Many facets to being a strongman

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This article was published 07/11/2024 (345 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As a champion bodybuilder, Andrew Langelaar competes against some of the biggest, toughest men in the country. Manitoba’s strongest man says there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to true strength.

A giant of a man — with an imposing 6-6, 336-pound physique — Langelaar has battled with his mental health in the past and stresses the importance of reaching out.

“There’s a lot of people who are dealing with demons that they don’t talk about, or they don’t want to,” Langelaar says. “I don’t think that you can truly be your healthiest, best self if you’re not willing to open up and be vulnerable.”

This year was Langelaar’s first season on the amateur strongman circuit. In June, he won the title of Manitoba’s Strongest Man and then won the Strongman Corporation Canada Amateur Nationals in Moncton, N.B. last month. By placing on the podium, he earned his status as a professional strongman.

“It wasn’t an expectation,” says Langelaar, 27. “It was definitely a goal, but wasn’t a goal that I thought would be fruitful this year.”

A strongman competition involves completing multiple feats of strength in a single day — from car deadlifts, to carrying massive stones, to sandbag relays and arm-over-arm pulls.

During the lead-up to the national event, Langelaar was also carrying a heavy heart, as he was mourning the loss of his grandfather Del Nyberg, whom he called “huppa.”

Nyberg died Aug. 12. Two days after burying him, Langelaar resumed training for the national competition.

“I didn’t really have the time that I wanted to sit with it and grieve,” said Langelaar, who wore Nyberg’s trucker hat during the national tournament. “Once it all kind of wrapped up and everything kind of settled, I went to the bathroom and it all kind of just hit me at once. I had a good cry, and let it all soak in.”

As a child, Langelaar enjoyed a playful relationship with his grandfather, whose idea of a joke was getting Langelaar hooked on black coffee from a young age. As he grew older, Nyberg laid a foundation of values that helped shape Langelaar.

“He was probably the greatest man I’ve ever known,” Langelaar says. “There’s a lot of things he passed down that I now attribute to pretty much every success I’ve had.”

Men’s mental health is often in the spotlight in November, as part of the national Movember campaign that raises awareness about prostate and testicular cancers along with issues surrounding suicide prevention.

Every year, approximately 4,500 Canadians die by suicide — something Langelaar admitted to having thoughts about in the past. Langelaar says the ‘A-type, hustle culture’ narrative frequently pushed by social media is harmful stigma surrounding mental health.

“It’s not a balanced representation of what its like to navigate the real world with mental health problems,” Says Langelaar. “There’s a maturity in recognizing that just pushing through is not a sustainable aspect.”

When he gets the chance, Langelaar unwinds with back-country camping, smoking meats, hanging out in his woodshop, and going on walks with Nala, a rescue dog he’s had for three years. He says he tries not to stress over things he can’t control and prioritizes time with friends when he can.

“Your healthy relationships, spending time with people you care about, that’s one of the best things you can do to reduce your stress,” he says.