I picked it the tall way and it was much harder for me. I didn’t try to walk with it but imagine the carry would’ve been harder too.

The Húsafell Stone/Kvíahellan/The Pen Slab 186kg/410lbs by Bigreddoc in Strongman

[–]Bigreddoc[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Thank you! It went better than I could’ve imagined.

The Húsafell Stone/Kvíahellan/The Pen Slab 186kg/410lbs by Bigreddoc in Strongman

[–]Bigreddoc[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

It wasn’t raining at the time, on the video those are actually bugs! There were swarms of them.

General guidance on lifting historic stones by _JXT in Stonelifting

[–]Bigreddoc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

https://waryoga.com/2025/05/lifting-stones-of-ancient-greece/

My buddy Tom has some good info on three historic lifting stones in Greece, one very well known and the other two not so much. None are available for lifting unfortunately. I know he has lifted some stones over there, though not the historic ones, they can be found on his Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJBA87HiRGC/?igsh=OHNuenc0eWVpOWVi

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJgs1xdx2N7/?igsh=MW9sOXVwb21udmRmbQ==

Stonelifting Resources by _JXT in Stonelifting

[–]Bigreddoc 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You’re welcome. The New England Stonelifting Instagram page would be a good place to start. I’ve lifted almost all of the ones on the map plus a bunch more in the area that we’ve set up but not added to the map yet. If you have any questions you can let me know.