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Pressing a heavy metal log overhead is just a warm-up for Tyler Sigurdson.
“It’s one of the most exciting sports in the world because it’s never the same, it’s always changing,” Sigurdson said.
Sigurdson runs Iron Age Strength gym and StrongManitoba, the province’s only strongman promotion company.
The goal of the sport is to lift the heaviest things possible.
“When you see someone deadlift a car, when you see someone pulling a semi-truck by just using their body, it’s not something they would imagine doing before doing it themselves,” Sigurdson said.
Initially thought of as a ‘big man’s sport,’ strongman is open to everyone. Sigurdson has helped grow the sport in Manitoba from just a few athletes to nearly 100.
“Tons of men, tons of women, tons of older lifters, tons of teen lifters. We have all different kinds of people from all different walks of life who do our strongman stuff now and it’s just always growing and always getting better,” Sigurdson said.
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One strongman athlete training at his gym is Kelly Giddings. She was inspired to take up the sport after seeing one of her friends pull a truck.
“As a masters athlete, I never imagined I’d be able to get stronger. Year after year, I keep getting stronger and getting PRs [personal records],” Giddings said.
Personal growth is what fellow athlete Aaron Clark also loves most about Strongman.
“I’m hoping I can get to provincials, nationals. Just trying to climb my way up the ladder the best I can and improve myself, mainly,” Clark said.
StrongManitoba hosts multiple competitions a year, each with its own set of events.
“You can be pressing overhead, you can be deadlifting, you can be carrying heavy loads, you can be testing your grip. There’s all kinds of different ways you can compete in strongman,” Sigurdson said.
He encourages anyone interested in the sport to reach out. With multiple affiliate gyms across the province, he says there’s a spot for everyone.
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