Write a commentTrainers Zack Daniels, Chrissy Mason, and Stability Fitness gym member Rachael Michelle shine in strongman and strongwomen competitions. Whether it was a lack of motivation, being fed up with body image, or wanting to share in others’ successes, each competitor has their own unique story to their road to glory.
Zack Daniels was a temp at Novelis and was having a hard time getting to the gym. "On a whim, I looked up strongman competitions," Daniels said. He signed up for his first competition, known as The Watertown Strongest Warrior, and used this as motivation to get into the gym, he said.
He took third place in his first competition in June 2015. Since then, Daniels has placed in all six competitions in which he competed. "I have three third place finishes, one second place, and two first place finishes,” he said. His next competition is the North American National Championships, also known as NAS Federation, Oct. 28, in Iowa. "If I win, I will qualify for The World Amateur Championships at The Arnold Classic.”
Daniels, now a trainer at Stability Fitness, 138 E. 2nd St., Oswego, credits working at the gym for helping him make the transition into strongman competitions. He also credited the 315 Strong group in Syracuse for motivation and support. "It's about being around the right people and having support from the lifting community," he said.
Chrissy Mason, another trainer at Stability Fitness, went from the chubby funny girl in college, to mother, to a wrecking machine of a strongwomen, she said. "Before having kids I was 185 lbs. and I'm only 5 feet tall! I started doing the Denise Austin workout fitness on TV.” From there, Mason had lost 60 lbs., but realized she needed to lift weights. "I started lifting and noticed my body changing, it was gaining muscle and toning."
Before participating in strongwomen competitions, Mason was running obstacle courses like Warrior Dash. She credits Daniels as her inspiration to start competing. "He came back from his competition and he pushed me to do my first competition," she said.
Besides competing in strongwomen competitions, Mason wants to break the stigma that women who lift heavy weights and compete are "bulky." "I'm trying to change the stereotype,” she said. “I lift and I am still feminine." Mason has competed in four competitions. She currently holds two third place finishes, one second place finish, and one first place finish. She is scheduled to compete next at the Winter Wreckage, Dec. 10, in Pennsylvania.
Rachael Michelle, a member at Stability Fitness, credits both Mason and Daniels for motivating her to enter strongwomen competitions. "I started lifting at Stability Fitness about two years ago,” she said. “ I saw Chrissy Mason and that was it. I wanted to be strong just like her.”
“Zack started training me last August and that's when strongman (competition) caught my interest." Her first competition was in January 2016. She placed second and qualified for Nationals. In April 2016, she competed in Revolution Strongman at Hercules in Syracuse, and placed fourth. Last month, Michelle competed at Orange Elite 2 and she is currently training for Winter Wreckage in Pennsylvania in December. "I'm really looking forward to competing in a powerlifting meet next and see where that takes me," she said.
All three have credited their lifting community at 315 Strong and everyone at Stability Fitness for being supportive of their goals within the strongman and strongwomen competitions. We at iheartoswego.com would like to wish them the best in their future competitions!
