World’s strongest man

Brandon Cass is strong.

In fact, the Blue Springs resident is considered one of the strongest men in the world, having been named an All-World power weightlifter in 2009 by the various organizations that sanction the sport.

Cass, a world class power lifter, holds five world records and four world titles, among other achievements and, in 2007, became the only power lifter inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

Now training for April’s Clash of the Titans power lifting event in Dallas, Cass said he hopes to best his previous highs in the dead lift and dead lift for repetitions.

“My goal for Clash of the Titans is to dead lift somewhere around 850 pounds and for the 600 (pounds) for reps, I’d like to get at least 10 perfect repetitions. It takes a lot out of you because the competition lifts are pretty much back to back. You have to be fit. That’s one thing that I want to stress, I try to stay in shape.”

To stay in competitive shape, Cass said he uses his time as a personal trainer wisely and hones his craft several times a week.

“On the dietary end, there’s applications for sports and everyday life,” he said. “Your diet is a huge part of everything you do. Just daily living, you have to try to stay fit. As far as performance, water and frequency of meals and calorie intake are all extremely important. The diet is a huge part of (staying in shape).”

The 220-pound Cass will compete at the Clash of the Titans in the 250 pounds-and-under class Raw Division, a division he said is more conducive to his goal of being named one of the strongest men in the world using pure power.

“I compete in the Raw Division right now, which means you have no support of equipment,” Cass said in-between training clients at Shape Up Personal Fitness inside Club 7 in Blue Springs. “You have just a belt, basically. In the past I’ve done a lot of work with equipment, but I switched up to the Raw Division. The only way to judge if somebody is strong is if they’re doing the lifts themselves.”

Cass said he has been ranked in the top two or three in the world in his weight class for at least seven years and being named All-World in 2009 was an honor.

“This past year, I won nationals,” Cass said. “I also did real well at a pro meet. I was ranked first in the world and I was selected as the best 242-pound lifter in the world. It’s a huge honor to do that.”

Cass was quick to point out that his recent success wouldn’t be remotely possible without the unwavering support of his wife, Monica, the inspiration of his 1-year-old daughter, Maci Ann, and the help of Monica’s parents, Earl and Patty Huff.

“My wife is a (bodybuilding and swimsuit) figure pro, so both me and my wife compete,” Cass said. “We have a lot of supportive people. My in-laws are great. They baby-sit for us everyday so my wife and I can work out and train. When you have a 1-year-old, it makes it hard to work out, but (the Huffs) have been great.”

Monica said she is extremely proud of her husband. She has seen firsthand his work and dedication to power lifting and made the call to let Brandon’s All-World recognition be known.

“He works so hard,” Monica said. “He deserves (the recognition).”

Brandon also works hard on his personal trainer business. One client is Blue Springs sophomore football player Kyle Brown. Brown is expected to contend for the starting quarterback job for the Wildcats in the fall and he said working out with Cass has helped him get a head start on the competition.

“It’s been great,” Brown said. “It’s pretty cool because he knows what he’s talking about. Everything he has been telling me has made sense.”

Brandon estimates between 50-60 people from children to older adults use his services.

“From housewives to high school and college athletes, it’s a pretty wide variety of people with different goals and expectations,” he said of his clientele. “What I try to do is I try to customize a workout plan so people can get what they want out of it. I do some power training, but only if the person has the same common interests and same common goal in mind.”

If they get out of it what Cass puts in it, the results could be immeasurable.