Tell me your name and your event.

My name is Andrea Thompson from the UK (United Kingdom). I am a pro strongwoman. My favorite event is the yoke, which is coming up next.

Sidebar: I had no idea what she meant by a yoke.

Tell me about the yoke.

It looks like the letter H. You carry the middle bit on your back. It is very heavy and very awkward. You must move and run fast.

Tell me about your fitness journey prior to the Strongwoman.

I started off in Cross Fit. I didn’t like the fitness side of it. I wanted just to lift. Someone suggested I try some sort of strength sport. Five years later, here I am.

Do you have to eat a certain way?

Sidebar: She was eating skittles.

I do try to eat as clean as possible. I am not a saint. I will eat a whole pizza or a whole tub of ice cream. For performance purposes, I do try to eat lean.

How do you train?

I train four days a week, sometimes five days a week depending on what I have coming up for about two hours a day. The last day of the week I usually train three to four hours. This training cycle was about eight weeks long. I think that if I go too long, I burn out too quickly.

Do you have a training partner?

I have a coach who was a strongman. I have a training partner who lives quite a distance away. I do tend to train with men only because I need a challenge. I have been the strongest woman in Britain four times over. There are not many females that I can train with in the country that will push me. Sometimes the men are stronger than me, but not always. I like to train with men because they are a little bit more competitive. I like to try to beat them and I do sometimes.

What didn’t I ask you that most people ask you?

Normally people ask how much I bench press. It is an annoying question. A bench press doesn’t justify my overall strength. It is something the guys ask the women. Women don’t bench press very often, but guys bench press all the time. They think that if they can out bench press us that makes them a better athlete.

Sidebar: I went to the restroom and missed the world record.

Tell me about the lift, what you lifted and the emotions behind it.

I just pulled 621 pounds which is 282 kilograms. I cried when I came off. I was hoping for 280. I just competed for 2 days. All the emotions from the whole weekend just came out.

How much did you win?

$5,000.

Did that cover your plane trip, hotel, and snacks?

It definitely paid for my pop tarts stash and my Skittles.

Are you done? I want to make sure that if I go to the restroom, you won’t be out there lifting the Wheel of Pain.

I’m finished for the weekend. I’m going to have an alcoholic drink tonight with my friends, then probably again tomorrow night.

How do you recover from all that you have put your body through competing this weekend? I see a jug of something what is that?

I have 2 liters of electrolytes to rehydrate my body. I’m slowly getting through a pot of rice and chicken because I haven’t eaten all day. I don’t tend to eat when I am competing because I can’t stomach anything apart from Skittles and a few pop tarts. As soon as I finished and I change my pants, I had some chiro (chiropractor adjustment). I had my back seen to. Now, I’m just chilling out.

Sidebar: I thought she was kidding about the pop tarts.

Tell us what flavor Pop Tarts.

Strawberry. You do them in giant packs over here (48). I can only get them in packs of 8 back home.

Sidebar: Next year, someone please bring her the big box of strawberry pop tarts.

How did you get selected to compete in the Elephant Bar Deadlift competition?

I did an online qualifier with the Rogue fitness to show that I could pull enough weight to get on the stage. I was excepted for my qualification lift. I signed all the documents agreeing that I would compete. However, due to the change of all the Expo times, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to do it because it was going to be right on top of the event that I was going to be doing (Pro Strongwoman). I dropped down too many places (5^th) to win the women’s pro show. I thought I had more of a shot at the deadlift. I dipped out of the last event and started to warm up for the deadlift.

What is your day job?

I work for a college. You call them internships. I have an apprenticeship at a college. I have two girls and a husband. I must work, I’m a mom and a wife. I train around all of that.