What A Manitoba Strongman Eats Before a Competition

What	Beef
Where	Westman
Who	Mark

Meet Manitoba’s Strongman Rancher

Mark Schram raises beef cattle for a living and lifts heavy stones for sport. He coaches other lifters, and this fall he competed at the Strongman Corporation Canada National Championship in Quebec City. As a chef and fellow gym rat, our host, Gordon Bailey had one question: what does this guy eat? So we headed to Mark’s family cattle ranch near Cartwright, Manitoba to find out.

From Journalism to Farm Life

Ranching wasn’t always the plan. After earning a journalism degree in Winnipeg, Mark worked a string of blue-collar jobs and realized he wanted to be outside, staying active and being his own boss. When his dad talked about scaling back and selling the cows, Mark said, “Wait a second.” He came home to the family ranch, and today he’s raising cattle, raising a family and competing as a strongman.

Strongman Training at 37

Mark has been lifting for about 15 years. He entered his first strongman competition six years ago, placed fourth out of eight and kept climbing. He trains hard three times a week, makes recovery a priority and coaches others in strength and mobility. His advice for coaches? Meet people where they’re at and make training fun.

Mark’s High-Protein Meals, Built on Beef

To fuel his extremely active lifestyle and training, Mark aims to get about 250 grams of protein a day, roughly 75 grams per meal, plus plenty of carbs. Chicken, eggs and dairy are all enjoyed, but beef from his farm does much of the heavy lifting. On busy farm days, ground beef is his go-to for its convenience. When he plans ahead, he’ll do a Sunday roast for him and his family and the leftovers feed him all week. Beef can be part of a healthy eating pattern. The cut, the portion, how it’s prepared and what you eat alongside it all matter.

Strength That Starts at Home

We all wondered how he does it so Mark elaborated: farm life can be total chaos, and a lot of it is out of your control. The gym is where he finds his calm. Being able to have a goal that you are progressing forward is good for his mindset. He says training makes him a better rancher, husband and father.

Watch His Story

Chef Gordon Bailey spent a day on the farm with Mark to lift, cook up some beef and hear his story. Thank you to Mark, Sarah and their family for welcoming us. To learn more about ranchers and producers across the province, visit https://mbbeef.ca/