I’m a nail technician – but lead a double life as a strongwoman & lift 25 stone weights away from the salon
A NAIL technician has lifted the lid on her double life as a strongwoman chucking about sandbags and giant Atlas stones.
Cate Baxter, 36, trains hard outside the salon and can now hoist 25 stone of weights.
After just five months, she’s won her first contest — but admitted her two passions don’t really gel.
Determined Cate, from Newtongrange, Midlothian, said: “I’ve not met any other nail techs who are strongwomen.
“I’ve had my nails done a few times during training, but they don’t fare well when I’m trying to pull sandbags off the floor or grab tightly onto bars.
“I definitely recommend keeping your nails short for this sport to avoid accidents. It’s not fun when one breaks.”
Cate joined a gym and signed up with a trainer to lose weight after her third child was born.
But after dropping two stone she realised she was more interested in getting stronger.
After she had seen strongwomen in action, her trainer Alex Valenzuela, who competes as a strongman, urged her to give it a go.
Cate said: “It appealed to me because it’s a sport that anyone can join.
“It’s not a clique sport, and you don’t have to look a certain way.
“It’s a community where everyone encourages and welcomes everyone.
“If you’re in a competition, it’s not just your team shouting you on — everyone does.
“They just want to see you lifting the weight.”
The mum of three, whose daughters are aged 15, 12 and two, was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder last year.
She found the sport helped her deal with her ADHD and anxiety.
To get her hyped up while training, she listens to heavy rock music by the likes of Slipknot, Metallica and Pantera.
Cate — who trains at Grnbox Gym in Dalkeith, Midlothian — started doing 15-stone deadlifts but is now up to 25 stone.
She is also proud that she has managed to throw a 17-stone Atlas boulder.
In December, she came first in the novice category at Edinburgh’s Strongest Woman.
And after finishing third in a qualifying round, she is now heading to the finals of the UK’s Natural Strongwoman finals later this year.
But getting to competitions is expensive, and she is hoping to find sponsors willing to help her cover the costs.
Ambitious Cate said: “I want to keep pushing myself.
“It is a brilliant sport to experience — I think everyone should give it a try.
“My coach thinks I have a lot of potential, and I’d love to see how far I can take this.
“Just competing in the World’s Strongest Woman would be amazing. You never know.”