An Army corporal who became a tracksuit soldier to train full-time is fighting fit after being crowned Europe’s Strongest Man.
Rhys Calland grew up watching strongman competitions on television before starting his own training regime in his parents’ garage as a teenager.
His hard work paid off when he won the open-weight category at Europe’s Strongest Man earlier this month, taking first place with a string of huge lifts.
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The 31-year-old said winning the title felt surreal after years of grinding his way through the ranks.
The father-of-two is the first serving member of the Armed Forces to compete at European level in the men’s open category.
His success has also seen him become an Army tracksuit soldier, meaning he has been released from regular duties to train full-time, as reported by Whats The Jam.
Rhys said: “When I tried strongman, I just loved everything about it.
“I was the first tracksuit soldier within the sport of strongman, so that essentially means I’ve been released from work to train full-time.
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“I train, I do my recovery sessions in the afternoon and then that’s me.
“I can train twice a day and spend much longer in the gym.
“Me as a kid would have been really proud of where I’ve got to.
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“It’s surreal – such a good feeling.”
Rhys, who weighs around 22 stone, consumes roughly double the calories of an average man to fuel his gruelling training schedule.
He said: “I eat a couple of extra meals a day.
“So four eggs in the morning and a big bowl of oats.
“A normal lunch is a jacket potato, and then at 3 o’clock I have an extra meal of chicken and rice or beef and rice.
“I then have normal meal at dinner time and another meal in the evening.
“It’s about 5,000 calories a day.
“I’m not actually that big in the strongman world.
“I’m actually one of the smaller ones compared to the real big guys, but I think the sport has moved on slightly – you don’t need to be 32 stone.
“You have to be able to move and be a bit more dynamic.”
Rhys said his family were immensely proud of his latest success, while fans have started stopping him to ask for photographs.
His strongman journey began with small competitions held in car parks after he grew bored of his usual gym routine.
Rhys, from Paignton, Devon, serves with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and is based in Somerset.
The gruelling European contest featured an axle deadlift, press medley, yoke and carry, sandbag throw, dumbbell ladder and sandbag loading.
His favourite event was the axle deadlift, where he managed four repetitions of 310kg (684lb).
Rhys said: “I didn’t expect to win it.
“The guy I thought was going to win it from the Czech Republic was an absolute monster.
“To beat him was a really good experience.”
He now has his sights firmly set on the World’s Strongest Man competition in August.
He added: “It’s weird to say that I am one of the top people in the world.
“I’ve got the World’s Strongest Man competition in August.
“I’ll just see if I can do well and get in the top three.
“Unlike in football or rugby, peak strength and in this sport isn’t until about 37, so I’ve still got six years of good solid training in me.
“I’d like to get to Giants Live level.
“And in the near future I want to be able to deadlift 400kg.”
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