BLOG 96 THE WORLDS STRONGEST MAN
It’s a sport of grunting, strain, and sheer willpower to
perform insane feats of strength. Incredibly strong men compete in series of
events in the hopes of receiving the title of The World’s Strongest Man. Dating
back to the 1970s, this worldwide event has grown in popularity as fans around
the globe watch these Strongmen push themselves to their physical and mental
limits. So let’s take a look at what exactly WTM is all about.
There are 16 different events that take place. These include
the Arm Over Pull, Atlas Stones, Block/Keg Toss, Carry and Drag, Farmers Walk,
Fingal’s Fingers, Fridge Carry, Giant Dumbbell Press, Giant Log Lift, Husaffel
Stone, Loading Race, Overhead Log Lift, Pillars of Hercules, Power Stairs,
Squat Lift, and Vehicle Pull. Most of the event names speak for themselves.
Others like the Husaffel Stone involve carrying a rock weight 182kgs across
your chest over a certain distance while being timed. I have always seen these
events on TV and listened to the thick accents of men from all over the world performing
somewhat barbaric tasks.
Netflix has a documentary that I recently watched called
“Eddie Strongman”. Eddie Hall is currently in the top 5 of the WSM. He holds
the current world record for deadlift at 1020 pounds (http://www.theworldsstrongestman). Eddie’s
sarcasm and drive to win combine to make one heck of a competitor. His entire
life revolves around the sport and he said he was put here on earth to be the
Worlds’ Strongest Man. Christmas Day 2016 was their last competition. He works
on hauling trucks as his day time job and then drags them in competitions. Due
to his large size he suffers from sleep apnea and has plenty of scars and
ailments from years of putting so much strain on himself. He believes he is
unbeatable when it comes to static power. He can lift up anything from a
standing position. Eddie might now have the genetic makeup of some of his
toughest competitors but he has the belief that he can win and that’s pretty
tough to beat. Little known fact about him is that in his younger years he
holds some of Britain’s swimming records.
Brian Shaw is currently the World’s Strongest Man. I got to
meet him at a fitness expo a few weeks ago. He beat out Iceland’s, Bjornsson, who is
famous for his role as Mountain on Game
of Thrones. And I was shocked to read that Shaw is 6’8” and weighs 430
pounds. It’s pretty neat that he is from the US, so we currently can claim that
title.
I love to lift some weights, but man on man, these guys are
something else. Most of us are deciding if we might jump from 12 to 15 pounds
for example, and that’s about as much as one of these guy’s hands weigh haha. After
learning more about the sport, these men truly do it for the love and thrill of
the competition. Other than sponsorships, this isn’t a way to make a living. So
let’s keep working on getting stronger together, both mentally and physically. I
think as I prepare for my next competition and need to keep lifting heavier, I
will picture myself as The World’s Strongest Woman. Now go lifting
something!!!!
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