ABOUT US

The Strength Guys started in October of 2011 as a Twitter account intended for networking while our co-founders, Anthony Walker and I (Jason Tremblay), pursued further education in Kinesiology. During the day, we studied Health & Physical Education at Mount Royal University. After school, I consistently posted thoughts and perspectives on training to build muscle and strength and networked with our followers. As time passed, an increasing number of followers began to request online coaching services, so in September of 2012, The Strength Guys opened for business.

The size of our clientele and staff swelled over the next eight months. Our clientele was a unique blend consisting of natural physique athletes, a few powerlifters, and even a Hall of Fame NASCAR driver, Team Owner & Development Pit Crew! Our clients were motivated to compete and gain strength. Early successes on the natural bodybuilding stage and powerlifting platform helped fuel the growth of our team. In June of 2013, we transitioned towards a more evidence-based approach to training in response.

Over the next two years, our clients left their marks in bodybuilding and powerlifting, winning shows, and for the first time, we supported athletes at national and international championships. However, these successes were not without preventable injuries and poor performances that made us realize that we required a greater understanding of practice-based evidence than our research-heavy focus at the time provided. In response, Jason sought out mentorship and developed our first proprietary system for tracking and analyzing training.

Shortly after the 2017 IPF World Championship, TSG entered another rebuild. Ben Esgro agreed to join TSG, and we began to perform to our potential. Ben brought his multiple-time World Championship-winning DUP training system as he and Jason worked together to evolve a new system and spread new ideas among the staff. As a result, TSG began to gain new momentum.

These investments yielded returns that put TSG on the map for the first time. 2018 saw our athletes thrive with training moulded into a highly effective and innovative training system. In March, two TSG athletes won the Arnold Classic, and in June, Taylor Atwood won his first IPF World Championship. 2018 IPF worlds in Calgary was a special time for our team because we hosted each team member in Jason’s hometown, and we had finally achieved the goal of winning gold on the biggest stage in powerlifting. A few months later, our team won Best Open Men’s Team at USAPL Raw Nationals in Spokane, which closed out our most successful year as a company so far.

In 2019, our team expanded with clients in over 50 different countries worldwide, sending a team of nine competitors to the IPF World Championship in Helsingborg, Sweden. TSG athletes won two world titles (Taylor Atwood & Eli Burks), broke three world records (Taylor Atwood Squat & Total, Owen Hubbard Bench Press), and Taylor Atwood took home the best men’s lifter award. In 2019, we also hosted seminars in the Dominican Republic and Slovenia, and began collaborations with the Calgary Flames NHL Team. Things were looking up, with TSG having 3 lifters nominated for the inaugural SBD Sheffield Championship as well. However, at the beginning of 2020, the world threw us a curveball with the COVID-19 pandemic, which temporarily halted our competitive momentum due to meet cancellations and caused further changes in our personal and professional lives.

At the start of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, we released a free at-home training program downloaded by over 8,000 people. Taking advantage of time to explore new opportunities, our group also started our coach internship program, which has provided individualized mentorship to over fourty coaches to date. At the same time, our Coaching for a Cause program contributed to COVID relief projects in Zimbabwe, such as building gyms, strength training equipment, community gardens and farms, and providing hygiene products. Later on, in 2020, our group hosted the first-ever virtual meet scored by a panel of IPF international referees.

2021 saw Jason complete his in-season internship with the Calgary Flames, and our team of 11 athletes dominated at the 2021 USAPL Raw National Championships.

2022 saw the performances of our group continue to grow. At the 2022 World Championship, Taylor Atwood won his 3rd title and 2nd Best Lifter award. A few months later, TSG athlete Lya Bavoil won the Arnold Classic UK, setting the all-time women’s GL points record in the process. For the first time, TSG athletes were ranked #1 all-time in men’s and women’s powerlifting across all weight classes. Both athletes also qualified for the SBD Sheffield Championship a few months later.

At the 2023 Sheffield Championship, Taylor and Lya placed 5th and 8th, respectively. A few months later at the 2023 World Championship, our team had 13 athletes competing – including 4 podium finishers with Lya Bavoil winning the 69 kg World Championship. To close out the year, TSG launched its biggest project yet, turning years of private coach mentorship into a comprehensive 30+ hour education course. The launch of our TSG Powerlifting Coaching Course was incredibly well received by coaches and coaching companies from around the world who were looking to hone their craft using TSG’s innovative and data-driven approach to coaching.

At the 2024 Sheffield Championship, Lya Bavoil had her greatest performance to date in a tight three-way competition against Agata Sitko and Carola Garra for the win. Lya placed 2nd with a total of 585 kg, breaking the pre-existing WR by 6.5%! At the 2024 World Championship TSG had its largest team ever, with 16 athletes in attendance, our team had three 2nd place finishes and three more Top 5 finishes. Later on that year at the World Junior Championship, Jessica Espinal set the 47 kg Open World Record and Junior Deadlift Record with a personal best total of 433.5 kg. In total, at the 2024 Junior World Championship, TSG coached 3 Junior World Champions, with past mentorship program students leading 2 of their clients to gold in the process.

By 2025, Team TSG had grown to 17 coaches on our team from 11 different countries. At the inaugural debut of raw powerlifting in the World Games, Joe Jordan experienced his breakout competition, busting a 3+ year plateau with explosive progress to become the first ever Raw Men’s World Games Champion in the Lightweight division, setting a new personal best of 720 kg, and Nicolas Peyraud placed third in the Heavyweight division.

As we move through 2026, TSG continues to grow. To push the boundaries of professionalizing powerlifting coaching, our team has expanded to 23 expert coaches across 13 countries. This global footprint includes new regional divisions like TSG France, led by Nicolas and Charlotte Peyraud, and TSG Argentina, led by Francisco Roman. To better support this international community, we are actively expanding our core coach education programs into French and Spanish. Our commitment to elevating education in the sport also reaches new heights this year with the release of the Long Term Planner, a data-driven programming tool already used by hundreds of coaches, and the upcoming Competition Coach Education course created in collaboration with Matt Gary. Coupled with the launch of the TSG Podcast and our sixth year providing practicums to University of Calgary Kinesiology students, we are building a complete ecosystem for coach and athlete development. We have also watched with pride as multiple mentorship and coach education students continue to flourish, coaching World Record holders, national teams, and their own athletes on the Sheffield stage.

As TSG moves forward into its next chapter, our mission is to continue to be leaders in improving powerlifting performance through our combination of interdisciplinary expertise in powerlifting coaching, sports science, technique and nutrition coaching, injury management, and more. So join us, and let’s continue to raise the bar of performance and professionalism together.