Nick Biebel - Coach/Athlete

dropping in at The Sweaty Pig in Utah a couple weeks ago on our road trip. (Insta deleted my draft the first time smh). Super fun gym. Home of Strongman Corporation Utah and the amazing Utah's Strongest Kid 2026 competition! Thanks Conner Gordon and Jenny Draper for having us.

Last week we road-tripped from IL back to CA. Here are some highlights. We did it in five days, which meant more miles/day than I’d have liked. But oh well. We still made a few stops and had fun. Just not a lot of sleep. 😂

Illinois - Iowa - Nebraska - Wyoming - Utah (Flaming Gorge, Zion), Nevada, California.

Bittersweet time visiting my parents in Illinois before they move to Florida. Unlike many, such as my wife Jessica, I only knew one childhood home. Not everything about my childhood was positive, but it was the home I always went back to. It’s weird knowing that after almost 34 years, it’s finally gone. Lots of feelings.

To help them downsize, we went thru all my schoolwork and related items my parents saved over the years. Took quite some time. Many memories, and some real gems from the past. Enjoy the old photos. 😂

Jess also had her first Culver's | ButterBurgers & Frozen Custard and White Castle lol. And deep dish pizza ofc (not her first time).

With my parents moving, I’m not sure when we’ll be back in IL. Maybe someday.

Grateful for my wife, my family, and God who provides an unchanging heavenly home forever.

Family fun with the sled while in Illinois. We joined my parents at their gym last Saturday. Mom is 66 and dad is 73. They stay active and strong despite some limitations and age-related injuries. We didn’t do this growing up. Now I write their workouts.

I also joined my dad for his “arm workout.” I used heavier weights to start but by the end I was just keeping up. 😂 Lots of sets of 25-50+ reps is not something I’m used to.

A couple weeks ago, we dropped in at Surge To New Levels Gym in IL. I’ve been coming here once a year or so since 2018, I think. I drop in whenever I return to where I grew up (Carol Stream, IL) and visit my parents. The gym and community has grown so much over the years. This’ll be the last visit for a long time, since my parents are moving to FL soon.

Jessica tied her axle clean and press PR at 130lb (10lb over bodyweight). Also got to see Inez Carrasquillo 🇵🇷 hit some big DLs. 😁

Fourth year directing America’s Strongest Teen with Strongman Corporation Always a weird feeling when it’s over. Lots of wins this year. Finally surpassed the 40 athlete mark. First time with more than ten ladies competing. The Alameda County Fair was a great venue, and the fairgrounds team supported us with a can-do attitude the whole way through.

Really grateful for our volunteer team. All of them. Having capable, committed, and experienced volunteers makes or breaks an event like this. I’m especially grateful for Mimi Boursier who stepped up to co-direct this year, and for David Harrison , our fabrication wizard/engineer.

Super grateful to create this experience for teens from around the country. Every year, I tell them that I hope (1) they hit PRs and learn how strong they are, and (2) that I also want them humbled. It’s a national championship. It should be hard. Challenges and humility help us grow. We all need grace.

Most grateful for God, who provided all this. Grateful for the grace of Jesus Christ, in whom I’m accepted even when I make mistakes and drop the ball. Which happens sometimes.

Happy 4th! 🇺🇸
I’m grateful for all the opportunities to do cool stuff like pulling trucks.

Competed in the mas wrestling tournament at the The Santa Monica Strongman Classic By Martins Licis on Saturday. I’ve been working with Ellei on a more committed attack and the stoika (getting my hips off the ground as I drive my feet into the board). I was nervous about employing a new strategy in competition, but I fared alright. I won every point outside my match with Ellei.

I normally go defense-first, move laterally a lot, wait for openings. It’s nice to have a better finishing move. Definitely less fatiguing to win matches this way. Ideally I’ll utilize these new skills while still retaining the other ones as needed.

Ellei got in mg head lol. I was so focused on trying to react to him that I was way too loose at the start. He generates a ton of force super quickly. I’ll give him a better challenge next time.

Thank you to Eric, MAS Wrestling USA , The Santa Monica Strongman Classic By Martins Licis , Romark, The Great , Odd Haugen , and Martins Licis for organizing this. Fun times on the Santa Monica pier.

A few weeks ago I learned that Ellei moved to NorCal earlier this year. Turns out probably the best mas wrestler around my size living in the USA wasn’t too far from me. We got together to train the last couple weeks. Ellei came to the US in 2022 from Yakutia (Russia), where they basically grow up doing this. So much to learn!

I don’t feel entirely prepared for the Santa Monica classic tournament this weekend, but we’ll have some fun out on the pier!