I was a former college football star but quit to become a 400-pound strongest man in the world
AFTER starring as a college football player, the world of strongman is calling for an athlete.
A relative newcomer to the world of strength training, Austin Andrade is on his way to competing against the best in the world.
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Originally from Tuscon, Arizona, the now 1.90 meter tall Andrade has always been the taller guy.
“Being the big kid, you know, that’s the one thing that attracted me in high school – the weight room,” he told the San Antonio ABC affiliate.
“And this is a place where I felt comfortable.”
Andrade later played as an offensive lineman for Division II Adams State.
But after graduating and without a weight room to go to every day, he needed a new goal.
“I played sports and always used the weight room in my life,” Andrade explained.
“I got a little chubby and my wife was like, ‘Hey, you know, go back to the gym.'”
After finding his new home at a local gym, he was convinced to try strongman.
And it turns out Andrade had a gift: He turned pro in early 2022 and competed in his first professional competition in March.
Later in the year, Andrade was offered a spot at the Shaw Classic Open, where he finished in sixth place as his rise up the rankings continued to accelerate.
In December he finished fifth at America’s Strongest Man, ahead of the World’s Strongest Latino a month later in the Strongman Champions League.
Another victory followed at the Shaw Classic Open in August.
Andrade made his Giant’s Live debut in September, competing against the likes of former World’s Strongest Man winners Tom Stoltman and Oleksii Novikov.
He finished ninth overall ahead of two-time WSM participant Rauno Heinla and the injured Novikov.
And don’t expect its upward trend to stop anytime soon.
“I want to win. I want to beat people,” he told the ABC affiliate in San Antonio. “So if someone can do six, I’ll do seven. That’s just my main goal.”
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