Having grown up with parents who are fans of Strongman, this was one story I was excited to write. I spoke to three of the World's Strongest Men from across the UK to find out what the secret was behind the success.
Three UK Strongmen reveal how they've won lifting titles-from drinking raw egg shakes to practising for events by flipping their friends' cars
By Jess Lester
Captions:
Gavins friends from the gym trust him enough to let him practice lifting their cars for the car-flipping event
Pa doesnt have his own truck to practice on but he does use real cars which he lifts outside his local gym
Pauls diet may be significantly smaller than other Strongmen, but he still competes within the UKs top 16
Gavin has to eat around 8,000 calories a day, around seven to eight meals, which his wife prepares for him
Pa is looking to take the title again this year, and already has the biggest lifting record at 520 kg
He says that while Strongmen may look scary, they are only aggressive during their competitions
Pa is the first Irishman in the competitions history to have won the trophy
Paul, seen here with wife Kellie, uses a range of equipment, including a blunt sword, to train for the competition
Scotsman Paul likes to represent his homeland when he competes, so is often seen in his competition kilt
AFTER a five-hour workout spent pulling a 25-tonne truck, Pa O’Dwyer, 33, tucks into a horse steak, washing it down with some raw eggs – this is what it takes to be the UK’s Strongest Man.
He bagged the crown in December 2018 but this weekend will see another raft of hopefuls competing in Europe’s Strongest Man in Leeds, which is part of the World’s Strongest Man Qualifying Tour.
Pa is just one of 16 men who compete every year for the title of UK’s strongest manHere, the Sun Online speaks to three of the UK’s Strongest Men about the mammoth diets, sex bans and car flips all competitors need to practice.
Limerick Lion who downs raw eggs for breakfast
Pa O’Dwyer
Weight: 23st
Home town: Limerick, Ireland
Lifts: Heaviest is 500kg
Having grown up on a farm in rural Ireland, Pa knew how to lift heavy objects as soon as he could walk – so when he saw an advert for a local Strongman competition 12 years ago, he jokingly entered.
“I ended up coming third and I fell in love with it,” the 33-year-old said. “Ever since then I’ve been at it.”
Standing 6ft 2in and weighing a mammoth 23 stone, UK Strongest Man Pa is the first Irishman in the contest’s 25-year history to win the title.
“Winning is partly down to diet – and before competition I can devour 10,000 calories a day,” he said. “That’s seven or eight meals a day and snacks in between. I’ve forgotten what it feels like to be hungry.”
Some of Pa’s meals are pretty unorthodox too.
“I eat horse meat regularly which has less fat and more protein, and I drink raw eggs for breakfast,” he explained.
“I do four heavy-lifting training sessions a week, each for around five hours,” he added.
“It’s mainly in the gym, even when I practice truck pulling. I use big tyres for that instead – mostly because I don’t have my own truck!
“I do use real cars though.”
Known as the Limerick Lion thanks to the signature roar he lets out before the competition, Pa is hoping to nab the title for a second time this year.
He said: “I don’t really have any rivals, but I do always give the guy I’m up against some tough talk before we start – getting in their heads and saying I’m going to beat them – though I’m no Conor McGregor.”
Bad Boy who wears ‘war cloth’ kilt and enforces sex ban
Paul Benton
Weight: 20st
Home town: Laurencekirk, Scotland
Lifts: Can deadlift 385kg
Nicknamed the ‘Bad Boy’, Paul Benton was always bigger than everyone else at his gym – and he quickly caught the bug after signing up for a Scottish ‘Strongman’ competition in 2014.
“I got addicted to the training,” he says. “And now I’m 20 stone and can dead lift 385 kg of weights. I’m looking to hit the 400 mark this year – roughly the weight of a grand piano.”
Paul’s tried many tricks of the trade, including various diets and even enforcing a sex ban for the weeks leading up to a contest.
“Up until last year I did the whole no sex thing before competing – but now I just try and keep my life steady throughout the year so I’m not stressed come competition season,” he said.
Paul pulls his friend’s truck in a local concrete yard when training for an event – and substitutes flipping cars for tyres to save clearing up the mess.
“It is not easy to find someone with a truck who is willing to let you drag it around – let alone a 100m flat piece of land to pull it on,” he laughed.
If a truck as part of your equipment list isn’t strange enough, Paul has a specially-built metal sword for practising his Strongman exercises, as well as a traditional kilt only to be worn at competitions.
“I got the sword made for practising lifting exercises. It’s the weight of a big cement bag,” he said. “And my ‘war cloth’ kilt comes with me everywhere – it helps me mean business. But I always wear shorts underneath!”
Paul’s diet is smaller than other Strongmen’s at around 6,000 calories a day.
“Horse meat isn’t the one for me – I much prefer grass-fed Buffalo and instead of cow’s milk I’ll have sheep’s,” he added.
The 6ft 5in Scotsman has his own gym near his home, complete with a Jacuzzi and an ice-water bath, where he jokes he is trained by his ‘coach’ Leo – his Labrador, who even has his own set of dog-friendly kettle-bells.
The ‘Bull’ whose wife makes him 8 meals a day
Gavin Bilton
Weight: 26st
Home town: Caerphilly, Wales
Lifts: 370kg
Gavin Bilton, an ex-Premiership Rugby player and soldier, came across Strongman in a personal training session and was instantly hooked.
At 6ft 6in and weighing 26 stone, Gavin is the current Welsh Strongman titleholder thanks to a 370kg lift – that’s roughly the weight of a race horse.
“My wife cooks all of my meals because I have to eat at least seven or eight times a day,” he said. “It all adds up to about 8,000 calories – so I just have to graze on steak, pasta, chicken and more.
“I’m still a serving soldier so I need help with the preparation. It’s not because I’m a big, old school guy who tells her she belongs in the kitchen!”
‘The Bull’ trains for six days a week, weaving in lifting sessions and Strongman events, pulling trucks at a local hire station and tipping cars lent to him from friends, as well as bike riding and rowing.
“The gym I go to is totally on board with all the strong man stuff, so they have equipment for lifting all the cars,” he said.
“In fact, even the people who work there are sometimes willing to let me push, pull and lift their cars.
“And the events where you’re dragging a car or carrying a dumbbell are my favourite as it reminds me of rugby – and I’ve had fewer injuries doing this than in the Premiership.”
Gavin insists that there’s no rivalry in the competition.
“Even though I’m big, I’m just friendly to everyone and I never use my size to do anything bad. Strongmen just briefly turn into animals and then calm down when the hard work is done,” he said.
Now gaining fame for his strength, the 30-year-old is looking to take the Strongman title within the next five years with the help of his fanbase, dedicated wife Gemma and family.
Gavin added: “I was in Greggs recently and someone recognised me from off the TV which was amazing. I love talking to and giving back to all my fans, because if you start out your career as a tit, you’ll probably end as one too.”
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