ABERDEEN, S.D. — In the Massenomics community, everyone is “big.” That’s the community built by Tanner Baird and Tommy DeFea. What started as a small gym in Aberdeen has turned into a podcast and brand followed worldwide.
“Big Tanner” Baird and “Big Tommy” DeFea have hosted the Lift Hard, Live Easy Classic for four consecutive years, this year expanding it from a one-day event into a three-day strength competition.
The Massenomics Lift Hard, Live Easy Classic IV, held at the Aberdeen Ramkota Event Center, featured a strongman competition on Friday, July 17, followed by a powerlifting meet on Saturday, July 18, and concluded Sunday, July 19, with a grip competition at the Massenomics gym. The massive event drew athletes from across the United States and Canada, consisting almost exclusively of members of the Massenomics support group, “The Cru.”
Friday’s strongman competition featured 49 athletes facing a grueling five-event gauntlet organized by Jake Heidenreich of Heiden Strength and emceed by Brad “The Pad.” Competitors battled through a press medley featuring a Tsunami Bar (a flexible rubber barbell), a log press, and a circus dumbbell that thwarted nearly every athlete’s lockout attempt. Lifters then tackled a max deadlift using a massive 10-foot Texas deadlift bar that increased by 10 pounds each round, a fast-paced farmer’s carry and tire flip medley, and the “crispy boy carry,” which required moving three kegs into an oversized 49-inch oversized replica of a Drink Spotter within 60 seconds.
The competition wrapped up with a 75-second mystery “Rocks” event requiring athletes to load two smooth Atlas stones and two natural stones onto a four-foot platform. The event provided plenty of action as heavy stones rolled across the platform and occasionally bounced toward other competitors, requiring spotters to be quick on their feet to clear the area for the next lifters.
Sebastian Bear dominated the biggest men’s weight class, standing out by winning without the aid of wrist wraps, a belt, or a grip shirt—electing to use knee sleeves for only a single event. Sam Funderburk claimed the heaviest deadlift of the strongman division by pulling 650 pounds. Funderburk then demonstrated remarkable endurance by competing in the powerlifting event the following day, where he improved his mark with a 660-pound deadlift.
Rapid City native Kaden Kelderman, who recently relocated to Sioux Falls after living in Rapid City for 15 years, competed in the big men lite strongman division.
“I’ve been told some great things about the Massenomics [meet],” Kelderman said. “I’m in my home state for the first time for a competition.”
Other strongman division winners included Jennilee Phillips (big but new women), Tom Corrick (big but new men), Greyson Phillips (big men lite), Pavlo Ivanusa (big men), Kaden Johnson (bigger men), Matt Fleming (big but old men), and Katie Moorhead (big women), who competed alongside the big but new men’s division.
The strongman competition had a special guest: pro strongman Andrew Hanus of Wisconsin. He took second place in the 270 lb (Biggest Men) weight class while actually weighing closer to 200 lbs.
Saturday shifted focus to the powerlifting platforms. Powerlifting is the discipline of the squat, bench press, and deadlift, with competitors vying for the highest combined total weight across all three lifts within their weight class. Eighty-five lifters competed under the direction of meet director Jonathon Leo from Liberty Barbell.
“Seventeen lifters did not make weight—a record for a meet for me,” Leo said. This caused a morning shuffle to ensure competitors faced off in their proper weight classes.
The meet was divided into two simultaneously running platforms and three flights of lifters, categorized by weight class and division: women and lighter men in Flight A, middleweight classes in Flight B, and heavyweights in Flight C. Officiating duties were handled by Todd Craig and Nicole Craig of Rapid City, a longtime employee of the Rapid City YMCA. Spotting and loading duties for the platform were managed by the Minnesota Department of Safety, while Eddie Woodward and Tanner Baird provided live commentary.
Bryce Woollmann posted the biggest total weight of the day, successfully lifting a combined 2,006 pounds across the squat, bench press, and deadlift. The performance came just one week before Woollmann’s scheduled wedding.
The top overall honors—calculated using the Dots coefficient system to measure relative strength across body weights—went to Matthias Cash and Stormi Holcomb. Cash won best overall male lifter for the third year in a row with a 1,628-pound total, while Holcomb secured best overall female lifter for the second consecutive year with an 863.5-pound total. Team Wolf Pack took home the team powerlifting trophy. Additional honorary awards recognized Clayton Carter in the 13–15 teen division (“First Rodeo”), Derek (“Strongest Volunteer”), Greyson and Hannah (“Strongest Couple”), Sam (“Felt Load Enthusiast”), and Gary (“Silliest Goose”).
On Sunday morning, twenty competitors met at the Massenomics Gym in Downtown Aberdeen to test their grip strength.
In the 93kg men’s weight class, Antony Martinez took first, Jonathan Phillips took second, and Matthew Sanchez took third. The three events were a max weight Fat Gripz deadlift, a dead hang for time, and a medley.
In the 120kg men’s weight class, Steven Cataldo took first, Matt Fleming took second, and Samuel Funderburk took third (meaning Sam placed in Strongman, Powerlifting, and the grip contest). In the men’s 120+kg weight class, Loren Koehler won first, Sterling Schneidewind took second, and Eddie Woodward took third. In the women’s 84kg weight class, Jennilee Phillips took first and Nicole Ortiz took second.
The weekend also featured several crossover athletes and community awards. Trevor Erlenbusch of Piedmont competed in the strongman portion just a few weeks after running the Black Hills Power 100 tactical race—a 100-mile ultra-marathon held on the Centennial #89 trail in the Black Hills.
As they say in the Massenomics Cru: “Lift hard and live easy.”
