I’ll give rivals the chop
Meat allowance helps strongman Calum stay fit
An AmbulAnce technician has been given a meat allowance by a butcher to help him with training ahead of representing Scotland at a strongman competition next month.
Calum Elder, 38, who works for Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) as an emergency responder, will take part in the UK and Ireland Strongest Natural contest in May. The event, in Preston, Lancashire, is tested to ensure no performance-enhancing drugs are used. Calum, from Kirkwall, Orkney, has to self-fund his training and competitions because Orkney has no federation or sports club. He said: “Very kindly, one of the local butchers has given me a yearly meat allowance, which helps massively with food bills and getting in top quality nutrition.” Calum fits his weight training around 12-hour shifts, as well as being a father. He said: “Quite often I have to train after my shift finishes at 7pm, travelling half an hour each way to training.
“It’s then a case of eating and hitting the hay to start another shift at 7am.
“My colleagues are all very supportive and are very interested to see how I get on at competitions.
“I was absolutely delighted to come away with a third place finish out of a field of the nation’s strongest natural strongmen earlier in the year.
Butcher gives me top quality nutrition calum elder on preparing for contest
“The podium finish meant that I qualified to represent Scotland at the UK and Ireland’s Strongest Natural.”
Calum’s shows of strength have included lifting the famous Dinnie Stones, which weigh a combined 52 stones, in Deeside, Aberdeenshire.
The stones are named after strongman Donald Dinnie, who carried thems across the 16ft bridge in 1860.