Having just come off of a second place finish at the Royal Cities Strongest Man 2016, I felt pretty good about the start of my Strongman 2016 season. Just a few days later I received an invitation to compete at the “Hostyle Takeover - Eastern Canada Natural Strongman National Qualifier.” I was unsure at how I would perform given that by the time I got the invitation I had one weekend to prepare for the competition and then one week to recover prior to the competition, but I knew I had to take the chance…. As I am writing this the ache in my calves is still incredible and has me hobbling around the house like I was donkey kicked in both legs. This past weekend I finished tied for 5th place in the Eastern Canada Natural Strongman National Qualifier, but due to a count-back ended up 6th overall. The following is a recap of what I learned from each event in the competition.