Biff’s Story
Biff
Music is my passion and a job I love dearly. However, after successful 25 years working in the music industry as a music producer/songwriter, I found it took a toll on my mental health and general well being.
In 2012 I decided to join a local gym and quickly found myself training regularly and enjoying the routine. As a result, I started to lose weight and also began to get stronger.
I’ve always been a fan of watching strength sports. However, after seeing the weights I was lifting, as a novice, a friend at the gym encouraged me to approach strength training properly regarding a program and dietary advice.
As my love for training grew, I joined the Underground Gym in Brighton and made a few powerlifter friends. It was really lovely to make friends outside of the music industry who weren’t judgmental but encouraging. Not long after, I focussed on specific powerlifting training and found my numbers slowly increasing. Finally, after a few years of consistent training, the idea of competing started creeping into my head.
I had been to the Tattoo Tea Party a few times previously, so it was the only logical place to step on the platform for the first time. Immediately after signing up to the GPC, my name was on the entry list for Tattooed and Strong 2019. I entered for my weight and age and unexpectedly broke the GPC bench record, thus qualifying me for the nationals in Bristol a few months later.
On the 18th of August, despite breaking the record again ( something I’m very proud of ), I suffered a heart attack within minutes of the lift. With the help of the great staff and lifters at the event, I was put in an ambulance and rushed to the nearest hospital in Bristol, where a stent was very quickly placed in my heart. I was home safe and sound two days later. The staff and our great NHS were incredible. I am forever grateful and in awe of the considerable number of people who seemed to all work as one to fix me up and have me better within hours.
I had great support throughout my rehab, and I’m now back lifting, although not competitively. The British Heart Foundation are fantastic. They do so much to help research all heart and circulatory diseases and the things that cause them. I’m so happy that the Tattoo tea party folks and Tattooed and Strong have given me the opportunity to help raise awareness. Eack lifter at Tattooed & Strong 2022 was offered the chance to pick on of three unique tattoo designs by This Dark Horse tattoos in return for a £20 donation towards the British Heart Foundation.
Stay Strong.
Biff.
Lifters With Heart
The lifters at Tattooed & Strong 2022 raised £900 for The British Heart Foundation. Each competitor was be offered the chance of having a unique tattoo exclusive to our lifters and a plaque in the Heart of Steel project in return for a £20 donation.
Over the two days the guys and gals from This Dark Horse Tattoos worked tirelessly on a total of 38 bespoke tattoos that they had designed just for the lifters and crew at T&S 2022.
We would like to thank everyone for yet again jumping on board with our off the wall ideas. To have so many of you loving what we do at T&S to the point that we will always be with you is absolutely mind blowing.
King & Queen of Deadlift
Tor Meacham came out of no where to take the title of Queen of Deadlift on day one. Going head to head with Julia Mills who is the first UK woman to total 600kg(ww) Tor kept her cool and stuck to her game plan and walked away with her first Queen of Deadlift title.
Day two saw old deadlift rivals Laurence Shahlaei & Delroy Mcqueen battling it out yet again on the Tattooed & Strong platform. Both these lifters have a huge competative drive and are no strangers to lifting under pressure, in fact they thrive in this kind of environment. In the end it was Del who had the better day and so by taking King of Deadlift for the FOURTH time.
LONG LIVE THE KING & QUEEN of DEADLIFT