Sometimes Neive Ridley likes to go into her father's makeshift workout space in their garage and lift the two-kilogram pink weights.
She'd like to be strong when she is older, although not as strong as her teacher, Pete Rose, who can lift more than 300 kilograms.
A Year 6 teacher at St Philip's Christian College Newcastle, Mr Rose has just returned from competing in a strongman competition in the United States.
For nine-year-old Neive, it was the first time she heard about a strongman.
"Since it is such a strange sport, he inspires me to do what suits me, not the common thing, and go out and try new things," she said.
She was blown away by her teacher following his dreams and felt like she had to write about his achievements in a mock-up of a newspaper article, which she sent to the Newcastle Herald to be published.
"I'm really proud of him and I feel privileged to have such an amazing teacher to be able to inspire me and help me," she said.
Her teacher's strongman journey had pushed her to dedicate herself to her tennis passion, she said.
"I feel relaxed when I'm doing it, and then I just feel like I can get in flow, and it is really enjoyable," she said.
Mr Rose first started training to compete in strongman competitions a year-and-a-half ago.
After he had two children, he decided he wanted to live a life that inspires them to grow and do the best they can do.
"I shared the journey with my school kids as well, and they are coming along for that ride with me," he said.
He has competed at local competitions in NSW before going to the World Strength Games in St George, Utah in May this year.
He placed seventh in his weight class out of about 20 competitors, where he lifted 380 kilograms and walked 15 metres for 14 seconds.
Mr Rose said he wanted to share the journey with his class to promote a healthy lifestyle, both mentally and physically.
"I like to think that it's just helping people and empowering them to overcome their own self-doubt and try something that is really challenging," he said.
He said the students were often asking about the competition and how he trained for them.
"I believe in young people and I just wanted to see them achieve what they are capable of achieving," he said.
