Age – 26.

Height – 5ft 10inches.

Weight – 120kgs.
Max Log – 190kgs.
Max Deadlift – 385kg.
Max Squat – 320kgs (belt and wraps only).
Max Bench – 230kgs.
Favourite events  - Log and Yoke.
Least favourite events  - Arm over Arm and Farmers Walk.

To begin with, congratulations on getting the invite to your first World’s Strongest Man contest. We understand you thought that it perhaps wouldn’t be this year that you made your debut, so how did it feel when you got the call?

I was totally gobsmacked and actually felt quite tearful. I was at work when I got the call and I think I just froze when the words came out of his mouth because knowing the athletes who were already invited I didn’t think the call was going to be an invite. I felt like I had won the lottery!

What are your realistic objectives for your WSM debut?
The most realistic approach for me is to firstly make sure I complete the group events without injury. That’s always a concern of mine going into any competition. I just want to try and ensure sure I fit in and I don’t want to feel too out of my league, so I can keep confident about my future in the sport.

Do you feel more apprehensive or excited about your first international contest being WSM?
I am hugely excited, but when I think that I might come across something I may not be able to do, I feel very nervous. I know a lot of people will be watching to see how I fare, after competing in an under-105kgs competition only four months ago, and now I’m going to be at WSM.  I am really excited by the challenge of it all though.

What are you most looking forward to about your WSM debut?
There are so many elements really. Just being among the guys, lots of whom I have watched on TV for years and used as inspiration for my own training is one of the biggest things. I’m excited to be one of the athletes, even if I need a few Yellow Pages to measure up to some of them!

How did you first get interested in strongman?
I always watched WSM on TV every Christmas as a child. I never pictured myself being there or thought I would have a go as I never saw myself as very big or very strong. I only trained to keep in half decent shape. A friend of mine, who lives locally, Kenny Cardwell, approached me one night when I was working as a doorman and informed me of the different weight classes now running. He did the under-90kgs class and introduced me to the thought of trying the under-105kgs weight class.

How many years have you been competing for?

My very first competition was April 2010, so 2 years and 4 months.

What are your competitive highlights to-date?
I was absolutely delighted with winning both England’s and Britain’s Strongest man under-105kgs last year. At that level and at that time they were the biggest competitions/titles in the pipeline for me and naturally I wanted to win them.
I also broke the under-105kgs log lift records (British and unofficial world) by achieving 170kgs (at 2011 England’s Strongest Man u105kgs) and I then pressed 172.5kgs (at the ‘Champion of Champions event in March 2012).
By far my biggest achievement though was finishing 4th in the open weight Britain’s Strongest Man in May of this year. I was purely targeting a top 10 finish and coming 4th was definitely my biggest achievement. This meant more to me than winning any under-105kgs competition.

You were a prominent under-105kgs competitor, but what prompted you to leave that weight class behind?

It was always my thought to try and move up (to open weight contests) because I like a challenge and I wanted, and probably needed, a new challenge to help my progression as a competitor. I’m not a glory hunter so I wasn’t content with winning competitions where I perhaps didn’t have to push myself to the absolute limit in some instances. I always look forward and like to drive myself to improve and so when I got invited to the Europe’s Strongest Man qualifier (in March) and did well, I decided this was the road for me and I wanted to participate in further competitions of this level.

You made quite an impression on your Britain’s Strongest Man debut in May. Tell us about some of your memories of that contest.
At BSM, I just found it very difficult to stop smiling. I was in the same line-up as Terry Hollands and Laurence Shahlaei and I was just enjoying myself and taking in each moment. The highlight for me was actually making a fairly good attempt at a 400kg deadlift. I first deadlifted in January 2010 and pulled 260kgs so this would have been a phenomenal achievement. Hopefully I will get it one day….

The frame carry was your only real blip on that day, what have you been doing to ensure that you don’t have the same problem again?
My sponsor, Mark Clegg of VikingR clothing, made me a frame with the same dimensions as the one I used, or attempted to use, that day. It’s not something I am going to fix overnight but I am addressing it by training the frame each week. The aim is to eventually get used to the width of it and hopefully make the event a lot more do-able for me in the future.

You are well known on the UK domestic scene for your log lifting, has overhead lifting always been a speciality?
It’s strange really in that until I started strongman I never really trained any overhead of any kind in the gym. It’s just something that came on a lot as I progressed and it’s not showed any signs of slowing yet.

With you being so close in training, do you think that the next twelve months will see you hit the 200kg log milestone?
I would like to be the first Briton to get 200kgs. I don’t think that it will happen in 2012 though. It would mainly depend on what events are in my WSM qualifying heat, because if it’s not Log Lift for maximum, then it’s unlikely that I will be training it. However, I would like to think that I am going to get it in the next twelve months.

What does your typical weekly training schedule look like? Will you change anything in the run-up to WSM?
I train deadlifts and assistance on Tuesdays, pressing on Wednesday, squats and sled pulls on Fridays and I do event training on Sunday. I will be training more events in the coming weeks to try and help me prepare for WSM.  I will only add one day though, so I at least get two rest days in the week.

Where do you currently train?
I train at a leisure centre called Salt Ayre in Lancaster. I sometimes visit another gym called the Muscle Factory, which is also in Lancaster. A lot of people are surprised that I train at Salt Ayre as the facilities are limited but I just make the most of what’s available and the management have been brilliant in supporting me with my training.

Do you train alone or have regular training partners?

My main training partner is Shane Jerman. He is an under-90kgs athlete but his training is very similar to mine so it works quite well. I also train sometimes with the gym manager, Ben France, and another guy called Patrick Mcmahon.
On occasions, usually down to work hours, I also meet up with [fellow WSM competitor] Jack McIntosh, who trains at Muscle Factory in Lancaster. It does us both good when we can meet up, but it does get difficult to coordinate at times.

Are you a full-time strongman at the present time?

No, I am a full time engineer at BAE Systems. I did an apprenticeship and I’ve been there for nearly 8 years. Strongman is purely part-time for me. If I made money from doing something I loved then that’s the absolute icing on the cake. It is hard at times, working and then training, but I actually don’t think my routine for training would alter much if I didn’t have another job.

How do you assess the current level of new British strongman talent?

Guys like Chris Gearing and Eddie Hall, for example, are both incredibly strong, as is Jack. The talent this year has definitely grown and there are a lot of athletes up and coming at the minute. I think it’s great for the British sport because it makes it a lot more interesting and helps raise the overall level of everyone. I also believe that the depth of talent has increased the interest in strongman, and it’s definitely becoming more and more popular, which is fantastic to see.

Who are some of your personal WSM favourites from past and present eras?

I was always a fan of Mariusz [Pudzianowski], and I think it’s hard to find anyone who wasn’t. I also enjoyed watching Darren Sadler because like me he’s not gifted in height or weight but he was incredibly strong and made WSM for many years. I enjoy watching Zydrunas [Savickas] and I’m very fond of his overhead powers.  I used to love watching any British athletes really and was always a bit more biased that way, and so I was always cheering for likes of Terry Hollands, Mark Felix, Darren Sadler and Laurence Shahlaei.

What are some your favourite WSM moments from past contests?
The one I remember the most vividly is West Virginia in 2008 when Mariusz pipped Poundstone to the title on the final event, in spite of the fact that I was cheering for Derek that year. I thought that last year’s was great, with the British guys making their mark again. Every year is really good though, and picking one year over another is difficult because they are all so entertaining.

Looking ahead a touch, what are some of your aims for next year?
I would like to just repeat or better my performances this year, and hopefully, of course, make WSM again. Competing in some contests abroad, if the opportunity arises, is also an objective of mine.

Outside of strongman, what are some of your other interests?
I spend a lot of my spare time working on my house. I’m quite a busy person really but I like to do things myself rather than pay others to do them for me. My job and training do take up a huge part of my time so there’s not much room for any additional interests.

Finally, do you have anyone who you would like to mention who has had a positive impact on your strongman career to-date?

My wife, Sarah – she’s always been supportive of me from day one and insisted that I would make WSM, even though I laughed about it and shrugged it off. I’m not a negative person as such; I just didn’t see myself becoming as strong as I have done.

Ben France – Ben is the manager of the gym I train at. He has supported me massively in obtaining a lot of kit since I have trained there, which has definitely aided my progression. He’s always really encouraging and he’s constantly doing his best to help me.

My training partners Shane, Ben, Paddy and Jack for continuously encouraging me and helping me with training. They are all great guys and training aside, I am very close friends with them too.

My two main sponsors – VikingR clothing run by Mark Clegg, and Atomicblastsupplements run by Neil Denning. These guys have supported me hugely and it’s had such a big impact on where I am today. I have been lucky that they decided to support me as much as they have so early on, and I really do owe them a lot and I will always be thankful to them for everything.
James Robson and Niall Jones – these two both compete in strongman and are close friends, and always try to give me advice with my training and nutrition.

There’s probably a whole other bunch of people I could thank. Now that I have to write it down it makes me smile to think how nice it is to have so many good people around me. It’s definitely something I couldn’t be doing on my own.

Pictures of Graham Hicks at WSM 2012:

WSM Google Maps

1. Brian Shaw – USA
2. Mike Jenkins – USA
3. Mike Burke – USA
4. Nick Best – USA
5. Josh Thigpen – USA
6. Derek Poundstone – USA
7. Ole Martin Hansen – Norway
8. Graham Hicks – UK
9. Jack McIntosh – UK
10. Terry Hollands – UK
11. Lauri Nami – Estonia
12. Johannes Arsjo – Sweden
13. Eben Le Roux – Australia
14. Frankie Sheun – South Africa
15. Akos Nagy – Hungary
16. Zydrunas Savickas – Lithuanian
17. Vytautas Lalas – Lithuanian
18. Ervin Katona – Serbia
19. Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson – Iceland
20. Martin Wildauer – Austria
21. Krzysztof Radzikowski – POL
22. Mateusz Baron – POL
23. Sebastian Kurek – POL
24. Ed Hall – UK
25. Chris Gearing – UK
26. James Fennelly – Ireland
27. Misha Koklyaev – Russia
28. Alex Moonen – Netherlands
29. Jean Francois Caron – CAN
30. Louis-Philippe Jean – CAN

RESERVES

1. Adam Scherr – USA
2. Jerry Pritchett – USA

IMG Media, part of IMG Worldwide, the global sports, fashion and media company, has been commissioned by Channel 5 to produce the MET-Rx World’s Strongest Man 2012.

Now in its 35^th year, the event, which is also owned and operated by IMG, is being held from 24 September-01 October 2012 in Los Angeles, at the Commerce Casino, with additional venues in and around Los Angeles, where the event first started in 1977. Qualifying rounds are being held from 24-27 September with the final taking place over two days from 30 September.

The MET-Rx World’s Strongest Man returns to Channel 5 for the second successive year, with five qualifying rounds and the final due to air in winter 2012. James Richardson returns to present the series he fronted last year, which averaged 1.2m viewers across 10 episodes and drew an audience of 1.8m for the final, shown on Sunday 01 January at 7pm.

Lisa Comber, IMG’s Event Producer, said: “We are extremely pleased to be teaming up with Channel 5 again for this year’s MET-Rx World’s Strongest Man competition. The programme has been a staple of the prime-time schedules for many years now and we look forward to building on the success of last year’s series. With the competition set to return to where it all began 35 years ago, it promises to be a very special event.”

Steve Gowans, Channel 5 Head of Factual Entertainment and Sport, said: “We’re delighted to be the British broadcasting home of this iconic event.  We’re really looking forward to the biggest, strongest tournament to date.”

With six events tackled in total, including two maximum efforts, the chances of a world record being broken were high given the quality of the men involved. As it transpired, one was indeed surpassed, and that was done in stunning fashion.

The first discipline of the day was the log lift for maximum weight. Savickas’ pedigree in the log lift is well documented, but both Radzikowski and Lalas are phenomenal overhead lifters. On this occasion Zydrunas was pushed as hard as he has ever been in this event by his countryman and the Pole. Radzikowski in particular, was unbelievably close to hitting the 216kg mark. Ultimately though, Big Z did what he has been doing for years and took the event, with a world record lift of 216kgs, spurred on by the volume of noise from the huge crowd. What was even more impressive was that, yet again, Savickas still seemed to have strength in reserve if he had needed to go heavier. It was an explosive opening to the day, which had the crowd on their feet.

The deadlift for maximum weight followed almost immediately, and with an opening lift of 360kgs, this was always going to give an indication as to who would be in contention for the overall title. As if any more proof was needed about the calibre of the competitors, eight men all made a lift of 400kgs. More were then eliminated as the weight jumped to 415kgs, and the final lifts of the day were at 433kgs. Shahlaei, Lalas and Radzikowski were not quite up to the task on this day and remained on 415kgs. This left Savickas, who pulled his 433kg lift with relative ease, and took his second consecutive event win.

Following the deadlift, the clear crowd favourite Terry Hollands had to very reluctantly withdraw from the contest due to a serious calf injury. Disappointed as he was, there was no way that the man from Dartford could have continued.  As the rain began to fall, event three was the frame carry. The 350kg frame had to be carried down a forty metre course. As at BSM, the width of the frame proved problematic for some, whilst for others it became a sheer test of grip. Shahlaei, who is known for his grip strength, demonstrated this to great effect, and he was the only man to complete the course. The Irishman Fennelly impressed in second place, with Katona edging out Lalas and Savickas. In the overall standings, at the half-way mark, Big Z was leading, with his closest pursuers being Lalas, Shahlaei and Radzikowski.

With the sun shining again, next up was the 185kg shield carry, which was going to be another lung-busting event. On the out and back course, only four men made it beyond the turning point at forty metres. Roared on by the crowd, the giant Icelander Bjornsson was in a class of his own, taking the unwieldy shield a distance of eighty metres. Bjornsson made this look effortless as he wrapped his arms around the shield and motored down the course. This was almost twice as far as Savickas, who took second here.

With two events remaining, it was still Savickas out in front, but with Lalas, Shahlaei and Radzikowski following closely behind. Given the fireworks seen in the first event, the fifth event, the overhead medley promised more of the same.  There were three implements to be tackled in the following order: a 96kg giant dumbbell, a 150kg axle and a 120kg metal block. The dumbbell had to be lifted once, the axle twice, and the block once. The three men who dominated the log lift did the same here, and Savickas showed that he is the king of overhead lifting, narrowly pipping Lalas and Radzikowski. Bjornsson and Curletto also deserve praise for completing each of the required lifts.

With one event remaining, it looked certain to be Lithuanian one-two, but which would take the title of 2012 Europe’s Strongest Man? With two kegs and two sandbags to be loaded onto the back of the Great Wall Steed S pick up (which was also the prize for the winner of the contest), it would be a matter of which of the competitors  had anything left in the tank after a gruelling day. Lalas clearly did have the energy required as he took the win in the event, but Savickas did enough to ensure that he took the title overall.

Given the phenomenal competitors on show it came as no surprise that this contest more than lived up to expectations. There were numerous highlights, ranging from Savickas’ tenth world best in the log lift and the battle in the deadlift, through to Shahlaei’s blistering frame carry and Bjornsson’s imperious shield walk. Another fact that cannot be stated enough was the involvement of the crowd. Although they were there in the main to support the British competitors, every single athlete, whether British or otherwise, was supported and encouraged throughout by the five thousand who were in attendance. This ensured that the atmosphere was completely electric for the entire duration of the day, and was greatly appreciated by all who competed.

For Big Z, it is another title to add to his vast collection and he has earned himself a ninth trip to World’s Strongest Man. Lalas and Shahlaei will be joining him at WSM, each hoping that they can capture the biggest prize in strongman. Any who may have questioned whether Savickas still has the hunger to continue at the highest level, fourteen years since his WSM debut, got a decisive response at 2012 Europe’s Strongest Man.

Final standings:

Zydrunas Savickas (Lithuania)

Vytautas Lalas (Lithuania)

Laurence Shahlaei (England)

Krzysztof Radzikowski (Poland)

Thor Bjornsson (Iceland)

Ervin Katona (Serbia)

James Fennelly  (Ireland)

Eddie Hall (England)

Starting off the action was arguably the purest test of strength there is: the deadlift for maximum weight. To give an indication of the level that these competitors are at, the opening lift was 325kgs. As many had predicted, it came down to a shoot-out between Hollands and Shahlaei. Given that Shahlaei had pulled a British record 430kgs at the London round of Giants Live in 2011, and Hollands trumped that with his 432kgs at WSM 2011, the event promised an explosive start. Hicks showed that he was a real contender with 375kgs, but he was not able to complete the milestone 400kg lift that followed it. Alex Curletto, lifting as a guest competitor for Italy, made 400kgs but nothing more, as did the impressive Gearing and Hall. Hollands and Shahlaei were clearly highly charged, with Hollands almost at the bar and ready to lift as soon as Shahlaei had removed his straps from it each time that he followed him. Hollands and Shahlaei lifted 400kgs with remarkable ease and speed, doing the same with 410kgs. The British top two decided to up the weight to 432.5kgs to break the British record, and both were successful, emphasising that in this discipline they were vastly superior to everyone else.

Event number two was the log lift for maximum weight, with Shahlaei as the British record holder well placed to take the top spot. Although he was a newcomer in this field, a dark horse in the event was Hicks, whose log lifting exploits are well known to the keenest of domestic strongman enthusiasts. Shahlaei and Hicks did not disappoint, neither did Frampton who was thankfully free at this point from the sciatica which has blighted his career of late. Shahlaei came out on top with an explosive 190kgs, whilst Hicks and Frampton shared second place with 180kgs. Hicks was very close to actually lifting the 190kg log, but was unable to stabilise the weight as he moved backwards on the platform. Shahlaei thus maintained his lead at the top of the leaderboard, with Hollands, Gearing, Hicks and Frampton all still in contention.

The field was cut to ten men after the deadlift and log, with the yoke and frame to be decided by those who remained. The pattern of the first two events continued, with Shahlaei taking first place. Hollands, in an event which is usually a very good one for him, had a poor start and was not able to regain the ground that he lost on Shahlaei during their head to head match up, having to settle for second spot.  Once again, Hicks impressed here, taking third place and he remained in the top half of the overall standings. This event proved to be the end for Frampton though, who was unable to continue after a recurrence of a long-standing injury.

Going into the final event, the brutally difficult frame walk, and Shahlaei had a clear lead over Hollands, with Gearing and Hicks duelling for third place. Only Shahlaei was able to complete the out and back course, with Hollands suffering from torn callouses which he had aggravated during his monstrous deadlift earlier in the day. Gearing was the only other competitor besides Shahlaei and Hollands to make it to the midway point, but that was as far as he could manage. The wide frame did not suit Hicks, and this proved to be by far his worst event of an otherwise excellent day.

Shahlaei has now added his name to the roll call of champions, whilst Hollands was unable to take a second BSM title at this time. Hollands was disappointed, but to his credit was magnanimous in defeat. On the day Shahlaei was a deserving winner, taking three out of four events outright and tying for top spot in the other. What resulted was that Shahlaei and Hollands further entrenched themselves as the leading strongmen in Britain today. The hope for them is that they can go on and improve upon their World’s Strongest Man results of last year when WSM returns later in 2012. Hicks and Gearing showed that they could live with the best on their BSM debuts and there were a number of other notable performances that demonstrate that the future of British strongman is very promising indeed.

8 athletes from 4 different countries started the competition under the watchful eye of Magnus Ver Magnusson, who was the head referee for the competition.

The events were as follows -

Weight over the bar medley

This event was indicative of the direction the competition was heading in – the huge Icelanders Hafbor Julius Björsson and Stefan Sölvi Petursson dominated the event, while others struggled to get all objects over the 5 meter high bar (Along with the Haffi and Stefan, only Rolands Gulbis from Latvia managed all 3 weights over the bar).

Medley:

Farmers walk (2x130kg)/sack loading (120,150kg) medley – this time around Stefan was the man, beating his fellow countryman by 0.15 seconds, followed again by Gulbis and Nicolai Hansen from Denmark.

 Arm over arm pull:

This event consisted of an old cannon placed in a sled which the competitors had to pull for 15 meters. A former WSM finalist, Tarmo Mitt and Finland´s Antti Mourujärvi started their rise in this event by taking 2nd and 3rd place behind Haffi, who made the cannon “fly” 6 seconds faster than any other competitor.

Log Lift:

The log lift took place inside the old cannon tower and again the competition was dominated by Stefan and Haffi, who shared the top place with successful 160kg lifts, followed by Hansen and Mitt (150kg).

Deadlift:

The deadlift consisted of an extremely heavy apparatus including a VW Caddy and the high lifts were low compared to regular standards. The opening weight was 300kg and during each rep the weight was raised to 340, 370 and 390. The winner of the event was Hafbor Julius Björnsson with a good lift of 370kg.

Atlas Stones:

The set of Atlas Stones used in this event was perhaps the heaviest ever used in a strongman competition – 8 stones, all carried from the distance of 3 metres and the weights were: 110-130-140-140-140-160-160-180. Most of the competitors struggled immensely after 5 stones, but Finland´s Mourujärvi proved his fighting spirit and lifted 6 stones under 90 seconds and the effort was worth it as he lifted himself up to 3rd place overall. The winner of the event was Haffi, who carried 7 stones in a time of 1.47, but due the time limit of 2 minutes he left the big one to the ground.

Final Standings:

1. Haffi Björnsson

2. Stefan Sölvi Petursson

3. Antti Mourujärvi

4. Tarmo Mitt

5. Nicolai Hansen

6. Rolands Gulbis

7. Jarno Jokinen

8. MIka Jaakola

Overall the competition was a success and the crowd loved the foreign visitors. The competition was filmed and broadcast by the Nelonen Pro channel in Finland and it will also soon be available in DVD format at the official WSM store.

*In the photos Finland´s Antti Mourujärvi and Haffi perform the log lift inside the cannon tower of Häme castle and in the group photo the top 3 celebrate their trophies, which are designed by the world famous finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala.

First of all, congratulations on your recent win at The Arnold Classic. It’s been quite a couple of years for you. If we can start by going back a bit further, can you give us an insight into your background prior to strongman?

Thank you! The past few years have been good to me! Before strongman I was always into sports of some kind. Growing up I played basketball, lacrosse and soccer, I was too big for American football! When I got to high school I was able to play finally, along with lacrosse and basketball. I was lucky enough to earn a scholarship to play football in college where we won the National Championship my senior year at James Madison University.

Was there anything specific that prompted you to try your hand at strongman?

I was always intrigued by it, I was strong and wanted to see how strong. I found a local contest in 2007 and never looked back.

Have you always been a fan of WSM? Who were some of your favourite competitors from past and present eras, and why these specific individuals?

I have to say guys like Kaz and Jon Pall, they competed with so much energy! You could tell they loved what they did and they loved to win even more! My favourite modern day strongman has to be Mike Jenkins!

Although you had competed against some of the biggest names in strongman prior to WSM 2011, were you apprehensive at all about your first WSM appearance?

I was not nervous, I was very anxious! WSM is a tough contest because it is such a long contest if you make it to the finals, its just as much mental as it is physical!

Your WSM debut turned out to be a memorable one, what are your thoughts on it now as you look back?

You know, I learned a lot! I learn every show I do about my body, the events and the sport but I think I learned more about myself after the fact. I obviously had a injury that ended my run in the finals but it made me stronger. Injuries are part of the game, I did not dwell on it or make excuses.

Are you philosophical about your back injury in the final, or do you find yourself thinking ‘what if?’ when you recall what happened?

You always think “what if” but if you live your life thinking “what if” you will not get anywhere. Injuries are part of all sports, I accepted it and told myself, “This will not happen again, I will be stronger and healthier come 2012!”

Given your performance at WSM (which was the heaviest ever) and your Arnold win, do you prefer a contest where there is emphasis on static strength?

Other than the deadlift I think my static strength is very good. I am trying to turn my weaknesses into strengths so 2012 will be different then 2011.

You had to make a considerable sacrifice to be present at WSM in 2011, what exactly happened regarding your previous employment? (Which leads into the next question, ‘tell us about what Catalyst Athletics is.)

I did! I was given two options, go to WSM or keep my job as a teacher at an alternative school in Harrisburg PA. They told me I could have some time to think about it, I laughed at them, said “my letter of resignation will be in your hands in 5 minutes!” and walked out of the office! I knew I would be ok, it would be tough but things that come easy are not usually worth much! I opened my own gym in conjunction with 13 Stripes Crossfit in Harrisburg PA, Catalyst Athletics.

Tell us about what Catalyst Athletics is.

Catalyst is a facility that trains high school athletes and people that are serious about fitness! I have bootcamps for normal people that incorporate everything you see us doing on WSM, keg carries, tire flips, log press, sand bag carries among other events.

What do you consider to be your strongest events?

I feel confident my best events are moving events, yoke, farmers, frame and medleys like sandbag load, keg loads or carry and drags.

Contrarily, which events do you feel that you need to improve upon? How do you plan on doing this?

I KNOW I need to work on my deadlift. I am in the process of working with a coach, I have never been coached in strongman before, to help improve this lift.

Who has been the biggest inspiration to you either in personal or sporting terms?

As cliché as it sounds my parents, brother and wife. My parents busted their butts when I was a kid to provide for me so I could play all the sports I did and have a happy childhood. Even though he is my younger brother, watching him excel at football was an inspiration, I know how hard he worked and the sacrifices he made to get where he is at. He woke up at 4am to drive 90 minutes with my dad to go to his high school. My parents sent him to a private school because they knew he would have a better chance to play in college, get more offers, playing there. Not many 13 year olds would make that sacrifice! It paid off, like me he did not have to pay a dime to go to college! My wife competes in NPC Bikini contests, watching her transform her body to get ready for a show and knowing what goes into that makes me work that much harder to be the best I can be.

What would an average day be like for you in the run-up to a major contest?

Well I have to work like everyone else and train so it’s a pretty busy day! I have athletes and bootcamps in the morning as early as 5am, sometimes I nap after that if I am tired then Ill train myself in the middle of the day. Around 3pm the athletes start rolling into the gym and I have bootcamps until 8 or 9 pm.

Do you train alone or in a group? Is there any particular reason for this?

I occasionally train in small groups but 99% of the time I fly solo. I had a training partner leading up to the Arnold in 2011 and WSM 2011 but he had to move for work so its just me again. All I know is training alone and its worked so far so I am going to stick with it.

In competition terms, what do you have mapped out for the rest of the year?

I only plan on doing 2 more shows, Americas Strongest Man in July and WSM in September.

The strongman scene in the US seems to have more strength in depth than ever at the minute, what are your thoughts on this?

Its getting better every year, it is becoming more mainstream and athletic guys are getting into the sport! I think its great!

Are you the type of person who sets himself strict long-term goals or objectives? If you are, could you share these with the WSM fans please?

I guess the main goal is to win as much as I can but I would like to win at least one more Arnold and being crowned WSM would be amazing! I am doing everything in my power to make these dreams come true!

Finally, do you have anything that you wish to add or to share with your growing number of supporters?

As a whole the competitors love the support we get, its more and more each year, we appreciate the followers and fans of strongman!