Never a business to shirk the heavy lifting, Sercon are helping an amateur strongman athlete with some sponsorship this season particularly to help him with his first international competition in the US, the Arnold Amateur Strongman Championships.
In December, as part of his preparation for the Arnold Championships, Matty took on a new coach, Adam Marshall, and trains four times a week between Evenwood Gym, Northern Strength and Performance and The Yard at weekends, with trainer Mark Lawson.
The training process is brutally demanding, and not just in the exercise arena – in the run up to a competition like this, competitors like Matty have to get through a whopping five meals a day, aiming for a consumption of 5,500 calories!
Matty has always been an active sportsman, who has enjoyed going to the gym, playing football and cricket, but 5 years ago, he caught the Strongman bug. He has been building up towards these bigger international competitions ever since and is not one of England’s top amateur competitors. The Arnold Championships will be his first overseas competition. 30 strongmen have qualified, 2 from the UK, a few from Europe and others from the States.
Sercon director Garry Armstrong is also an amateur strongman, but acknowledges he just does it for fun compared to competitors like Matty: “I understand the passion for the sport and greatly admire the dedication and commitment of serious competitors like Matty,” he explained. “It’s a pleasure to support him in his ambitions to go professional and look forward to the upcoming competitions King of the North and England’s Strongest Man which would put him on the path towards UK and World Championships.”
Matty’s Mam and Dad and partner Lauren (not to mention his much loved border collie) are all hugely supportive, and Lauren will be travelling to Ohio with him for the March competition. Like most amateur sports competitors, Matty also works to fund living and training costs, and is a Parts Adviser at Motor Parts Direct.
