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Top 10 Strongest Men Ever

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  • Top 10 Strongest Men Ever

    By Dr. Terry Todd

    TOP 10 STRONGEST MEN IN HISTORY

    Throughout history, mankind has been obsessed with physical strength. Since the days when the legends of Hercules first took shape, to the ancient Olympic Games where wrestling matches were used to determine the strongest man alive, we have always wanted to name one man above all others. As the centuries wore on, the methods for determining the strongest man grew more sophisticated, from the advent of Highland games to Olympic weightlifting.

    Since 1977 the presumed strongest men in the world have gathered annually to compete in the World’s Strongest Man competition (WSM) to determine who’s No. 1, with similar contests being held by the International Federation of Strength Athletes (IFSA) and at the Arnold Sports Festival.

    Still, with all the various ways we’ve devised to determine who is the strongest of the strong, it seems we’ve managed only to create factions, each loyal to the top athletes in their sport or organization of choice.

    Powerlifting fans might tell you that Ed Coan is, pound for pound, the strongest man who’s ever lived or that the far larger Andy Bolton is the overall strongest. Fans of the WSM competition might point to three-time winner Bill Kazmaier or five-time winner Mariusz Pudzianowski.

    All of the men listed above have a legitimate claim to being history’s strongest man, but really just one can claim ultimate strength, and we’ve decided who that person is. To do so we’ve consulted with a man whose name deserves to be included in every discussion regarding strength. Dr. Terry Todd isn’t merely the United States’ first national powerlifting champion

    (in 1964 and ’65), he was also the first man to total 1,600, 1,700, 1,800, and 1,900 pounds. Todd is also the creator of the Arnold Strongman Classic, one of the
most renowned strength historians in the world, and he and his wife are the directors of the world’s largest collection of physical fitness and strength memorabilia, the Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports at the University of Texas at Austin. We drew upon Todd’s vast collection and reviewed countless articles detailing the feats performed by men of all eras.

    We’d like to make it clear that comparing athletes whose peaks came a century apart makes educated speculation a must. First, there’s the issue of chemical enhancement, something obviously not available to a Louis Uni. Second, Todd points out that during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, strength athletes didn’t so much train as give performances on an irregular basis. The strength they displayed for gawking crowds was raw and untrained—and it was their performances that made them stronger, nothing systematic. In this light, we attempted to recognize not just recorded strength but potential strength as well. Call it a metaphysical leveling of the playing field.

    Without further ado, we believe this list to be the most definitive of its kind.

    #10 Brian Shaw
    BORN: USA, 1982
    HEIGHT: 6'8"
    WEIGHT: 435 LBS



    Shaw shares something in common with the legendary Bill Kazmaier—both men have placed top three at the World’s Strongest Man a total of five times. Shaw, a two-time WSM winner (2011, 2013), has posted bests of 972 pounds in the deadlift and 1,122 pounds in the Hummer tire deadlift in competition (with straps). In the gym, he’s credited with squatting 825 pounds, benching 535 pounds, and deadlifting 985 pounds (with straps).
    ______


    #9 Leonid Taranenko
    BORN: USSR, 1956
    HEIGHT: 5'11"
    WEIGHT: 260 LBS



    Taranenko set the world record in weightlifting for the clean and jerk (266 kilograms, or 586 pounds) and total (475 kilograms, or 1,045 pounds) way back in 1988—an eon in weightlifting years—and these records still stand today. Due to restructuring by the International Weightlifting Federation of its weight classes, Taranenko’s official records no longer stand, but his lifts have yet to be equaled. You know how hard it is to bench six plates? Imagine lifting it overhead. Now that’s power!
    ______


    #8 Andy Bolton
    BORN: ENGLAND, 1970
    HEIGHT: 6'
    WEIGHT: 350 LBS



    Britain’s Andy Bolton is the first man in history to have deadlifted 1,000 pounds. Twice during competition he eclipsed his own accomplishment with pulls of 1,003 pounds and a then-record 1,008 pounds. Bolton holds the fourth highest squat of all time (1213.63 pounds), and his three-lift total of 2,806.34 pounds ranks third highest in history. He once stated his goal was to break the mythical 3,000-pound total, a feat not even dreamed of by most powerlifters of any era.
    ______


    #7 Brian Siders
    BORN: USA, 1978
    HEIGHT: 6'2"
    WEIGHT: 345 LBS



    Siders belongs on this impressive list for his overall strength–he excels in all three powerlifts with personal bests of 1,019 pounds in the squat, 799 pounds on the bench, and a deadlift of 865 pounds for a 2,651-pound total. His best raw lifts include 650 pounds on the bench and 840 pounds in the deadlift. Siders takes pride in having achieved the aforementioned feats without the use of performance enhancement, meaning that his strength derives purely from genetic blessings and brutally hard work, much like that of the following man...
    ______


    #6 Louis Uni
    LIVED: FRANCE, 1862-1928
    HEIGHT: 6'3"
    WEIGHT: 260 LBS



    It’s especially difficult to calculate just where Uni, aka Apollon the Mighty, should rank among the all-time greats, as chronicles of his feats are mostly florid, noncritical accounts. But he was known for his great grip strength and large hands, which rendered him capable of lifting bars others couldn’t even fit their hands around. Uni was also quite possibly the world’s first strength athlete, being an extremely fit and agile man who took on all comers in wrestling challenges.
    ______


    #5 Vasyl Virastyuk
    BORN: UKRAINE, 1974
    HEIGHT: 6'3"
    WEIGHT: 320 LBS



    Virastyuk is the first person ever to be declared the strongest man alive in both the World’s Strongest Man and IFSA World Championship competitions, winning in 2004 and 2007, respectively. In fact, he edged out the man who tops this list when he achieved victory at the IFSA contest. Additionally, the Ukrainian strongman took second place at the Arnold Strongman Classic on three occasions (2005-07). Now 40, Virastyuk has been retired from competition for some time, but his accomplishments and his legacy live on.
    ______


    #4 Paul Anderson
    LIVED: USA, 1932–1994
    HEIGHT: 5'9"
    WEIGHT: 350 LBS



    Paul Anderson’s name may be the most controversial one on this list. Proclaimed by some to be far and away the strongest man who ever lived, he also has his share of skeptics. Whether he really squatted 1,200 pounds is open to debate, but Dr. Todd personally witnessed him squat 700 for eight reps in an exhibition—at a time when the official world record 1RM for the squat was about 700 pounds. Anderson won an Olympic Gold medal for the U.S. in weightlifting in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956.
    ______


    #3 Bill Kazmaier
    BORN: USA, 1953
    HEIGHT: 6'3"
    WEIGHT: 330 LBS



    “Kaz” is considered by many to be the strongest of the strong, and it’s hard to argue. The winner of the ’80, ’81, and ’82 WSM contests, Kazmaier was barred from competing in 1983 by the event’s organizers because it was assumed that so long as he competed, no one else would ever get the chance to savor victory. Kaz was the first man to lift all five McGlashen stones, which weigh between 90 and 160 kilograms (about 200 and 350 pounds). His 661-pound bench press stood as the world record for years, and if not for a pec tear shortly thereafter he would have surely bested it himself. His 2,425-pound total, set back in 1981, is still the record for raw (no bench shirt, no squat suit) powerlifting today.
    ______


    #2 Mark Henry
    BORN: USA, 1971
    HEIGHT: 6'4"
    WEIGHT: 412 LBS



    Henry holds the unique distinction of being the only man ever to hold both the U.S. weightlifting and powerlifting superheavyweight championship titles at the same time. Despite his incredible feats, Todd believes that Henry has stores of untapped potential that we never got to see as he pursued a career in WWE. So in theory at least, Henry might have been the strongest man in history. However, we think one man has him beat...
    ______


    #1 Zydrunas Savickas
    BORN: LITHUANIA, 1975
    HEIGHT: 6'3"
    WEIGHT: 400 LBS



    In our opinion, he's the strongest man of all time. You just can’t argue with these numbers: Savickas has won the Arnold Strongman Classic seven times (2003–08, 2014), which is considered a truer test of pure strength than the better-known WSM competition. In 2005, he broke three world records en route to victory at the IFSA Strongman World Championship. The following year he again took top honors.

    Savickas placed second at the WSM competition in 2002, 2003, and 2004, usually dominating the events that involved pure strength while not doing as well in those that required speed and agility. In 2009, he broke the streak by winning the WSM—an accomplishment he’d repeat in 2010, 2012, and 2014. In ’14, Savickas also set a new world record with a 500-pound log lift to complement his other impressive totals: a raw squat of 880 pounds, a 900-pound deadlift, and a 629-pound bench.

  • #2
    I would have said Kaz all the way for various reasons but chiefly, at his prime you coukd plonk him in today's crowd and give him all the tools they have today and he would be top.

    But, Savickas has to virtually eat himself to death to achieve the leverage he needs and while it doesn't come natural there isn't a thing that guy wouldn't do to achieve his goals

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    • #3
      Kazmaier was barred from competing in 1983 by the event’s organizers because it was assumed that so long as he competed, no one else would ever get the chance to savor victory.
      I never knew that. That's fucken bullshit. Guy was great so they kicked him out. Fuck that, I would never forgive that shit if I was him. Banned at his peak for simply being great. Tragedy right there.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Mr I View Post

        But, Savickas has to virtually eat himself to death
        :laugh::laugh:

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        • #5
          We don't hear much about these guys in their retired years but I bet it's a world of pain.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Bouncer View Post
            I never knew that. That's fucken bullshit. Guy was great so they kicked him out. Fuck that, I would never forgive that shit if I was him.
            Yup

            When Jon Paul Sigmussen started to become similarly unbeatable, they brought back and older more injured and probably disheartened Kaz to face him. Kaz lost but in his prime would have probably been victorious. Yeah if Kaz had been allowed to continue (and not rowed with everyone) he probably would have kept on winning

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Bouncer View Post
              I never knew that. That's fucken bullshit. Guy was great so they kicked him out. Fuck that, I would never forgive that shit if I was him. Banned at his peak for simply being great. Tragedy right there.
              Yeah I agree 100%. I want to see the best in the world not this PC feel good bullshit of letting someone else have a chance to win. Fuck that. If you are at the top it gives others a chance to strive for something better in themselves.

              Nobody should just be handed a win. Imagine if every major sporting event, the winning team wasn't allowed to compete the next year. That's some pussy bullshit right there.
              Last edited by chuckz28; 05-24-16, 09:18 PM.

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              • #8
                Shaw is 435lbs. That's insane. 65lbs short of 500 fucken pounds. LoL.

                Wonder how these guys drug regime differ from bodybuilders. How do they cycle? Drugs of choice? Anyone know? Shaw's gotta be on massive doses just to maintain. Hrt does for a 435lb dude isn't any 250mgs E10D I'll tell ya that.

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                • #9
                  Test, deca and orals. Cheque drops, halotestin, test suspension, shit that gives lots of power in short time periods.

                  Here is a video with powerlifter George Leeman running through some powerlifting cycles. https://youtu.be/ZoDy-srzUrA

                  And another with steroid talk https://youtu.be/neipMdQveXw

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                  • #10
                    Deca to keep the joints and ligaments strong. I love the shit. All the guys around here with injuries yet refuse to use it. Stupid IMO. Best shit on the planet for joints/ligament comfort and protection. Deca + Gh = gods joint elixir.

                    Deca doesn't just mask pain as previously thought. It has protective and healing properties.

                    People start deca and they don't like how it makes them feel mentally the first few weeks and they drop it. What they don't understand is that this feeling goes away after about a month or so and you feel great again. Just gotta get through that first month of feeling down. Once you do, as long as your test dose is twice that of deca dose and you keep estro levels controlled with adex you'll find that you have an amazing drug on your hands. I'll always run deca with my cycles now.

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                    • #11
                      http://www.superiormuscle.com/forums...-help-collagen

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Bouncer View Post
                        Shaw is 435lbs. That's insane. 65lbs short of 500 fucken pounds. LoL.

                        Wonder how these guys drug regime differ from bodybuilders. How do they cycle? Drugs of choice? Anyone know? Shaw's gotta be on massive doses just to maintain. Hrt does for a 435lb dude isn't any 250mgs E10D I'll tell ya that.
                        Bench press doesn't feature in strongman events, neither does George leehman

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                        • #13
                          Powerlifting and strongman are very similar though are they not? Size and strength are what's important as opposed to aesthetics. If seasoned powerlifters, being nearly the same size as strongmen, are cruising at 2-3 grams a week and blasting over 5-6 grams I would think it would be a very similar scenario for Strongmen.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by chuckz28 View Post
                            Powerlifting and strongman are very similar though are they not? Size and strength are what's important as opposed to aesthetics. If seasoned powerlifters, being nearly the same size as strongmen, are cruising at 2-3 grams a week and blasting over 5-6 grams I would think it would be a very similar scenario for Strongmen.
                            No

                            Strongman is mainly vertical strength and movement. Powerlifting is static and involves bench

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                            • #15
                              makes me angry that i can never find coverage on tv anymore. all beta shit now on. they'll show fucken Frisbee competition before they show wsm.

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