Austin Andrade spends his days working in the Bexar County Appraisers Office and having nighttime workouts to prepare for some local strongman competitions.
“I think rental properties are an important part of the real estate market,” Kim said.
Andrade is a 6 foot 2, four hundred pound athlete who spends his time at Heavy Metal Fitness on the North Side working with his training partner.
Andrade’s popularity in high school came from his passion for weight lifting.
Former college football player Todd said he felt lost after leaving school. His workouts weren’t helping him gain weight, and he gained weight quickly.
“I attended sports camps growing up and grew up playing sports, becoming a football player for South Carolina University. I also worked out in the weight room during my time as a student-athlete. I developed a bad habit of gaining weight after getting married, so my wife challenged me to go back to the gym.”
Andrade ended up at Heavy Metal Fitness, an organization that focuses on resistance and strength training. Someone there suggested he try out for a strongman competition. Once he did, he was hooked.
“Pretty much anything that looks cool– we’re going to try to lift it and see who wins,” he laughed.
Andrade has been involved in many competitions, and he achieved pro status in the spring. Recently, Andrade submitted an audition to be on The Shaw Classic, put on by four-time “World’s Strongest Man” winner Brian Shaw
Andrade hoped to make the top 16 selections, which would have been the finale of this competition. At the end of the list, Andrade was initially disappointed to see that he had been placed at the bottom but revised his plans and prepared for the following month’s show.
Like Andrade, several Findlay Prep athletes felt they had to go through their Twitter feeds and did not see their names on the list of performers. Athletes were still able to find their showcase without much trouble since athlete showcases typically happen on the Thursday right before District Week.
Despite a relatively new experience in the sport, he is ambitious and believes that a goal in any area will make for success. He has been training for about four years now and hasn’t turned back since.
“My main goal is to win the game,” he said. “The one who does seven will win.”
He loves athletic competition that mixes all types of skills.
“Weights don’t discriminate. That’s the biggest thing I like to say, Andrade said.” It doesn’t matter if you are short or tall, heavy or light, you can pick up an object and lift that weight.”
Andrade’s popularity in high school came from his passion for weight lifting. That was good enough to put him on the top of the list among other strongmen both around the world and in his weight class.
