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Niles’ Stout emerges as top Strongman
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Strongman competitor Richard Stout of Niles works out Tuesday with the steel log, top, and on weights, above, at Team BSS in Boardman. Stout recently competed for Team USA at the Strongman World Championship at the Arnold Classic Sports Festival in Columbus in the lightweight class (under 185 pounds), finishing fourth overall.
Niles native Richard Stout has quickly emerged as a top-ranked Strongman
By Steve Ruman
When Richard Stout of Niles began a dedicated weight training program in 2011, he was simply looking to fill a void which was left when his lacrosse career came to an end.
“I played lacrosse in college, and when that ended I was just looking for another hobby to stay physically involved with, something to keep me active,” Stout said. “I wasn’t really looking for anything beyond that.”
Three years later, Stout’s hobby has turned into a passion, and that passion has carried him to the international stage.
Stout recently represented Team USA in the Strongman World Championship, held earlier this month at the Arnold Classic Sports Festival in Columbus. Competing in the lightweight class (under 185 pounds), he finished fourth and is ranked fourth in the world in the lightweight division.
Stout competed against 18 American athletes, along with representatives from Norway, Finland, Canada, Brazil, Australia and the United Kingdom. Stout qualified for the world competition by winning a regional Strongman title, advancing him to last October’s national championships in Texas.
A Niles resident, Stout graduated from Warren JFK in 2005. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Youngstown State in exercise science and a master’s degree from Kent State in sports/recreation management.
“If you would have told me three years ago that I’d be competing for Team USA and that I’d be listed among the top four Strongmen in the world, I would have thought you were crazy,” said the 27-year-old Stout. “But I fell in love with the sport right away. For me, all the lifting and all the training never became work.”
In fact, Stout said once he began training specifically for Strongman events, he had to learn to curb his enthusiasm. He quickly discovered that proper rest and recovery were just as important as the time he put in at the gym. Today, he trains two to three hours per day, three to four days a week.
“You have to listen to your body, you have to know when enough is enough,” Stout said. “When I’m in the gym, I push myself to the max. But at the same time, I give my body time to re-energize. I’m always trying to stay fresh and on top of my game.”
Strongman World Championship competition consists of numerous events, including deadlift, farmers walk, H-stone, super yoke and log press. After finishing in the top four in the preliminary round of the world championship, Stout qualified for the title round, where he opened by winning the day’s first event (log press). He followed that up by being one rep short of finishing second in the Atlas stones.
Stout’s strong showing earned him the fourth-place world ranking, something he hopes to improve upon next year.
“I’m more motivated than ever, and I’m still pretty new to all this,” Stout said. “I’m already anxious to compete for a shot at Worlds next year, and if I make it, I’ll shoot for a higher ranking.
“Strongman competition is really catching on. More and more area gyms are equipped for the training, and the interest is there. These are exciting times for the sport, and I’m excited to be in the mix.”
Given his quick rise in the rankings, there’s a good chance that Stout will be in the Strongman mix for years to come.