Dave Stelling, strongman competitor

Carrying 140-kilogram stones around a paddock is not everyone’s idea of fun, but for 26-year-old Dave Stelling, it’s all part of the sport he loves.

Strongman, or strength athletics, is a sport that tests competitors' strength and endurance in a series of varied events.Unlike other strength sports, you’ll find strongman competitors lifting, pushing or pulling equipment not usually seen in a gym, like stones, logs — even a car!

It’s all part of the appeal, says Dave.

“Strongman was something that was always calling me from a little kid,” he says. “Seeing things like guys doing the log on TV, my uncle would be watching The World’s Strongest Man, or the crazy things you see on the news sometimes, guys pulling trucks, that sort of thing… I thought, wow that's really cool, I want to give it a go!”

It was while playing rugby league during his school years that Dave was first introduced to strength training, something he’s kept up ever since and even made a career out of as an exercise physiologist.

But it was a preseason injury that became the catalyst for him taking off the football boots and entering the world of competitive strongman events.

“Strong man training was a bit of a left-hand turn for me. It has always been something that's been of interest… but in my last year of football, during preseason I broke my foot, which was pretty frustrating,” says Days.

Forced to sit on the sidelines, he started taking strength training more seriously and finally decided it was something he wanted to pursue.

“Probably mid-2020, I bit the bullet and bought my first ‘log’ and then the rest is history!” 

Seeking the assistance of Sydney-based coach Andrew Rajeevran, Dave entered his first competition in December 2021.

“My best mate Tom Boog and I, we did our first comp together and we ended up coming third!” he says.

“My first individual comp… it was a bit of a wake-up call! But yeah, it let me know what the standard is at that next tier up, what the expectation is.” 

Strongman is a sport that has grown in popularity in recent years alongside other fitness and stretch competitions such as CrossFit Games and powerlifting.

But it is still a very niche activity, says Dave.

“It’s slowly growing,” he says. “And highland games are getting to be a bit more popular in Australia, which strongman takes a lot from as well like you stone lifting, you're throwing events.

“So it's getting there slowly, but surely… In the central west, there's not much out this way. Dubbo has had a new strongman gym open up, but even they're sort of finding their feet. If you want to find a popular scene, you're probably looking at Western Sydney, the Gold Coast and Brisbane, and then you're going to Victoria where most of the events in Australia are held.” 

Dave is now keeping busy in his backyard gym training for his next event: the NSW Strongest in October.

“I'd love to get an event win,” says Dave, although he adds that his main goal is to not "zero" or fail a lift in any events on the day.

“There are a few events that probably sit well with me, but a few might be a bit touch and go... I should be fairly competitive throughout the day,” he continues.

“An event win there would be massive! But my long-term goals? I'd love to get a few international events under my belt. If, in a few years' time, I can get to that level it would be really cool.”