Ben Court

Canada's Strongest Man
2022 - 11th

Best Lifts
Deadlift - 865lbs x 2
Log Press - 385lbs
Squat - 805lbs
Farmer's Walk - 400lbs/hand for 40 feet

Biography
I am originally from a little town called Fleurant Point which is located in the Gaspe Coast in the Province on Quebec. Now I live in the Cookshire- Eaton, QC located in the eastern townships.

In our area back on the coast, the Courts (my dad's side of the family) were known for their strength and hard work ethic. My Dad and many of my Uncles were commercial fishermen, farmers, and they worked in the woods. Growing up I did a lot of manual labour, as a result of their chosen career paths. From a young age it was made clear to me (by my Dad and Uncles) how important is was to be strong and to be a hard worker, it was extremely valued in our family. My older Brother Mat Court, adopted this mindset and he would later go on to do powerlifting where he reached an elite level/international level total. My brother set the bar for me and he is the reason why I ever got under a barbell in the first place, I wanted to be like him.

I started training around the age of eighteen , training completely wrong, doing full body workouts seven days a week. Finally after a bit of guidance from my brother, I started to train appropriately. About one year later I did my first powerlifting meet, I was instantly hooked and did powerlifting for about 5 years doing, raw, single ply, and multiply competitions.

I was encouraged to try strongman by my friend Jimmy Paquet (pro strongman and WSM competitor), so I decided to try a few amateur competitions.  After bouncing between powerlifting and strongman, I fully committed to strongman and worked with Tim Cote who took me under his wing and showed me the ropes. I went on to do amateur strongman provincials and nationals 2020. In 2022, I won the fitlog Strongman classic, receiving an invite to compete in the strongman circuit. I qualified for Canada's Strongest man that same year and earned my pro card.

I am coached by Maxime Boudreault.  I train at a gym called FXV Solution in Sherbrooke, QC. its the only gym in the area with strongman equipment.  I also train there with my good friend Yanick Boucher who is also a pro strongman and SBD athlete.

I am a welder and I have built pretty much all my strongman equipment myself.  My family is a huge support to me, my wife Amanda and two step children Ethan and Kaylee (and of course my basset hound named Winston).

What is your favourite lifting memory?
This is a toss up between two events. The first thing that comes to mind is when I deadlifted over 800 lbs for the first time at CSM (with a torn bicep).  The most I ever tried before this was 765 lbs so I was extremely proud and surprised. The other one is when I won the 635 lbs Axle Squat for reps in front of my home Crowd at the Ayers Cliff Rodeo. I did 9 reps, just enough to win but I was honoured to do this in front of many of my friends and family, another proud moment for me.

What is one piece of advice you have for up and coming athletes getting into strength training or strength sport?
Get your technique dialed in first, the weight will come.  Strength sports is not a sprint its a marathon, take your time and chip away at it. I would also say train specifically, so if you are getting into strongman you have to train the events. Last piece of advice would be to find a group of people who are doing the same sport as you and train with someone who is close to your strength level ( so you will have a good rivalry) and train with someone who is a lot stronger than you, this will give you all the motivation you need to get stronger and reach your true potential.

What is your favourite lift or event?
Squat

What is your favourite product and why?
13mm Belt
I have to go with the 13 mm belt because it just adds so much support and it is very easy to get off and on ( not like single or double prong belts).  I have worn this belt for every major\heavy lift and I cant lift big without it.

What 3 other items are your go to and why?
Knee Sleeves
Stiff Large Wrist Wraps
Lifting Straps
I really have a hard time choosing just four of my favourite products because I use them all frequently, but I'll choose the ones i can not live with out. Straps is a must have for any strongman, but they just cant be any run of the mill strap they need to be heavy duty and reliable, SBD delivers this in their straps. Even before I was a SBD sponsored athlete My knee sleeve and wrist wraps of choice were SBD. I just love the support from them and the knee sleeves in particular keep my knees nice and warm and healthy. I have benched over 525lbs raw and over head pressed over 405lbs while using the large stiff wrist wraps. They give me the ultimate wrist support and confidence I need to hit these types of weights.

What colourway is your favourite and why?
Momentum
I like the slogan behind this collection and the symbology "Building Momentum". The black and white colourway is just like strength sports, you either lift it or you don't, its very black and white.

Why do you believe SBD is the gear all athletes should use?
SBD produces high quality products that are not only durable but they look and fell good as well. The best strength athletes in the world use SBD, they trust and support the brand. If the best use it, then everyone should use it.