Every month, the Tough Guy Book Club issues a challenge to its members. Something to push them, to challenge them, and to give them something interesting to add to their story. Challenges take all different forms…getting your cholesterol checked, designing a T-shirt, writing a poem, cleaning up a graveyard, drawing a self-portrait…you get the idea.
As a club, we know being tough takes many forms, and often has little to do with physical strength. But for May 2025, we said “fuck it, let’s get physical.” So we challenged our goons to lift the heaviest thing they personally could, and post evidence in our Pool Hall Facebook group with the hashtag #liftheavy.
Now, we know everyone’s ‘heavy’ is unique, but this is meant to be a challenge - so well done to all the guys who went hard and lifted as heavy as they could, with a huge variety of heavy shit lifted. Weights (presses, curls, squats, lifts), shed joists, logs, anvils, or their own tough self. Some of those were heavy as you can imagine, while others recovering or under various restrictions were as heavy as they could.
Some guys stepped in the gym for the first time (or the first time in a long time), some gym regulars pushed themselves and hit personal bests, and some guys lifted what they could (cartons of milk, suitcases, bass amps) while recovering from (non-challenge-related!) injuries or dealing with chronic health conditions.
We loved seeing the Reservoir Chapter goons get together to lift with a personal trainer and learn about the long term benefits of strength training. Geelong goon Tim Trottier smashed 3 sets of 6 reps at 260kg on block deadlifts, and hit a 115kg log press.
Redbank Plains goon Vance (who knocked out 8 pull-ups at 122kg bodyweight, pulled 220kg for 5 reps on deadlift, and cranked out 25 reps at 100kg on bench press!) was stoked to see everyone’s efforts, saying, “Lifting weights and exercising isn't about being the best, it's about being your best. No matter what kind of moving you do, be proud of your progress and enjoy all the little victories.”
And then he shared this gem from Socrates - “It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.”
Well done, goons!
#liftheavy
