I'm gonna kick off because they you know
they say beauty before age
um no no it's definitely Beauty before
age okay uh Terry which tile are you
most proud of
um
I mean I was always most proud weirdly
of um the the nine findings of world's
strongest man because that was a record
for a little while nine consecutive
finals although it's not a title as such
um that would have probably been it
because
obviously it shows you consistent yeah
you've done a lot of years of being
top thing in the world it really does
show the consistency but I mean probably
the Masters World's Strongest Man was a
recent one after coming back from my
first bodybuilding show and yeah I'm
pretty proud of that I guess as well
like for a long long time you prioritize
World's Strongest Man even over Britain
strongest man with your performances so
yeah you know there's a lot of times
when you were the most consistent Brit
at Worlds you know competing so yeah
well I mean I always sort of saw it and
it always seemed to fall wrong as well
like and obviously you know as well as
like you can't be in shape all year
round so you've got to look it and go
what's most important to me winning
Britain's strongest man or trying to win
World's Strongest Man and um I always
felt that that was more important to me
sure
um
just to what about yourself what
are you most proud of oh definitely for
me uh it'll be you know Britain's in
2020 that was a kind of a big moment for
me
um you know I've been in the sport for
like 10 years at that point so it's not
like it happened overnight but getting
that victory at Brits anytime you put
your name on a title was you know it's
huge for me and at the back of that as
well you know the same year I got sick
that at Worlds
um which was was huge for me especially
because it's a difficult year with covid
and everything so yeah probably the
British time is one that's can be never
taken away from you know it's always on
the on the trophy so I'm very proud
that's what they say and it once once
the president always the president yeah
yeah once you've won I mean people still
even now like call me Britain strongest
man yeah I wonder what 15 16 years ago
if you want a sword that was pretty cool
right it's a pretty cool it was a pretty
cool sword but yeah I mean it's kind of
once you've won that title you'll always
be that almost in my opinion okay so uh
in all the years you've competed uh
what's been the most impressive
performance you've seen by an athlete
that's a tough one
um
it's probably not what most people would
expect I mean
for me the two most impressive
hi I've got I'd have to say free I've
been like Marius big Z and Brian Shaw
all three of them when they're on oh
four were just unbelievable to watch but
in recent years I mean I remember
watching um
novikov a couple of times and there was
one a show that we I was refereeing at
when I was watching I was just like oh
my God like this guy is just
unbelievable he was just winning the
vents wasn't even out of breath
it was one of the most impressive
performances but I'd say
as a single event
probably my favorite performance I've
ever sort of experienced I've been there
was watching um big Z on the log yeah
2011 world's strongest that's insane
because it was a big chat about like I
think it was pound sign was saying I
could do I could do 12 and all this and
when I did a thing about
eight or nine red and they're all it
might even have been seven yeah and then
big Z goes out there and just absolutely
smashes it and like walks back and just
a big city you know what he's like he's
quite quiet and he's just like I could
have done more if I needed to any any
and he could off out of character as
well because you know he already said he
was usually just focused on the event
but yeah to see him going like unleash
on that was like insane I mean
unbelievable performance and um
that put him back into contention for
winning the shark I mean Brian ended up
winning in the end but it made it so
close going into the stones and
um
it might get a really exciting finish
where it really sort of put the put the
hammer down and showed it on just how
good he is yeah for sure
um
as a scholar of the sport do you follow
the training principles of particular
aspects of any other athlete in
strongman
um
you know it's difficult isn't it you you
do build your own program I'm a massive
one for everyone's got an individual
program for them know you know what I do
wouldn't work for you it wouldn't work
you know what Brian does wouldn't work
for me but I think just the way they
approach the sport and how you know
their attention to detail yeah Brian's
been a massive influence but I think
everyone you know who's gone like in
term professional after that the way you
know he looks at the events breaks down
everything you know his recovery is his
nutrition and stuff so yeah from a
training principle you know I don't
train like Brian because I'm not Brian
um but definitely he's the way he
approaches the sport in general yeah for
sure yeah I mean I think um
exactly what you're saying or the guys
all the top guys their attention to
detail is unbelievable yourself included
looking at every little aspect of the
sport and breaking everything down to
such more new things to get the most
that you can out of about how your
performance I think like you said you
know guys like Brian I think he was one
of the first to really go to those
depths and now everyone's doing it it's
I think it's fantastic to see the
evolution of the sport
so uh in 2021 we were in the group
together and you tore your bicep on the
the first event uh you then
steps up help me out and made it
probably a little bit worse on that
deadlift daily for reps event you know
to help me out making the final uh do
you regret that
not in the slightest I think I think you
the same as me I think we're all the
same you don't ever want to be told by
the doctors you can't carry on yeah
you know especially I'm quite a stubborn
man and everything and
obviously you know I knew it would sort
of potentially could help you I actually
think it didn't make any difference but
potentially it could have helped you and
um so that was obviously a good thing
we're trying to give her yeah right up
to the world even though we're in the
same group and um
I suppose for me I just was like I want
to get out of my shield I want this to
be my decision
when I put out I don't want the doctor
to say you've got to pull out now
it was kind of like a no like I'm doing
this next event and then I'll pull out
because then it's my decision my my
favorite thing is probably not a lot of
people know is um we were warming up for
the deadlift
um and I come up to you and it's really
hot out there and I was like look mate I
think I'm gonna wear you know what do
you reckon I should do I don't think I'm
gonna put these straps on my suit too
tight and you were like yeah 100 that's
the right decision don't put your straps
too tight so I did that and deadlifted
my set and then Terry comes out and he's
cranked his straps so tight and that's
probably one of the issues with you
you're heading blowing yeah I literally
fell on my head was going to pop off
every time I got to the ball and lift
I've done my suit so tight I could feel
my face just getting hotter but more
swollen with every rep I did it was
awful but you know it sort of was one of
those where you you have a little bit of
a moment of Madness anything to try and
get that tiny bit extra yeah
okay so you're coming back from injury
you injured your tricep training
um which obviously is quite a big injury
how have you managed to sort of um get
over that mentally and
is there any worry still in the back of
your mind on that
yeah I mean it was tough I'm not going
to sit here and say it was a breeze it
was 10 times harder to having the tricep
reattached than the bicep before the
bicep rehab was very straightforward and
didn't affect me that much but the
tricep definitely has you know there was
moments at home like when especially
when my the my scar site got infected
and one of my sutures was trying to come
out that you know I thought that would
have been it for me you know I had
people messing online so it's a real
serious injury not going to make it back
which is crazy
um but I just took a you know a
straightforward approach I just you know
I focused on kind of little one session
at a time and you know I'm very
fortunate I found a really really good
physio Joe Gallagher who helped me out
massively
um in terms of my you know my physical
treatment helping out with different
things because you know my role when I
was working in rugby was a rehab
specialist but sometimes you need
someone with a different perspective a
fresh set of eyes to look on it and
that's exactly what he did and yeah you
know I'm not too not too worried about
now yes of course I've still got to do a
lot more work like my prep work for my
pressing is is you know it's probably as
long as my session now just to get the
tricep ready and and firing but you know
it is that's the sport you know the
longer you're in this the more little
injuries you pick up and the more you've
got to do rehab and prehab read it
before a session well I always sort of
um talk to people when you see someone
who's taught the bicep and obviously
I've done a few and people come to me
and they're like oh you know have you
got any advice
and always my advice and it'd be the
same for your tricep is you you've got
to be
prepared for some really dark times
because mentally to go through that
process you know when you you physically
can't like cook your own food and things
like that
I think people sort of underestimate how
frustrating
for people that are so active to be in
that position where you physically can't
move your arm yeah I mean we go through
some pretty dark depressed times that's
for sure yeah we're yeah the World's
Strongest Man Compares my pressing has
been getting better but I'm used to
putting up like 180 kilos 220 kilos over
my head yeah you know and then suddenly
I've gone from that to not being able to
do a skull crusher with a two kilo
dumbbell you know it's like when you're
a whole identity strength yeah yeah it's
difficult but you know you just got to
focus on just one little session at a
time one that will lift at a time and
just you know trust the process and
you'll get back definitely
uh is a tough one for you I don't
actually think it's gonna be that tough
uh which sport is better bodybuilding or
strongman
strongman obviously um it has to be um
I like the bodybuilding for where I'm at
in my life and the age I am and
everything else I like the bodybuilding
training
it's not quite as aggressive on your
body
um
so that is good and obviously it's nice
to support in a bit better shave and all
that sort of but
at the end of the day with strong man
it's like uber lifted or you don't
you're even faster than someone or
you're not there's no judgment there's
no one sitting there going I think he
looks like better than him you know
there's none of that it's like all of
his
everything's in your hands so
for me that's what makes strongman so
good you can visually see
who's the best out of those two guys
which obviously makes it good and you
know there's nothing cool and lifting
like crazy heavy white yeah especially
when you sort of getting into the Realms
of things that hardly any people have
ever done before you know it's a great
feeling and um we're not saying it's
like it one's hard on the other because
you've got first-time experience about
how hard a prep is especially mentally
for bodybuilding two very very different
different Endeavors aren't they so I
think the mental side of it's the same
like and this is sort of um I mean we
spoke a little bit about it in the past
but it's like you have to literally
they're not Sports you can play around
with you've got to be 100 committed like
your whole life revolves around it the
bodybuilders are same as strong man so
if you've got that mindset
well you can literally just put
everything on the back burner and go I'm
focused on this one goal and be hyper
focused on that
if you've got that ability you can do
either and
um I think mentally it's like it's the
same challenge yeah sure you've got to
push yourself to points that
you don't want to go to whether that be
through like dieting or being in pain or
you know there's loads of reasons but
mentally you've got to be able to take
yourself to places that are not not a
lot of people are willing to know
see your former program rugby player so
which for you is more satisfying the
rugby or the strong man which you know
which is your sort of favor of the two
uh do you know what when I was working
in rugby I actually found I didn't watch
that much rugby you know it's like it
was on the day-to-day
um but you know now I'm I watch a lot
more rugby I enjoy watching rugby but
in terms of actually like
you know for me personally in my sport
Endeavor like yeah strong man by far
because it's my Improvement is very
measurable like
I'm a numbers geek I love numbers a lot
of tracking performance and for me I can
just track that very easily look if I'm
honest you know I wasn't I wasn't good
enough to play you know full Premiership
rugby I came through the academy you
know I had a couple of years as a
full-time player but what I was a really
good athlete you know I was strong fit
and fast but probably didn't have a set
position on the field and strong man you
know it gave me an outlet for me to just
use my natural attributes that I had you
know being strong you know being fast
athletic and not have to worry about the
the finer details of the the team sport
you know so and I still I saw a lot of
guys coming through the academies like
that so I'm just happy that I found the
sport that embraced me as much as I
embraced it so yeah yeah I mean
definitely it's um
strongman is a great sport yeah
especially like you said if you're big
fast athletic and have the ability to
get strong it's like the perfect sport
for you yeah yeah you'd have to catch a
ball
if you win a second strongest man title
will you rank yourself higher than me in
the all-time list
no uh it's a simple answer because I
think for us that the ultimate goal is
Worlds and you've had two podiums at
Worlds and I'm yet to have that so even
though I would have one more Britain's
title then yeah
um I haven't got that point in the world
and that's something I crave so no I
think I think you still got me brother
don't worry like this is not obviously a
reflection on that I do feel like I was
robbed of a few Britain's strongest man
times because my prime years we didn't
have Britain's strongest man for four
years we missed it we didn't have the
title and um there was no competition
run and all those four years I was the
top place in brittle world yeah but um
so for me that was kind of frustrating
you know I feel like I should have had
more than one title but
you know I don't regret anything I'm I'm
like pleased with everything that's
happened and um the fact that there was
no Britain's strongest man for those few
years it kind of doesn't really matter
that much because
it's always like you said that end goal
I mean does anyone remember who was the
British 100 meter champion
in certain years no they don't they
remember who does well at the Olympics
yeah exactly and that to me is um is
what it's all about you know you can
only judge how good someone really is
when
all the best guys in the world are going
but up against each other so even sort
of winning a an international show
that's like a slightly weaker lineup
for me it doesn't matter it's irrelevant
our world world is where it's at is yeah
it's the title everyone wants it's the
Pinnacles everyone turns up in shape
everyone Nicks points off of each other
that's the time that you get the truest
reflection of how good everyone really
is so
you know for someone like
to perform well at World's Strongest Man
you know they're legitimately you know
like yourself how many finals you make
now three three uh three foreign
to the final so yes and spread over a
lot of time in a foreign country where
it's usually boiling hot yeah these are
things that people you know don't really
take into account how how hard yeah like
you know one game's at a final and then
winning the World's Strongest Man is
it's crazy yeah I mean mentally the
pressure at Worlds is insane massive as
well so and um
it's almost hard to keep yourself on a
level level sort of place I sort of was
lucky that I had that sort of ability to
just be chilled when I'm not competing
and um
it's a tough thing to get you always
find a lot of guys as good as they can
be
a Giants lives and things like that they
go to Wells and they fall to pieces
just because they don't have that
ability to just switch off and you're
like you've got it yourself as well yeah
when you're not doing it
you're calm as you like you sit there
laugh joke see some of the other guys
pacing up and down pacing up and down
wasting energy and they fall to pieces
and um
is more than just a physical strength
thing it is mental as well yeah for sure
in my opinion
there you go cheers sorry about the
hiccups sorry oh you got to edit all
those hiccups though I need a huge one
of the times