Tom Sroka has done it all — literally. A former standout thrower in track & field, Tom has competed in weightlifting, powerlifting, GRID, and Highland Games competition. He’s excelled in each to an impressive degree, making him one of the world’s most well-rounded strength athletes, period.
Tom’s also built a reputation for coaching all levels of strength athletics, particularly when it comes to weightlifting. You can find him at countless national competitions as he trains and develops athletes, often from the ground up.
Recently, Tom has developed a passion for — and elite-level skills in — the rising sport of Mas Wrestling, where athletes face opponents one-on-one in something that resembles a cross between deadlifting and tug-of-war. Tom’s rise in the sport took him to the World Championships, where he got firsthand experience with the sport’s Siberian roots and old school training techniques.
When we were there, they had a warm spell. The warmest it got was negative 24 degrees and at night, it would get into the negative 30s.
Our conversation was fun, insightful, and filled with some big surprises. Tune in below!
In this episode of The BarBend Podcast, guest Tom Sroka and host David Thomas Tao discuss:
- An intro to Tom’s incredibly diverse strength career (1:29)
- Tom’s introduction to Mas Wrestling and path to the World Championships (6:23)
- What Mas Wrestling and boxing have in common — and why strength isn’t everything in this sport (8:58)
- Tom’s trip to Russia for the Mas Wrestling World Championships, including experience with the brutal Siberian winter (the WARMEST it got was -24 degrees Fahrenheit!) (11:48)
- When Tom was learning the MOST as a strength athlete (16:08)
- Weightlifting, throwing, powerlifting, Highland Games, Mas Wrestling: Which was the toughest? (19:00)
- Why Tom thinks the USA lags so far behind in men’s superheavyweight weightlifting (24:24)
- How starting young gives kids such an advantage in weightlifting (29:35)
- What gives Tom pause when it comes to the growth of strength sports (33:20)
Relevant links and further reading:
- Follow Tom on Instagram
- Visit The Strength Agenda’s website and follow them on Instagram
- Listen to Strength Agenda Radio