Derek Poundstone (born September 28, 1981) is an American former professional

strongman In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or similar circus performers who performed feats of strength. More recently, strength athletics, also known as strongman competitions, have grown in popularity. Thes ...

athlete from

Woodbridge Woodbridge may refer to: Places Australia *Woodbridge, Western Australia formerly called ''West Midland'' *Woodbridge, Tasmania Canada *Woodbridge, Ontario England *Woodbridge, Suffolk, the location of ** Woodbridge (UK Parliament constituency ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

who placed runner-up at the 2008 World's Strongest Man. Derek Poundstone is also a

police Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

for the

Naugatuck Naugatuck is a consolidated borough and town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town spans both sides of the Naugatuck River just south of Waterbury and includes the communities of Union City on the east side of the river, wh ...

Police Department and is the former owner and

landlord A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant (also a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). When a juristic person is in this position, the ...

of an apartment complex and gym.

Strength sports

Poundstone began by competing in

powerlifting Powerlifting is a strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight single-lift effor ...

and progressed to become the Connecticut State Champion. He started competing in strongman after finding an advertisement for a contest on the back of a powerlifting flyer. After earning his Professional Strongman card from the ASC (American Strongman Corporation), Poundstone took two years off competing to enter the

Police Academy A police academy, also known as a law enforcement training center, police college, or police university, is a training school for police cadets, designed to prepare them for the law enforcement agency they will be joining upon graduation, or othe ...

and become a police officer. He returned to compete in strongman, and placed fifth in the 2006 St. Patrick's Strongman National Qualifier. Poundstone then went on to place 2nd to the current IFSA World Champion

Žydrūnas Savickas Žydrūnas Savickas (; born ...

in the 2006

World Strongman Challenge The World Strongman Challenge was one of the most enduring annual strongmen competitions, running in various guises for twenty years, with only two years break. In that time it attained the position of one of the most prestigious strongman contest ...

contest in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

. Next, Poundstone placed 5th in the 2006 America's Strongest Man contest. This earned him an invitation to the 2006 IFSA World Championships. On October 26, 2006, two weeks before the IFSA World Championships, Poundstone severely injured his lumbar spine during training while attempting a maximum effort deadlift of 366 kg (805 lb). Poundstone had a

lumbar disc herniation Spinal disc herniation is an injury to the cushioning and connective tissue between vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, and physic ...

(L4/5) and a massive spinal cord hemorrhage. Doctors told him that he would never lift again due to the severity of the injury. Poundstone's return to the strongman competition circuit was the 2007 St. Patrick's Strongman contest in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...

. Poundstone won by 13.5 points and overcame his deadlifting injury fear by completing a 364 kg (800 lb) deadlift during the competition. This victory qualified Poundstone to compete in the 2007 America's Strongest Man contest, which Poundstone won by a record 30 points. Poundstone also qualified to compete in the 2007 IFSA World Championships in

Geumsan Geumsan County (''Geumsan-gun''; Korean: 금산군) is a county in South Chungcheong Province (Before 1963, Geumsan was in Jeollabuk-do), South Korea. History Administrative district name, Geumsan-gun, have nowadays was originate from the union of ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. Additionally, Poundstone received an invitation from Dr.

Terry Todd Terry Todd (December 31, 1937 – July 7, 2018) was an American powerlifter, and Olympic weightlifting, Olympic weightlifter. Todd was co-founder of the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports, co-editor oIron Game Hi ...

to compete at the 2008

Arnold Strongman Classic The Arnold Strongman Classic is an annual competition featuring strength athletes from all over the world, determining who is the Strongest Man in the World. Created by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Lorimer and Terry Todd, it is an offshoot of the Ar ...

, in

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. Poundstone also competed in two Team Strongman contests and a Highland Games/Strongman hybrid contest. First was the USA vs. World team contest put on by Al Thompson in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Poundstone and his team ( Travis Ortmayer,

Van Hatfield Van Hatfield (born September 13, 1971) is an American professional strongman competitor and powerlifter from Mapleton, Utah.http://www.americanstrongman.com/athletes/detail.asp?AthleteID=45 Van won America's Stronge ...

Nick Best Nick Best (born November 3, 1968) is an American professional strongman competitor and world champion powerlifter. Powerlifting Prior to competing in strongman, Best won the USAPL National Powerlifting Championships in the 125 kg class in 1 ...

, Walt Gogola) pulled out an unprecedented victory against three of the top five European strongmen in the World, ( Zydrunas Savickas,

Vasyl Virastyuk Vasyl Virastyuk ( uk, Василь Вірастюк; born 22 April 1974), is a Ukrainians, Ukrainian politician and former strongman (strength athlete), strongman competitor. He is a brother of Roman Virastyuk. Virastyuk was the winner of 2004 Wo ...

, and Andrus Murumets). Team USA won the first three events and Team World won the next three events. Team USA won with a victory in the final event, the Atlas Stones. Poundstone's next contest was in

Callander Callander (; gd, Calasraid) is a small town in the council area of Stirling, Scotland, situated on the River Teith. The town is located in the historic county of Perthshire and is a popular tourist stop to and from the Highlands. The town ser ...

, Scotland at the World Highland Games contest. This contest was a Highland Games / Strongman hybrid. Poundstone won the event and set two world records. With

Douglas Edmunds Dr. Douglas Morris Edmunds Ph.D. (29 May 194430 October 2020) was a Scottish Highland Games competitor and strongman. Known as the "Godfather of Strongman", he was a two-time world champion of the caber toss and co-founded and acted as referee ...

present, Poundstone broke

Igor Pedan Igor Pedan is a -born Russian strongman who is best known for competing in the IFSA Strongman World Championships and World's Strongest Man. Igor was born in Ukraine, currently he resides in Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, � ...

's 9 rep 125 kg (275 lb) Log Clean and Press World Record by powering through 13 reps, with 130 kg (286 lb). Poundstone also broke the current World Champion's, Zydrunas Savickas, 140 kg (308 lb) Block Press World Record by pressing out a 145 kg (319 lb) block. Poundstone's training partner Tom McClure also competed in Callander and placed 2nd. Poundstone's next contest was a team contest, the World's Strongest Nation held in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. This time Team USA consisted of Poundstone along with Travis Ortmayer, Tom McClure, and

Brian Shaw Brian Keith Shaw (born March 22, 1966) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He could play both guard positions, but wa ...

. Team USA placed 2nd overall behind Team Ukraine led by Vasyl Virastyuk. Poundstone competed in the 2007 IFSA World Championship held in

. Poundstone was in 2nd position throughout the entire competition until the last event. During the final event, Poundstone ripped open his hands during the

Farmer's Walk Strength athletics, also known as Strongman competitions, is a sport which tests competitors' strength in a variety of non-traditional ways. Some of the disciplines are similar to those in powerlifting and some powerlifters have also successfully ...

event, which caused him to drop the implements. Poundstone placed 4th overall in his first appearance at the World Championship, 2 points behind

Mikhail Koklyaev Mikhail Viktorovich Koklyaev (russian: Михаил Викторович Кокляев, born 17 December 1978) is a Russian weightlifter, strongman competitor, powerlifter and boxer. He is married and has two children. Strongman Koklyaev has pl ...

and 1 point behind the 2006 World Champ Zydrunas Savickas. Vasyl Virastyuk won the competition, becoming the first athlete to win both the

World's Strongest Man The World's Strongest Man is an international Strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG, a subsidiary of Endeavor, it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of Decembe ...

Title and the IFSA World Championships. Poundstone's performance was the best ever recorded by an American at the IFSA World Championships. Poundstone decided to compete on the WSM/SS circuit after sufficient political differences with IFSA. Poundstone was called up by Odd Haugen and asked to enter as a replacement athlete into the Mohegan Sun Super Series due to

Kevin Nee Kevin Nee (born August 21, 1985) is an American professional Strongman athlete. Biography Born in Framingham, Massachusetts, Nee began his strength training at the age of 14. As a high school student at Hopedale High School in Hopedale, Massachu ...

pulling out with a torn biceps. Poundstone accepted and competed for the first time against

Mariusz Pudzianowski Mariusz Zbigniew Pudzianowski (; born 7 February 1977), also known as "Pudzian" and "Dominator", is a Polish entrepreneur, mixed martial artist and former strongman competitor. With 43 international victories at a record 70% winning percentage ...

. Poundstone defeated the four-time WSM champion and secured a qualification spot for the 2008

contest. Poundstone competed in the 2008

contest, his first appearance at the Arnold. Poundstone would take second place behind Zydrunas Savickas. On June 29, 2008 during the 2 day

Fortissimus The Fortissimus is a defunct event in strength athletics. The name means "the mightiest" and was a multi-event challenge at the end of which the winner is crowned as the "Strongest Man on Earth". It was set up to bring together the strongest compe ...

contest, Poundstone became the first American to defeat Zydrunas Savickas. Poundstone and Savickas were approximately 40 points ahead of all the other competitors. Poundstone was the only athlete who managed to lift the 517 lb

Louis Cyr Louis Cyr (; born Cyprien-Noé Cyr, October 10, 1863 - November 10, 1912) was a Canadian, Canadian strongman (strength athlete), strongman with a career spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His recorded feats, including lifting (1/4 ...

Stone and secured his victory and title at the "Mightiest Man on the Planet." Poundstone became the 2008 Strongman Super Series champion after accumulating the most points throughout the Grand Prix. 1st at the Mohegan Sun, 2nd at Madison Square Garden, and 4th at Sweden earned Poundstone enough to take the overall title. Poundstone competed in the 2008

competition where he and

, Poland's then four-time champion would go head-to-head in the final event, the atlas stones, with Poundstone leading in points. In the atlas stones, Poundstone gained the lead, but as he lifted the final stone, the stone slipped, falling to the ground and giving Pudzianowski his record 5th

title. Poundstone's next challenge was the 2009 Arnold Strongman Classic. With Zydrunas Savickas opting to take a year off, the crown was vacant. Poundstone set a new world record with 15 reps in the circus dumb bell event. Poundstone took first place overall, and became only the third man behind

Mark Henry Mark Jerrold Henry (born June 12, 1971) is an American former powerlifter, Olympic weightlifter, strongman, and professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a commentator/analyst, coach, and talent scout. He is b ...

and Zydrunas Savickas to win the Arnold Strongman Classic title since its inception in 2002. In May 2009, Poundstone was scheduled to defend his title at the Mohegan Sun Strongman Championship hosted by

Giants Live Giants Live was created in 2009 as the official Tour that qualifies strongmen to compete in the annual World's Strongest Man contest. At each Grand Prix, up to twelve international strongmen come together and compete over six events. The top three ...

. Poundstone won five of six events, taking second on one event, and took the overall title. Poundstone also set a new world record on the max apollon's axle clean and press with 415 lbs. Poundstone competed in the 2009

competition, which took place in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, being in fourth place after

and Zydrunas Savickas. Poundstone successfully defended his title at the 2010 Arnold Strongman Classic. Leading up to the last event, the timber carry, Poundstone had a 3-point lead over 6-time champion Zydrunas Savickas. Poundstone won the last event and the overall title for a second consecutive time, only the second man to accomplish this feat at the Arnold Strongman Classic. Zydrunas Savickas came in second and Travis Ortmayer came in third place. During the awards ceremony, Poundstone proposed to his girlfriend on stage and she happily accepted. Poundstone defended his title at the 2010

Mohegan Sun Mohegan Sun is an American casino, owned and operated by the Mohegan Tribe on of their reservation, along the banks of the Thames River in Uncasville, Connecticut. It has of gambling space. It is in the foothills of southeastern Connecticut, ...

Strongman Championships hosted by

, winning 3 out of 6 events including the shield carry. This was Poundstone's third consecutive victory at this contest.

came in second and Stojan Todorchev came in third place. Shortly before the 2010 World's Strongest Man contest, Poundstone severely tore his quad muscle and was unsure if he would be able to compete, but he decided to heal and focus on upper body training. Poundstone was able to qualify for the finals and finished in 9th place overall. Less than 24 hours after the 2010 WSM contest, Poundstone won his 3rd America's Strongest Man title. Poundstone is the host of a radio show titled "Poundstone Power Radio" which airs every Wednesday from 6-8pm Eastern time, on

SIRIUS Sirius is the list of brightest stars, brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Ancient Greek language, Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinisation ...

channel 94, XM channel 208, and on

Sirius XM Radio Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...

internet radio channel 860. The first episode aired on November 3, 2010.

Personal life

Poundstone married fiancée Kristin Nelson on Saturday June 25, 2011 in

Branford, Connecticut Branford is a shoreline New England town, town located on Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut, New Haven County, Connecticut, about east of downtown New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven. The population was 28,273 at the 2020 United Sta ...

’s Trinity Episcopal Church. Poundstone's training partner

Louis-Philippe Jean Louis-Phillipe Jean (born August 15, 1984) is a Canadian strongman competitor and entrant to the World's Strongest Man competition on multiple occasions. Strongman career Louis-Phillipe Jean began competing in strongman ...

was a

groomsman A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony and performs the first speech at the wedding. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be ...

at the wedding, and fellow strongman competitors Travis Ortmayer and

attended the wedding. In 2017 Derek and Kristin separated then later divorced. Both have since remarried.

Personal records - strongman

Atlas Stone * 252 kg Unofficial World Record

* 239 kg Louis Cyr Stone * 241 kg World Record (Louis Cyr lift it up to the top of his shoulder, Derek lift it by fliping it on a small block) Log Press * 130 kg * 13 - 75 sec time limit, Clean and Press each rep} World Record

Games, Scotland} Overhead Block Lift * 150 kg World Record Circus Dumbbell * World Record Car Squat * 360 kg * 12 reps Tire Deadlift * 363 kg Hummer Tire Deadlift * 481 kg Timber Frame Carry * American Record Super Yoke * 500 kg

Personal records - powerlifting

done in official powerlifting meets in ADAU ("Anti Drug Athletes United") as a Junior/ Teen-ager ''under powerlifting rules (no wrist straps, clean lifts)'' Squat * Bench Press * 196 kg - November, 2003 :→ 20-23 yr old 319 lb class ADAU American RecordAnti Drug Athletes United Boy's & Men's American Powerlifting Records
/ref> Deadlift * 289 kg (June, 2003) :→ 20-23 yr old 275 lb class ADAU American Record * 311 kg (November, 2003) :→ 20-23 yr old 319 lb class ADAU American Record Total * 750 kg (November, 2003) :→ 20-23 yr old 319 lb class ADAU American Record done in official strongman competitions ''under strongman rules (wrist straps, leaning back and hitching allowed)'' Deadlift * 395 kg ''no wrist wraps, with power suit from standard height'' (

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

Super Series - June 21, 2008 - New York) * 415 kg ''with wrist straps from standard height'' (World Strongest Man 2011') * 481 kg ''Hummer Tire Deadlift - partial deadlift with wrist straps with high bending bar'' (Arnold Strongman Classic 2012') done in the gym (unofficial) Bench Press * 224 kg for 3 repetitions ''raw'' (February, 2009) * 265 kg ''raw'' (May, 2012) ''according to Poundstone himself'' Deadlift * 363 kg for 9 repetitions ''with wrist straps and power suit, leaning back and hitching allowed'' (August, 2009)Poundstone 800lb Deadlift for 9 reps
/ref> * 389 kg ''from standard height'' (recent gym lift personal record - October, 2007) * 413 kg ''with wrist straps from standard height'' (most recent gym lift personal record - 2011')

Achievements

Professional Competitive Record -

st (6), 2nd (6), 3rd (3) - Out of Total(19) ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

''
Performance Metric - .923 merican - .931 International - .915'' *

- Columbus, Ohio - 1st Place (March 6–8, 2010 * America's Strongest Man (USA National Championship) Morgantown, W. Va. - Winner - (7/24-7/26/09) *

- Louis Cyr Strength Challenge Montmagny, Quebec, Canada - 2nd place (6/24-6/25/09) *

(World's Strongest Man Qualifier) - Uncasville, Connecticut, USA - 1st Place(5/17/2009) *

- Columbus, Ohio - 1st Place (March 6–8, 2009) *

- Charleston, West Virginia, USA - 2nd Place (September 2008) * Sweden Super Series (World's Strongest Man Qualifier) - Sweden - 4th place (8/16/2008) * Fortissimus - Louis Cyr World Strength Challenge - Notre-Dame-Du-Rosaire, Quebec, Canada - winner (6/28-29/2008) * Madison Square Garden Super Series (World's Strongest Man Qualifier) - New York, New York, USA - 2nd place (6/21/2008) * Arnold's Strongest Man - Columbus, Ohio, USA - 2nd * Mohegan Sun Super Series (World's Strongest Man Qualifier) - Uncasville, Connecticut, USA - winner (1/19/2008

* World vs. Lithuania Team Competition - Vilnius, Lithuania - 2nd (10/27/2007) * IFSA 2-Man Team World Championship - Vilnius, Lithuania - 3rd (10/7/2007) * IFSA World Championship - Geumsan, South Korea - 4th (2007

* World's Strongest Nation Team Competition - Ukraine - 2nd (2007

* World Highland Games - Callander, Scotland - winner (7/29/2007) * USA vs. World Team Competition - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA - winner (2007

* America's Strongest Man (USA National Championship) - Charlotte, North Carolina, USA - winner (2007

*

St. Patrick ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

's Strongman (USA National Championship Qualifier) - Columbia, South Carolina - winner (200

* USA vs. Lithuania Team Competition - Lithuania - 2nd (2006

* World's Strongest Nation Team Competition - Kiev, Ukraine - 3rd (2006

* America's Strongest Man (USA National Championship) - Charlotte, North Carolina, USA - 5th (2006

* World Strongman Challenge (USA Grand Prix) - Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA - 2nd (5/19/2006

* St. Patrick's Strongman (USA National Championship Qualifier) - Columbia, South Carolina, USA - 5th (3/17/2006

* Florida Pro - Am - Florida, USA - 3rd (2005

* Northeast Regional Strongman Showdown - Wilmington, Massachusetts, USA - winner (2004) ''earned ASC Professional Strongman card'' * Connecticut State Powerlifting Champion

References

External links

Derek Poundstone's official siteOfficial ASC Professional Athlete Profile of Derek PoundstoneOfficial YouTube web site of Derek PoundstoneDerek Poundstone - The Viper YouTube compilation, courtesy Garrick DaftPhotos from Callander Games, courtesy Jammach_UKDerek Poundstone profile at MHPSTRONG.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poundstone, Derek American powerlifters American strength athletes 1981 births Living people American municipal police officers Sportspeople from Waterbury, Connecticut American landlords