Strongman shows he has an appetite for competition
Simply put, Cory Balaberda was a mess after his first strongman competition.
The event came on the heels of his first year at the University of Regina in 2013. He remembers finishing as high as third — but his early success came with a high price.
“After the first event, I threw up everywhere from lactic acid buildup, and after the show I couldn’t walk for about a week because I hurt my quad a little bit,” Balaberda, 22, said in the lead up to the Canadian amateur strongman/ woman championships, which get underway Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Mettle Performance Training Centre (645 Angus St.).
“I thought it was absolutely crazy — but I loved it.”
What Balaberda did next isn’t for the faint of heart.
“The second day after the first show I did, I went and bought whipping cream,” he says with a quick laugh. “I drank a half a litre of whipping cream in the morning and a half litre before I went to bed.
“That’s an extra 6,000 calories a day. I did that for about a month straight and gained 20 pounds.”
That jump on the scale would shock and horrify many, but it was a sight for sore eyes for Balaberda, who said his weight gain was necessary because “weight equals strength.”
Balaberda now tips the scale at 270 pounds — about 100 pounds heavier than he was as a wellrounded high school athlete.
Except for perhaps before a competition, his days of pounding whipping cream are behind him. But to sustain his mountain of a frame, he can’t venture too far from the kitchen.
Balaberda kicks off his day with a protein shake that includes three raw eggs, a few scoops of protein powder, milk, blueberries and “really high-fat yogurt,” with some toast on the side.
A teaching intern, Balaberda downs his “first lunch” during his spare period between classes in the morning. A little later he’ll buy a second lunch at school, and then grab another quick bite before coaching football.
“Right after football, probably around 6 p.m., I’ll have supper,” he said.
“Then, right before I go to bed at 9 p.m., I’ll usually have three grilled cheese sandwiches and a really high-calorie protein shake.”
Balaberda trains three to four days a week with all the intensity of a professional athlete, but he says keeping enough calories flowing to sustain his growth is the most difficult aspect of being a strongman competitor.
“It’s mostly just eating every two hours, shoving the food down until you feel like you’re going to puke and trying to continue on with your day,” Balaberda says.
“There’s a lot to it. You have to constantly be thinking about what’s next, you’re always cooking, and money is always an issue, as well. You’ve got to balance eating as healthy as you can with the least amount of money.” What makes it all worthwhile? “Competition day,” says Balaberda, who will compete in events such as bench-pressing a 280-pound log and flipping a 600-pound tire.
“The day of (the competition), I love the nerves and the intrinsic motivation that it takes to get fired up for every single event, and the mental focus that it takes. And also the camaraderie of the sport.
“This sport is amazing.”