Welcome to the world of the top 10 incredible strongman marvels, where ordinary mortals become super‑human legends. In this list we’ll dive into the awe‑inspiring achievements of athletes who have turned raw power into unforgettable spectacles – all while keeping a playful, conversational tone that lets you feel the grit and glory.
Top 10 Incredible Feats of Strength
10 Mark Felix
Mark Felix burst onto the professional strongman scene in 2004 and quickly became a household name, racking up an astonishing 14 appearances at the World’s Strongest Man finals and six medals at Britain’s Strongest Man. Remarkably, he didn’t even start his career until the age of 38, proving it’s never too late to chase greatness.
Now 54 and still defying the odds, Felix’s crowning moment arrived in 2019 at the Giants Live showdown in Manchester. He entered the grueling Hercules Hold, where competitors clutch massive steel pillars—each weighing 350 kg (772 lb)—and battle gravity’s pull for as long as they can.
Going head‑to‑head with the reigning World’s Strongest Man, Felix held on for an unbelievable 83.62 seconds, blasting past the competition to seize second place and set a new world record in the process.
9 Eddie Hall
Eddie Hall, affectionately nicknamed “The Beast,” transitioned from competitive swimming in his youth to becoming a dominant force in strongman. His relentless drive to claim the World’s Strongest Man title finally paid off in 2017 after five consecutive qualifications.
But before that crowning achievement, Hall amassed a string of impressive victories, including six straight UK’s Strongest Man crowns and five consecutive Britain’s Strongest Man titles, cementing his status as a powerhouse.
The pinnacle of his career unfolded in 2016 at the World Deadlift Championship. After tying a world record with a 465‑kg (1,025‑lb) lift, Hall attempted the half‑ton barrier, hoisting a historic 500 kg (1,100 lb) and becoming the first human ever to do so.
The massive effort came at a price: blood vessels in his brain ruptured, spraying blood from his nose, ears, and eyes. Hall later admitted the ordeal left him with memory lapses for weeks and even made him forget his own children’s names temporarily.
Now retired from strongman competition, Hall has turned his attention to a new challenge: a September 2021 boxing bout against fellow titan Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, promising another chapter of headline‑making strength.
8 Hafthor Julius Bjornsson
When most people picture a strongman, they imagine a towering figure with muscles rippling like steel. Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, better known as “Thor,” embodies that image perfectly, standing a colossal 206 cm (6 ft 9 in) and weighing 205 kg (452 lb).
Beyond his on‑screen fame as “The Mountain” in Game of Thrones, Thor began his athletic journey as a professional basketball player before devoting himself entirely to weightlifting. This dedication earned him the World’s Strongest Man title in 2018.
In 2020, Thor shattered Eddie Hall’s deadlift record by hoisting a staggering 501 kg (1,104 lb) in his Icelandic home gym, sparking a friendly rivalry between the two giants. Although the lift was overseen by a professional referee, some in the community questioned its competitive validity.
Regardless of the debate, Thor’s achievement cemented his reputation as one of the planet’s strongest men, a status that continues to inspire awe across the strength world.
7 Julius Maddox
Anyone who’s ever set foot in a gym knows the bench press as a staple exercise. While the average adult male might comfortably press around 60 kg (132 lb), Julius Maddox has turned that benchmark on its head.
Formerly incarcerated, Maddox reshaped his life through faith and an unyielding passion for lifting, eventually becoming the world’s premier bench‑presser. In 2019, he smashed the raw bench‑press world record with a monumental 335 kg (739.6 lb) lift.
Unwilling to settle, he eclipsed his own record just three months later, hoisting approximately 338 kg (744.1 lb). Still hungry for more, Maddox pushed the envelope again, delivering a near‑350 kg (770 lb) press that left spectators speechless.
June 2020 saw Maddox attempt an audacious 363 kg (800 lb) bench press. Unfortunately, a mishap—an extra 25‑kg plate mistakenly loaded on one side—caused the bar to tip, resulting in an unsuccessful attempt through no fault of his own.
Undeterred, Maddox accepted the error with grace, acknowledging that mistakes happen and vowing to return stronger than ever, ever‑ready to chase the next record.
6 Rob Kearney
Breaking away from the traditional strongman mold, Rob Kearney stands out not just for his strength but for his vibrant personal style. At 178 cm (5 ft 10 in), he may appear modest next to giants like Thor and Brian Shaw, yet his presence is unmistakable.
Kearney’s wardrobe—a kaleidoscope of multicolored compression shorts, bright socks, and a rainbow‑toned mohawk—mirrors his fearless approach to sharing his identity. As the self‑proclaimed “World’s Strongest Gay,” he has become a beacon of inspiration for LGBTQ athletes worldwide.
His athletic résumé backs up the flair. Known for explosive shoulder power, Kearney shattered the American log‑lift record he previously set in 2019, hoisting a massive 215.8 kg (475.8 lb) press and solidifying his status among the globe’s elite log lifters.
5 Kevin Fast
Kevin Fast may not be a household name in the strongman arena, yet this 57‑year‑old Canadian pastor has amassed a collection of Guinness World Records that would make any athlete jealous.
His feats include pulling 15 cars single‑handedly, pushing a monstrous 11,080 kg (24,427 lb) vehicle a full 100 ft, and hauling a staggering 99,060 kg (218,390 lb) across the same distance. He also pulled an entire house weighing nearly 40 tons for 11.95 m (39 ft).
One might wonder who decides to yank a house across a yard. The answer: Kevin Fast, a pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Cobourg, Ontario, who channels his faith and sheer will into these unbelievable demonstrations of power.
Fast didn’t stop there—he also moved an aircraft weighing 188.83 tons, a feat equivalent to shifting roughly 1,260 adult gorillas, proving that his strength knows no conventional limits.
4 Becca Swanson
Standing at 175 cm (5 ft 9 in), Becca Swanson may not tower over her male counterparts, but she reigns supreme as perhaps the strongest woman ever recorded. Her career spans powerlifting, bodybuilding, and even professional wrestling.
Since debuting in powerlifting competitions in 2002, Swanson has shattered records across the board: she was the first woman to squat 318 kg (700 lb) and remains the only female to squat an astonishing 387.5 kg (854 lb). Her bench‑press record stands at 272.5 kg (600.8 lb), and she once dead‑lifted 310 kg (683.4 lb).
In 2005, Swanson’s combined total of deadlift, bench press, and squat reached 930 kg (2,050.3 lb), making her the sole woman to ever total over 2,000 lb in competition—a true testament to her unparalleled strength.
3 Brian Shaw
Brian Shaw is arguably the most recognizable name in modern strongman, celebrated for both his colossal physique and his unwavering work ethic. Towering at 203 cm (6 ft 8 in) and weighing roughly 200 kg (440 lb), he’s affectionately known as a gentle giant.
Shaw’s claim to fame isn’t a single lift but his remarkable consistency: four World’s Strongest Man titles, an unprecedented 11 straight finals appearances, and three Arnold Strongman Classic victories, each underscoring his dominance.
Beyond competition, Shaw runs a YouTube channel boasting over a million subscribers, appears in films and documentaries, and recently launched his own event, the Shaw Classic, slated for December 2020. He now eyes a fifth World’s Strongest Man crown, aiming to etch his legacy even deeper into the annals of strength history.
2 Martin Tye
If you told anyone that a disabled veteran could out‑deadlift the likes of Eddie Hall and Thor Bjornsson, they’d likely raise an eyebrow. Yet Martin Tye, winner of the World’s Strongest Disabled Man title in 2018, has done exactly that.
During a 2009 tour in Afghanistan, Tye’s vehicle was struck by a suicide bomber, leaving him wheelchair‑bound with numbness below the knees, severe nerve damage, arthritis in both knees, and PTSD. The gym became his sanctuary, a place to reclaim control.
Tye burst onto the strongman scene by breaking the deadlift world record with a 505‑kg (1,113‑lb) lift, later amassing 11 Invictus Games medals. His crowning achievement arrived in 2019 when he set a new world record for a 520‑kg (1,146‑lb) deadlift at the World’s Strongest Disabled Man competition.
1 Zydrunas Savickas
Finally, we arrive at the legend himself, the Lithuanian powerhouse known affectionately as “Big Z.” Zydrunas Savickas is widely hailed as the strongest man in history, boasting a résumé that reads like a mythic saga.
His trophy cabinet includes three Europe’s Strongest Man titles, an astounding eight Arnold Classic victories, and a record‑shattering 15 Lithuania’s Strongest Man crowns. On the global stage, he’s claimed the World’s Strongest Man title four times and finished runner‑up on six occasions.
While Savickas excels across many events, his signature feat is the log lift—a true test of pure strength, requiring athletes to hoist a massive log from the floor to an overhead lock‑out.
Big Z set the world record at an awe‑inspiring 228 kg (502.6 lb) in 2015, a benchmark that still stands. He dominates the top‑10 heaviest log lifts, accounting for eight of them, with the nearest challenger managing only 220 kg (485 lb) in 2019. Even at 45, Savickas shows no signs of relinquishing his throne.
About The Author: Joseph has been writing since he was very young. Even though he’s only 19, he definitely thinks he’s wiser than his years. When he’s not running around a field or kicking a football, you’ll find him curled up with a good book or complaining that Australia is far too hot.