Strongman Physiology - Episode 10: What Happens to the Body During a Competition Day

1. A competition day starts before the first event

For a Strongman, competition does not begin when the athlete is called for the first event. Physiologically, the day starts on waking: recent sleep, hydration, glycogen stores, energy status, environmental temperature and sympathetic activation are already shaping the response. An athlete may not have lifted anything yet and still be in a very different cardiovascular and hormonal state from an ordinary morning.

Over the following hours, the body has to solve an unusual problem: produce very high force repeatedly, sometimes with short recovery periods, while avoiding unnecessary expenditure before the critical moments.

2. Waking and the first hormonal wave

Morning already carries a circadian pattern in cortisol and other hormones. On competition day, anticipation is layered onto that normal rhythm. Thinking about the contest, noise, music, spectators and conversations can activate the sympathetic nervous system before the first effort.

Adrenaline and noradrenaline increase cardiovascular and energy availability: heart rate can rise, alertness increases and blood flow is redistributed toward tissues relevant to exercise. This activation can be useful, but excessive activation too early can create unnecessary psychological and physiological cost.

3. Hydration before competition

Overnight, some water is inevitably lost, and an athlete can begin competition mildly dehydrated. For a Strongman, the context is complicated by high body mass, heat-trapping equipment, warm venues and long periods spent standing between events.

Dehydration reduces plasma volume and can increase cardiovascular strain. A dramatic degree of dehydration is not required for problems to appear. Thirst, dry mouth, a higher resting pulse and reduced heat tolerance can make the entire day harder.

4. Breakfast and the fed state

The first meal changes the metabolic environment. Carbohydrate raises circulating glucose, insulin is released, and liver and muscle move toward nutrient storage and use. The goal is not to avoid this insulin response, but to use food so that energy availability is adequate without creating gastrointestinal discomfort.

A very large or high-fat meal can slow gastric emptying and create heaviness. Familiar food tested in training allows the athlete to approach the first event without making digestion the limiting factor.

5. Warm-up is not only about muscle

Warm-up increases muscle temperature, supports enzyme activity and prepares the nervous system for rapid motor-unit recruitment. It also raises heart rate and ventilation and gives the athlete feedback about how the body feels that day.

But in competition it is easy to make warm-up too long. Energy spent before the first attempt earns no points. The goal is to reach the first event prepared, not fatigued.

6. The moments before the first event

In the final minutes, sympathetic activation can rise sharply. Heart rate increases, palms may sweat, breathing changes and attention narrows. This is a mobilization response, not necessarily a sign of fear or poor preparation.

Performance depends on controlling the magnitude of that activation. Too little can mean sluggishness; too much can create unnecessary tension and poorer technical control.

7. The first event: the cardiovascular surge

During a heavy event, arterial pressure can rise dramatically. Muscle contraction can restrict local blood flow, while bracing and the Valsalva maneuver can amplify intrathoracic and intra-abdominal pressure and the cardiovascular response. Heart rate alone does not describe the full cardiovascular load.

During very short maximal efforts, stored ATP and phosphocreatine provide a large share of immediate energy, while glycolysis and oxidative metabolism contribute progressively as duration and repetition increase.

8. What the athlete feels immediately after the event

After the effort stops, oxygen demand remains elevated. Breathing stays rapid, heart rate remains high and catecholamines are still active. During this period, an athlete can feel light-headed, shaky, mildly nauseated or intensely hot without every symptom representing a medical problem.

Some sensations reflect rapid blood-pressure changes, redistribution of blood flow, heat accumulation or the sudden removal of muscular contractions that had been acting as a peripheral pump.

9. The first minutes of recovery

During the first minutes, the body moves from mobilization back toward recovery. Parasympathetic influence begins to return, but recovery is not instantaneous. The intensity of the preceding event and accumulated fatigue influence how quickly heart rate and cardiovascular stress fall.

Breathing, gentle movement, cooling and a comfortable posture may support this transition. There is no single recovery routine that is ideal for every athlete and every event.

10. Glycogen after the first event

One maximal event does not empty the body's entire glycogen supply. But a competition rarely ends after one event. Repeated work, especially carries, medleys or high-volume efforts, increases carbohydrate use by skeletal muscle.

Across the day, the difference between an athlete starting with well-maintained stores and one who began under-fueled can become visible in the third, fourth or fifth event.

11. What happens between events

Between events, the body is restoring several things at once: ATP and phosphocreatine, acid-base balance, temperature, fluid balance, glycogen and autonomic control. Every minute has a different value depending on what comes next.

This is one of Strongman's defining features. Recovery is not purely passive. The athlete eats, drinks, walks, talks with the team, warms up again and changes mental targets while physiology is still processing the previous event.

12. The second warm-up is different

At the second event, the athlete does not start from zero. Muscle temperature may already be elevated, but energy reserves and neuromuscular state have changed. If the first event was highly demanding, the nervous system may limit voluntary output and perceived effort may rise.

Therefore, an identical warm-up for every event is not always ideal. The physiological context changes across the competition.

13. The cardiovascular system between events

During rest between events, heart rate falls but may remain above normal. Catecholamines, body temperature and anticipatory stress keep the cardiovascular system active. In heat or dehydration, recovery may be slower.

A higher heart rate before the next event does not automatically mean the athlete is unprepared. Interpretation should include how the athlete feels and what the environment demands.

14. Breathing and the feeling of breathlessness

After intense exercise, ventilation remains elevated to eliminate CO2 and support the increased metabolic demand. In Strongman, bracing and loaded trunk positions can make breathing feel even more difficult.

An experienced athlete learns to distinguish normal exercise breathlessness from unusual symptoms. Persistent chest pain, fainting, confusion or severe breathing difficulty should not be treated as a normal part of competition.

15. Adrenaline between events

Catecholamines do not disappear when an event ends. In a close competition, the previous result can maintain sympathetic activation: winning can create excitement, while losing can create a new surge of stress and focus.

This psychophysiological component can influence post-competition sleep, appetite, pain perception and the ability to switch off from a state of alertness.

16. Heat and thermoregulation

A Strongman produces a large amount of heat during hard efforts, and high muscle mass can make heat dissipation more difficult. In hot outdoor conditions, thermoregulatory cost rises. Sweating lowers temperature but also causes fluid and sodium losses.

Heat can increase heart rate and perceived fatigue. Across a long competition day, thermal strain can become almost as important as mechanical load.

17. Nutrition between events

Between events, food should do three things: provide energy, be easy to tolerate and avoid compromising the next event. Small, repeated feedings can be easier to manage than a large meal in the middle of competition.

Carbohydrates support glycogen restoration and repeated effort, while fluids and electrolytes help maintain volume and neuromuscular function. There is no magic food. What matters is the overall strategy and individual tolerance.

18. The stomach during a competition day

Blood flow is redistributed during intense exercise, and digestion can slow. Emotions and catecholamines can also influence gastrointestinal motility. A food that works perfectly in the gym may become problematic when combined with heat, stress and repeated maximal effort.

That is why competition nutrition should be tested in advance. Competition day is not the place for gastrointestinal experiments.

19. Local and central fatigue

Local muscular fatigue and central fatigue overlap but are not identical. A muscle can lose force-producing capacity while the brain simultaneously increases perceived effort and reduces voluntary motor drive.

In a competition with five or six events, what looks like “loss of strength” can sometimes be the cumulative effect of heat, substrate use, neuromuscular fatigue, poor sleep and stress.

20. The third and fourth events: when the day starts to show

The first two events can be dominated by mobilization and adrenaline. Later, accumulated costs become harder to hide. Glycogen declines, temperature may remain elevated, hydration can become more difficult and previously loaded muscles no longer respond like they did in the morning.

This is where the difference between strategy and raw strength becomes obvious. An athlete who distributes effort, nutrition and recovery well can preserve more of the original performance capacity.

21. How perceived exertion changes

RPE is not a purely muscular measure. It integrates peripheral and central signals: breathing, heart rate, temperature, metabolites, pain, energy status, emotion and anticipation of the next event.

That is why the same load can feel manageable at 10 a.m. and brutal at 5 p.m. The object is the same; the organism is not.

22. The previous night's sleep and the rest of the day

Poor sleep does not only affect how an athlete feels in the morning. It can influence alertness, effort perception, glucose regulation, appetite and stress handling. On competition day, these effects may accumulate as the hours pass.

23. The second stress peak before a decisive event

When the decisive event approaches, sympathetic activation can rise again. Heart rate increases, attention becomes highly focused and energy-mobilizing systems reactivate. The athlete must reach a new performance peak even if recovery from previous events is incomplete.

This is where emotional regulation and breathing control become physiological performance skills, not merely psychological tricks.

24. The last event is not “just another event”

At the end of the day, the body can be in a profoundly different state from the morning. Energy reserves have been used, body temperature has fluctuated, cardiovascular pressure has been repeated and nervous and endocrine systems have been activated multiple times.

The final event therefore tests not only force capacity, but also the quality of recovery between events. In a close competition, the last result may reflect how well the athlete managed the entire day.

25. Immediately after the final event

After the final event, sympathetic activation begins to fall, but it may remain elevated for some time. Heart rate and ventilation decline gradually while metabolism stays elevated. The body is moving from performance mode toward repair mode.

26. Why recovery starts immediately

Glycogen restoration, rehydration, cooling and tissue-repair processes do not wait until the athlete gets home. The first hours matter especially when another hard session or competition is scheduled soon.

On an ordinary day, the body has time. On a multi-day competition weekend, time becomes a resource.

27. Glycogen after six events

How much glycogen has been used depends on the events, total volume and total duration. Not every event consumes the same amount, but their effects accumulate. Restoration begins with carbohydrate intake and continues over the following hours as muscle takes up and stores glucose.

28. Rehydration after competition

After a sweaty day, body mass may fall because of fluid loss. Rehydration is not only about water; it also includes replacing electrolytes. The amount required depends on actual losses, environment and the time until the next activity.

29. Why you can keep sweating after the competition

Core temperature can remain elevated after the event ends. Continued movement and sympathetic activation can also sustain sweating. Gradual cooling, appropriate clothing and fluid replacement help the body return toward normal.

30. Cortisol after competition

A competition day combines physical load with anticipation, social pressure and the emotional importance of the result. The HPA axis may remain active, and cortisol contributes to energy mobilization and regulation. Activation does not disappear the instant the final event ends.

31. Why some athletes cannot sleep after competition

After intense competition, sympathetic activation can remain elevated, leaving the athlete in a state of alertness. Adrenaline, noradrenaline, cortisol, light, noise, caffeine and mental replay of the result can all delay relaxation.

32. Digestion after competition

After hours of hard work, blood flow gradually shifts back toward the gastrointestinal tract, but nausea or lack of appetite can persist. Fluids and easily digested foods may be better tolerated immediately, followed by a more complete meal later.

33. Inflammation and tissue repair

Mechanical stress, metabolic stress and microdamage trigger inflammatory and repair processes. Inflammation is not simply “bad”; it is part of normal remodeling. The problem arises when stress repeatedly exceeds recovery capacity.

34. The nervous system after competition

After multiple maximal efforts, the nervous system needs time to return to its normal level of activation. An athlete can feel profoundly tired and strangely stimulated at the same time. Those states are not mutually exclusive.

35. What does a well-managed competition day look like?

It does not mean keeping heart rate as low as possible, insulin as low as possible or avoiding sweat. It means moving efficiently between mobilization and recovery, entering each event with enough resources and limiting unnecessary physiological cost.

36. The body does not work in separate chapters

During one competition day, testosterone, GH, insulin, cortisol and catecholamines are not isolated chapters. They interact with the nervous system, metabolism, muscle and environment. That is why a competition day is a test of whole-body physiology.

37. Conclusion

A Strongman competition day is a sequence of physiological peaks and recoveries. The body must produce near-maximal force, restore resources quickly and then mobilize again. Glycogen, hydration, temperature, sleep, nutrition, cardiovascular function and autonomic control become part of one equation.

The most important lesson is that performance in the final event is built by all the hours before it. It is not simply a final test. It is the result of how the body was fueled, cooled, hydrated, activated and recovered throughout the entire day.

Selected bibliography

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2. Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2016.

3. Mountjoy M, Sundgot-Borgen J, Burke L, et al. IOC consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S): 2023 update. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2023.

4. Sylow L, Kleinert M, Richter EA, Jensen TE. Exercise-stimulated glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle. Nature Reviews Endocrinology. 2017.

5. American College of Sports Medicine. Exercise and Fluid Replacement. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

6. Sawka MN, Burke LM, Eichner ER, et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand: Exercise and fluid replacement. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2007.

7. McEwen BS. Physiology and neurobiology of stress and adaptation: central role of the brain. Physiological Reviews. 2007;87(3):873-904.

8. Peake JM, Neubauer O, Walsh NP, Simpson RJ. Recovery of the immune system after exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology.

9. Seifert T, Brumback A, et al. Literature on cardiovascular and autonomic responses to maximal and resistance exercise.

Editorial note: this article is educational and does not replace individualized medical or nutritional assessment. Persistent chest pain, fainting, confusion or severe breathing difficulty requires urgent medical evaluation and should not be treated as a normal competition response.