New Mexico Strongman

Athletes Corner
An Interview With Clay Edgin

1. Please state your stats (age, height, weight).

25 years old, 6'5", 340lbs

2. How long have you been lifting? What got you into it?

I started lifting in January 2003 at 22 years old as part of a New Years Resolution to get in shape. I bought Dinosaur Training and was hooked on all that stuff right away. I screwed around in the weight room in high school, nothing serious. I think if I had taken it seriously then, I would be so much stronger today. I started seriously training for strongman contests in May 2005.

3. What is your favorite strongman event? Why?

I like the farmers walk, or any event that involves grip. I like the farmers walk because it was something I seemed to be a natural at, unlike almost every other event. I really love all of the events though. You have to love them all, I think, in order to be good at them.

4. What do you think your biggest weakness is? What are you doing to improve it?

My biggest weakness is log pressing. I don't want to take the easy road and say that because I have long arms I can't be a good presser. The truth is that it has been hard for me to gain strength because I sometimes get discouraged and then don't train the overhead stuff for weeks at a time. I'm tired of losing placings at contests because of the overhead events so I've been putting in some serious work this year on bringing my overhead press up to competitive levels. I think once I bring up my overhead stuff first and my deadlift second, I can become a competitive high level amateur and eventually a competitive professional.

5. Talk a little bit about your first experience in strongman?

I did the Northern California's Strongest Man in March 2004. I had only tried a few of the implements and wasn't sure I'd do well. The contest had a 250 log for reps and I never got a single rep in training, although I had done 255 on a bar, but the day of the contest I hit 3 reps and realized that you get quite a boost of strength on game day. Like most people, I wish I could go back in time with the strength I have now and be a better contender to win the thing. I did come in second though, and my best friend reminded me that second place is the first loser! I did win the conan's wheel event, which shocked me. I was definitely hooked.

6. What are your goals in the sport?

It's August 2006 right now and my goal is to become a professional one year from now. I think that as long as I stay free of injuries I can do it. I've become so much stronger in the last year and a half since moving here because I have a training crew that pushes me, a home big enough to house all my equipment, and a wife and daughter who keep me focused and support me. I'm willing to put in as much time and hard work as it takes to become a pro. Long term, I'd like to have a long career as a professional in the highest echelons of competition and when I retire I want it to be because I'm tired of lifting rocks with the young kids and not because an injury has forced me out of the game.

7. While diet isn't as important to strongmen as it is to bodybuilders, how big a role do you think it plays for you in this sport?

I used to think that if you just trained hard enough and ate well, you could get as strong as you could as fast as you could. At the beginning of this year, I started adding different vitamins, minerals, and sports supplements into my routine and have noticed great gains in strength and stamina. Making sure I supplement my eating with the proper products has taken my game to another level that would have taken me longer to reach on my own. I'm a very firm believer in doing things right though and not taking the easy way out through steroids or other illegal "performance enhancing drugs." If I can't make it to the top without sticking needles in my ass, then I'm in the wrong sport.

8. Any advice for those just starting out?

Find a group to train with! If you can't find anyone, make friends with people who can help you get equipment for cheap. If you live in an apartment or at home with your parents, get yourself to a gym and do deadlifts, squats and overhead presses, then go home and eat as much as you can, shower, and sleep for as long as you can.

9. How has your faith helped you in your training?

My faith has helped me become a stronger person, both physically and mentally. God blesses each of us with a certain talent that he wants us to use to help introduce others to Him and to save their souls. Some people write beautiful hymns, I am blessed enough to lift heavy stuff. I really enjoy using the strength I was given to put on shows at churches and community gatherings and do things like rip phonebooks, bend nails, and tear decks of cards. You really grab someone's attention with that, and then you can spread the word. I don't think any of us are born knowing what that talent is; we just have to trust that it will be revealed one day.

10. What's your proudest achievement in strongman?

Finally finding a way to balance chasing my dream of becoming a professional, giving my family the attention and love they deserve, giving my God the glory He deserves, and sharpening my skills at work to be more valuable to the company. And doing all of that without anyone going crazy!

11. What's the coolest thing you've seen or done, either in training or at a competition?

There are so many! I went to a Pro-Am in July this year and was in awe of some of the pros there. They were so much stronger than me it helped expand my understanding of what it took to become a professional and the strength levels they had, I wanted. Also, watching my friend's wife flip a 500lb tire the first time was pretty cool. She fought it for over 3 minutes and never gave up. Watching Chan miss a 185lb push press 11 times in a row only to come back and nail it on the 12th attempt in the same workout. That's perseverance. Now I never quit on attempting a weight unless I miss it 12 times in a row.