Vegan strongman takes world title!

The event is run by the Natural Strongman federation and includes regular testing for steroid abuse.  Tom qualified for the final and faced rivals from around the world in his category.

• He won the first event, squatting 205 kg for reps 14 times.
• Tom did not have high hopes for the 320 kg yoke and took 6th.
• He overcame back cramps on the overhead medley which ended with reps with a 115 kg log.
• Event 4 was the Cerberus Hell Medley which included two sandbags (110/120 kg) and then a 140 kg Husafell Bag for distance.  He managed 84 metres to win the event. The distance also beat all the 105 kg competitors, Masters and Open competitors.
• Next was the deadlift ladder, which gave Tom a win with a quick time at 280 kg.
• He also won the Sandbag Toss, with bags up to 22 kg thrown over a 4.1 m bar.
• Next was his favourite, Sandbag to Shoulder Ladder.   “My Event! 110kg, 120kg, 130kg and 140kg Sandbag to Shoulder in well under 30s. Absolute razor focus going into this one.”

Tom’s time was the fastest time of the day across all classes and he was the only man to complete their ladder in any men’s category.

One of the other competitors challenged Tom to beat his winning time at England’s.  Tom did so by 22s, and this was with a slightly heavier ladder.

• Last was 190 kg Fingals Fingers for reps, and Tom had a 4.5 point lead going into it.  He needed four reps to take the win, and got five.

Tom won five of the eight events to take the World title.

Vegan power

Tom has been vegan since 2020 a decision which was “purely for animal ethics and not wanting to contribute to animal agriculture.”

The transition started in late 2019, cutting out milk & red meat, then dairy, poultry and fish.

“I prioritise carbs and protein in my meals. Oats, rice and potato meals are my go-to’s. I have 4 meals a day and roughly 3,700kcal. Meals vary in size, but usually have ~50g protein and are just shy of 1,000kcal.

“Carbs are a massive energy source for my training and competitions, so I make sure they feature prominently in every meal, although most dominantly in my meals pre and post workout.”

Tom noticed that he went from not at all veggie to fully vegan and then still got stronger.

He’s got more competitions planned and we look forward to hearing more.