Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - Matt Aldridge has spent almost 30 years showing others they were wrong about him.
Doctors amputated his legs at 15 months old because he was born without shin bones. They fitted him with prosthetics. People told him that he couldn't do certain things. He dedicated most of his athletic career to proving the world wrong by showing he could do what they said he could not. First in Paralympic powerlifting and now winning his first Strongman competition.
Matt Aldridge working out with an Adaptive Deadlift at the Cherryville, NC YMCA Gym - February 17th, 2026
Mason Beam (WNN)
Aldridge retired from powerlifting and has since stepped into the world of Strongman competitions. This strength sport is unique, featuring events such as deadlifts, log presses, sled pulls, and sandbag tosses.
Aldridge recently won the 2026 South Carolina State Strongman Championship in the adaptive division. Adding to his impressive list of achievements. He holds 11 national titles and 10 national records in bench press powerlifting. He also finished ninth at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Aldridge began competing in powerlifting in 1997, winning the South Carolina State Championship in bench press the next year. This win kicked off a decades-long journey in top-tier competition. His path led him to Aylesbury, England, for an international event to grow the sport.
His last powerlifting competition was right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. After that, access to gyms was limited, and a few minor injuries led him to retire from the sport. "I retired," he said. "And then this opportunity came along."
That opportunity was to compete in adaptive Strongman, which is a new branch of the sport. When friends from Kings Mountain, who were running the South Carolina meet, invited Aldridge to join, he decided he would try it. He ended up winning.
Matt Aldridge with his South Carolina State Championship Medal - Cherryville, NC YMCA - February 17th, 2026
Mason Beam (WNN)
Unlike powerlifting, where Aldridge focused mainly on the bench press, Strongman competitions involve different events that are scored on a points system. The winner of each event gets a point, and the person with the highest total points at the end wins the title.
At the South Carolina championship, some of the events included a log press, a deadlift, and a sled pull. Aldridge tackled the sled pull, which involved pulling 200 pounds from a seated position. He finished it in just 17 seconds.
"It's a combination of speed and strength," he said. "A lot of back to get it started, then hand over hand — arms, shoulders, back. It's fast."
The log press is his least favorite. It is done on an incline, using a round log and handles that you grip vertically. It is a challenge that you don't get with regular bench press training.
"It's not as enjoyable to train for, but when you get a successful lift, it's more meaningful because of that," Aldridge said.
His favorite lift is the deadlift, something he struggled with for a long time as he wasn't using prosthetics back then. But now, he's figured out how to adjust the movement to make it work for him.
Weights at the Cherryville, NC YMCA Gym - February 17th, 2026
Mason Beam (WNN)
Aldridge says, Strongman training isn't what many would think of when they think of top-strength athletes. He usually works out 2 to 4 times a week, making sure to include rest days in his routine.
Matt Aldridge working out with an Adaptive Deadlift at the Cherryville, NC YMCA Gym - February 17th, 2026
Mason Beam (WNN)
"Rest is super important," he said. "You're lifting heavy weights pretty consistently. You tear a lot of muscle down. That's actually when you get stronger — while you're resting, while that recoup period."
Nutrition is essential in the process. Aldridge emphasized the importance of staying hydrated and getting enough protein to help reduce soreness and promote muscle growth.
Aldridge describes how he approaches competition and life through one main idea: go after what people say can't be done.
"I've tried to create my life around accomplishing things people didn't think were possible," he said. "There's a certain amount of satisfaction that comes with — 'that's either impossible, or it's not possible for you.' Being able to break that stereotype through records and championships has just been a lot of fun."
This mindset also applies to how he raises his three kids, who all have the same genetic condition as him. When his eldest daughter mentioned that she was not like him, his reply was simple.
"You don't have to be like me," he told her. "You don't have to do the things I've done. But I want you to understand that you can go chase down whatever it is you want to do."
To encourage his kids, he uses a mountain as a mental picture. He mentioned that if you focus on the challenge right in front of you, you'll never move beyond it. But if you set your sights on the peak, those challenges turn into things you climb over as you make your way up.
Aldridge's next competition, Queen City's Strongest, is set for March 14 in Charlotte. It's going to be outdoors, at the Pride Conditioning - Gym parking lot. They'll have a mix of both familiar and new events — like an axle press and a sandbag toss instead of the usual keg toss.
He said the rotating event format is part of what makes Strongman compelling. "Each contest, they tend to keep a couple of the same and throw a couple of different ones in," he said. "You just never quite know what you're going to be getting into."
For someone who has spent his career doing what others said wasn't possible, the unknown has never stopped him. It's safe to say it never will.
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