KUALA LUMPUR, March 10 — A QUICK look at a strongman athlete and one assumes someone, who pulls lorries with his bare hands, has a mean attitude.

You may want to think again after meeting 22-year-old Zarol ‘Baby Ox’ Alfiyan, who is all muscles with a boyish smile.

He competitively lifts massive weights and pulls vehicles.

He first realised how strong he was when he was only seven years old.

His uncle, who used to work for Volvo, was in charge of providing the lorries for the 2002 World’s Strongest Man that took place in Malaysia.

"In return, they gave him a couple of extra tickets and he took my brother and I along,” he said.

He could not remember much but he truly admired what the big guys were doing and it was somewhere at that age too he discovered his immense strength.

"My family runs a food catering business and we had a store at the back where we kept cutleries and kitchenware.

"I used to lift huge baskets of it whenever there was an event. Sometimes while I was carrying it, I’d see four guys lifting the same exact thing and I started wondering ‘Am I really that strong?’”

But at 13, a wrist injury he suffered during a rugby match led him back to improving his strength. 

He was advised by the doctor to strengthen his wrist at the gym.

"There I was, a 13-year-old who obviously had no idea what he was doing.

"I just started lifting whatever I could in the gym ― I liked it. While I was taking a break, I turned on the television and they were showing a strongman competition and I told myself: ‘I think I’ve seen these guys somewhere’.”

As soon as he headed back home, he asked his grandmother about it and she replied: "Yes, you’ve met them before.”

"I was amazed by what they could do. Pulling trucks and lifting cars... what is that?” he said.

That moment motivated him to explore the sport at the age of 14.

He also wanted to do something different.

"I’ve always been a competitive athlete and when I do something, I want to win it.”

He trained hard and two years later, ‘Baby Ox’ was born.

Zarol travelled to Singapore to compete in his first powerlifting meet before a strongman competition a couple of months later.

Powerlifting is a form of competitive weightlifting where the athlete attempts three types of disciplines (squats, benchpress, deadlifts) in a set sequence.

At 120kg, 16-year-old "Baby Ox” was forced to compete in the open age category, which meant he had to compete against experienced athletes.

He finished second with impressive numbers, a total of 660 kilogrammes — squatting 240kg, bench pressed 155kg and deadlifting 265kg.

"I actually felt I failed because to me, it should be nothing less than first place.

"It took me a while, but I finally told myself it happens sometimes. Winning alone is never enough, sometimes you need to stumble to learn new things.”

Next up was his first strongman competition ― the 2012 Putrajaya Strongest Man.

About 60 competitors took part and he finished third.

This was where people active in the circuit started to take note his potential.

"There were so many big guys and I did not expect to finish third.”

Among the disciplines contested were 200kg tyre flips, a 4x4 truck pull and a Perodua Kenari deadlift.

 Still not happy with his achievements, he spent the next three months understanding how a strongman trains and eats, through YouTube.

At 17, he started lifting enormous numbers in the gym and trained without rest.

But he has since realised he needed to pace himself or risk his body breaking down under the stress of training.

Since strongman and powerlifting relates to one another, Zarol decided to pursue both.

He has competed in many competitions since ― at times six a year ― but now he only competes in the big ones, while spending most of his time at Hale Athletics in Kelana Jaya, a place he calls home.

"It’s all about longevity. Throughout the six years of training, I’ve learned so much.”

Last year was a tough year for him due to injuries and commitments. Despite that, he still managed a deadlift world record (325kg) in the under-120kg category.

"I was expecting more but I had a bad stomach ache that day,” he recalled.

He also became the first Malaysian to total a 700kg lift in a powerlifting meet.

"This November my aim will be to be the first to break the 850kg barrier. The best in the business are totalling about 1,100kg so I’ve still got some catching up to do.

Food wise, Zarol consumes about 6,000 calories a day — which includes one kilogramme of chicken breast.

"I blend my chicken breast in the morning and consume the balance 500g in the evening.

"I have various meals and of course, ice-creams. I even blend my rice if I’m running low on time.”

His ultimate goal is to be the first Asian to compete in the World’s Strongest Man ― an international competition every strongman wants to win.

"Whenever people look at Asians, their perception is they are weak and do not have the genetics for being strong. I disagree.

"I’ll show them what I’m made of. Hopefully, I’ll be there in three years’ time.”