You’ve seen the videos. A guy the size of a refrigerator hauls a semi-truck up a slight incline while his face turns a shade of purple that doesn't look medically sound. It’s easy to think that being one of the strongest people on earth is just about having the biggest biceps or moving the most weight in a local gym. But honestly? It’s way more complicated than that.
Strength isn't a single metric. It's a messy, overlapping Venn diagram of static power, explosive speed, and the kind of mental grit that lets you ignore your tendons screaming for mercy.
The New King of the Mountain
For a long time, the names were familiar. Brian Shaw. Zydrunas Savickas. The old guard. But the landscape shifted in 2025. Rayno Nel basically came out of nowhere to snag the World’s Strongest Man (WSM) title, becoming the first winner from outside Europe or North America since the late 90s.
It was a shock. He wasn't the heaviest guy on the field—he weighs in around 326 lbs, which sounds massive until you stand him next to someone like Tom Stoltman. But Nel’s victory proved that the sport is moving toward a hybrid athlete. You can't just be a static pillar anymore. You have to move.
What’s Actually Happening with the Deadlift?
If we’re talking about raw, "pick it up and put it down" power, we have to talk about the deadlift. This is the ultimate benchmark. For years, the 500 kg (1,102 lbs) mark was the "four-minute mile" of strength. Eddie Hall did it first in 2016 and nearly popped his eyeballs out. Then Hafþór Björnsson—yes, "The Mountain" from Game of Thrones—pushed it to 501 kg in his home gym.
Fast forward to right now. Thor is back. In late 2025, at the World Deadlift Championships in Birmingham, he didn't just break the record; he humiliated it. He pulled 510 kg (1,124 lbs).
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What’s wild is that he’s not done. He’s already announced an attempt to beat that 510 kg mark at the inaugural Enhanced Games in Las Vegas this May. Most experts thought 500 kg was the human limit. Thor is basically treating that limit like a suggestion.
The Pound-for-Pound Argument
Size matters, but sometimes it masks the most impressive feats. Enter Rhianon Lovelace. If you look at the raw numbers, she isn't lifting more than a 400-pound man, obviously. But pound-for-pound? She might be the most dangerous person in the room.
Lovelace competes in the U64kg (under 141 lbs) category, but she’s pulled a 282.5 kg (623 lbs) deadlift. That is more than four times her own body weight. For context, if a 300-pound strongman did that, he’d be pulling 1,200 lbs—something no human has ever come close to.
Strongest People on Earth: The Current Heavy Hitters
The world of professional strength is currently dominated by a few specific names that you’ll see at the top of every podium this year.
- Mitchell Hooper: The "Moose." He won the 2023 WSM and is widely considered the smartest guy in the sport. He’s a kinesiologist. He treats lifting like a physics problem.
- Tom Stoltman: The "Albatross." Standing 6'8", his reach is a massive advantage in the Atlas Stones. He’s already a three-time WSM champion (2021, 2022, 2024).
- Iron Biby (Cheick Sanou): If you want to see someone put weight over their head, this is your guy. He holds the Log Lift world record at 231 kg (509 lbs). Watching him press a weight that most people can't even deadlift is genuinely surreal.
- Lucy Underdown: On the women's side, she's the first woman to ever deadlift over 700 lbs in a professional setting. She is currently the benchmark for open-class female strength.
The Misconception of "Gym Strength"
There’s a big difference between being "gym strong" and "strongman strong." You might know a guy who can bench 405 lbs. That’s great. But can he walk 50 feet with a 1,000-lb yoke on his shoulders?
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Probably not.
Strongman requires "brute force"—the ability to handle awkward, non-aerodynamic objects. Stones don't have handles. Axles don't spin like Olympic bars. It’s a different kind of neurological demand. Your central nervous system basically has to go into overdrive to stabilize the weight.
Why It Matters to You
You don't have to want to pull a plane to learn from these people. The science behind how they train has trickled down into regular fitness. We now know more about "bracing"—how to create internal pressure to protect the spine—because of guys like Brian Shaw and Mitchell Hooper.
If you want to get stronger, you don't need to eat 10,000 calories a day like Thor did in his prime. But you do need to understand the three pillars they all use:
- Progressive Overload: You can't just lift the same weight forever. You have to add a pound. A rep. Something.
- Posterior Chain Focus: True strength comes from the back, glutes, and hamstrings. The stuff you can't see in the mirror.
- Recover Like a Pro: These giants sleep 10 hours a day and spend thousands on physical therapy. You can't build a house if you're always tearing the foundation down.
Next Steps for Your Own Strength
If you’re looking to apply some of this "strongest people" logic to your own life, start by ditching the machines for a bit. Focus on the big four: Squat, Bench, Deadlift, and Overhead Press.
Actually, don't just lift them—learn how to move with them. Try a "farmer’s carry" with heavy dumbbells. It’s the single most functional strength move you can do. It builds your grip, your traps, and your core all at once.
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The record books are going to keep changing. Someone will eventually pull 520 kg. Someone will eventually overhead press 250 kg. But the fundamentals of how they get there? That hasn't changed in a hundred years. It’s just heavy weight and a lot of patience.