By 
It may seem counter-intuitive to lose weight in order to be more competitive in the sport of Strongman.
But that’s exactly what Tyrone competitor, Darren McGirr believes will help him achieve success in the sport he loves.
The 35-year-old has dropped down from almost 120 kilos in body weight to now compete in the under-90 kilo category and he believes he will be ‘strongest he’s ever been’ and thus more competitive and successful in the lighter weight division.
And if his debut performance at Ultimate Strongman European Championship in Vienna earlier this year is anything to go by, he would certainly appear to be right about that after finishing fourth overall on his maiden appearance in the under-90 kilo division.
“I was delighted to finish fourth!,” McGirr beamed. “I was one point off third and that’s when the what if’s started in my head, but it was the first time I’d competed at that weight and my body is still getting used to it.
“It gives me great confidence for 2026 and I was actually talking to the promoter [of the Austrian event] afterwards and he was thanking me for coming all the way from Ireland and my exact words to him were ‘I’m back next year and on the podium!’.
“So I’m more determined than ever.”
Darren’s Ultimate Strongman European Championship debut in September started with the behind the neck jerk which he had never done before leading up to the competition.
He and his coach Matt [McKeegan, who beat him to victory at the Official Strongman Games Ireland’s Strongest Man in the 105kg class earlier this year in Derry] had worked on his mobility ahead of the event in order to help Darren adapt to the skills required to challenge and that preparative work paid off as he finished inside the top four.
“That was amazing for me as I had a big PB of 130 kilos on that,” the Sixmilecross man beamed. “That was good for me because training, leading up to it I was 115 or 120 but I suppose, comp day, feeling good and the adrenaline maybe helped.”
The next event was the farmer’s walk into sled drag, which played into Darren’s hands, so to speak, as his strong grip helped him through the first part of that test before finding the drag part challenging.
Then came the deadlift, which was his definite highlight, winning with ease with an outstanding effort of 340 kilos.
“Austria was a phenomenal experience and I had one goal and that was to win the deadlift event and I did that with a 340 deadlift,” he explained. “I weighed in at 89.8 kilos and I deadlifted 340 but I could have lifted 360, 370 or even more that day.”
The 380 kilo yoke followed and Darren admits that and the concluding lumberjack medley were two massive challenges.
“That [the yoke] wasn’t light!,” he exclaimed. “It was quite intense and strenuous because it had a wee narrow crossbar on the yoke, which wasn’t the same as I practice on. I didn’t set the bar up properly because I didn’t take into account the weight so when I picked it up I was sort of skimming the ground, which was a genuine mistake on my part.
“I should have taken my time and assessed it, but it is what it is and you learn from your mistakes.
“The lumberjack medley was the last event and it was the most awkward thing I’ve ever tried to train for. What you have to do is pick up a 100 kilo sandbag and put it up onto one shoulder, step forward and with the other free hand pick up a 100 kilo farmer’s.
“It was the most awkward, lopsided thing I’ve ever come across. It seemed like a sadistic move from the promoter who was organising that comp because you were trying to hang onto the sandbag with one hand while waddling around doing a farmer’s walk!
“And then, after 10 metres you had to pull a sled arm over arm, sitting on your ass and I have to admit, that event just didn’t go well for me at all!
“It was absolutely horrible. It was the first time I’ve ever seen it in any of the comps I’ve done, it was such a silly event. But it was probably fun to watch!”
Having thoroughly enjoyed his European debut in Austria and proven to himself that dropping down to the under-90 kilo ranks was the right move, has left Darren more determined than ever to achieve success in Strongman and he is confident that he will be stronger than ever once he adapts to the lower weight.
“I used to compete at open weight but I went down to 105s to under-90s now, so that’s been a bit of a challenge,” he explained.
“It came down to health because at my biggest I was 119 kilos with a 42 inch waist because I had the impression that you had to be big to be strong. And then I wasn’t able to sleep at night, my recovery was terrible because I was carrying so much excess weight on a smaller frame – I’m only five foot 10 – so I made the decision a few years ago to try and cut back down to a manageable weight, so I went down around the 105 mark and I started competing in the 105 weight category and I did OK, finishing second in Ireland at the start of this year.
“That qualified me for the Brits where I finished 10th in 105s and then I made the decision after that comp to take a wee step away because I had a few niggles and aches and pains and I made the decision then to hire Matt [McKeegan] as my coach and nutritionist and that’s been the game changer for me, my diet.
“But that’s the same in any sport you do, diet is so important. If you eat clean food, eat at the right time, you will become heathier, fitter, better.
“At the moment I’m in the off season and I’m building for 2026 and getting used to this body weight because it’s taken time to adapt to being down at this 90 kilo category. I always thought if I get down to 90 kilos I’ll look sick and while I’m still getting used to it, you do have to push your ego to the side a wee bit.
“Fifteen kilos in body weight, you do lose strength. It’s the same when I was 119 or 120 kilos and I went down to 105, you have to reign in your expectations but I firmly believe in this off-season I’m going to become the strongest I’ve ever been, even at this lighter weight.”
Looking ahead, Darren has several ambitions he wants to fulfil in 2026 and with the support of coach Matt and fellow Strongman athletes, he believes he can achieve those.
“A big 2026 for me would be: I would love to win Ireland’s under-90s, I’d love to get to OSG Brits and push for a podium there and then possibly go to Europe’s Official Strongman Games and I will be going back to Ultimate Europe’s and that’s already pencilled into my calendar,” he added.
“I actually have a wee book and goals for 2026 I have written down ‘Ultimate Strongman European Championships podium’ and that is my main driving force.
“I went through a wee phase after Brits that, I’m 35, do I want to keep doing this? But my mindset is, you pick the right people around you, like my coach Matt. I can’t give him enough credit for the mindset he’s given me and even the fellas you can reach out to and message, like Gavin McNamee [Strabane’s former under-90 kilo World’s Strongest Man], Daniel McElroy [Ulster’s Strongest Man from Moortown] and others.
“I train with Gavin as often as I can. He has been my benchmark of where to get to and we don’t see that as a rivalry, we see that as a good thing because it’s nice to see so many lightweight strongmen do well from Ireland.”
