mugzy
TID Board Of Directors
- Aug 11, 2010
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Strongman Grant Higa, a Hawaii native who lives in Maple Valley, appropriately lifts a 205-pound "Atlas stone" -- a concrete ball with steel inside. The stones are named after the mythical Titan who was condemned by Zues to hold the heavens on his shoulders.
Grant Higa's storage space in Kent isn't filled with the usual accumulation of excess objects. There are no La-Z-Boy recliners or boxes of the forgotten.
He keeps two giant earthmover tires weighing 694 pounds and 875 pounds, an assortment of "Atlas stones" -- concrete spheres filled with steel starting at 200 pounds -- 10 feet of anchor chain, beer kegs filled with sand and one 411-pound river rock.
For Higa, these are just part of his hobby. He loves the unorthodox -- such as flipping a 1/3-ton tire repeatedly across a 100-foot course.
Born in Hawaii, this compact strongman is 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 310 pounds.
In 1998, a friend encouraged him to enter a "Beauty and the Beast" strength and fitness event in Honolulu.
The "beast" part appealed to Higa, who works as a personal trainer.
He now flies across the country from his Maple Valley home, arranging his schedule so he can compete in lifting the unusual or pulling a 55,000-pound truck, competing "to the best of my abilities."
Yet, surprising challenges always pop up in day-to-day life -- such as a condiment-jar lid that refuses to budge.
"My wife will tease me, 'I thought you were the strongman.'"
This 694-pound earthmover tire is worn out, so now it's a weight for 310-pound Grant Higa to filp over and over during workouts for Strongman competitions.
Called Atlas stones, these concrete spheres contain varying amounts of steel giving Grant Higa a variety of weights for workouts. The stones weigh between 205-pounds and 475-pounds.
Grant Higa strains as he lifts a custom-made metal "log" that weighs 180-pounds. Like a barbell, Higa can add additional weight to each end.