#dirtyandy

Trying to be a strongman. Overcoming mediocrity one lift at a time. 465 lb lifetime bench PR without even benching on a regular basis. Shout out to @davidljohns for the Lilliebridge-esque dad spots, @neversate for the conjugate programming. #strongman #sufferbeautifully #dieempty #dirtyandy (at Winchester, Virginia)

In fall of 2012, at 20 years old I was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy. On Nov 20, 2012 I had a pacemaker/ICD implanted in my chest and hardwired into my heart. The following months were filled with crippling fear, anxiety and depression. For years, I was afraid. I thought that anything and everything had the potential to damage my pacer. I thought that if I lifted weights, especially overhead, I would hurt myself. I soon found powerlifting and began training for a meet as part of my rehab. Lifting challenged many of my fears. I learned that my body was resilient, and that I could push myself beyond what myself and my doctors thought possible. Within a year and a half of training I went from a 200lb to a 460lb bench. But I was still afraid. I never put anything overhead because I thought I would hurt myself. Enter strongman, the sport where you take the most ridiculous, awkward and heavy things and press them overhead. Training has once again pushed me outside of my comfort zone, to conquer my fears and crush my doubts. Tonight I overhead pressed 315lbs on an axle, and threw around a 240lb keg fairly convincingly. I never thought that I would ever put this kind of weight overhead. I realize now, the only thing holding me back was myself. Shout out to @davidljohns for pushing me to #sufferbeautifully and #dieempty #dirtyandy (at Winchester, Virginia)