A teen from Athol isn’t just strong, he’s America’s Strongest Teen and has the hardware to prove it. Zach “The Viking” Graziano won the America’s Strongest Teen competition on July 11 in Pleasanton, California. The event took place at the Alameda County Fair.
“It was incredible,” Graziano said. “I’ve had multiple friends come up to me and say, ‘what’s up America’s Strongest Teen?’ That’s pretty cool. I almost cried. I’ve had dreams about getting that trophy. It was a pretty surreal moment.”
In the last year, Graziano added around 50 pounds of muscle to his sturdy and robust frame. He works out with trainer Russell Johnson at Franklin County’s YMCA. Meals are always healthy and simple, think steak with rice and broccoli.
“He’s awesome,” Graziano said of Johnson. “He’s helped me out so much. I would not be here if it wasn’t for him. Also, the support of my family. They have done so much for me.”
From a young age, Graziano always enjoyed watching strongman competitions, including some of the greats such as Eddie Hall and Brian Shaw. Hall was the 2017 World’s Strongest Man and is the former world record holder in the deadlift (1,102 pounds). Shaw won the World’s Strongest Man competition four times.
“My uncle said, ‘you watch this stuff all the time, maybe you should try it, you’ve always been a strong kid’,” Graziano said. “I have a vivid memory of me being three years old and carrying a 40-pound pellet bag, dragging it obviously.”
He then entered a local competition in 2024, the Pioneer’s Strongest in Greenfield.
“I got into it from there,” Graziano said. “Met my coach, R.J.”
Graziano attacked five different strength challenges at the event in Pleasanton. Each event presented a unique challenge in the 18-19-year-old open Division.
The first event was the Max Log, which is a log with built-in grips and additional weight added. The log can weigh over 200 pounds. The job is simple, press it over the head and hold. Graziano pressed 205 pounds, placing second. The third-place finisher failed all attempts.
“My pressing has come a long way,” Graziano said. “I did a different competition (USS Nationals) I overhead pressed 245. Not on a log, but an axle. In strongman it’s not always about being the absolute strongest, it’s strategic.”
Then there was the Sandbag event, which is timed. The goal is to carry a 200-pound bag 40 feet and lift it over a 48-inch bar. The second part of the event is a 300-pound bag. In training, Graziano carried the 300-pound bag eight feet. Graziano shined when it counted, moving both bags over the bar for first place in the event (37.7).
“I finished the whole run,” Graziano said. “The arena went crazy. I was so happy afterwards.”
The third event is the Hercules Hold, which the athletes hold two enormous pillars from falling with both arms for as long as possible. The pillars are 260 pounds. Graziano had to manage the weight evenly and fight with the relentless force of gravity. He held on for 40.18 seconds. The time beat second place by 16 seconds.
“It feels like your arms are being pulled apart,” Graziano said.
The party went outside for the next event, which involved pulling a truck with people standing in the bed.
“There’s a lot of technique,” Graziano said. “You have to get the slack out of the rope…If I had to describe it, it would be a sled drag in football but a lot heavier…The hardest part is getting it started. You have to stay really low to the ground. You have a harness on, and you have to be parallel to the ground.”
The final event the was Atlas Stones, where Graziano had to lift stones over a bar from a standing position. He got the 250-pound stone over the bar in seven seconds. This secured the victory for Graziano.
The nickname ‘Viking’ stems from his love for the How to Train Your Dragon movie. He added the name to his Instagram account from years back.
“I always loved it,” Graziano said. “When I made Instagram two or three years ago, I made the name Zach Graziano Viking. Everyone at my school was like ‘what’s up Viking king’. It literally stuck. Everyone knows me as that which is pretty cool. I love Viking stuff; I plan to get a tattoo on my bicep.”
Graziano’s brother, Aiden, filmed the event for his YouTube channel. Along with the camera work, he provided a large amount of vocal support during the competition. Video of the event can be found here.
“My brother is my biggest supporter,” Graziano said. “In a big arena with a crowd, you can hear his voice. It just stands out. Which is pretty cool. Pretty much my whole family has done so much.”
Next up for Graziano is a trip Las Vegas for the Armlifting USA World Championships for grip strength in September. After that is the Official Strongman Games (OSG) World Final in November. The event is a qualifier for World’s Strongest Man.
“If I could finish top five at this show I would be extremely happy,” Graziano said. “If I could get on the podium, it would be incredible.”
Graziano has the teen World Record for double overhand axle bar deadlift (353.4 pounds). He registered that milestone at the Arnold Classic on March. Graziano also owns the National Strongman Corporation record for log press (205 pounds) for the 120kg Teen weight class.
In addition, he holds the teen Farmer’s Hold National Record for 180 pounds in each hand. He held on for one minute, 21 seconds.
