After a long day of work at Portland General Electric, Jeff Rose heads to Northwest Fitness and Strength, the gym he owns. He laughs with his buddies while training to be the first person in the nation to compete at the pro and master levels in the Scottish Highland Games, at the Arnold Classic. Rose holds several championship titles, including four-time Oregon’s Strongest man and first place in the Scottish Highland National Championship.
His competitive mindset evolved from playing high school sports. Once he graduated, he lost purpose and fell into a reckless life. After having a close friend die from car surfing – a frequent activity of Rose’s – he decided hitting the road would be his salvation. He moved to Molalla, Oregon, to escape.
He continued to stay physically fit, and once while squatting an impressive 555 pounds, a gym member suggested Rose watch a strongman competition. Around the same time, he met the woman he would marry – Cecily. She pushed him to find a dream to pursue. Those two events changed his life. “She saw more in me, things that I had forgotten and lost. She started pulling that back out of me,” said Rose.
Rose finally had a reason to ask himself what he was doing with his life and afterward felt a strong call to find a narrow path in life. Rose eventually decided not to watch a strongman competition – he competed – and placed 2nd. He became hooked and decided to go pro.
But it came with a price. Injuries are a regular occurrence for pro-lifters. Rose has a torn elbow that never properly healed, limiting its motion. This only encourages him.
Being the first in the nation to compete at both the pro and master levels will not come easy for Rose. He will have to compete in five events back-to-back days, March 3rd and 4th. This means he must train with two different weights leading up to the competition in March.
“I will compete until my body absolutely will not let me. I hope that is until the day I die,” said Rose.