Rolling a 450-pound tire is not an easy task, but local strongman Jordan Jacobs can handle it.

Jacobs, senior exercise, leisure and sport major, said he has always considered competing in contests of physical strength, but became serious this spring when he found another competitor to train with, strongman Steven Folk.

The two train in Folk’s house.

“He’s not a personal trainer, but he was kind enough to let me come over and play around when he trains for the events,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs competed in his first strongman competition, The Ohio State Championships, on June 16.

“I placed dead last in my class,” Jacobs said. “I had no expectations of winning. I just wanted to get in, compete and get a little bit of experience.”

Despite placing last in the overall competition, Jacobs excelled in the keg shuttle.

“You sit at the bottom of the hill and pick up the heavier of the two kegs,” he said. “You then have to get it up a 100-foot sledding hill.”

After getting the first keg up, the strongman must come down and carry the next keg back up.

Of his seven competitors in the 200 to 231 pound weight class, only two others could get both kegs up the hill successfully. Jacobs had the second fastest time.

“It was not necessarily that I placed better than anyone else – it was just the fact that I was in the 200 to 231 weight class and I weighed 208,” Jacobs said. “Just the fact that guys that were bigger and stronger could not get both kegs up or took longer – it was really an accomplishment more than anything else”

Jacobs said he plans to continue competing and is using this experience as a building block for future competitions. Jacobs’ next strongman meet is the Western New York’s Strongest Man-GOLD competition July 21.

Natalie Caine-Bish, professor of family and consumer studies, recommends following a balanced diet in order to train for a strongman competition.

“A balanced diet of carbohydrate, fat and protein is the best to build muscle,” Caine-Bish said. “Having a meal or snack 30 to 60 minutes post lifting will help build muscle. The snack should consist of protein and carbohydrate.”

One of the biggest concerns, she said, is getting the necessary amount of calories.

When training for strongman competitions, Jacob said he “eats like a horse.”

Contact student wellness and recreation reporter Laura Rushnok at [email protected].