Since its beginnings in 1977, four British men have held the title of the World’s Strongest Man. One of these men was Eddie Hall, a powerhouse from the English county of Staffordshire. A confident and charismatic man, he has built up a legion of fans and become one of the most popular strongmen ever. Read the next addition to our World’s Strongest Men series on Eddie ‘The Beast’ Hall!
Eddie’s Early Years…
Going back to his early years, Eddie was raised in a household with his parents and two brothers. His mother competed in triathlons and Eddie believes this is who he learned his competitive mindset from. He got an advantageous early start in weight training at the age of 14 and responded well to lifting. Continuously getting bigger and stronger it was only a matter of time before he would be out to test his strength in the competition arena. He decided to enter his first strongman contest in Autumn 2007.
“The Beast” Goes from Strength to Strength
He had his eyes set on the World’s Strongest Man competition early on, so Eddie set out to prove himself in his chosen sport. His consistently hard and heavy training built a seemingly indestructible body prepared to lift anything. His list of competition titles gradually grew. Winning the UK’s Strongest Man six times and Britain’s Strongest Man five times were brilliant highlights of his career. It was in 2017 that Eddie finally beat the best of the best to earn the title that all strongmen covet: The World’s Strongest Man.
His astounding 500kg deadlift is undoubtedly the achievement that has made him a household name
Being the first human ever to pull half a ton from the ground has drawn lots of attention to him and earned him superstar status. Eddie is certainly no stranger to breaking deadlift records though. He broke a record in the partial deadlift in 2017 by lifting 536kg. Fellow strongman Mark Felix teamed up with Eddie in 2016 to break the two man deadlift record with 850kg. Years’ of heavy deadlifts have given him superior grip strength and he added yet another record to his collection when he got the gold bar pinch lift record in a hand strength competition in 2016. And to satisfy anyone who wants to question what his best bench press is, a huge 300kg is the answer.
Eddie’s Brutal Training
With a brutal training regime like Eddie’s, a high calorie diet is paramount. He’d sometimes consume over 12000 calories which means he was eating more in one day than the average man does in four or five days. Eating 8 or 9 times in a 24 hour period, including setting his alarm to wake up in the middle of the night to eat, was necessary to get sufficient proteins, fats and carbs. Even in the gym there was no rest from feeding his body; in his autobiography (well worth a read by the way) Eddie says he ate lumps of steak in the gym between each lift.
After the World’s Strongest Man…
It’s nearly two years since his WSM win and Eddie seems to be just as driven as ever. His incredible achievements have put him in a position where the world is now his oyster. He’s toured the UK to share his strongman stories with audiences, and made numerous appearances on television such as British favourites “The Chase” and “This Morning”. Many musclemen have went on to get roles in the movies and Eddie has this dream too. Looking at his physique, it’s clear that he’s putting big efforts into shaping and sculpting it. He’s looking in great condition. Who knows, maybe we’ll see him on the bodybuilding stage one day?
