Moving boulders, lifting cars and throwing kegs with Rosa Trueman and Leif Palsen from Crude Strength and Performance.

We've all heard the term strongman, whether it invokes images of historical men at the circus wearing a leopard print leotard and sporting a handlebar mustache or a more modern strongman hauling a fridge on their back. The biggest piece of information I took away from this interview was that it's very inclusive; members range from every gender, size, weight, and age. 
 
Leif and Rosa graciously invited me into their gym and were incredibly welcoming as they talked to me about the history behind their business.
 
MM: How did you come up with the concept of your business and decide that you wanted to start a business here in Fort McMurray?
 
Leif: It was almost by no choice, I've been involved with Strongman since 2005. In 2009 I moved to Fort McMurray and started collecting equipment for my own gym.  We really needed a larger place to train; at one point I had 15 people at one-time training in my home gym. 2017 is when I officially opened Crude Strength Performance. We moved into the bay next to Cross Fit Crude and we tried to expand what they were doing already. 
 
Rosa: It was still very niche, mostly the guys that trained in Leif's basement. We started getting more people interested not just strongman but powerlifting and Olympic lifters; who just wanted to get out of the commercial gyms and have a spot dedicated to what they were training to do.
 
MM: What is a struggle you've run into having a business in Fort McMurray?
 
Rosa: Getting the word out, being next to the CrossFit gym people thought we were CrossFit.  A lot of people think 'oh I can't do that'. So we started doing a couple of women's nights and different events to encourage people to try it. 
 
MM: What is something you are really proud about with your business?
 
Rosa: The community! Everyone is so accepting, its completely inclusive, there’s no judgment. 
 
If you are interested in strongman training but are unsure whether its right for you, Crude Strength and Performance holds event training every Saturday, they invite you to come out and try it. 
 
Crude Strength and Performance is looking for personal trainers interested in running their own business out of their facility. Trainers pay a monthly fee for unlimited access to our 24/7 facility for training clients.