Whether the event is a fight, a game, or a contest of strength, that truth remains. Ali never set foot inside the Bobcat Fitness Center in Hinton, WV, but when you walk onto the floor of the facility’s weight room, the spirit of “The Greatest” certainly resides there. Just as the winter air was palpable outside that morning, the energy of the grind was palpable throughout the room as Beckley, WV firefighter Zachary Mills, loaded plate after plate onto a barbell for his opening exercise of the day.
“We’re working up to 655 (pounds) today,” Mills said calmly. Mills may be a firefighter by trade, but he’s also a fierce competitor, and both of his passions have collided thanks to his win at the 2025 America’s Strongest Fire Competition. Mills took the 220-pound class title and now has his eyes on an even bigger championship, the World’s Strongest Firefighters competition.
“The bigger the audience, the more amp I get and the heavier stuff I can pick up.”
The WSFF is held the weekend of March 6-7 at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, OH. What started as a fun way to raise money for firefighters in California has grown into its own world-class championship event for strongmen. Many firefighters from around the world will be in attendance with many more fans watching, cameras and lights trained on him, and challenging weights preparing to be lifted.
There will be coefficients to determine the score, meaning there are no weight classes separating the athletes. Men and women will compete for victory. That may seem like a lot of pressure, but Mills confirmed that this is the only way the diamond can show itself. This match wasn’t something he was up against; it was a goal for him.
“I went to the Arnold for a few years and looked at it,” he said. “When I became a firefighter, I decided to take the opportunity to do it.”
Early lessons from firefighting
The initial motivation for Mills may be a prestigious championship, but the real reason he puts in the effort at Bobcat Fitness Center is the track itself. As a child, he may not have wanted to be a firefighter, but that changed after he personally suffered fourth-degree burns to his legs and had to not only put out the fire himself, but also take himself to a hospital.
“I was able to recover from that, but I was also at a point in my life where I had to find a career.”
Before joining the fire department, Mills also developed Lyme disease shortly after recovering from the burns. It was at this point that he decided to start training. His first connection to fitness came through Spartan racing. The physical fitness test he had to take was more cardio based, and his training paid off.
Mills later took up powerlifting and also wanted to pursue the sport of strongman after seeing a meeting with promoter Paul Mouser in Morgantown, WV. Some of his fellow firefighters wondered why he focused so much on strength. They got their answer when they saw Mills use his power well. His ability to pick up heavy loads and move them quickly proved to be an asset they could rely on in an emergency.
“It all overlaps very well, whether it’s carrying someone out of a fire or dragging a hose. The really usable force is transferred much better than the force of a barbell.”
How Strongman Training Builds Real Strength
It wasn’t long after Mills started competing that he saw success. His first win came at the West Virginia State Championships in the Novice class. He then went to the Virginia State Championships as an Open competitor and claimed bronze. He then headed north to Maryland and took their state title and also won the Viking Halloween contest.
His first speed bump came at the 2023 National Championships, where he finished 28th. The following year he moved all the way to ninth place. 2025 would be his breakthrough year. Not only did he win the Strongman Moving Classic that year, but he also took gold in the America’s Strongest Firefighter as a 250-pound competitor.
“The strongest firefighter in the world will be my next competition.”
Mills has received a lot of attention not only in his home state, but also on social media. People have reached out asking for advice, nutritional advice or just to say he inspires them. His inner circle and the people around him, at home and at work, have also rallied around him.
“It was a huge encouragement,” he said proudly. “They even gave me equipment to train with in the fire brigade. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Mills may be the one getting the spotlight, but he’s the first to admit he’s not alone in this endeavor. Working under the guidance of coaches John and Heather Parker from Anomaly
Power systems, Mills has not only maintained his strengths, but also improved in other aspects of his strongman game.
Many people have asked him for advice about training and whether they should consider strongman as a sport for them. Whether the goal is to compete or not, Mills explained that training in that style can be beneficial, and that’s why he’s an advocate of it.
“Just get started. Find something that’s bulky and heavy. Pick it up and walk with it. All that stuff gets transferred, and if you’re a firefighter, it can even help carry a victim out of a burning building. The stronger you are and the easier it is for you to pick that person up, the better your chances are of saving a life.”
Zachary Mills’ Strongman Firefighter Deadlift Training
The workout that follows is one Mills has used while preparing in the Mountain State for his big weekend in the Buckeye State. Weights and effort are based on the Rate of Perceived Effort (RPE). Try this if strength is a priority in sports, work or everyday life
- Striped back extension – 3 sets of 12 reps (RPE 6)
- Safety Squat Bar Seated Good morning – 2 sets of 20 reps (RPE 6)
- Deadlifting – 3 sets of 5 reps (RPE 7)
- Snatch Grip Rows (hands-on or just outside the power rings) – 3 sets of 8 reps (RPE 6)
- Alternating barbell hammer curls – 3 sets of 15 reps (RPE 7)
- Clayborns – 3 sets of 10 reps (RPE 7)
* Rest between sets if necessary.
You can follow Mills on Instagram @vuurademhaling_strongman.
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