We’re all built with a complex combination of bones, muscles, ligaments, and nerves, but some people push their bodies to superhuman levels. In this list, we’ll explore some of the most incredible modern-day acts of physical strength from both strongmen and strongwomen. Prepare to be amazed! Just a reminder: please don’t try this at home.
Mark Felix
Mark Felix has been a prominent figure in strongman competitions since turning pro in 2004. He’s competed in the World’s Strongest Man final 14 times and medaled at Britain’s Strongest Man six times. What’s truly impressive is that he started his career at 38! At 54, Felix set his greatest record in 2019 at the Giants Live show in Manchester, where he performed the Hercules Hold. This involves gripping handles on two 772-pound steel pillars for as long as possible.
Following the current World’s Strongest Man, Felix stunned everyone with a time of 83.62 seconds, setting a new world record.
Eddie Hall
Eddie “The Beast” Hall is a retired English strongman. He transitioned from competitive swimming to strongman with the goal of winning World’s Strongest Man, which he achieved in 2017 after qualifying for five years. Before that, Hall won six consecutive UK’s Strongest Man titles and five Britain’s Strongest Man titles. His most significant accomplishment was in 2016 at the World Deadlift Championship.
After jointly setting a world record with a 1,025-pound lift, Hall became the first person to lift 1,100 pounds. The strain caused blood vessels in his brain to burst, leading to memory problems for weeks. Hall is now retired from strongman and plans to box Hafthor Julius Bjornsson.
Hafthor Julius Bjornsson
Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, or “Thor,” perfectly embodies the strongman image. Standing at 6’9″ and weighing 452 pounds, the Icelandic giant is also known for playing “The Mountain” in Game of Thrones. Before strongman, Thor was a professional basketball player. He won the World’s Strongest Man in 2018. In 2020, Thor broke Eddie Hall’s deadlift record by lifting 1,104 pounds in his home gym in Iceland.
Despite some controversy over whether the attempt was a legitimate competition lift, Thor is widely considered one of the strongest men alive.
Julius Maddox
Most gym-goers have attempted the bench press, but Julius Maddox takes it to another level. Maddox, a former convict who turned his life around through weightlifting and faith, is the world’s best bench-presser. In 2019, he broke the raw bench press world record by lifting 739.6 pounds. He then broke his own record three months later with a 744.1-pound lift. Maddox further increased the record with a lift just under 770 pounds!
In June 2020, an attempt to lift 800 pounds was unsuccessful due to a misloaded bar, injuring him. Maddox has vowed to come back stronger.
Rob Kearney
Rob Kearney breaks the traditional strongman mold. At 5’10”, Kearney appears small next to giants like Thor Bjornsson and Brian Shaw. Known as the “World’s Strongest Gay,” Kearney inspires LGBTQ members worldwide. Kearney, known for his shoulder strength, recently broke the American log lift record, setting a new American record with a 475.8-pound press.
Kevin Fast
Kevin Fast may not be a household name, but this 57-year-old Canadian holds impressive Guinness World Records in strength. These include pulling 15 cars, pushing a 24,427-pound vehicle over 100 feet, pulling a 218,390-pound vehicle over 100 feet, and pulling a nearly 40-ton house 39 feet. Interestingly, Kevin Fast is a pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Ontario, Canada.
He also pulled a 188.83-ton plane—roughly equivalent to 1,260 adult gorillas.
Becca Swanson
Becca Swanson is regarded as the strongest woman of all time. Despite being 5’9″, Swanson has set multiple world records and competed in powerlifting, bodybuilding, and wrestling. She began powerlifting in 2002, achieving the heaviest squat for a female (854 pounds), heaviest bench press (600.8 pounds), heaviest deadlift (683.4 pounds), and heaviest total for a female in competition.
In 2005, her combined deadlift, bench press, and squat totaled 2,050.3 pounds, making her the only woman to total over 2,000 pounds in competition. Swanson is a true trailblazer in the world of strongwoman.
Brian Shaw
Brian Shaw is a well-known name in strongman, known for his work ethic and attention to detail. Standing at 6’8″ and weighing 440 pounds, Shaw has won World’s Strongest Man four times, made it to 11 consecutive finals, and won the Arnold Strongman Classic three times. Shaw also runs a YouTube channel with over one million subscribers and founded his own strongman event, the Shaw Classic.
Martin Tye
Martin Tye, a military veteran and disabled strongman, won World’s Strongest Disabled Man in 2018. In Afghanistan in 2009, Tye’s vehicle was hit by a suicide bomber, leaving him wheelchair-bound. He found solace in the gym. Tye broke the deadlift world record with a 1,113-pound lift and won 11 medals in the Invictus Games. In 2019, he set a new world record for a 1,146-pound deadlift at World’s Strongest Disabled Man!
Zydrunas Savickas
Zydrunas Savickas, or “Big Z,” is considered one of the strongest men ever. The Lithuanian has won Europe’s Strongest Man three times, the Arnold Classic eight times, and Lithuania’s Strongest Man 15 times. He has also been crowned World’s Strongest Man four times and finished second six times. Big Z holds the world record for the log lift at 502.6 pounds since 2015. He accounts for eight of the ten heaviest log lifts in history.
Even at 45, Savickas’s record remains unchallenged.
These amazing strongmen and strongwomen have pushed the limits of human strength, setting records and inspiring others with their incredible feats.
What are your thoughts on these amazing displays of strength? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
