Strong man Steven's bid to be best novice

Steven Stevens, 25, took part in the UK’s Strongest Man novice competition in Durham on March 26.

He said: “It was my very first competition. There were some big lads there.

“We had to do the log press where you have a giant metal cylinder and you press it over your head. It weighed 110kg.

“We also had to do a car hold where you pick up a car and you hold it for as long as you can. I only got 27 seconds – but at least it was 27 seconds holding a car!

“It was the initial lift that was the hardest part, but once it was off the ground it was smooth sailing.”

Fitness ambassador Steven, who lives at Ryden Avenue in Cleveleys, competed against 10 other strongmen in a bid for the top title.

He said: “There was the tyre flip were you had to flip over a 350kg tyre, and the atlas stone, which is like a giant concrete ball and you have to lift it up and throw it over a bar.”

Despite successfully completing every challenge, Steven was beaten on the speed front by his competitors, and finished a noble last place.

He said: “You got points for speed and repetitions – the people with the most reps got the most points.

“I came second on the log press but lost points on the tyre flip.

“When my name was called I was like – are you messing! I’m definitely going to go back next year.”