Introducing Stonelifting Sessions
Apologies for the lack of updates in the last couple of months, it'll become clear why in just a second. I'm so excited I don't want to keep you waiting.
Stonelifting Sessions
For over 12 months I've been writing a book. And it's finally here!
Stonelifting Sessions is a 130-page ebook for lifters who want to add more stonelifting to their lives and become a stronger stonelifter.
It's a library of 50 plug-and-play workouts using stones along with a guide to incorporating them into your training, whatever split you're running.
When I first started lifting stones, there was no real playbook, so most of my training was trial and error. And I know there are a ton of people experiencing the same thing.
So I set out to create a resource that makes stonelifting more accessible to lifters, regardless of their current experience. And importantly, I set out to create a resource that I wanted to use. That's exactly what Stonelifting Sessions is – it gives you tools to progress in stonelifting with whatever stone(s) you have available.
After a year of writing, testing sessions in my own training, and building a custom product delivery system, Stonelifting Sessions is ready. Here's what you get:
- Integration guide
- 50 plug-and-play stone workouts with sets, reps, and progressions
- Challenge sessions to test your strength and set PRs
- Group sessions for lifting with friends
- Lifetime updates
I didn't want to stop at 50 sessions – and I'm not going to – but I wanted to get the book in lifters' hands. So I've decided every purchase will receive free lifetime updates when I add new content!
Grab your copy of Stonelifting Sessions, try a session next week, and let me know how it goes!
Puidrac plinth damage
In some incredibly sad news, the ancient Puidrac stone, onto which people placed the Puterach Stone, is heavily damaged.
Jamie Gorrian shared a video about the situation on Instagram along with more photos and an update video showing the extent of the damage. It's clear that any additional damage to the faults would cause large chunks of the stone to break off.
Jamie says "It's been a victim of its own success" referring to the fact that the Puterach is one of the most popular lifting stones in Scotland, and so the wear and tear has taken its toll over the last few years.
While Lindsay – who owns the land the Puidrac sits on – is looking into possible repairs for the Puidrac, it'll never be used as a plinth for stonelifting again in order to preserve the standing stone.
The plinth is truly ancient, with estimates that it was placed thousands of years ago. So it has genuine archeological interest and historic significance. Preservation of the standing stone comes above any desire to lift stones to it.
Parroting Jamie, there's no blame here. But this is a good reminder that we need to be mindful to take care, not just of the stones we lift, but of our surroundings, too.
Lifters are still welcome to lift the Puterach Stone and the Monachyle Stone, but there will be no lifting to the plinth. Jamie Gorrian and Martin Jancsics are looking into barrels as an alternative platform, similar to the Inver Stone.
The Gathering 2025
The ninth edition of The Gathering took place this past weekend in Potarch. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend this time round, but I sent some Dinnie Stones enamel pins in my place as small prizes for the Dinnie Stone lifters.
Sandra Bradley took first place in the Jan Todd games, winning the new Jan Todd trophy in front of the legend herself, while Jono Pritchard took first in the Donald Dinnie Games, meaning there are two new champions for 2025!
From what I saw online, the event continues to grow and get better every year. There were activities for attendees, including Mark Sherriffs' Stones of Strength that allowed children to try stonelifting, arm wrestling, and Cerberbus Strength's Hellhound Stone!
Next year will see The Gathering X – the tenth edition of the event – and I'm expecting it to be a big one!
Dinnie Stones lift dataset
Stevie Shanks has put together a spreadsheet of Dinnie Stones lifter data that anyone can access via thedinniestones.com on the Articles of Interest page.
The dataset includes current lifter data for unassisted and assisted lifts, lifters' stats, and whether the lifter is part of a Father & Son or Husband & Wife pairing.
If you've been curious about the Dinnie Stones' lifters, this is a great collection of data, and I encourage you to take a look – I know it probably took Stevie a ton of time to put together.
Map updates
I made a couple of small usability updates to the map since the last newsletter that I want to share.
Fullscreen map
The new fullscreen mode allows you to completely fill your screen with the map to use more space, and it looks particularly nice on larger screens. Just tap the new fullscreen icon on the control panel to enter and exit fullscreen mode.
Shareable map links
When you click on a stone's link in the stone directory, you get taken directly to the stone's location on the map. It's been like this for ages. But what if you wanted to share your map postition with someone else or save it for later? Now you can! Each time you pan or zoom on the map, the address bar updates in real time, so the exact view you’re looking at can be bookmarked for later, dropped into an email, or sent to a friend. And when you open the link, you will be in precisely the same spot! This link for example will take you to the Faroe Islands.
Stonelifter spotlight: Women Húsafell Stone lifters
Did you know that seven out of the 11 women who have lifted the Húsafell Stone so far achieved the feat in just the past 12 months? I'd seen the lifts, but their full significance didn't hit me until Nancy Johnson forwarded Sandra Bradley’s list of 10 women lifters of the stone. Then, a couple of days later, Pauline Mass put wind beneath the stone, bringing the number to 11.
This feels like a four-minute mile situation, where once someone has proved something can be done, many others achieve the same feat in a short period of time.
Nancy asked whether I could find space on liftingstones.org for the details (of course!), so I quickly created a new Women's lifts section on the Húsafell Stone's page where I'll continue documenting these lifts. Most of the lifts in the list have links to videos, so I highly encourage you to go and watch them.
I'm looking forward to seeing the first women's lap around the pen!
If I've missed anyone or any lifts, please let me know.
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Stonelifting Sessions ebook
Add stones into your training and become a stronger stonelifter using 50 plug-and-play stonelifting sessions.