Holbeach weightlifter competed in Florida at World Strongman Games

Two weightlifting fanatics have been flying the flag for their local gym at tournaments across the world.

Craig Candler (36) and Paul Carter (46) are both members at Royals Gym in Holbeach, which is owned by Sam Fowler.

Having both joined the gym when it first opened in August 2018, their hard work and dedication has now seen them travel the world to take part in prestigious strongman and powerlifting competitions.

Mr Candler has competed twice at the official world Strongman Games, while Mr Carter was crowned his age category’s second-best in the world at November’s powerlifting championships.

The latter’s achievement is made all the more impressive by the fact that he only took up the sport in 2020.

“I’ve always lifted weights amongst other things, but as I got better at it I thought I’d try a competition,” he said.

“I did a competition two years ago, got bitten by the bug and a guy at another gym said I really take it up with the numbers I had.

“It went from there really, and obviously Sam has been a big help. He’s pushed me, and without him I wouldn’t have done it.

“It’s amazing. He’s such a good boss. I’ve seen a lot of gyms all over the country but this one is just brilliant. It’s for anybody.

“Everybody is friendly, there are no egos here and we push each other. You can’t find a better one.”

Mr Carter, who lives in Holbeach, has already qualified for the British championships in 2022 - and he faces a qualifier for the European equivalent in February.

“To be fair, the numbers I’m training at just now will qualify. So I’m pretty confident of that,” he added.

“At my last meet I benched 160kg, and my target is to go for the British record in my category - which is 176kg. So that’s what I’m working towards.”

Meanwhile, Mr Candler travelled to Florida in November in a bid to be crowned the world’s strongest man - and he was happy with his performance.

“It was a lot better than what I did last time,” he said, with his previous appearance coming in 2019.

“I got an illness when I was over there the first time, and couldn’t eat or drink so I struggled in the events.

“This time I managed to do them all. I’ll hopefully make the top ten next year - that will be the aim.”

He added that he owes at lot to Royals Gym, where he has put in the work that seen him lift a 450kg weight at his most recent event.

“Before Royals I was at another gym in Holbeach but they didn’t have too much strongman equipment,” he said.

“Since moving to Royals, they’ve helped me out and bought a lot of the equipment I need. So I can train heavier and be more prepared.”

Mr Carter recently began hosting fortnightly seminars at Royals Gym, where he teaches about weightlifting for free. Contact Royals to book a session now.