Hands down, Nate “Big Nasty” Adams is the best arm wrestler in Alabama and ranks among the top 10 in the world.

“Arm wrestling is different from any other sport because you can’t ever blame the results on anybody else,” said Adams. “It’s you and another guy going to war. It pushes you to stay in shape and pushes you to do the best you can do.”

The 255-pound, 6-foot-tall Adams faced off against the “best of the best” when he competed in the World Armwrestling League (WAL) 2016 Championships in Las Vegas. He placed seventh in the super heavyweight category, which includes competitors weighing more than 226 pounds. The “Olympics” of arm wrestling, the tourney drew wrestlers from as far away as Holland, Sweden, Latvia and Turkey.

Nate Adams is an assistant plant control operator for Alabama Power at Plant Gaston’s National Carbon Capture Center. (Christopher Jones)

It was no easy feat for Adams to reach that point. He won the Alabama WAL championship and placed third in the regionals in Dallas, ultimately beating out thousands of competitors from across the globe vying for the coveted world title.

The secret to winning, Adams said, is hard work and training.

“The good Lord has blessed me with natural strength,” said Adams, an Alabama Power assistant plant control operator at the National Carbon Capture Center at Plant Gaston. “But it takes a lot of dedication and training to go from being good at something to being great at something. A guy told me once that champions are willing to do things other people aren’t willing to do to win.”

That willingness to give his all in the “pit” has kept Adams on the top of the heap in his sport. He has shut out many opponents across the Southeast since he began competing in 1999 and been named state champion in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia. In 2007, Adams won the American Armsport Association national championship in South Carolina.

Table time

To remain on top, Adams works out for an hour every day in a gym near his home in Chelsea. His workouts include pullups, cardio and cable exercises and weightlifting.

“A great deal of my training goes into hand and wrist domination,” said Adams. “Your hand and wrist are really important because that’s how you take your opponent in the direction you want him to go.”

Nate Adams, left, says spending a lot of time “on the table” with other arm wrestlers is the key to perfecting your technique. Good hand and wrist work are crucial to being a dominating wrestler, he says. (Christopher Jones)

Adams said even more crucial than exercising in the gym is spending lots of time “on the table.” He and other area arm wrestlers meet every one to two weeks and spend up to four hours honing their techniques. Adams has driven as far as Mississippi for a regional practice session. He often uses the time to train less experienced arm wrestlers. He offers tips, demonstrates technique and answers questions.

It pays to train and stay in shape, Adams said. Although the pressure on the tendons and wrist during a match can cause immense pain, he has never broken any bones, thanks to his focus.

“You’ve got to trust your training, and you’ve got to train harder than your opponent,” said Adams. “You’ve got to train when you don’t want to train to win.”

Beating the champ

Although practice and exercise are important, Adams said winning is impossible without natural ability.

“Nothing replaces horsepower and strength,” he said. “Technique is something you add to the mix to gain an advantage.”

Adams is proof that technique can be the deciding factor in a close competition. In the recent regional tournament in Dallas, he defeated two arm wrestlers who each weigh more than 400 pounds.

His proudest moment, Adams said, was beating the reigning world champion, Travis Bagent, twice – each time with a different arm – in an Alabama tourney in Pelham last fall.

Starting young

Adams’ passion for arm wrestling began as a boy, when the 7-year-old learned the skill from one of his dad’s friends. As a teenager, Adams was trouncing all of his buddies at school and even winning against grown men.

“Nobody ever beat me from the time I was 14 years old,” Adams said. “I was beating everybody, and I liked to do it.”

Then, 17 years ago, Adams got his start on the competitive circuit when his father-in-law saw an ad announcing the Alabama state arm wrestling championship and persuaded him to enter. Adams won the title despite having only three days’ advance notice.

“I won that first championship for my dad, who had passed away several years earlier,” said Adams. “He never got to see me compete. But he always motivated me, promoted me and influenced me.”

That first tournament win got Adams hooked on the sport.

“There’s a certain amount of rush,” Adams said. “It’s one of the greatest satisfactions when you’re in front of friends and family and you do good. That’s rewarding.”

What’s next

Adams’ wife, Darla, and his children, Cade, 18, and Gracie, 11, are his biggest fans.

“It’s fun to watch him,” said Darla, a metering services assistant for Alabama Power. “I’m happy that he gets to do what he loves because he enjoys it so much.”

Along with the thrill of competition, Adams said he especially enjoys the camaraderie. The sport has brought him new friends from around the nation and provided him with many travel opportunities.

Now that he has competed on the world level, Adams is already looking ahead to next year.

“Having beaten the world champ, I feel like I can beat him again,” Adams said. “It’s a matter of being dedicated and putting in the time.”