Vir fortis: Pushing the boundaries of human physical might.

The human body is a wonderful machine with no definite limits and lot of unexplored potential and exploring one spectrum of this potential are the strongmen. Athletes who have solely dedicated their life to gaining physical might that defies common sense. From lifting 501kgs to pulling planes weighing 188 tons. These freaks of nature have pushed the boundaries of human physical might way farther than previously thought possible. From its beginning in 1977, the athletes have pushed themselves, the weights and the records from where they lied not very long ago. Let’s explore in this article the world of strongman.

where they lied not very long ago. Let’s explore in this article the world of strongman.

The Beginning

The first ever modern strongman competition took place in 1977 at Universal studios, California. Won by Bruce Wilhelm of the united states, it marked the beginning of a new era for strength. From here on the sport grew in popularity particularly in the united states and Europe. Which also meant that new names started to surface. The most relevant of them being Hafthor Bjornsson, Brian Shaw, Eddie Hall and more recently Tom Stoltman, Luke Stoltman and many more.

The Players

Strongman is a sport for giants with many competitors being above 6 feet 5 inches, thought there are some player who are closer to the world average they are few and relatively unknow. This is because having a taller frame give you a higher potential for strength by distributing the muscle all over the body and still allowing for decent mobility , both of which are very important in this sport. Some important names in recent history are Eddie Hall, The first ever human to deadlift 500kgs, Hafthor Bjornsson, the first ever man to lift 501kgs in deadlift and also a well rounded player in every category, Tom Stoltman, the current record holder for the atlas sone at 286kgs.

Some Facts

1) An average strongman consume an astounding upwards of 8000 calories per day. 2) Along with inhuman lifting strength strongmen also have some of the strongest grips in the world, with 57 year old Mark Felix in particular having one of the strongest grip in the world. 3) The keg throw record set by Brian Shaw in which he threw a 33lbs keg was over 2 meters higher than the height of an average giraffe. He threw the keg at 7.5 meters and the average height of a giraffe is 5.5 meters. 4) The combined weight of all the competitors of 2021 world's strongest man was 3,579lbs almost the weight of an adult male hippopotamus. 5) The most no of world strongest winners come from Iceland with 8 victories from a total of 46 competitions.