Weighing in at 135kg, Ben Simpson is relatively small for strongman competitions, but he’s quicker than most.
He talks about deadlifting 400 kilograms or pulling a truck as though it was as simple as brining in the washing.
Simpson tells SBS that officially being Australia’s strongest man can make you a lot of friends.
"You get asked by all your mates to help them move,” he says.
“Carrying whitegoods is a lot easier.”
Simpson trains for around 10 hours a week with very heavy weights - items in his gym include a 400kg tyre and cement boulders filled with steel.
"You get asked by all your mates to help them move."
A tacky substance similar to tree sap is on almost everything he lifts, to reduce the risk of them slipping. He’s seen strongman competitors tear muscles from their bones.
Simpson also spends at least 15 hours on recovery with salt baths, yoga and stretching part of his routine.
But the toughest component is the eating.
Simpson says he consumes three times more than the average man.
"I do eat quite a lot," he says.
“It’s more continuous eating as well, just because you can’t try and fit 6000 calories into three meals.
“You kind of have to eat all day.”
The fuel comes from grass-fed beef, chicken, pasta and rice.
Simpson drinks around three litres of chocolate milk a day and adds oil to almost every meal.
In a fortnight, he will represent Australia at the Bodypower Expo in Birmingham and hopes to eventually qualify for the World Strongest Man series.
