I came across Strongman Warrick Brant’s name only a few months ago, which was strange considering that he is one of the strongest men, if not the strongest, representing Australia on the world stage.
It appears that whilst people are aware of Derek Boyer from his Gladiator days as Titan, Warrick has suffered from lack of exposure.
So here we speak to Warrick, where his answers may not always be palatable to the whole strength community, but are the way he truly feels.
Over to Warrick….
PB: How did you get into Strength Sports?
Warrick Brant: I have always loved the gym and after a successful year in IPF powerlifting I was given the opportunity to compete in strongman.
PB: What sports did you play as a child?
Warrick Brant: As a child I played Rugby, water polo, swimming and athletics.
PB: Who is your biggest idol in strength sports?
Warrick Brant: I dont have an idol but I do respect all the athletes that are out there doing it, and not just being a show pony or giving up on events.
PB: To date what is your proudest achievement?
Warrick Brant: I have had many good moments in the sport. This year I was pretty pleased with myself, having the biggest RAW total in CAPO history and winning the Nationals. In strongman I have been very happy with my log press and stones all year.
PB: You currently hold several lifting records, what are these?
Warrick Brant: I have one Guinness world record ( and another one on its way) World Squat RAW record, National Squat and Total record. I also have All Australian Strongman records although certain federations will not acknowledge it despite being done in an international comp. Politics, go figure
PB: You compete in the Strongman Champions League, what has been the biggest learning from being involved in this?
Warrick Brant: Well I have been lucky enough to have competed in the IFSA Worlds, Americas Strongest Man, Giants Live, Worlds Strongest Man and now the Strongman Champions League. I dont think any other Australian Strongman has competed in all of these. I have been fortunate enough to gain a lot of experience in my 4 years.
PB: What do your arms, chest and thighs measure, and how much do you weigh when competing?
Warrick Brant: Arms 22.5 inches, thighs 32 inches, chest 57 inches. I try not to go over 150kg and like to compete around 147kg unless its a heavy static comp. i have been up to 160kg before.
PB: In the world of strongman there are lots of tall competitors, as a shorter one, what events does this work in your favour for, and what ones does it work against you?
Warrick Brant: I never use my height as an excuse. However having shorter arms and fingers I do struggle on grip events and deadlift. I have to pull the bar much higher up on my leg than somebody with long arms.
People think being short would help. Deadlift is about long arms and legs with a short torso. ..Big Gorilla arms help..!!
PB: Will you be competing in any strongman comps in Australia in the next 6 months?
Warrick Brant: I am running the SCL qualifiers on the 5th November and the finals in early 2012 with Strongman Champions League coming out to Australia in August 2012. Myself and 2 Australians will be competing in the SCL semi- finals.
PB: If you could give one bit of advice to a new person entering the world of competitive strongman what would it be?
Warrick Brant: Be your own athlete and compete where you want to compete. Nobody owns you. Dont be in a rush to get to the top. Slow and steady.
PB: If you could have a bbq with 5 people living or dead who would you invite and why?
Warrick Brant: My awesome girlfriend Bethaney and my family. They are the most important people in my life.
PB: How many days a week do you train in the gym/practice strongman?
Warrick Brant: My training varies from 3 – 4 sessions a week depending on what show I am getting ready for.
PB: You have competed in the Strongman Champions League in both hot and cold conditions, how do you prepare differently for these extremes?
Warrick Brant: Its very hard to prepare for events as the climates are opposite. So while I slave away in 30+degree heat here in Australia, I will be competing in sub zero temps when I get to Europe. Its all about being right in the head.
PB: If you were told you could only do one exercise in the gym what would it be? And why?
Warrick Brant: ..Deadlift. It’s an all body workout. The exercise I would not do is Bench press. What purpose does it serve, yet everybody always asks, what do you bench? It must be the international question for clueless people 🙂
PB: What is the worst injury you have ever had?
Warrick Brant: I broke my neck in 2000 and still have 8 screws and 3 plates in it. Other than that just a few muscle tears, popped ribs and the usual strains.
PB: What do you think about strongman competition in Australia, what do you think is good about it? Is there anything you would change or improve? i.e does there need to be one organization running it, or a few to create greater exposure?
Warrick Brant: Here is a question I could talk all day about. First up, I must say its great to see people getting out there and doing it and trying to grow the sport. However I think sometimes they go about it all wrong.
If you are going to run a show with so called Pro’s then your weights need to be “Pro-level”. There is far too much bitching between promoters, clubs, federations or what ever you want to call them.
Then you have athletes who have done nothing but want to be paid to compete or show up. I watched a recent comp where one of these so called Pro’s watched as all the competitors failed the stone run and then went out to try to show them up and failed himself. Its embarrassing that athletes like this expect to be paid.
Too many want to be a big fish in a very little pond.
If you are going to be a promoter you have to be neutral to all athletes even if you don’t like what they are about. There are certain promoters out there, who I will never work with because they favour certain athletes.
Its about time we all became more humble and started to respect the real athletes. No big fish, no show pony’s and we certainly need to be able to back up what we say
PB: Is there lots of money to be made competing in strongman, or do you have to rely heavily on sponsors?
Warrick Brant: There is no money in the sport and not many people are willing to help out with cash. Supplement sponsors etc are great, they do help alot but you cant buy plane tickets with protein powder….lol
PB: Thanks for the interview Warrick
