England's Strongest Man 'had no weaknesses'

Being crowned England's Strongest Man has made all the hours in the gym worth it, according to new champion Joe Brown.

Joe Brown from Stoke-on-Trent beat 15 other contestants in Doncaster last month to take the title for the first time.

He jointly runs a gym with his partner Rosie Abercrombie, from Knutton in Staffordshire, who became England's Strongest Woman in 2023 and 2025 in her weight category.

Brown said he expected to finish in the top five and get a place for next year's competition, so to win was "amazing".

He competed in brutal events including a 12-tonne truck pull, a Basque Stone lift, carrying a 400kg "super yoke" across his back, lifting a 90kg "daddy dumbbell" and lifting a series of Atlas stones.

"I didn't actually win a single event, but I didn't come out the top three for a single event either, so it was about making sure I didn't have any weaknesses across the board," he said.

He said he started out using the gym to train for other sports, including judo, but enjoyed it more.

After pursuing it further he got into strongman training and ended up taking part in a competition.

Brown now trains for about two hours four times a week, which is his "sweet spot", and spends three or fours hours training on a Saturday depending on how close he is to a competition.

"It means a lot to win. I've trained for for a long, long, time," he added.

Abercrombie said Brown convinced her to to try the sport at the start of their relationship and so it was "significant" for her watching him win his title.

She saw him finish 17th in his first England competition, while she won in her first year in the sport, and she has seen him "creep up the ranks" ever since.

"It's not just the time and the work, it's eight hours' sleep every night, it's ticking the boxes with the nutrition, it's taking the right supplements," she said.

"It's not just the time in the gym, it's our entire life really to some extent.

"To be able to walk out with a trophy like that means it's worth something. It makes all that time worth something."

The couple have a daughter and said they still managed family time while remaining consistent with their gym workouts.

They hope to win European titles in Harrogate in October.

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