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16 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. 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, 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. 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." ABOUT THE WAL Based in Chicago, the World Armwrestling League is the largest and fastest growing professional arm- wrestling league in the world, featuring intense matches, a high-energy and up-close fan experience, and the sport's top superstars.