Today we’d like to introduce you to Darell Dansby.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in Louisiana, where I started wrestling in high school. After high school, I joined the Army and continued wrestling. I fell in love with working out and strength based sports at the age of 15. When I got to Ft. Hood, there wasn’t a wrestling team but I heard there was a powerlifting team. I tried out for it and made the team in 1997. I finished my eight years in the Army in 2001 but I kept powerlifting until 2010. I went to school and got my first personal trainer certification. In Oct. of 2010, I was preparing to make it back to the Nationals, however, I had an accident in the gym while squatting. I ruptured my L-4, L-5 discs and fractured my left Si Joint. This put my powerlifting career on hold as I was in excruciating pain daily. I tried to make several comebacks to powerlifting but my body couldn’t handle it. It got to the point where I was falling at least three times a week. I’ knew I would have to find another way to stay active and compete, this is when I found obstacle course racing. I couldn’t lift heavy but I could still somewhat run, jump and climb. This is what saved me. I finally got an si fusion in 2017. Sometimes you have to look at what you can do and not what you can’t do. One day in the future, I will probably try to go back to powerlifting but for right now, I’ll stick with obstacle course racing and wrestling. I am an ambassador for Bonefrog which is a Navy seal-based obstacle course race. I train people how to run their first obstacle course race as well as elite racers. I love that obstacle course racing is very similar to life, you hit an obstacle and have to find a way over, through or around it. I love teaching people what they are truly capable of
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road at all. I’ve encountered obstacles such as a major injury, going through a divorce, working several jobs to provide for my son and I. I have to thank my fiancé Renee for helping me and always being by my side.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Strength From Within is a garage gym located in Jonestown Tx. I train people to get stronger, prep people for obstacle course racing and how to overcome injuries and struggles in their life. The thing that separates me from others is my caring attitude, my programs are tailored to each person (no cookie-cutter programs here) no glamour or fads here either, just hard work and we get results!
How do you think about luck?
I would say that luck hasn’t really played a part at all. It’s consistency and hard work that finally paid off.
Contact Info:
- Email: strengthfw@yahoo.com
- Website: strengthfw.com
- Instagram: @coach_darell
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strengthfw
