Mike BledsoeDevon Larratt is a world champion armwrestler (in both arms) and received mainstream fame with his YouTube video defeating The Mountain Thor Bjornsson in an armwrestling match. He’s also a twenty-year veteran of the Canadian military, with time spent in an elite special forces unit, and one of the most dedicated athletes on the planet–with a healthy dose of humor, stoicism, and just plain genetic freakiness.
In this deep-dive interview with Devon, we talk about how he found the sport of armwrestling, how he came to dominate the sport–including his training, diet, mindset, and even psychological warfare tactics against his opponents. We also talk about his military service and how he is able to transfer the intensity and stress of that job to help him excel in his chosen sport, and in life in general. We also go on tangents including drugs and drug testing in armwrestling, how women are navigating the traditionally male-dominated sport, and pain and injury management— and how many arms Devon’s broken during his career.
Episode Highlights:
8 – 20 Intro to the sport of armwrestling
20 – 32 Devon talks about the physicality of the sport and gnarly injuries (both to himself and others)
32 – 54 Deep dive into training
54 – 1:06 Drug testing in armwrestling, and sports in general
1:06 – 1:10 Women in armwrestling
1:10 – 1:22 Devon’s diet, including a rabbit hole about some very weird experimental diets and a buffet-related eating injury
1:22 -1:34 Discussion of the mental game, and how to supremely mess with your opponents while still being respectful
1:34 -1:47 Devon discusses his military background and mindset, tells some actual war stories, and how his military career informs his approach to life and his career as a professional athlete
The Bledsoe Show
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Train smart,
Mike, Doug and Anders
Anders Varner
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