Two-time reigning Shaw Classic champion Trey Mitchell has been on a tear the past few years in competitive strongman. In addition to his two Shaw Classic titles, the 29-year-old Texan ranked second at the 2022 Rogue Strongman Invitational and sixth at the 2022 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) contest. He is, without a doubt, one of the sport’s top athletes currently.
So, it makes sense that fitness influencer Will Tennyson would meet up with Mitchell for a massive bbq pre-workout meal and tackle a heavy squat workout. The meal and training session was recorded and published on Tennyson’s YouTube channel on Nov. 27, 2022. Check it out below:
[Related: Terry Hollands Expected to Compete at the 2023 Britain’s Strongest Man Contest]
The bbq meal of the visible ribs, beans, and cornbread, amongst other items at the table, was enough volume for Tennyson to confide to Mitchell that it “felt like pre-exhaust for [his] central nervous system.” Mitchell laughed it off before brushing it aside, unaccepting of potential excuses before their heavy leg session.
The six-foot, four-inch tall, 370-pound Mitchell consumes approximately 10,000 calories per day, not shying away from $100-plus orders of bbq delicacies. Following the meal, Mitchell and Tennyson head to Mitchell’s garage gym, where Tennyson is blown away by the 250-pound heavy dumbbell, the 200-pound farmer’s carry logs, and the self-sculpted Atlas Stones that range from 275 to 550 pounds.
[Related: Mitchell Hooper’s Seven Lessons Learned From His Rookie Strongman Season]
The workout begins with a warm-up of 25 bodyweight squats, 20 alternating lunges, 10 lateral lunges, and banded fire hydrants to failure. Once the athletes were primed, they went straight into their working sets of front squats. Tennyson started at 135 pounds before making a giant leap to 225 pounds. By that same time, Mitchell was moving 375 pounds on the barbell.
Tennyson kept relative pace, knocking out 275 pounds with knee sleeves and a spot from “Big Thicket” Mitchell. Tennyson commended Mitchell for his fourth set of 505 pounds looking identical form-wise to his opening set of 275 pounds.
Thanks. It means I can go heavier.
Although the camera was not at an angle to reveal his depth, Tennyson appeared successful on his 315-pound front squat single. Mitchell topped out at 605 pounds, scoring three singles. After an hour’s worth of front squats, the duo continued the session with safety bar tempo squats (SBTS) and banded leg curls.
Six sets of six reps each was Mitchell’s programming for the SBTS superset with 30 reps of banded leg curls. Tennyson opened on 135 pounds. He made the massive jump to 225 pounds on his following set. He tacked on an additional 50 pounds for his third set.
Tennyson’s fourth set was another considerable jump to 360 pounds. After a pair of reps, he recognized his form was shot and dropped the weight back down to ensure quality technique. After failing to lift Mitchell’s 275-pound Atlas Stone, the pair closed the workout with “tempering,” which is a form of deep tissue massage using a foam roller to “help eliminate adhesions” to improve “normal blood flow.”
Mitchell recently competed as part of Team USA at the 2022 World’s Strongest Nation contest and is not expected to compete again until the 2023 strongman season begins.
Featured image: @berserkerlifter on Instagram
