Closing month, Daniel Camacho hoisted an ax onstage on the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio—a trophy for being named the World’s Strongest Firefighter, a title he obtained by deadlifting 525 kilos no longer once, however 11 times. Nonetheless the 36-one year venerable nearly didn’t compete at all—he’d currently deliberate to retire from strongman competitions.
“I’ve been competing in the game of strongman for 11 years, and it essentially takes a toll—no longer necessarily your body, however your social existence,” Camacho says. “I’m the fellow who has to disclose ’no’ to a sort of issues. Like if somebody requested me to exit tomorrow night time, I’m in a position to’t, because I essentially want to coach the subsequent morning … I don’t contemplate I managed it successfully, where it didn’t give me passable time for my family.”
Camacho had to fit his coaching around his tasks as a dad to a teenage daughter, and assign of living up his coaching around his shifts on the Phoenix Fire Department, where he’s been for six years. No subject the balancing act, Camacho has built a formidable resume in his 11 years of strongman: Moreover his World’s Strongest Firefighter title, he’s a two-time Mexico’s Strongest Man (in 2019 and 2020). And the dude is real—these 525 pound deadlifts had been 160 kilos under his max pull of 685 kilos.
He moreover says he’s chanced on more balance now, and plans to continue competing—in conjunction with defending his firefighter title at next one year’s Arnold Traditional. Camacho took a wreck from saving lives and lifting heavy stuff to teach about how he obtained started in strongman, how it helps him in his day job, and the intention strange guys can tell like the sphere’s strongest firefighter.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
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How did you procure started in strongman coaching and competition?
Wait on in 2011, I joined a health club here in Phoenix that change into once owned by a strongman guy. And after I joined the health club, I change into once real like doing bodybuilding workout-vogue stuff, you realize? As rapidly as I noticed these guys engaging ridiculous quantities of weights, lifting circus dumbbells, logs, stuff like that, I belief I are looking to determine out this! I change into once zigzag. By the tip of the one year, I change into once doing my first strongman competition.
The same health club change into once moreover owned by a Phoenix firefighter. And that’s how I obtained to know about the job. I did not develop up thinking “I are looking to be a firefighter after I’m after I’m grown up.” Nonetheless I obtained to meet a bunch of firefighters there. They frail to head and tell, and I obtained to consult with them about the job and what they attain and the camaraderie aspects of it, the family aspect of it. And that’s the reason what obtained me attracted to looking into the job. After which I obtained lucky: I took the test one time, and it took me three years to procure hired. Some guys wait so long as eight years, because there’s a sort of oldsters making boom of for no longer very many positions.
Courtesy of Daniel Camacho
How does the strongman coaching abet on the job as a firefighter?
Strongman is continuously lifting queer objects. You’re no longer continuously necessarily lifting a balanced barbell—you’re lifting stones, logs, essentially heavy blocks.
It’s the identical on the job. Let’s speak you’re picking up a patient. Their body just will not be any longer completely balanced. Or shall we speak we had been on a fire and now we want to attain a forced entry on a door. Clearly, being stronger permits me to attain that job simpler. When we’re pulling hoses, . all of these items are heavy and awkward and onerous to address, especially after we’re combating a fire and there is a hose under fee, the stress with the water makes it onerous to administer.
How does your coaching fit into your shifts on the firehouse? Are you able to tell there, or attain you on the total want to coach in different locations?
I tell 5 days a week. So whether I’m on shift there or on the health club, I’ll tell. , coaching on the assign of living does reach with its no longer easy issues because when the tones [alarms] drag off and now we possess a call, I essentially want to discontinuance. So, you realize, it adjustments issues. Explain I’m engaged on deadlifts and I’m working to a heavy deadlift. After which the tones drag off, I compose no longer possess the gorgeous of real continuing. So then must you reach, you assuredly are icy and also you will want to re-warm up and then originate in every single place once more. Nonetheless yes, the profit of the department does provide us with a health club at every assign of living. And so we’re fortunate to procure to coach while at work. And I attain speak just a few of my strongman equipment infrequently after I need it, looking on what I’m making ready for. And the blokes on the assign of living are essentially very supportive and they worth the work that I’m striking into this and the main focal level I essentially possess on this.
You talked about deadlifts there—and also you obtained the Arnold competition with 11 reps of 525. What’s your deadlift day look for like?
It is dependent upon what I’m coaching for. Lawful now, I’m thinking about energy. So last week I did 10 sets of doubles (two-procure max sets) on deadlift with a extinguish under the knees. So assuredly you’re taking the load, you discontinuance under your knees for a pair seconds, and then you explode from there and develop the take.
After that, I utilize a sort of time on accent work for the relieve—extensions, dumbbell rows, lat pulldowns. I boom stricter form, and attain 4 sets of 10 to 12 reps of every.
I continuously develop up with some core exercises. I savor the ab wheel. And that day I did dragon flags. Four sets of 20 on the wheel, and I imagine it change into once four sets of 12 on the dragon flag.
Courtesy of Daniel Camacho
I noticed you doing somewhat sled work on Instagram the opposite day … how does cardio slot in to your coaching?
I can not real be real. I essentially want to possess conditioning as successfully. [In strongman,] you’ve obtained to push the cardio aspect into lifting. You don’t must be this monster guy that’s 300 kilos and tidy real to be devoted at strongman. On this competition that I obtained [at the Arnold], I essentially obtained because I had larger conditioning than just a few of the opposite guys. Plenty of these guys had been bigger and stronger than me. They didn’t possess the stamina to attain deadlifts for reps, or max distance sandbag elevate. All of these tournament, if you watched about it, possess a sort of conditioning fervent—no longer real energy.
So in the competition, yes, I had the energy to take 525. Nonetheless I needed the conditioning to attain it for as many reps as seemingly. The weight never felt heavy. It’s more your lungs and your muscle groups originate getting fatigued because you might well well presumably’t breathe very successfully and also you’re engaging a comely giant amount of weight. Having devoted conditioning let me push through and relieve going.
On that day [with the sled], I had already done a bunch of leg work, and my legs had been tidy sore and destroyed. After which we accomplished with every-minute-on-the-minute sled pushes for 10 minutes. It change into once essentially light. Most racy 90 kilos on it.
You’re continuing with your sport after pondering quitting—and making an strive to shield your title as you procure in direction of your 40s. What attain you watched guys want to add to their coaching as they hit these ages to relieve reaching their possess targets?
Establish some focal level on nutrition. You would also’t be the fellow that’s continuously drinking burgers or fried chicken all weekend and contemplate you’re wholesome. You need to possess stress-free, yes. Nonetheless you will want to be wide awake that on the least 5 days of the week you’re specializing to your successfully being.
And what attain they want to subtract?
You’ve obtained to discontinuance telling yourself ‘I’m too venerable for this.’ When I change into once [lifting] in my slack 20s, it change into once, ‘oh, wait till you procure into your 30s.’ And now all I hear is, ‘oh, wait till you procure into your 40s.’ No, man. There’s a health club here that I frail to head to, and there is a gentleman there that is in his slack 70s, and he is restful there deadlifting somewhere around 400 kilos. So as that’s my aim. I are looking to procure to be an older age and restful be in a space to head to the health club and take. Now, clearly, I’ll well well no longer be in a space to take what I’m in a position to now, however that would not mean that I’m in a position to take. Of us want to discontinuance telling themselves, ‘I’m too venerable for this.’
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