Australia's Strongest Man | Alex Simon

Approche Production. Welcome to Secrets of the Underworld. I am Neil the Muscle comments and in this episode I speak with Alex Simon form what Australian strong man?

You're going to like a fucking evil hard place here. You're committing to it. I'll tell you a story. I don't think I said this publicly. Actually it was over ten thousand a day cows the last time I was one hundred and twenty. It was sixteen years old. It's a big bro, but mass miss mass Oh, yeah, bro snacking on family size pizzas. That's my god. Now, i'd love to make you say.

Alex Simon recognized as the strongest Australian in history, I'm the third strongest in the world.

Is that true? A few years ago?

It is true?

Not anymore, I would say if fucking skinny vote.

I feel before we get into like everything about you, I'm going to bring this off first. And I don't usually do with this with guess one hundred and seventy kilos, Like, what the fuck that natural?

One hundred and eighty one.

That's so, that's that Google is fucked up? Yeah, inaccurate one hundred and eighty one.

When I want to try this trunks. Man, I weighed one hundred and eighty one killers on the day. Yeah, four hundred pounds, what the fuck?

Yeah, I still got like the biggest that being is one thirty six.

Had one feel skinny at one thirty six? Yeah, I felt skinny and I wanted to get You're going to say for fucked.

No, I felt too skinny because I get used to with me if if I if I put on the size, when I get used to that size, I then feel shit, I need to get more.

Gotcha, you know what I mean.

And I've never found I've never found my my size that I want to be. I mean no, I've never found it because like if I get on put it this way, if I get on the once twenty five, yeah, I'm fucked. I'm having a nightment. I'm depressed. If I can keep myself one thirty, yeah, I'm cool, gotcha. If I can get up more, Like my goal was to be one forty, I could never get there. It was one thirty seven about that, okay, but one fucking what edie one.

One one killers, four hundred pounds, that's my biggest natural of course? Not what?

All right, Well, let's talk about you growing off first, we'll go back to that. Done, all right, tell me about you as a person growing up and no like.

Fuck me dead. I'm born and raised in Sydney, from the northwest, so around Castle Hill area. Grew up around there, normal childhood, played rugby league my whole life, A couple of close mates.

When do you say, right, you played rugby league? Did you actually like? Were you playing? Nah?

I didn't end up playing first grade or anything. I was. I was descent. I was talented, but just very lazy. When I was young, I was fat, so I didn't like doing any hard work.

You know.

I was explosive and obviously I had big eyes, but I never put it you see fat? What do you mean by fat? No, I was a big kid. I was a big fat built but still I was fat. I was a fatty Oh yeah, I was a little fat ALEX schooling Yeah, just normal, jumped out your ten, No issues, really suspended a couple of times, just a bit silly, yeah, nothing crazy, bro, But no. I was a good kid, very quiet, you know, very quiet. Didn't like confrontation when I was young, very scared of it,

And it's not like confrontation changed their ways when they get older.

You just don't want to be a victim. Bro. You got to learn to protect you as a kid. Yeah, when I was young, When I was young for being fat. There's just one kid. He just kept bullying me in primary school. You ever see him since, I'll tell you a story. I don't think I said this publicly actually, but anyway, Fuck, what's year too? How old are in year two?

Shit?

I don't know whatever it was, but he kept bullying me. And it was a little girl I had a crush on and she was my friend ready and then he was bullying me for months months his camp and he used to come up to me and I was chatting to this chick I had a crush on. I was. I was eight years old or something, and he just

I didn't forget that, Oh my god.

This job when as soon as I left school.

Butcher, do you know what you do? Look like a butcher?

Yeah?

You do, like in a good way, you know what I mean. But you do look like you've worked in a butcher like meat.

Wow. Yeah, I was a butcher. I was doing that for a year. Yeah yeah, and then I got fired.

Like I.

Cut half my finger off. I wasn't sleeping. I had bad sleep happening here from about fifteen to eighteen.

You lost your job for that? Yeah, you know what, you lost your finger.

None of us got scared. He is like this console ability I got rid of me.

So what tan't you to like be competing like as you did? What? What what made you do that?

But you know what it was was going back to what I said I was. I was a scared kid. You know, I was very scared. I was still the biggest kid around, but I was fucking afraid. You know, like even in footy when there'd be pantrens, like my heart would start racing, I'm like, fuck, you know, I didn't like it.

Anxiety kind of thing.

Maybe not anxiety, but just like fear fear, And as you get older, I was just like, this is not how you should be. So when I hit about fifteen, I just kind of you know, and you start hanging out with people and you don't always have protection, you know, walking around on the streets and shit, and I'm just thinking, like you start seeing punch ons and that. I'm just thinking, fuck,

So when you say it, so it got above fifteen, your your your hang on with mates? Are they? What are they? They are they sporty mates?

Sporty?

Yeah, so you kind of wanted to change your ways to stay with them in a way.

Nah, because I've pretty much had like three close mates growing up. It was about four of us and we all played footage together in the same team, right, and they were like my couple other mates from school. But these are like my boys, you know, still too still to today. They're like my close mates, you know. And yeah, that was just we just you know, played footy together.

Already in the gym. Yeah, and then you just thought, okay, I.

Just thought I knew it. I'll start hanging out with them, you know.

So when did they Okay, so you go in the gym, When did it start? When did they When did you know that? Okay, this is deepe for me. Now, this is what I want to do now, this is I'm going to push myself to be something now.

So I had my first MMA fight when I was sixteen sixteen, yeah, so I hadn't done weights yet, so I was just a footed player. And then I was training bit of boxing and then I had this fight

I did it. Yeah.

It wasn't fucking hands on spoiling it. It was me, you know, legit. And then that's why I'm like, this is mad. Everyone was starting to like do these ones to me, and my confidence was like fuck great, So I just ran with it from there.

But going back to what you just said down route, you did MMA, right, Yeah, you don't like a confrontation.

So what didn't. But I've been training for maybe six months. Yeah, yeah, And I just I was on the drink one night and I was going to go up in corner my friend fighting right, and i'd actually fractured my knuckle training like maybe six weeks earliest. I didn't train in six weeks.

Yeah.

I was on a drink with my mate and some random number card man answered it. And I was on a loudspeaking next to one of my best mates and he goes, hey, mate, blah blah blah, my name's whatever from the fight show tomorrow night. Oh, your friend tells me you're a big boy. I go, I mean kind of. I think I was like, say, one hundred and nine kilows. He goes, do you want to fight? This was the next day. I go like, not really, I haven't trained.

You're trying to find it.

Yeah, and everyone was little, bro, everyone was little, So I'm trying to scope it up and I'm like, fuck, who if I got? Who have I got? And then in the very back corner I see the biggest fucking Samoan, big afro. But he was not a teenager. I found out later it was thirty years old. Really. It had nine fights here. I think he knocked out like eight people. Yeah, and he's just throwing bombs on this pad boom, and my heart just like I went, oh fuck, he's the

And I stopped him as well, feeling I have to go through like being all that nervous. And then did you want it again?

Hey?

Did you want to fight again after that? Because you yeah?

Yeah? But I was I was cool for a minute, you know what I mean. I'd done that and I was like sweet little box ticked like face to fit one of those things, you know, And then I just wanted to start lifting waights for a bit. And I was being a little bit naughty at the time, so I wasn't too focused on training, just a bit of weights for fun.

You know what size you now? Like you you're starting to lift weights, You're starting to get your physic Yeah, it's stands to shape up. Now you're getting fit. Yeah, how big are you looking?

Now?

Well?

I was sixteen when i'd done that fight. I'd never lifted weights, and I was the hard am now so I was six three and I was one hundred and nine.

Killers And you've got a bit of confidence beyond you now.

I've got a bit of confidence, you know. I can knock out a man.

I'm like, oh, so, so are you now getting provoked and kind of like entaste by people now who are looking at you going like you know, when when you when you've got someone who's good at what they do and they like fighters it now that they're brought in by people to use. Were you used by people because of your size?

No?

No, No one tried to bay entaste you to.

A couple of times they tried, but I was still pretty like on that from me, you know, like I could kind of see a snake.

Because someone got size, would be like, fucking let we could use him, you know what I mean?

Yeah, I got that a lot when I was a kid in jail. I got that a lot in jarl. I was eighteen, I got that a lot, you know, Okay, but not too much when I was a bit younger because I kind of just I didn't allow myself to get in those situations. I had my tight group near of friends and I've kind of just stayed with the boys.

You know, how are you going before you went to jail? Were you any more fights with it?

With your nor fights?

So it's just basically now you're hitting the weights, hitting the ways hard. Yeah, what was your goal? I didn't have one at that stage.

I was just enjoying putting on size and just being the you know, the strong dude at the local gym. Yeah. Yeah, I just I liked the attention because I never got it. You know. It was a nice feeling.

So how did you end up in jailing? How did that come around?

Pretty much? Long story shot. Me and my mate too kind of always felt like, I guess, if you can say the right word for outcasts, like we didn't feel like we're fitting with everyone else, you know, so we'd kind of just stick together and you know, as you do young kids, you just kind of get up to a bit of mischief. Yeah, pretty much. We robbed drug dealer, but it was like a home invasion and it was armed.

Yeah, so yeah, I wanted to what do you get for that?

Two and a half and then I got out after about fifteen months? How did that feel? It was all right? Bro? It took a while because I was in for a little bit and then I was on bail for like fourteen fifteen months, and I was on house for rest for a bit and then curfew, So it took like three and a half years all that. Then I had to go back and do another year. Then I got out on good behavior parole. So it was bro.

It was it wasn't too bad, but from someone of like, I'm going from someone who's you know, insecure. Now you're going into jail. Okay, you've got a bit of size on. But were you in control of yourself? Were intimidated? We were you? Were you scared or you are?

Look, but when you get arrested, you go to police station and then that night it's you know, at refuse, all right, you're going to fucking jail. Yeah, and you're eighteen and I've never been arrested once, never done do or anything. And then you go in that jail truck cufft. It was like fuck, it's on, you know. So I was nervous the first night, but then you get in there and you kind of you learn to go pretty quickly. You know, you speak to fi older boys, they take you under their wing. Yeah.

No incidents inside, No, really, someone your size, you've got no incidents inside?

Not really, Bro. I didn't get involved in drugs in there. I didn't disrespect kept yourself, not kept to myself like I'd make friends and chat. But you know, look, if you're not if you don't take shit and you're normal, you'll be fine, you know what I mean. If you're like, if you're a weak count and you let someone kind of cross that line, you're going to have a rough time. But you know, for example, if someone tried to stamp before their food or something, if you have a crack

How does your family feel when you win?

Yeah, they were crushed. Yeah I got nice parents. Yeah, my mum was very upset. It crushed me. First time I seen her and she started crying in the visit. I was like, fuck, you know, let her down. But when you're.

Inside, is that when things started to turm for you? Like when you get out you knew what you were you're going to do, or you still didn't know what you're going to do, Like when was it? Then you're going I want to be a powerlifter.

So when I was on bail, I forgot off house arrest. I started training after work and I met this bloke who still to this day is my waistcoach, Sebastian or an Australian strength coach. He's the best waits coach in the world. So I actually met him when I was eighteen. When after I got out after a few months and I was on bail, I started training where he used to work, and like I was training with one of his friends and I did a deadlift and it was like two hundred for like one rep and it was shit.

You know, it's fine, Okay, So what size he now? Now?

I just did a fast on one hundred and thirty nine.

When he was training you? Was it? Was it his plan to get you bigger? Or was it you still going to want it to be bigger? You know what I mean? Like, one eighty one is a fucking big number.

It's a big especially I was young as I was twenty four at the time, twenty four when I got the record.

Why so fucking like, I know you got to be big to lift big, But that's fucking huge.

It's a big bro. But mass mis mass?

What would you die for that?

Oh?

Fuck? Dirty?

Dirty?

Fuck? Yeah dude? Was it? Oh yeah, bro? Snacking on family size pizzas.

So to tell, So tell me a day for that? What you're you're eating? Planned with beef?

That look pretty much? You know it changed. I didn't have any plan. It's just more calories. Get him in, bro, sweet you feel sick? Fuck your now, it's some more chocolate. Get in the calories. Yeah, it wasn't good. It's not healthy, but served its purpose and it worked. But pretty much i'd wake up, i'd have a fat like masskin a shake. I'd drive into it because I was full time patine at the JIM I trained out of, so I'd have a big maskin of shake in the morning and then

Wow, Yeah, and I'm ready. I was a training.

We do once a day, sometimes twice today, probably two days a week. I'd trained twice a day, about two hour session in the morning, hour and a half at night. Probably about five days a week. Yeah, because when you're lift in real heavy you do need a bit more recovery time.

I don't know how a power left would train like you know what I mean, because me, I go to the gym to try and fucking get big with fucking you know whatever I try and do. What What was your training regime for that? Was it just doing deadlifts? Was it doing what? What?

So? Palatin's the sport of performing one rep maximum weight of a squat, bench press and a deadlift. So all you got to do is get on stage and you're doing one rep as heavy as you can squat. You get three attempts. So say, for example, my biggest squat I performed in competition was four hundred and thirty five killers. So I'd warm up in the back. You know, you do a couple of sets body weight to try and get the blood flowing. Yeah, couple sets barbell to try

Yeah, So when you only done the powerlest because it says when the strongest man, is that just from what you were doing? Or are we doing? Are we doing the strongest man?

Now?

It was just a power off, that's all I competed. I trained a bit of both, but all I competed was the power lifting. Okay, yeah, so that was your main goal, yeah, to do Oh yeah, yeah, I wanted to be when I started, I SI, I want to be strongest in Australia.

So what year did this happen?

Twenty seventeen.

Talk me into that day, that day that you got it, you achieved in.

Yeah, luckily it was Actually it was the biggest comp in the world that year. Luckily for me it was in Melbourne, so all the Russians Americans had to fly to Australia and just had to go one hour. Yeah, so that was a very big advantage, not being in a plane for a day. But yeah, I just went to Melbourne, had buffet breakfast at the Crown, probably ate like twenty pancakes covered in the tower. Felt sick, went to the show, Probably had like I used to have

Yeah.

Because I was an aggression lifter, so I used to love getting jeered up, high caffeine, high energy, one set, like I used to his head, button the bar and just you're going to like a fucking evil, hard place. You know you're committing to it. You're not going in soft. A lot of people do, yeah, but each I was an aggression lifter, so I used to love getting high energy, high intensity. My coach is high energy. Used to smack

Before you Who was the Australians stronger.

Del Manual big Lander from Queensland. He had the record for about.

Ten years, so that day you took it from him.

I took his record. Yet so it's based off the total. So the biggest squat you do, the biggest bench press you do, the biggest deadlift you do, you add up the numbers and you get your total biggest total wins? Wow?

Yeah, how did that feel?

It was? It was a relief. I wanted it for so long and I had a really hard prep because I was so big. I couldn't sleep. So I was like, it was fucking ten hard weeks, bro of a anxiety. You're going to sleep every night thinking like I'm going to die because I cannot get airing because my face and shoulders and neck is that big and bloated. It's yeah, it was tough. It was just a sign of like, thank fuck, that's done. I flew the time end the next day just to start sweating and dropping weight. Oh

Was that the last time you ever did? That? Was my last come? I got my record and I said I'm good, I'm satisfied.

That was it. That was it? Bro.

Oh you didn't want to carry on?

No, no, fuck down on to fight and drop weight?

You know what I mean?

Sleep and get healthier. Okay, Yeah, being that way as it's not good? So has anyone broken that yet? So the blog that I beat, he came back and he got.

It again, you know, doesn't make you want to do it again.

No, I beat him.

Him, you know, so then you moved on to what what did you want to do?

Now I'm focusing on the fighting, you know, So what boxing? I like? MMA. I'm going to stick Tom. I've had fights in boxing, kickboxing, mm I've had nine altogether.

I'll bring up the boxing fast because I found something on Google about this, okay, and it was a big controversial what happened in that fight? Which one you got disqualified? Oh?

Yeah, that ship.

I looked at it and I just went, what the fuck? And I read up on it and then okay.

That's a ship fires awkward. But now I hit him with a big shot. He went back into the ropes, and then I just went for a big caveman swing and he was grabbing me the whole fight. Hit and just grabbed me. He was the mm A fighter too, okay, So it was just like it was an ugly box. There's nothing sweet science about it. But you just kept grabbing me and obviously not meant it in boxing. And then I hit him. He went back against the ropes. I threw a big swing and he all came under

I haven't seen the foot I can show after.

But they said I hit him on the ground, and they said not, you hit the coun on the ground and you're the square fight. But I didn't, And props to the opponent straight away he said, no, he didn't hit me, but the ref's lot idea. So they sacked me.

Wow, So it was that your last fight that you had them boxing. But just as you before, boxing is just not for you, but you prefer MM Now.

I've had a couple, but I'm not. I'm not a school for boxer. I'm not.

You're more like a brawler.

I'm a brawler. B Yeah, I got decent kicks. I want to wrestle someone pick him up.

You know what.

That's a question I have. Why wouldn't you go into wrestling, Like, why wouldn't you go and try and get like a contract overseas.

I got asked in twenty fifteen if I want to go to I think it's in Orlando. I think in Florida ww A headquarters. I got asked there was a mutual link and someone there contacted me. I think he started seeing some of my powerffs and videos and I just used to get angry and head butt shit. And I was a tank and so he would have seen those videos that were doing the rounds at the time. And I got asked, He's like, do you want to do a trial? And I was still on parole at the time, and America get in in.

You wouldn't have got in, nah, So did you tell them that?

I don't think they wanted to try and pull strings or like a not a certainty, you know. Yeah, if there was like a done deal, I think they could have got me in. Yeah, but just to have a tryout, you know, it's going to take a while and expensive legal bills and shit. Yea, so nah, but yeah, I wouldn't want to so.

Yeah, so now you're concentrating on MMA UFC kind of thing.

Yeah, I'd like to make the UFC. That's my nextest weight. So the heavyweight limit in UFC's one hundred and twenty kilos. What the fuck heavyweight limit.

That's a big drop.

MA can't brockles they were in at one twenty. That's a big, big drop, bro. But I'm kind of wait now, and that's the reason.

So so you will drop that.

I'm going to try. I'm going to try and get active this year, get a few wins, and hopefully get in. So I look at this way, if I can get to about I'm one thirty nine now, if I can get to about one thirty four one thirty five, say, and that's my new kind of normal weight, which I can drop another five off this frame. If I can have say, eight weeks notice for a camp for a fight. You want to find eight weeks you have, sweet, you drop about one to zero point a zero point seven

But you think the fighting scene in Australia for this kind of what you're doing has got it, Like don't you have to go overseas to America if you want to make it in this sport?

Nah?

So a lot of boys start in Australia and if they can just get a few good wins on you know, the local circuit, yeah, they can get picked up, especially me because I kind of got a little following and a marketable my size tatoos. So like, for example, if I can knock out three dudes this year, I'm sure I'll get in. You know, videos go around quickly, you know. So that's your goal, that's my goal. Now, I'd love to make your So.

My main concern, like one hundred and twenty kilos.

It's a big job.

It's a fucking huge job.

Big job, and I lose a lot of what I got, which is power.

And all I've ever seen in the view is massive. Yeah, like I know that's one hundred and twenty is still big, like you know for people, but not not for someone like you. For that's like that's like saying, like for a normal person like me, if I got eighty kilos.

Yeah, the last time I was one hundred and twenty, it was sixteens old. Now I'm merely thirty, you know. Yeah.

Yeah, but it's what I want to do. It's my sport. Is it is what it is, Bro, I'll try and get it done. Is there all planned out? Because I know you've got to fight. You had my message a couple of weeks ago about the fight that we supposed to have to a.

Hopper and just pulled it out two days ago.

He's just pulled out.

Well, I don't think he pulled out. I think he just asked for like.

Just the second time. Now it's been now it was.

Postponed the first time, and now it was it's booked in for April fifth. But the promoter messaged me two days ago saying he's out. He tried to like hit him up for way more money, so I think he I think it was more he's seen twice to himself.

I think he's seeing he's fighting myself.

But he's hard. Can he'll fight anyone. But I don't know. It's a bit disappointing, but I'll get it.

So what are you going to do now? Then?

Now we'll get a match. So I just keep training, keep dropping a weight. Knock on wood, we don't get injured, and let's sit, bro, we'll get back in there.

What do you want to achieve in twenty twenty five?

For you? By my birthdays in December. By December, if fucking get signed to the UFC, that would be a lifelong dream of mine. You know. I want to keep improving my mental strength, my mental health, all that shit. I'm very passionate about now at this stage of my life, and fucking drop the weight, get active with the fighting being. I've had a bad, bad run of injuries, like really bad, you're west injury that you've had. Oh, Bro, I had a boxing fight. Ten seconds into the fight, I disslocated

Jesus Christ, I'm in pain. But just keep training, Just keep going. Any regrets in your life, na, they learned from it, Bro. You just learn from it. Yeah, you just learn from it. Is what it is.

You can't turn back time, so just try to make the best of it, learn the lesson and move forward.

What would you what would you? What would you describe you? In two wards?

You know what? Honestly this will surprise you. I'm a big EmPATH. Yeah, yeah, big time. I feel a lot. Wow, Yeah, I feel a lot. Bro. I'm going to do a lot of stuff in the mental health mental strength area as I go forward.

Yeah, you like, do you like helping kids and all like that?

Yeah, Bro, I do juvenile like mentoring. It's important work, all the good ship you know should do. I'm into it, bro. Yeah, because I'm a sweet kid. I'm a sweet guy. I am a gentle giant. You know. Obviously I can if you switch on if I need to. I don't want to, but if I need to. That's what I kind of trained for my life, just to keep myself safe, you know, I mean, protect myself. But I'm a sweet guy. You know,

Because you knew what it was like when you were a kid. Yeah.

Correct, that's right. I've been on both sides, you know. So yeah, I'm a i'd say i'm an EmPATH. Well yeah, that's a good one.

Yeah.

I like that, you know what, Bro.

I love that, you know, because this interview was fucking good. And the fact is you're very humble guy.

Bro.

Yeah, bro, like I got like if I if I didn't know when I first met you, like I found it. I didn't find it hard to talk to you. But you've got to stand offish proana about you, do you think? So, yeah, there's unless you get to know the person. It's like you get you have to you have to trust that person first before you'll open up to that person fair enough.

You know what I mean, Like kind of keep to myself.

Yeah, you know you're private, but you're also how can I say you you srust people out before you want to open up a bit more to them, you know what I mean.

Sometimes, especially if I'm not closed back.

You know what I mean. But like, and I know that, as I said, when we were there, there was other people there, so it's a bit different. But as I've got to know you since then, like I've seen you and even on your videos too, that you you are. You're a very humble guy.

Mate. Yeah, bro, Like I'm just being myself. You know, I'm not trying to impress anyone. Like whatever someone thinks to me, I don't know, it's not my business. I don't care. I am who I am. I'm a dad, I'm a good dad. I'm a sweet guy, you know what I mean. I'm trying to make my dreams as a fighter. I was a strong man. Blah blah Blahlah.

I am who I am. I'm a good person. I've got a good heart. And I'll just tell it how it is. You think you'll ever do barlifting again?

Maybe one day when I retire from fighting, if I can achieve my fighting dreams, I'll get jacked again. So yeah, I still love it. It's in my blood and it will take me like twelve weeks because you look.

Like who wants that title back again? Or you just want to do it for the fun of it, the love of it.

Probably the love of it. I don't know if I want to get that big again.

Specially you need to get that big again to get that title.

Probably not. I think I'm more of a technician now. You know then I was. Back then it was a bit more brute strength. Now I'm a lot more technical, which helps. I need to get heavy, but I don't think I need to get that heavy again. We'll say, I'm sure I will compay it again, but I don't think strong man like the strong man competition. I love that ship.

Would you do that?

Yeah? I would?

That's see. I can see you doing that me too, but then again you've got to put those hounds on it again.

Yeah, I wouldn't look I wouldn't be as as heavy or as fat as I was because I do care about my health. You know, I've got young kids. I want to be healthy for them. But I do love it bro being big and strong and jack. It's good man, it's fucking great. It's great, and I love it, and it's in my blood. You know. It's very easy for me to get strong and it's a nice feeling. So one day I'll be back.

Thanks man, Thank you, b Yeah, thanks for having me appreciate it.