Just because Hugo Girard says that his rehabilitation has been going very well, don't think the Canadian strongman is getting complacent.

In fact, to emphasize what he sees coming up next, Girard told IronMind®, "I'm not as strong as I want . . . It's time to get very strong." And that's because Girard is basing his season around producing a stellar performance at the biggest of all the strongman contests, World's Strongest Man, later this year, a goal that is shaping his entire season. "You have to have a game plan," Girard said. "And you have to stick to it."

Toward that end, Girard's training is now shifting to include event training.

"Stones are going well," Girard said, but there are still some problems in events where you travel with heavy weights, such as the farmer's walk or the super yoke, although Girard said that improvements are coming rapidly. The best news is that Girard, who is coming off back-to-back injuries to his left leg, said that there is "almost no difference between both legs" now, and his squats are back up to "six plates."

And if being big and lean counts for anything, Hugo Girard fans will be pleased to know that their man is tipping the scales at about 320 pounds, at 8.9% bodyfat.