An Amazon shift manager from Newport is preparing to compete in UK’s Strongest Man for the third time this summer, balancing 5am training sessions with running one of Cardiff’s busiest delivery stations.
Luke Sperduti, a Shift Manager of Delivery Operations at Amazon’s delivery station in Cardiff, will take to the competition floor at the semi-final in Glasgow on 8th August.
Luke’s route into Strongman began during his four and a half years in the Army, where he was introduced to powerlifting by a coach. After leaving the forces in 2020, he joined Amazon as a warehouse worker during the pandemic, working his way up to management while looking for a way into the sport that had caught his interest.
His big break came when a former rugby coach, competing at that year’s Wales’ Strongest Man final, needed a late replacement after a competitor withdrew through injury. Luke stepped in and finished fourth in his very first competition.
“I was expecting to join and progressively go through, so that was a bit of a shock,” he said. A second-place finish in Wales followed, earning him his first appearance at UK’s Strongest Man.
Luke now trains before his shifts at Amazon, rising at 5am to fit in a session around family life with his partner and young child. “I’ve had to make time, so I get up that little bit earlier and go to the gym,” he said. “It means I’m not missing time with my family.”
Among his personal bests are a 200kg Atlas Stone lift for two repetitions, a 170kg overhead log press, and a 340kg deadlift, in a sport where competitors also take on truck pulls and car rolling.
Colleagues at Amazon have followed his progress closely, with his achievements leading to opportunities including an appearance at an Amazon all-hands event in Manchester. Luke credits the goal-setting mindset behind his Strongman progression with also helping his career, moving through supervisor and management roles at Amazon step by step.
“I always had short-term, medium-term and long-term goals in training, and I used the same approach at work,” he said. “I think being structured through training has made me more successful at Amazon too.”
Looking ahead, Luke hopes to reach the professional stage of World’s Strongest Man. “If I push my body as much as I can and don’t get there, I’ll be as happy as if I did,” he said. “It’s about giving my best and seeing where I end up.”
His advice to anyone considering taking up the sport is to build a strong foundation first. “Get strong in the gym before you jump into competitions,” he said. “And don’t quit. You’re going to fail and make mistakes, but as long as you keep trying, eventually you’ll get better than you were if you hadn’t tried at all.”
UK’s Strongest Man semi-final will be broadcast on Channel 5 on Saturday 8th August.
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