Plague Leaders

Who are the lunatics who make Plague of Strength happen?

Jamie Lewis:
The Emperor of Plague of Strength: Plague Bringer

Writer, The Pretty Face Behind Plague of Strength

Combining the best parts of unrelenting nerdery, the unremitting desire to pick up ever-heavier things, and a love for generating heat, Jamie Lewis is the People’s Champion of the strength training world. Throw on top of the pile of muscle that forms Jamie’s oddly Spongebob-esque shape are a BA in History and East Asian Studies from the University of Arizona, an international MBA from the University of South Carolina, and an MBA from the Vienna University of Economics (Austria) and you get a founding member of the bleeding edge supplement company Chaos and Pain and one of the most prolific authors in modern strength sports.

To prove the efficacy of his training methods, Jamie entered several powerlifting meets and shocked the powerlifting world by breaking a record that had stood for 40 years, the raw total at 181 lbs (1705lb total), and tying another in the squat (650lbs). Jamie did so using his unique and unabashedly chaotic training methology, which did not include training the deadlift or bench press whatsoever… which he avoided just to prove to the powerlifting world how painfully easy their sport is.

After ten years of running the Chaos and Pain blog, Jamie has decided to up the ante and introduce the strength world to a literal plague of strength. Powered by meat, stimulants, and occult forces a new breed of grimdark Rennaisance men and women shall overtake the strength world and imbue it with a new sense of purpose and power.

Tara Chaos:
The First Lady of Plague of Strength: Red Plague

Writer, Web Manager, Product Designer, Official Book-Cooker

A carnie at heart, Tara cemented her skills in shameless self promotion as a pro-wrestler almost 20 years ago. She uses the skills she picked up getting people to play carnival games in the heat and freezing cold then wrestling for 8 years, to this day. Her knowledge base helped build pin-up companies, sell band merchandise, and advance in her day job.

She started lifting nearly a decade ago when she was pushed to try Crossfit by a friend. After years of sweating her ass off in converted warehouses and garages in the middle of summer, she walked away from the cool-aid, and into an air conditioned gym with two pools, hot tubs, saunas, and an over abundance of people who need to learn what “Leg Day” is. Tara introduced Jamie to the bougie gym life, and despite paying for multiple gym memberships they tend to habitually scare the shit out of the yoga moms’ at Tara’s gym of choice.

Tara stepped in to help Jamie build Plague of Strength, because he knows fuck-all about web design. Plus, she believes his taste in merchandise is suspect, being that his wardrobe consists of cargo shorts, New Balance sneakers and questionable tee-shirts. Tara cunningly seized control of that side of Plague in a dramatic coup, and refuses to give Jamie the passwords to that aspect of the business.

Matt Pearce:
The Commander of the Plague of Strength Army: Viking Plague

Head Graphic Designer, Official Sounding Board, Life Saver


Lover of metal, hardcore, 1980’s horror, and schlock. Disciple of Nurgle. Chaos & Pain supplement ambassador. Matt studied design at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and Tattooing and Laser Tattoo Removal at Electric Monkey Tattoo. For over 15 years Matt has specialized in eCommerce roles including graphic design, content management, and search engine optimization for Fortune 500 companies and small businesses. In 2006 Matt authored the rule book on playing Bloody Knuckles, and rejected a reality television opportunity with SpikeTV on the topic. Currently enrolled at the Jamie Lewis School of Lifting Shit since 2016, Matt often spends his free time eating every fucking thing in sight and throwing axes.

Follow Matt on Instagram: @matttattoos

Balor Jameson Odinsdottir:
Battle Cat: One Eyed Associate Plague Bringer

Destroyer of Feets & Mices, Terrorizer of Annoying Winged Chirpy Things, and Explorer of Dark Realms

Adopted at 3 months old after losing an eye to infection, and narrowly avoiding losing her life to the very same infection; Balor is the Chaos family’s official alarm clock. When she decides she wants someone to be up, her teeth and claws are deployed into tender areas like toes. Thankfully, Balor is VERY accurate at knowing when her adoptive parents should be up, and only claws the hell out of them in the middle of the night on rare occasions.

She insists on having Dad’s undivided attention when he is home, regardless of what he needs to get done, because he is the best at throwing mousies. Mom, on the other hand, is the official cuddler and comfy bed for naps. As cute as she is, Balor will probably never learn the following

  • When she walks over the clicky things Dad and Mom are always poking at, everything they have been ignoring her for goes away and THAT is bad.
  • That box isn’t hers.
  • The food at the bottom of the bowl is the same thing as the stuff that she already ate.
  • She can share space on her assorted sleeping places.