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07
May
Ripon World's Strongest Man hopeful to compete in Powerlifting World Championships
At 21 years old, Ripon powerlifter Josh Berriman has a bright future ahead of him.
The former Ripon Grammar School pupil will represent Great Britain at the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Championships in September.
This comes after the powerlifter came third overall in the 120+kg category at the under-23 world championships in Malta last year, as one of the youngest contestants.
But powerlifting is just the beginning for Berriman, who wants to compete in strongman competitions such as the World’s Strongest Man. And he will go to any lengths to get there.
The Stray Ferret spoke to Berriman, who told us how he got into powerlifting:
I’ve been in and out of the gym since I was around 13 with rugby and stuff, but I originally started lifting properly in lockdown.
I did it in a spare room for around six months. It was just something to do to pass the time and I got quite good at it.
When we came out of lockdown, I had no idea how good I was. I was stronger than everyone else in the gym.
At 18 years old, Berriman started training to powerlift. In November 2021, he entered his first tournament, a Yorkshire and North-East competition. He broke three under-18 records in the under-105kg weight class, placing third out of 20 contestants, despite being the youngest.
He has competed in the British championships three times: placing fifth, second and first.
After his win last year, the powerlifter was selected to represent GB at the world championships in Malta.
He placed third overall in the under-23s competition, in the category for those who weighed 120 kilograms or higher, which Berriman said was “probably the best experience of my life”.
With this year’s world championships fast approaching, Berriman says that he is aiming to win the competition this time around.
Josh Berriman competing at the 2024 World Championships in Malta. Photo: @berristrongman on Instagram
‘I’ve had to sacrifice pretty much my entire social life’
A stonemason by trade, Berriman must balance his training with work, in which he spends much of his day lifting heavy slabs.
Berriman said that his boss, who used to train with him, is very understanding whenever the powerlifter has a particularly tough training session coming up and won’t make him lift anything too heavy.
He told the Stray Ferret what it takes to reach his level:
Finding that balance between lifting heavy at work then at the gym; adapting to levels of fatigue so you’re not overdoing it; making sure you’re getting the right recovery, eating plenty and sleeping lots.
I work eight or nine hours a day then train for three to four hours after work, training four days a week.
I’ve sacrificed pretty much my entire social life, to be honest. As soon as I got into powerlifting, I decided I wasn’t going to go out drinking with my mates anymore.
Berriman said that he has a regimented routine at work, and that he knows exactly when to eat, drink and have a rest before his training.
Building over 120kg of muscle mass is no small feat – he must eat enough calories and protein to put on weight and build muscle.
The powerlifter said he eats a lot of chicken and rice, loves burgers and, while he was bulking, drank a pint of milk with every meal. This would add up to five or six pints a day.
Though it may seem excessive to be lifting heavy stone slabs for nine hours before squatting over 300kg in the gym, the 21-year-old says that it helps him with his goal of becoming a strongman:
Heavy lifting at work transfers into strongman, because strongman is all about lifting weird objects and really heavy weights.
Berriman celebrates a 357.5kg deadlift that won a silver medal for the event. Photo: @berristrongman on Instagram
After this year’s world championships, Berriman hopes to compete in next year's England’s Strongest Man.
To achieve that, he will start to train on more functional strengthening – running with sandbags and displacing heavy objects – rather than just being statically strong.
Performance enhancing drugs
The use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in strongman competitions is a hot topic within the sport.
Whilst the World’s Strongest Man officially forbids the use of steroids, stating that all competitors go through physical examinations to disqualify those using PEDs, the effectiveness of this is unclear.
In 2019, Game of Thrones star and strongman, Hafthór Björnsson, admitted to taking steroids, as did American strongman Robert Oberst. It appears many competitors can slip past the regulations set by the competition’s governing body.
Josh Berriman with Game of Thrones star and strongman, Hafthór Björnsson, at the 2024 Rogue Invitational in Aberdeen. Photo: @berristrongman on Instagram.
Berriman told the Stray Ferret his views on performance-enhancers:
It’s a bit of a grey area.
I think there should be more testing in the IPF, because the whole point is that it’s a level playing field.
Strongman is different though, because it’s more about finding human potential. If you’re trying to break barriers in what a human is capable of, I think PEDs can be used in a good way, as long as it’s in a safe way under medical professionals.
But then you’ve got the danger of a 16-year-old lad wanting to be Eddie Hall and taking all these supplements which can take years off his life.
Steroid usage, whilst having impressive short-term results, can be extremely damaging in the long term.
A hormone drug, long-term effects include hormonal imbalances, infertility and cardiovascular issues, alongside mood swings and, as with every drug, addiction and withdrawal symptoms.
The powerlifter made it very clear that he thought people should not be using them in everyday life.
But if there are so many strongmen taking these performance-enhancers, is it possible for Berriman to reach his goals naturally, or would he consider taking them himself?
He told the Stray Ferret:
I would consider doing it myself. I believe I could be at the top level of World’s Strongest Man.
I don’t know if it’s well known, but 99.9% of the guys who compete in it are on PEDs. So, if I want to get to that top level, that’s a decision I have to take in the future. I’m doing everything I can naturally to build that base though, and then I can make that decision when I’m there.
My view is that if I did use PEDs and achieve everything I wanted to in life, I don’t think I’d be that affected by losing the last 10 years of my life. But it’s something you have to come to terms with if you are making that decision.
I think I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’ll do what it takes to get to where I want to be. It’s weighing up the pros and cons really. Would you rather live 30 years a lion or 90 years a sheep?
Berriman mentioned that he is glad he didn’t jump straight into it though, as he wouldn’t be where he is with powerlifting, which is heavily regulated.
Whatever he decides to do in his future, the young athlete has an extremely bright future ahead of him, and will look to continue his legacy with a world title in Costa Rica in September.
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