Even though we are all built with the same complex combination of bones, muscles, ligaments, and nerves, some among us have a penchant for the superhuman.

In this list, you’ll learn about some of the most jaw-dropping modern-day acts of physical strength from strongmen and strongwomen alike. So sit back, relax, and let them do the heavy lifting.

Oh, and a friendly reminder: Don’t try this at home.

10 Amazing Strongman Feats of the Past

10 Mark Felix

 
Mark Felix has become a household name in strongman since he took up the sport professionally in 2004. Since then, he has competed at the World’s Strongest Man final an incredible 14 times and been a medalist at Britain’s Strongest Man six times. Yet the most amazing thing about the Grenadian-born athlete is that he didn’t start his career until he was 38 years old!

Now 54 and showing no signs of slowing down, Felix achieved his greatest feat of strength in 2019. Performing at the Giants Live show in Manchester, he took on the Hercules Hold. Each competitor must grip handles protruding from two massive steel pillars—each weighing 350 kilograms (772 lb)—and hold on for as long as possible while gravity attempts to pull the pillars away from him.

Taking the stage directly after the current World’s Strongest Man, Felix blew away the competition with a time of 83.62 seconds, smashing second place and cementing a new world record.^[1]

9 Eddie Hall

Eddie Hall, affectionately known as “The Beast,” is a now-retired English strongman. Despite being a competitive swimmer in his youth, Hall soon turned to strongman, expressing his desire to win World’s Strongest Man. This dream became a reality in 2017, although he had qualified in each of the previous five years.

And before winning the ultimate prize?

Hall had to make do with the measly haul of six consecutive UK’s Strongest Man titles and five consecutive Britain’s Strongest Man crowns. However, his ultimate achievement came in 2016 during the World Deadlift Championship.

After setting a joint world record earlier in the night with a 465-kilogram (1,025 lb) lift, Hall attempted the half-ton, which made him the first person in history to lift 500 kilograms (1,100 lb). However, blood vessels in his brain burst, sending blood cascading from his nose, ears, and tear ducts. He confessed to having problems with memory recall for weeks afterward and was unable to even remember his children’s names.

Now retired from strongman, Hall’s latest conquest is set for September 2021 when he engages Hafthor Julius Bjornsson inside the boxing ring.^[2] 

8 Hafthor Julius Bjornsson

When the word “strongman” comes to mind, you may imagine a huge being with rippling muscles—you know, the type to grind your bones into bread. Although the feats listed here are far from fairy tales, Hafthor Julius Bjornsson fits this description perfectly.

Standing a Herculean 206 centimeters (6’9″) and weighing in at 205 kilograms (452 lb), “Thor” truly is the epitome of an Icelandic giant. Just as well known for his time as “The Mountain” in Game of Thrones, Thor actually began his sporting career as a professional basketballer before focusing completely on lifting weights. This culminated in his 2018 win as World’s Strongest Man.

In 2020, Thor broke Eddie Hall’s deadlift world record by lifting 501 kilograms (1,104 lb) in his home gym in Iceland. This contributed to a history of bad blood between the two. Even though the attempt was recorded live and viewed by a professional referee, Hall and other members of the strongman community have been quick to dismiss the attempt as it was not completed during competition.

Despite the technicalities, though, it’s no surprise that Thor is widely regarded as one of the strongest men on the planet.^[3]

7 Julius Maddox

Anyone who has been to a gym will probably have come across (or had a go at) the bench press, which is one of the most iconic gym exercises. Many experts suggest that an average adult male should be able to press around 60 kilograms (132 lb). But Julius Maddox is not your average man.

An ex-convict who has reformed his life through God and his own passion for weights, Maddox has become the best “bench-presser” in the world. In 2019, he broke the raw bench press world record after lifting approximately 335 kilograms (739.6 lb).

Not content with this, Maddox went on to break his own world record only three months later by lifting around 338 kilograms (744.1 lb). Having decided that lifting just over the equivalent of two male gorillas wasn’t enough, Maddox then smashed his previous record with an incredible just-under-350-kilogram (770 lb) lift!

In June 2020, Maddox attempted an ambitious 363-kilogram (800 lb) lift. Unfortunately, the event proved unsuccessful through no fault of his own. Event organizers were heavily criticized after misloading the bar by putting an extra 25-kilogram (55 lb) plate on one side and unintentionally injuring the strongman.^[4]

Far from letting his anger get the better of him, Maddox conceded that everyone makes mistakes and vowed to come back even stronger.

6 Rob Kearney

Stepping away from the “traditional” stereotype of strongman for a second, we shall introduce Rob Kearney. The first thing that makes this American stand out is his size. At 178 centimeters (5’10”), Kearney looks positively tiny next to the giants Thor Bjornsson and Brian Shaw.

The second thing is his striking attire. Clad in multicolored compression shorts, bright socks, and a rainbow mohawk to match, Kearney is certainly not afraid to share his sexuality with the world. The self-proclaimed “World’s Strongest Gay,” Kearney has used his platform to inspire other LGBTQ members around the world after becoming the first openly gay strongman at the tender age of 22.

He certainly lives up to the title. Known for his prodigious shoulder strength, Kearney recently broke the American log lift record, which he had set in 2019. This created a new American record with a 215.8-kilogram (475.8 lb) press and firmly cemented his place as one of the best log lifters in the world.^[5]

10 Superhuman Heroic Feats

5 Kevin Fast

Kevin Fast is not a household name in the world of strongman. Yet this 57-year-old Canadian holds some of the most impressive Guinness World Records in the field of strength.

These include the most cars pulled by an individual (15), the heaviest vehicle pushed over 100 feet (weighing 11,080 kilograms (24,427 lb)), the heaviest vehicle pulled over 100 feet (99,060 kilograms (218,390 lb)), and the heaviest house pulled by an individual! The house weighed almost 40 tons and was pulled 11.95 meters (39 ft).

At this point, an important question arises. Who in their right mind decides to see how far they can pull a house? Perhaps a firefighter or a soldier? Not quite. Well, certainly a tradesman, someone who works with his hands? Wrong again. Kevin Fast is, in fact, a pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Cobourg, Ontario, Canada.^[6]

And if none of those records really scream “incredible feat of strength” for you, Fast also pulled a plane. It weighed 188.83 tons. Returning to our trusty measuring guide, this totals roughly 1,260 adult gorillas—just in case you were wondering.

4 Becca Swanson

The next spot on our list is held by a woman regarded by most as the strongest of all time. Even though she’s only 175 centimeters (5’9″) tall, Swanson has set multiple world records and competed in powerlifting, bodybuilding, and even professional wrestling.

She began competing in powerlifting in 2002 and has since firmly cemented her place in history. Her considerable list of accomplishments includes heaviest squat for a female (becoming the first woman to squat 318 kilograms (700 lb) and the only woman to squat 387.5 kilograms (854 lb)), heaviest bench press for a female at 272.5 kilograms (600.8 lb), heaviest deadlift for a female at 310 kilograms (683.4 lb), and heaviest total for a female in competition.

In 2005, her combined deadlift, bench press, and squat set, which totaled 930 kilograms (2,050.3 lb), made her the only woman in history to total 907 kilograms (2,000 lb) in competition. Swanson is a true trailblazer in the world of strongwoman.^[7]

3 Brian Shaw

Possibly the best-known name in strongman, Brian Shaw has created a legacy due to his prodigious strength and his indefatigable work ethic and attention to detail. Standing 203 centimeters (6’8″) tall and weighing in at around 200 kilograms (440 lb), Shaw might look intimidating, but he has the reputation of being one of the gentlest giants around.

In contrast to the other names on the list, Shaw’s “feat of strength” is his consistency through the years. He has won World’s Strongest Man an incredible four times, made it to 11 consecutive World’s Strongest Man finals (a record in itself), and won the Arnold Strongman Classic (named after the great Arnold Schwarzenegger) three times.^[8]

So what’s next for the 38-year-old?

In addition to running a YouTube channel with over one million subscribers and starring in various films and documentaries, Shaw recently founded his own strongman event, the Shaw Classic, which will hold its inaugural competition in December 2020. When World’s Strongest Man 2020 finally takes place, Shaw hopes to take home his fifth title and cement his place firmly in the record books for generations to come.
 

2 Martin Tye

If we told you that this military veteran and disabled strongman had completed a deadlift that eclipsed both Eddie Hall and Thor Bjornsson, it might be hard to believe. But for Martin Tye, who won World’s Strongest Disabled Man in 2018, it’s a reality. And his journey to strongman is far tougher than most.

On a tour in Afghanistan in 2009, Tye commanded a vehicle that was rammed by a suicide bomber. The resulting explosion left Tye wheelchair bound with no sensation from his knees down. With metalwork in both knees (which have also developed arthritis), severe nerve damage, and PTSD, the gym became an escape for the Englishman.

Tye has now established himself as a force in the strongman world. He first caught headlines when he broke the deadlift world record with a 505-kilogram (1,113 lb) lift and won 11 medals in the Invictus Games. As of this writing, his greatest achievement came during World’s Strongest Disabled Man 2019 when he set a new world record for a 520-kilogram (1,146 lb) deadlift!^[9]

1 Zydrunas Savickas

Finally, we come to the legend himself, known in strongman circles as “Big Z.”

The Lithuanian is widely considered the strongest man ever, with a list of records that almost defies belief. He has won Europe’s Strongest Man three times, the Arnold Classic eight times, and Lithuania’s Strongest Man an unprecedented 15 times. Oh, and he’s also been crowned the World’s Strongest Man on four occasions and finished second six times.

However, his showpiece has always been the log lift, believed to be one of the truest tests of pure strength. A competitor must lift a log from the floor (or a platform at knee height) to his chest before pressing it overhead and locking out at the top of the lift.

Big Z holds the world record, an astonishing 228 kilograms (502.6 lb), and has done so since 2015. His dominance in the event is clear when you take a look at the 10 heaviest log lifts in history and see Savickas accounting for eight of them. The closest anyone has gotten is 220 kilograms (485 lbs), which occurred in 2019. However, even at age 45, Savickas doesn’t have to worry that his record will be broken any time soon.^[10] 

10 Ancient Humans Who Could Beat Today’s Best Sports Stars

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.

The creator of the Incredible Hulk, Jack Kirby, claims that the character was inspired by a mother lifting up a car in “desperation.” Seeing this, he alleged that anyone could perform a feat like this in severe desperation, and he just may have been right. Whether from desperation, adrenaline, or what is known as hysterical strength, there have been documented cases of women, men, adults, and kids all experiencing inconceivable bouts of strength when confronted with a life-or-death situation.

10 Angela Cavallo

Angela Cavallo was in her late 50s in 1982, living in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Her teenage son, Tony, had a 1964 Chevrolet Impala and was working on the suspension in their driveway, trying to knock something loose. This knocking caused the car to wiggle off the jack before landing on the high school junior. As he lay unconscious under the vehicle, an eleven-year-old, Johnny Edwards, who was in town visiting his grandparents, saw what happened. He ran to the front door of Cavallo’s home and explained there had been an accident. In a panic, Angela ran out to the vehicle and began attempting to lift the car while screaming for help.

A 1964 Impala weighs 3,295 pounds (1,495 kilograms). This woman put all of her strength into lifting the rear of this vehicle, which weighed almost two tons, to free her son. Unbelievably, even while screaming and kicking at her son to rouse him so he could attempt to free himself from under the wheel well, Cavallo did, in fact, raise the car enough to release the pressure off Tony. Even more incredulous, she held this car up for around five minutes! The eleven-year-old was sent to collect neighbors to help while she somehow kept the car from falling back onto her son.

Finally, two men came and slid the jack back under the Impala so Tony could safely be pulled from underneath. Tony ended up with only scrapes and bruises and was able to leave the hospital after only a two-night stay. This mother may not have tossed the car over as The Hulk might’ve, but she had not only insane strength but also unimaginable endurance.^[1]

9 Lauren Kornacki

Lauren Kornacki was a recent college graduate living with her parents in Virginia in 2012. On August 1, she was looking for her dad to ask to borrow the car that weekend and couldn’t find him. After her mother confirmed that her dad was outside, she went back outside and found her father trapped under a BMW 525i. He was unresponsive and trapped with one arm pinned under his chest. She realized the jack had fallen, so she attempted to lift up the BMW herself.

At 22 years old and rather petite, it would be a stretch to believe Lauren would have been able to lift up a one-and-a-half-ton vehicle. Yet, in the extreme adrenaline surge, Lauren not only lifted the car off her father but also “threw it” off to the side. After freeing her father, Lauren started CPR, bringing back his ability to breathe on his own. He was immediately taken to the hospital.

With five fractured ribs, a fractured sternum and vertebrae, and some short-term loss of feeling in his arm, Lauren’s father would recover fully from the accident. It is stunning that a car bears enough weight to crush bones underneath it but can be picked up and tossed aside by someone.^[2]

8 Hannah and Haylee Smith

In Oregon, Jeff Smith, a 36-year-old father of two, sent his teenage daughters out to walk the dogs before going to work in the yard. He was attempting to pull a stump out of the ground when his foot stepped off the clutch momentarily as his boot was all muddy. In an instant, the tractor flipped, pinning him beneath it. Barely able to exhale, Jeff did everything he could do to yell for help. Knowing how much pressure was on his chest and that he had sent the girls off just a few minutes prior, Jeff wasn’t sure that anyone would be able to hear him. However, in less than a minute, he saw his girls were right there with him, attempting to dig their father out from underneath the three-thousand-pound tractor.

Hannah, 16, and Haylee, 14, realized that digging would not work. The tractor would need to be lifted if they were going to save their father. He instructed them on where to lift the tractor in between labored breaths. The two girls lifted the tractor the first time only long enough for Jeff to get a breath in before the tractor fell on him again. Thankfully, the girls gave it another try, and Jeff was able to wiggle out to safety.

Jeff escaped with little serious injury: a broken wrist and some bumps and bruises. Haylee pulled a muscle in the struggle, and Hannah reported waking up feeling like “an 80-year-old getting out of bed” the next morning. Jeff understood what was at stake, saying, “They saved my life.”^[3]

7 Cecil Stuckless

In July 2013, Frank Vatcher was replacing the brakes on a Jeep in Salvage, Newfoundland, with his father-in-law Cecil Stuckless. Frank sent Cecil out to his shed to grab a clamp he needed for the brakes. While he was gone, the Jeep somehow became unbalanced, and Frank was stuck alone in the garage with an SUV on top of him. Cecil heard Frank crying out for him to help and rushed back into the garage.

Cecil Stuckless was 72 years old when this event occurred. Without hesitation, he ran to the Jeep and was able to lift it enough for Frank to free himself. Upon seeing Frank, Cecil must’ve still been terrified he wasn’t going to make it. The Jeep fell on Frank with such force he needed 38 stitches in his head. Frank made a full recovery, and Cecil was considered to be a “Superman” in his community. Cecil denied this title, however, saying he “just did what he could do.” Cecil claims to have never lifted anything that heavy, which is pretty impressive to make that record at the age of 72.^[4]

6 Austin Smith

A 72-year-old lifting a car off a young man is quite impressive, but does a 15-year-old have the strength to lift a car that’s pinning his grandfather? Austin Smith was visiting his grandparents, and his 74-year-old Papa Ernie was in the garage fixing the brakes on an old vehicle, preparing it for another grandchild to use. Ernie noticed an oil leak under the car and went underneath to inspect the source. As Ernie pulled himself out, grabbing onto the bumper for a boost, the car shifted and pinned Ernie underneath. This was a 2,000-pound (907-kilogram) Buick, and Austin was terrified and had no idea what to do at first.

So fifteen-year-old Austin did the only thing he could think of and started trying to lift the one-ton vehicle off his grandfather. He knelt down and used all his might to lift up the Buick. Not only did Austin lift the car, but he also pushed the car back about two feet to free his grandfather.

Austin was a very active teen, involved in many sports and working out regularly, but he readily admits lifting one-ton vehicles is not something he would be able to do again. He stated that the only explanation was adrenaline and that “the good Lord upstairs helped me pick it up.” His grandfather suffered broken ribs and was hit in the head by the vehicle, explaining the feeling as an “explosion in my head.” Because of Austin’s miraculous strength, Papa Ernie was perfectly healed shortly after the incident.^[5]

5 Deputy J. Holt

In examples of this kind of miraculousness, many people might assume that the love for the person trapped allows these feats of strength, but that isn’t always the case. Deputy J. Holt, of Gloucester, Virginia, was assisting in an accident and watched as a car spun out nearby. He ran to the scene, where he found the car flipped over, and the daughter of the woman driving the SUV told him her mother was trapped. The child’s screams inside the SUV were horrific, asking someone to please help his mother. Deputy Holt had to coax the young boy out of the vehicle before he could do anything to help the driver. To top it all off, it was Mother’s Day weekend, and these children were on the verge of losing their mom. Once the little boy was out, he knew the only way to save her life was to get the vehicle off her immediately.

Deputy Holt placed his shoulder inside the door frame and told himself, “all I have to do is just stand up.” He then braced himself and did just that. He heaved the car up while the mother was surprisingly conscious enough to pull herself out from the steel deathtrap. She spent the entire time underneath the vehicle unable to breathe but immediately resumed breathing on her own when the SUV was lifted. She was sent to the hospital and made a full recovery. Admittedly, Deputy Holt might actually be a superhero. Holt was a veteran of the Iraq War and, just a year before this incident, had pulled two people from a burning house.^[6]

4 Kenny Franklin

Plenty of people have had shocking rides in Ubers for one reason or another, but Kenny Franklin’s experience may take the cake. Off to work one day, Kenny had called for an Uber, as he often did. In heavy traffic, the Uber driver began suffering from a seizure. As his foot was on the gas pedal at the onset of the seizure, his foot bore down on the pedal, accelerating with no one controlling the wheel. Incredibly, from the backseat, Kenny was able to gain control of the wheel, get the driver’s leg off the gas pedal, and pull the car over to safety. Having already saved his own life, the life of the Uber driver, and countless lives by preventing a major accident, he wasn’t finished yet.

A Florida State Trooper, Jack Hypes, pulled up behind the vehicle to assess this vehicle that had been driving erratically and came to a stop on the side of the road. Fortunately, by this time, the Uber driver had awakened but did not have his bearings about him. Unfortunately, thinking he still needed to get the car to safety, the driver mistakenly put it in reverse as Officer Hypes approached them.

He was hit, and as he rolled on impact, his body was pinned under the vehicle. They couldn’t simply move the car forward as Officer Hypes was pinned, and moving the vehicle could cause further damage and pain. The only option was to lift the car. Kenny mustered all his strength and lifted the car, allowing Hypes the time to get to safety. He suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and Kenny planned to get coffee with him shortly after the incident. Kenny has been called a hero in his hometown, but he just believes he was “in the right place, at the right time to help.”^[7]

3 Nick Harris

Nick Harris was dropping his daughter off at school on December 21, 2009. After his daughter happily trotted off to school, another little girl was walking along the sidewalk nearby. As six-year-old Ashlyn Hough walked, a car was pulling out of the driveway. Nick Harris just happened to look over when Ashlyn was struck by the vehicle backing out and rolled underneath it. Without any hesitation, Nick leaped out of his car and ran toward the accident. As he came upon the scene, he realized the vehicle was lying on little Ashlyn’s hips.

Nick has no idea how he did it, but he “grabbed the car, picked it up, and moved it out of the way.” Ashlyn was taken to the hospital immediately, but Nick was able to meet up with her soon after. He was “expecting her to be in a half cast,” but Ashlyn suffered no worse than some lumps and a rash. Nick has tried to lift a vehicle again four or five times but simply could not do it. He believes it was another case of being in the right place at the right time.^[8]

2 Zac Clark

Sixteen-year-old Zac Clark was gardening with his mother, Lora, outside their home in Butler, Ohio, on a Saturday in September 2019. A neighbor was working on his Volkswagen Passat in a house nearby. Suddenly, the wife of that neighbor began screaming for help. Lora and Zac both immediately took off running to offer whatever help they could. Zac was shocked to see only the legs of his neighbor while everything from the waist up was pinned under the VW. His head and ribs were being crushed under the vehicle’s weight. Lora told her son, “there’s no way we can lift this car,” but he knew he was not giving up.

Zac found the strength to lift the Passat, weighing over 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms), off his neighbor. Lora and the neighbor’s wife pulled the man from under the car. He had fractured ribs and facial wounds that Zac described as ‘messed up pretty bad,” but the neighbor would recover without any lasting injuries. While lifting an entire vehicle himself was certainly shocking, no one who knew Zac was surprised that he had done everything he could to help. His football coach asserted he “just has a huge heart.” Zac had lost his father the previous year. The incident made him think of his own dad, and he got the strength to lift the car because he “wanted to be able to save him to be with his family.”^[9]

1 Lydia Angiyou

Departing from lifting vehicles, Lydia Angiyou discovered her ultimate strength when confronted with something completely different. In a very small town in northern Quebec, Lydia was on a walk with her children and happened upon some kids playing hockey near the Community Center. Only these kids were no longer playing but screaming incessantly. Lydia panicked when she realized they were saying “polar bear.” Lydia was now face-to-face with a 700-pound (317-kilogram) polar bear, with her two sons standing at her side. She told her children to run and attempted to distract the bear from the group of children behind her.

Barely five feet (1.5 meters) tall and under 100 pounds (45 kilograms), 41-year-old Lydia decided the best way to save the children was to wrestle with a polar bear. She yelled and kicked and even punched one of the deadliest bears on the globe. The bear swatted Lydia, and she fell to the ground. As the bear stood over her, Lydia “bicycle-kicked” at him, resulting in another clawed smack to the face. Finally, the kids had gotten far enough away to get help. A neighbor came and saw Lydia “wrestling with the bear” and got his brother’s shotgun from his home nearby.

He shot four rounds up in the air to get the bear’s attention. He needed to get a clear shot as Lydia was still tussling with the bear. After the fourth round, the bear stopped long enough for a clear shot and then three more. After the bear was put down, Lydia was rushed to the hospital, covered in blood. At first, the only thing she could say was “bear, bear,” completely in shock. Incomprehensibly, Lydia was left only with a black eye and some scrapes. A massive polar bear was thwarted by petite and quiet Lydia Angiyou. It’s astonishing what people are capable of when put to the challenge.^[10]