The Louisiana Phenom, Jonathon Breda, story by: Sean Boom Hancock

Today we take a look at a young man that holds the North American, 100kg, Left Hand, number one rank, and his native state of Louisiana, U.S.A. Jonathon Breda trains daily with Herman Stevens, even though he already has a very high ranking in North America, we expect to see many great things for him in the years to come. I have gotten the chance to get to know Jonathon and witness his training routines. I will definitely vouch that his training and dedication are second to none. Let's jump right in. 

Hello Jonathon, will you please tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Jonathon Breda. I am 28 years old, married with three children. I am from Lake Charles, Louisiana. I am ranked #1 left hand in North America at 100kg. I train for arm wrestling every day and compete as much as possible. Outside of arm wrestling, I enjoy spending time with my family spoiling them as much as I can. My wife and I like to travel and see new sights. I am also very anxious for my sons to get old enough to start preparing them to become athletes themselves. 

What is a normal day like for you when you are at home?

It is a life of a very typical working-class American arm wrestler. I go to work, then I am off to train for a few hours. After that I go home and spend time with my family where I prepare lunch for them, then we all get lost in a Netflix TV series, or the wife and I will take the kids out to play. 

What are your other jobs or professions other than arm wrestling?

I work as a shoreside Tankerman. I load and discharge barges with petroleum products at several different refineries along the Texas/Louisiana gulf coast. I usually explain it like this to most that don't know my industry. I wait for a phone call at God knows what time to go to work at God knows where for God knows how long. 

How and when did you get involved with the sport of arm wrestling?

In 2017, I decided to attend my first Louisiana state championship also known as "Contraband". I was invited by a good friend of mine, Turbo, from the T.V. show Game of Arms. I arm-wrestled in the amateur class and won first place left hand and third place right hand in my weight class. I fell in love with the sport instantly. The rest is history, and I am looking forward to my future in this sport.

What is a day of training like for you?

One day might be chest, biceps, and pronation. the next day might be back, triceps and cupping. I dedicate some table time every day to my training partner and teacher, Herman Stevens. We work on my cupping, pronation, rising, and supination. I then turn to general fitness training with different kinds of internal rotation on my pulley system. These are all things I do on a daily basis. I always finish my training routine with some kind of hand training circuit. I train hard but I do try my best to listen to my body and take days off to repair as needed.

What are your greatest highs and lows in the sport?

Winning my first Louisiana state championship meant a lot to me. To have my name on the same championship belt as my mentors like Herman and Derrick Simmon was very cool and my first goal in the sport. Getting wins on guys like Lindley Keating, Chris Chandler, Pavlo Derbedyenyev, Doug Allen and Ron Bath started to become my goals, and those were all achieved very quickly. The only goal I have set that I have not achieved in the sport was beating Ron Bath for the top 3 in North America in the 110kg class. I lost to him 3-2. My biggest low was having to miss out on pulling for my first national championship left-handed. I am a left-handed dominant puller and take a lot of pride in winning with my left. I pulled around an elbow injury for over a year for it to come back once again and kept me from my goal of winning the National Championship. I still went and competed right-handed and won 2nd in the 105kg class. I will reach that goal and become the left-handed national champion. My other goal is to compete in the Zloty Tur. Both of these goals will happen soon. 

Thanks for the interview, Jonathon. In closing, will you give the world's readers a small look into the state you call home, Louisiana? 

Louisiana. Famously known for its unique style of Cuisine, Jazz music, and Mardi Gras. When I get asked about what Louisiana is like I usually tell it like this. Be ready to have trouble understanding the natives, the food is questionable but amazing, and they love to celebrate everything. A category 4 hurricane will be ripping its way through the state and people down here will be having a party for it! The greatest feature of living in Louisiana for me that I really appreciate is no matter who you are, when times are bad everyone, here is there for each other and the pride of the land is strong. The culture down here is different, but we take pride in who we are and where we come from. 

That sounds like a really cool place to visit. Once again, thanks for letting us into the life of the Louisiana Phenom, Jonathan Breda.

Until next time, stay safe, pull hard, and God bless,

Sean Boom Hancock