Strongman is a term which refers to athletes involved in sports activities such as weightlifting and powerlifting. Both of the disciplines are included in the Olympic program where the athlete has three attempts to lift a barrel loaded with weight plates. This is a traditional sport practiced from the 19th century but it has changed a lot since then. For non-traditional athletes like Ivan Maystorov, weightlifting means lifting objects like logs, cement stones or even trucks.
The world championships organized by the two most famous federations – Strongman and Iron man gather weightlifters from all over the world to challenge their ultimate limits and strength. Ivan Maystorov has participated twice on the Strongman Champions League Bulgaria and shared what motivated him to take part in this competition:
I like to be strong, to feel strong. The real satisfaction is when you had the most exhausting training and you feel the strength after that.
His trainings may seem quite extreme for the average person because Ivan is lifting up to 300kg (661lbs) in his fitness center. He’s training every day but weights are not the only exercise included in Ivan’s trainings. He also has experience in pulling trucks and cement balls.
His passion for powerlifting began by chance. He worked in a gym 4 years ago when the organizers of the World Champions League saw him and his muscular body and provoked him by asking him to pull a truck. So he did and from that moment on he can’t stop challenging himself with more and more ambitious projects. The athlete manages to grab the attention of the viewer by showing something spectacular.
But beyond their muscular bodies, these big guys happen to hide generous hearts. One of the causes that these sports events promote is awareness on drug abuse. It’s a whole movement called “Strong against drugs” and Ivan said that the cause makes his efforts more meaningful.
He is also trying to win another battle – attracting more young people to the gym center. He is disappointed by today’s young generation and his way of protesting against unhealthy habits is through organizing weightlifting competitions in his own fitness center. By doing it, he is trying to show young people that sport can be better for the health than spending the same amount of time on the computer. He is exclusively in charge of the organization and pays all expenses related to it. His efforts are paying off because his fitness center is full of young and energetic people all the time now.
His tireless efforts are always pointed at ever more demanding causes and sports achievements.
Extreme - Life's too short not to be. 
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