Mike Burke (strongman)
Mike Burke is an American strongman and a grip strength specialist from Aurora, Colorado. Before becoming a strength athlete, he worked as a construction worker.
Career
Burke won the 2012 All-American Strongman Challenge in January 2012 which qualified him for the 2012 Arnold Strongman Classic where he won fifth place. He also placed third at 2012 Giants Live Melbourne which qualified Burke for the 2012 World's Strongest Man, though he couldn't reach the finals. A few days later, he competed in the 2012 America's Strongest Man contest and won first place.Burke competed in the 2013 World's Strongest Man in Sanya, China and qualified for the finals where he emerged fifth place. In September, he won second place at the 2013 Strongman Champions League Russia. In the same year, Burke delivered arguably the single most dominating performance ever seen in a grip competition by winning the 2013 'Visegrip Viking', defeating a stacked field which included Odd Haugen, Mark Felix and Alexey Tyukalov. He officially closed the Captains of Crush No. 3.5, RGC 175) gripper, broke Captains of Crush silver bullet hold world record with a performance of 53.97 seconds, broke the most reps with Thomas Inch Dumbbell in two-minutes world record with 37 reps, and twice broke the double overhand Apollon's Axle deadlift world record with.
Burke competed in 2014 World's Strongest Man in Los Angeles, California, qualified for the finals and won fourth place which is his best performance in World's Strongest Man. He also broke two World Records in the Keg toss event in 2014 Strongman Champions League China's Guinness World Records dual with Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson by clearing. In his last performance at the 2015 World's Strongest Man in Putrajaya, Malaysia, Burke secured fifth place.
During 2016 Rogue Record Breakers, Burke set a world record in the Thomas Inch Dumbbell farmers walk, carrying two dumbbells each weighing in each hand and walking them for.
Personal records
- Deadlift – '
- Log press –
- Cyr Dumbbell press – x 5 reps
- Apollon's Wheels ' – x 3 times
- Max Atlas stone – x 5 reps
- Atlas stones – 5 stones in 50.23 seconds
- Bale Tote – for 4 metres in 7.50 seconds
- Timber carry – in 10.74 seconds
- Fingal's Fingers – 5 fingers in 33.36 seconds
- Keg toss – over
- Keg toss – 8 kegs over in 28.94 seconds
- Weight over bar – over
- Front Hold – for 70.17 seconds
- Captains of Crush gripper – No. 3.5, RGC 175)
- Captains of Crush silver bullet hold – No. 3 for 53.97 seconds
- IronMind Rolling Thunder –
- IronMind Little Big Horn –
- Thomas Inch Dumbbell lift – x 37 times in 120 seconds
- Double Thomas Inch Dumbbells farmers walk – in each hand for
- Double overhand IronMind Apollon's Axle Deadlift – ''''