Kirt Manion
kmanion@cherryroad.com
It’s been almost a decade since Josh Lehman and his teammates on the Blue Devil baseball team wrapped up the final sport at Nishnabotna High School and Lehman is still thriving in athletics.
Lehman was a multiple sport high school athlete, competing in baseball, basketball and track.
He spent most of his school years in Farragut, attending Farragut elementary school in grades K-5 before going to Nishnabotna, the combined school of Farragut and Hamburg, for sixth through 10th grade.
The Nishnabotna baseball team wrapped up the sports history for the Blue Devils by amassing a 15-4 record in the summer of 2016 and reaching the Class 1-A regional semifinals under Coach Blair Holman.
Following the closure of the Nishnabotna school, Lehman finished his schooling at Shenandoah and attended college before making the decision to leave college and begin his working career.
Lehman said he was working at Walmart when he decided to start going to the gym in an effort to enhance his overall health and use working out as a form of therapy.
As he continued going to the gym, however, the workouts became more work than therapy and Lehman began looking for ways to reignite his passion for working out.
Lehman explored bodybuilding, powerlifting and CrossFit. Each activity had its appeal but also had drawbacks.
What about Strongman?
Lehman said he investigated the sport, which tests strength, endurance and power through a variety of lifting and moving weight exercises.
“Honestly, the idea of strongman was just cool because I like the idea of doing caveman stuff like picking up heavy rocks, logs, and odd objects and trying to move a distance with them or lift them up over my head,” Lehman said. “The more I looked into it, the more appealing it became to me because it offers the strength of powerlifters and the endurance and mobility of CrossFit to a degree.”
Lehman said participating in strongman became training for functioning in everyday life.
“For the past four years, I have been working in construction and landscaping, which is very taxing and physically demanding on the body,” Lehman said, adding that his training, in some ways, made his day-to-day job easier.
After doing strongman specific training for a year, Lehman made the leap of faith to competition, mostly in the U.S.S. Strongman Corporation.
His first competition came on Sept. 30, 2023. He placed fourth at the Strength Games V-Novice Men at Des Moines, Iowa
Other competitions followed. He got first place and earned a spot at the 2024 U.S.S. National Invite on Dec. 16, 2023, at the Roger Tully Memorial Record Breakers Novice Men at Salina, Kan. He earned fourth place at the Caveman Classic Open MW on April 20, 2024, at Omaha. He earned 32nd place at the U.S.S. Nationals 2024 Open MW on June 8, 2024, at Denver, Colo. At the First City Cold Snap Open HW in Leavenworth, Kan., on Jan. 25, 2025, Lehman got first place and earned a spot at the 2025 U.S.S. National Invite. He got first place and earned a spot at the 2026 U.S.S. National Invite at the Ed Coan Classic Supermeet Open MW in Omaha on May 10, 2025.
Also of note, Lehman competed with a different corporation, Strongman Corp., a more serious and higher-level corporation. He got second place and earned a spot at the 2025 Strongman Corp. Invite during the Barbell Games Open MW at Springfield Mo., on April 26, 2025.
In navigating the world of strongman, Lehman said he has received unbelievable support from his family, friends, and church family. He credits a good friend, Blain Lang, for encouraging him to explore strongman and for providing insight as he worked toward making his debut.
“Most of all, all glory goes to God,” said Lehman. “Every time, the Lord has shown up for me. For instance, He calms my nerves and silences the fear of self-doubt and lack of confidence. He has given me the strength to continue pushing on when my body has reached its physical limits and has exhausted itself.
“Part of the reason I continue to compete is because I want to serve the Lord and give glory back to Him for all that He has done for me.”
Looking into the future, Lehman said he hopes to get his pro card for the sport. He knows that will be difficult and says he will continue to rely on his faith throughout the process.
“Even with all the uncertainties and setbacks of this journey, staying rooted in God’s Word and spending time in prayer daily has helped me continue this path,” Lehman said.
For those who might want to work towards participating in strongman, there’s encouragement in knowing that you can pick it up without having had much prior experience in weightlifting.
In high school, Lehman said he didn’t take lifting seriously until his senior year when he lifted weights with the goal of earning a scholarship in baseball or track. Even then, his exercises involved lighter weights and more repetitions to achieve stamina and endurance instead of raw power.
Becoming a strongman without prior weight training experience is possible.
Potential athletes should know, however, that strongman training is going to be difficult and expensive.
In terms of training, the formula for success involves total commitment.
‘Strongman is not a sport that allows for lack of strength in any physical or mental aspect,” Lehman said. “It requires every muscle and joint to be able to withstand extreme weight and stress.”
Training can be complicated since local gyms might not have strongman specific equipment. To deal with that, Lehman has built his own implements at his home gym with sandbags of various weights, logs, atlas stones and other implements that replicate the challenges of competition.
Training for Lehman can be anywhere from 4-6 days per week.
“Lately, I have been training six days a week, hitting all different muscle groups throughout the week. I allow my body and mind to rest on Sundays,” Lehman said.
In terms of competition costs, registration for competitions range from $100 to $500 per event. Travel and lodging considerations add more cost.
And training costs money as well. Lehman said there are costs associated with nutrition, from supplements to protein powder to appropriate meals and snacks. Lehman said massage therapy, physical therapy and chiropractic care are also essential.
Competitions may offer a chance to win some money along with medals. Lehman said awards and cash prizes depend on the level of competition for an event. Bigger and more serious competitions can offer monetary prizes.
Considering all of the costs and challenges, Lehman said the experience has been worth it.
“Getting my pro card in strongman has been my ultimate goal and dream since my first competition nearly two years ago,” Lehman said. “Even knowing now how expensive this ‘hobby’ would become, I wouldn’t change a thing as I am in the pursuit of making it more a career for myself.
“I appreciate everyone who has helped support my dream this far and the support I will gain as I progress towards my goal,” he said.
You can follow Lehman on Instagram @jlstrength_
For those who would like to help support Josh in his strongman journey, Josh will be creating a GoFundMe to help pay travel expenses related to completing at nationals in Las Vegas in September. A link will be added to Josh’s Facebook and Instagram at a later date.
Interview questions for this story were created by Teresa Crecelius.
