Strength isn't just about moving a heavy object from point A to point B once. It’s about the soul-crushing pressure of a thousand-pound yoke on your neck or the literal skin-tearing friction of a giant stone. When people talk about a very very strong man, the names usually drift toward myths or guys from the 70s like Bill Kazmaier. But honestly? We are living through a weird, unprecedented peak in human physics. If you haven't been paying attention to Mitchell Hooper or the freakish consistency of Tom Stoltman, you're missing out on the highest level of human power ever recorded.
He's a physical anomaly.
Most people think of "strongmen" as these massive, slow-moving giants who can barely catch their breath after walking ten feet. That's the old school. Today, the very very strong man is an athlete who runs marathons and then deadlifts 1,000 pounds. Mitchell Hooper, the Canadian who seemingly came out of nowhere to win World’s Strongest Man, is the poster child for this new era. He isn't just lifting the weight; he’s doing it with a biological efficiency that makes sports scientists scratch their heads.
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The Science of Being a Very Very Strong Man
Strength is a neural game as much as it is a muscular one. You've got to realize that your brain actually limits how much your muscles can contract so you don't literally pull your own tendons off the bone. A very very strong man has essentially trained their central nervous system (CNS) to ignore those safety "governors."
Take the deadlift. When Hafthor Bjornsson pulled 501 kilograms (1,105 lbs) in 2020, he wasn't just using his back. He was using every single fiber from his hamstrings to his grip. This is what experts call "neuromuscular recruitment." Most of us can only tap into maybe 50% or 60% of our muscle fibers. These guys? They're hitting 90%+. It’s violent. It’s loud. It’s incredibly dangerous.
Why the 1,000-Pound Mark Still Matters
The thousand-pound deadlift used to be a myth. Like the four-minute mile, once one person did it, the floodgates opened. But it remains the ultimate litmus test for a very very strong man. Why? Because at that weight, the bar actually bends. The steel oscillates. If you don't time the pull with the whip of the bar, the momentum will literally snap your spine or collapse your lungs.
- Zydrunas Savickas: Often called the GOAT, he specialized in the log press. Imagine overhead pressing 500 pounds. That’s a full-grown grizzly bear over your head.
- Brian Shaw: Four-time WSM winner. He’s 6'8". His strength comes from massive mechanical leverage.
- Eddie Hall: The first human to deadlift 500kg. He almost died doing it. His blood pressure went through the roof, and he had a "burst" in his head. That’s the cost of being a very very strong man.
The Nutrition of a Giant
You can't get this strong on a salad. Honestly, the diet of a very very strong man is probably the least "healthy" looking thing you’ll ever see, even though it’s calculated. We’re talking 10,000 to 12,000 calories a day.
Imagine eating a pound of steak, four cups of rice, and a whole pineapple for breakfast. Then doing it again four hours later. And again. The sheer volume of food is a full-time job. Mitchell Hooper has spoken about the "force-feeding" aspect of the sport. Your body doesn't naturally want to weigh 320+ pounds. You have to bully your metabolism into accepting it.
The weight is a tool. You need mass to move mass. In the world of the very very strong man, "moving weight" often involves your own body weight as a counter-balance. If you're trying to pull a plane, and you only weigh 200 pounds, you're just going to fly backward toward the cockpit. You need the "anchor" of body mass.
Recovery or Death
If you or I tried a professional strongman workout, our kidneys would probably shut down from rhabdomyolysis by Tuesday. These guys use every tool available:
- Cold Plunges: To blunt the massive systemic inflammation.
- Blood Work: Constant monitoring of hormone levels and organ stress.
- Soft Tissue Work: Deep tissue massage that would make a normal person scream.
Is It Just Genetics?
Basically, yes. And no.
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You need the "frame." You need thick joints. If you have small wrists and narrow shoulders, you will never be a very very strong man at a world-class level. The sheer torque of an 800-pound squat will crumble thin bones.
But the "no" part is the mental grit. There is a specific kind of "dark place" these athletes have to go to. When you see a guy like Tom Stoltman approaching the Atlas Stones, he looks like he’s in a trance. He’s not "excited." He’s focused to the point of being terrifying. This psychological state allows them to bypass the pain of tearing skin and popping capillaries.
The Myth of the "Fat" Strongman
Look at the modern lineup. These guys are surprisingly lean compared to the 90s. They have visible abs at 330 pounds. This shift happened because the events got faster. You aren't just lifting a rock; you're carrying it 50 feet. If you’re just a "fat" very very strong man, you’ll run out of oxygen before the finish line. Cardiovascular health is now a competitive advantage. It’s wild to see a guy that size with a resting heart rate in the 50s.
How to Actually Build Meaningful Strength
Look, you’re probably not going to compete at World's Strongest Man. That’s fine. But if you want to understand what it feels like to be a very very strong man, you have to stop chasing "pump" and start chasing "tension."
Stop doing 15 reps of bicep curls.
Start picking up heavy things and walking with them. The "Farmer’s Walk" is the single most functional strength move in existence. It builds the traps, the grip, the core, and the legs. It’s how you build "farm strength," which is a very real thing. It’s that dense, wiry power that doesn't necessarily look like a bodybuilder but feels like iron when you shake their hand.
Actionable Steps for the Aspiring Strongman
If you want to move toward being a very very strong man, follow this progression. Don't skip steps.
- Master the Hinge: Before you lift a heavy stone, you must deadlift with perfect form. Use a trap bar if you have to. It's safer.
- Build Your Grip: Your big muscles are useless if your hands fail. Use fat grips or just hang from a pull-up bar for as long as you can.
- Eat for Performance, Not Aesthetics: If you want to be strong, you need a caloric surplus. Period.
- Prioritize Sleep: You don't get strong in the gym. You get strong while you're asleep and your body is repairing the micro-tears in your muscle fibers.
The world of the very very strong man is one of extremes. It's about pushing the human frame to its absolute structural limit. It isn't just about big muscles; it's about the grit to keep going when your body is screaming at you to stop.
To start your own journey, don't look at the 1,000-pound deadlift. Look at the guy who can carry his groceries in one trip without breaking a sweat. That’s where it starts. Focus on compound movements—squats, deadlifts, and presses—and gradually increase the load every single week. This is called progressive overload, and it is the only "secret" that actually works. Consistent, heavy, and smart training is the only way to tap into your own version of that elite power.