The biggest bodybuilders in the world: ranking of the best athletes in history

Author: Varvara Lyutova

August 30, 2016 08:27

Tags: Sports weight lifting the strongest barbell  

79733

16

These guys are the strongest people on the planet, surprising the world with lifting huge weights and other evidence of their incredible power. Let's find out the names of people from whom hooligans in a dark alley should not ask for a smoke!


0

See all photos in the gallery

Bill Kazmaier


0
Source:

American Bill Kazmaier was born in 1953. He won the World's Strongest Man competition three times and twice became the World Powerlifting Federation world champion. In his youth, Bill attended the University of Wisconsin, but dropped out to become more active in lifting weights. Today Kazmaier retired from sports. He lives with his wife and son in Alabama and runs his own fitness club, SWAT.

×

Mustafa Ismail

Mustafa has much larger biceps than most men's waist.

Ismail entered the Guinness Book of Records as the man with the largest biceps in the world. The Egyptian bodybuilder, who also takes drugs to increase muscle mass, is not popular in the sports community, but he is not shy about showing off his massive arms.

In addition to two workouts a day, Ismail allegedly eats 1 kg of chicken, 500 grams of steak or fish and drinks about three liters of protein shakes per day.

Zodiac signs that can receive both money and love from March 21 to April 15

Capricorn's partner will open up to him from an unexpected side: horoscope for March 15 - 21

Mousse dessert with grapefruit flavor: how to prepare an unusual treat

Diet, training and medications have helped Ismail achieve the results he wants, and he doesn't care that he doesn't have a following in the bodybuilding community.

Vasily Alekseev


0
Source:

Born in 1942 in a village near Ryazan, Alekseev trained on his own for many years: there were no weightlifting coaches in his small homeland. The result was impressive: Alekseev is the holder of 80 world records in weightlifting! During the period from 1970 to 1978, he did not lose a single competition. He was awarded the title of Olympic champion twice and became world champion eight times. For several years in a row he was officially named the strongest man on the planet.

Ernestine Shepherd

Who said you have to be young to become a bodybuilder? Most 80-year-old grandmothers spend their days watching TV and knitting sweaters, but Ernestine Shepherd prefers to spend her time at the gym.

She turned 81 last year and is still working as a personal trainer, fitness model and competitive bodybuilder. What to add to add an extra level of madness to her story? She didn't even train until she was 56 years old, and the woman didn't start competing as a bodybuilder until she was 71 years old.

Shepherd wakes up at 4 a.m. to run a 10-mile cross-country run before his main workout.

Victor Delamare


0
Source:

Canadian Victor Delmar, less than 170 centimeters tall and weighing 68 kilos, was mistaken by many for a weakling. But this impression was deceptive. Nature endowed Victor with an unusually strong spine and muscles of steel, thanks to which he demonstrated miracles of power. He lifted 17 adult men on his back, supported a weight of 100 kilograms with one little finger and carried a horse up the stairs. “Canadian Samson,” as the press called Victor, was engaged in wrestling and showed strength tricks only in his free time from his main duty: Victor was a policeman. And it’s unlikely that the local thugs allowed themselves to commit outrages on his site!

Athlete career

Hollands always dreamed of being a bodybuilder, however, the athlete's constitution prevented this. Terry had never seen his abs before. But as they say, water does not flow under a lying stone.

View this post on Instagram

#tbt this was when I had done my powerbuilding workout plan for a solid 4 runs through. This for me was one of my best looks. Not bodybuilder stage lean but bf% in a good place and was still very strong. This for me was the perfect balance and that was exactly what my program was designed to do. If you want to look like an athlete, be strong, conditioned and feel great then you can follow my workout plan which is available on www.terryandkate.com/shop called powerbuilding and is just £4.99. In this current climate and with everything that's going on in the world you can use my discount code terry25 and get a further 25% off an already crazy low price.

Posted by Terry Hollands (@terryhollandswsm) Oct 2, 2022 at 2:32 am PDT

According to the athlete himself, the change in qualifications was not that difficult, both physically and mentally. To transform his body, the athlete changed his training regimen and also began to adhere to a special diet, which involves a minimum amount of carbohydrates and a high protein content.

If you estimate his current mass, then he is no different from the most massive performing bodybuilders, but the giant’s strength indicators are noticeably higher than other bodybuilders.

View this post on Instagram

A year ago today I got to get on stage in my first ever bb show and had the honor of doing a posedown with a top ifbb Pro and rising star @ifbbpro_samsondauda Great memories and something I will do again in the future

Posted by Terry Hollands (@terryhollandswsm) Aug 4, 2022 at 1:04 am PDT

Mark Henry


0
Source:

Mark Henry is a star of the famous wrestling company WWE and one of the few athletes in the world who has achieved outstanding results in several strength sports at once - wrestling, powerlifting and weightlifting. Henry is the 2011 world heavyweight champion in wrestling, winner of the 1992 Arnold Classic strongman competition, and a member of the American weightlifting team at two Olympics - in 1992 and 1996.

Interesting Facts

  • The first exercise machines were invented in 1854. Their main importer was the Russian Empire.
  • Popular actor Sylvester Stallone began his first training not in the gym, but at the city dump, where he picked up everything he could find. The reason is lack of money to pay for the hall.
  • In 2000, they tried to assign bodybuilding the status of an Olympic sport. The Olympic Committee did not approve of this decision, but controversy surrounding this issue has not subsided for many years.

It is known that men have a natural desire to be strong, capable of protecting themselves, as well as the honor and dignity of the family. That is why men are called the stronger sex, and women are called the weaker sex. Without a doubt, physical strength combined with fortitude characterizes the image of a real man. However, the development of only muscles, and especially in such a volume, should not harm human health.

Angus MacAskill


0
Source:

Angus MacAskill, known as "Angus the Giant", was born in 1825 in a small Scottish village. His height was 2 meters 17 centimeters: MacAskill was the tallest person on Earth who did not have the gigantism gene. There were legends about his strength: they said that he could easily throw a loaded horse over a fence or single-handedly carry a ship’s anchor weighing a ton on his shoulders. In the end, he found a worthy use for his strength, hiring himself to demonstrate strength tricks in the famous Barnum circus.

Lou Ferrigno

A bodybuilder with a difficult fate. Many famous bodybuilders did not predict professional success for him. But Lou, who ranks fourth among the world's biggest bodybuilders, persistently pursued his goal and achieved success: he became Mr. Universe. As a child, he suffered from an acute form of otitis media, which could have caused him to lose his hearing. Ferrigno, who weighs 125 kg, is 197 cm tall and has biceps of 58 cm, is not only a bodybuilder, but also an actor and trainer.

Brian Shaw


0
Source:

Brian Shaw has won the World's Strongest Man competition three times and won the prestigious Arnold Classic strongman tournament once, becoming the only person in the world to win both events in the same year. Shaw is a close friend of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the author of a book on training techniques for powerlifters.

How to quickly gain muscular forms and macho sex appeal?

To get started, get off the couch and sign up for the nearest fitness center. Not nearby? And it is not necessary. I recently read a book about one of the most powerful people - a criminal who spent many years in solitary confinement in the USA, several times “successfully” escaping through bars and a cordon of prison guards. By the way, he is the author of the book. In it, he gives detailed recommendations on how, without having a single sports equipment, but only a 2 * 2.5 space, you can work wonders with your body. The strongman even considers himself stronger than Schwarzenegger. Take note.

But this approach requires work on yourself for a long time. Yes, muscles grow in volume when heavy “iron” is used, however, proper nutrition significantly speeds up the process. Success in bodybuilding largely depends on it.

So get ready to radically change the way you think about what you eat. It will take a lot of willpower to radically change some habits. In addition, remember that no two organisms are alike, so use tips and techniques wisely.

  • replace 3 meals a day with 5-6 meals a day;
  • focus on high-quality proteins and complex carbohydrates (oats, buckwheat, barley);
  • exclude everything unnatural, canned and drinks with dyes;
  • instead of sausage - a protein bar and nuts;
  • as much solid as liquid food.

Of course, these are general notes. Serious muscle building requires an equally serious approach to nutrition. Counting calories, timing meals, including shakes and sports nutrition products seems difficult at first. Time will pass and this process will be automatic.

Finally, I will say a banal phrase: “A man’s body is in his hands.” What do you think? Well, friends, this is an article about muscles. If you can add anything to it, please write in the comments. Bye everyone, Dmitry Pelin, author of the “On the Edge” project blog, was with you. If you liked the article, recommend it to your friends on social networks.

Marius Pudzianowski


0
Source:

Pudzianowski has more World's Strongest Man victories to his name than any other athlete: he has won the title five times! When, in his sixth year of participation in the tournament, Pudzianowski took second place, he immediately announced that he would no longer participate in competitions, but would concentrate entirely on martial arts training. Yes, yes, this man is also a master of karate and mixed martial arts, which, by God, is probably too much.

Jay Cutler - talented bodybuilder

Since childhood, this guy knows what physical hard work is. He worked with his father at a construction site, which was the beginning of his path to a pumped-up body. As a schoolboy I played American football. Already at 20 he became the winner of the NPC Iron Body Invitation competition. Two years later he became the first at the “Night of Champions” tournament, they paid attention to him, Cutler began training with professional bodybuilders.

In 2006, he managed to take the place of Roni Coleman, an eight-time winner of Mr. Olympia. From 1998 to 2013, he took part in bodybuilding competitions as a professional 32 times, of which he became first in 15 and second in 11. Now Cutler is the only athlete who was able to regain the Olympia title after a defeat.

Zydrunas Savickas


0
Source:

At the age of 14, Zydrunas saw Lithuanian strongman competitions on TV and decided that he would become the same. He has delivered on his promise: Savickas is a four-time World's Strongest Man winner and an eight-time Arnold Classic winner. In addition, Zydrunas is the holder of the world record for lifting a log (220 kg), and his personal record for throwing weights high with one hand is absolutely amazing: he managed to throw a weight of 25 kilos 5.2 meters up!

Hafthor Bjornson - the strongest man on the planet

Among the strongmen on the planet, Hafthor is the tallest, his height is 2 meters and 6 centimeters, and he also weighs a lot - 197.5 kg. This tall, strong and big man comes from Iceland; he inherited his considerable height. His grandfather is even taller - 207 cm, and his father - 203. The strongman’s appearance is impressive; he has huge, pumped up muscles, covered with numerous tattoos.

He started his career in basketball, which is not surprising given his high stature.

Due to an injury, I had to call it a day, Hafthor began training in the field of extreme strength training, and he managed to break several records. He is the largest Viking, he managed to accomplish the incredible - drag a huge log 10 meters long and weighing 650 kg 5 meters. This thousand-year record was broken in 2015. Bjornson managed to star in several films, including Game of Thrones.

Paul Anderson


0
Source:

Paul Anderson was born in 1932 in Georgia, the son of a farmer. In his youth, he trained in lifting weights using homemade barbells his father built for him, which were long, strong sticks with large cement pads on the ends. Paul Anderson twice won the national weightlifting championship in 1955 and 1956, won the Olympic gold medal in 1955, and the world champion title in 1956. But he himself considered his greatest achievement not to be sports awards, but to “Paul Anderson Boarding School” - a refuge for children who find themselves in difficult life situations.

Sally McNeil

Although the woman became famous for her body, the facts about her husband's murder gave her notoriety.

Delicious pancakes can be prepared using sparkling water without milk or eggs.

When choosing a seat on an airplane, Russians try to take their “favorite” seat: survey

A new filter helps you shave off your beard in photos

A former Marine, Sally McNeil was known for her aggressive antics. She was once arrested for kicking a bouncer and had many fights with her husband Ray McNeil, who was also a bodybuilder.

They both won bodybuilding competitions and were able to earn quite a tidy sum. They had something of a tumultuous relationship and fought often.

No one knows what happened on Valentine's Day 1995, but it all ended with Ray McNeil lying dead on the floor and Sally being arrested as the killer. At the time, they were both taking steroids, and this may have influenced their behavior.

Although she tried to prove that it was purely self-defense, alas, the jury found Sally guilty and convicted her in 1996.

Louis Uni


0
Source:

Louis Uni was born in France in 1862. At age 14, he ran away from home with a traveling circus to become a strongman performer. His strength was amazing: he bent coins with his fingers and held cast iron locomotive wheels above his head. In 1913, when he was already over fifty, Uni was seriously injured while demonstrating another trick. He was holding the bumpers of two cars, which were trying to move apart in different directions with their engines humming, and suddenly fell, clutching his chest. As it turned out, he had a torn muscle in his arm and a large blood vessel in his chest. However, to everyone's surprise, Uni quickly recovered from his injury and continued to perform in the arena until his death at 66 years old.

Markus Ruhl - a strong and big German beast

A professional bodybuilder from Germany is simply amazing in appearance. His huge biceps impress anyone. In 2009, he won the competition “The Most Pumped Man in the World” and won the title “The Biggest Shoulders in the History of Bodybuilding.” Marcus achieved all his achievements through hard work; he began training at the age of 19, after he was injured and could no longer play football. Although this age is considered late for starting a bodybuilding career, he took up this sport on the recommendation of a doctor. I had to endure a lot of disappointments and traumas, but that didn’t stop me.

And today Marcus continues training, remains at the top of the Olympus of bodybuilding, participates in prestigious competitions and competitions. With a relatively tall height of 177 cm, he weighs 128 kg during competitions, and during rest he allows himself to gain weight up to 130-140 kg.

Greg Kovacs


0
Source:

Greg Kovacs was an electrical engineer who gave up his career to pursue bodybuilding and powerlifting. Thanks to his impressive muscles, he was one of the most popular strongmen in the United States for many years. However, he could not concentrate on any one area, and that is why, according to experts, his athletic success was much more modest than his natural abilities allowed. Soon Kovacs quit the sport, deciding to become a strongman coach. And then he found himself, quickly gaining a reputation as a coach who can work miracles. Alas, his career was short-lived: Greg Kovacs died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 44.

8th position - Ronnie Coleman "America's Strongest Cop"

Ronnie Coleman (about whose fate you can learn more here) is an American, originally from Louisiana. The strongman was born in 1964, was fond of American football, simultaneously graduated from the University with a degree in accounting and finance, and then fulfilled his old dream by studying at the Police Academy. The athlete devoted the lion's share of his biography to maintaining order on the streets of Arlington. The villains were apparently shocked by the cop's anthropometry:

  • height - 1 m 80 cm;
  • weight - 138 and between seasons 149 kg;
  • biceps size - 61 cm;
  • sternum volume - 1 m 48 cm;
  • waist circumference - 78 cm;
  • hip - 87 cm.

The passion for bodybuilding came only as a desire to set an example to everyone of exactly what an American “policeman” should look like. And I got to the first competition in my life thanks to the light hand of the gym director. Already in 1988, Ronnie won the Olympia, and was so carried away that he lasted another 8 years on the first step, duplicating Lee Haney’s record. An interesting fact is that the champion treats bodybuilding as a hobby, believing that only official work can feed him.

Magnus Ver Magnusson


0
Source:

Magnus ver Magnusson is an Icelandic legend, an eight-time winner of the national title of top strongman and a four-time winner of the World's Strongest Man tournament. He began powerlifting in 1994, and already in 1995 he won gold medals at the World and European Championships for the Russian youth team. Now Magnus is 53, and he has long retired from professional sports. Instead, he opened the Giant's Nest gym in Reykjavik, which is very popular among powerlifters.

Becca Swanson is the most pumped up and strongest woman on the planet

Among the strongest and most pumped up people in the world there is also a woman who managed to win many awards in the field of powerlifting. To this day, she is the only representative of the fair sex who was able to squat a weight of 387 kg. In the deadlift she lifts 310 kg, in the bench press 270. Even many men will envy such achievements.

Her career in bodybuilding started in 1996, after which Becca began taking part in various international competitions, becoming the strongest woman on the planet. Becky's external data is amazing for a female; with a height of 178 cm, she weighs 110 kg, her shoulder length is 140 cm, and her biceps girth is 46. Today, Swanson is 45 years old and continues her career in sports. In the professional league, WFW has been in the top three for a long time, and has been among the ten most powerful people in the world for a long time.

Louis Cyr


0
Source:

He is called the strongest man in history. Louis Cyr was amazing with his power: he held a weight of 250 kilograms with his little finger, lifted a platform with 18 adult men, carried a loaded horse in his hands and held a load weighing three tons on his back. Sire even had a chance to perform in front of Queen Victoria, demonstrating to her a trick during which he held the reins of four horses rushing to freedom. He died at 49 from kidney problems and is still considered undefeated.

How do ordinary people feel about pumped up muscles?

Have your say. I looked up some statistics and found out that 50% of people think huge muscles are beautiful and a man is masculine. The other 50% are not enthusiastic about this physique.

Imagine a young teacher at a university giving a lecture, and his muscles are flexing under his shirt. What will female students think about? Yes, about the same thing. There will definitely be no problems with attendance here.

And the opposite effect will be caused by a trainer in a fitness club who has ordinary arms instead of muscles. It turns out that everything in life is interconnected - work, appearance, body, attention of others, relationships.

I often see a frail guy walking around, no hobbies, no girlfriend. There are people like him all around. They enjoy drinking beer and doing nothing together. Some kind of push and the guy switches to the gym. You won't know in six months. You look, and the girl is spinning around with him. I'll turn to the girls. Who does your gaze stop at - an ordinary young man or a sexy macho? You don't have to answer. 99% of the answers will be in favor of the second.

I looked at Wikipedia to find out about macho. It turns out macho is a bull. And the man is a sexual aggressor. Isn't it a mistake? Today's machos are of a softer character, and most of them are purposefully engaged in creating such an image. Or I'm wrong?

The search engine returned the following photos of macho men:

Exactly, not aggressors, but external sexuality is associated with a muscular body.

Largest natural biceps

Greg Kovacs at the peak of his career had biceps of 65 cm. Before joining bodybuilding, the Canadian had a choice - to play football or hockey. But the interest in bodybuilding was stronger, so at the age of 20 the young man made his debut in a pitching competition. The first performance was unsuccessful: the 130-kilogram Kovacs lost to a guy who weighed 85 kg. Greg was inferior in definition and posed awkwardly on stage.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Arnold Strong (@thearchivesofbodybuilding)

Photo: Greg Kovacs
Kovacs won the Canadian national championship and competed in the Night of Champions and Arnold Classic competitions. The athlete’s life was cut short at the age of 44 in 2013.

In the 1990s, a native of Nigeria, Victor Richards, showed promise. The athlete was called the greatest bodybuilder in history. Victor, with a height of 175 cm, weighed 135 kg, which was considered unusual in the late 1980s. The volume of the Nigerian's biceps, which he pumped naturally, was 64 cm. Body industry officials expected Richards to become a new sports star. But Victor did not realize his potential, remaining a “gray horse”.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @body.building.old.new.school

Photo: Victor Richards

Top 10 most powerful people in the world in the history of mankind

1 Long-lived and vegetarian Joe Rollino

He was the oldest strongman on the planet. At the age of 104 he was able to bend a coin with his fingers! Since the age of 20, Joe did not eat meat, did not drink alcoholic beverages, did not smoke, and had a sporty lifestyle. Despite the fact that Joe did not differ in athletic parameters (height 165 cm, weight 68 kg), his strength was truly incredible. "Baby Dandy" remained unbeaten in his weight class in boxing matches. In 1920 he lifted 1454 kg. Joe was not only a strongman, but also a boxer, a war veteran, an athlete and a Brooklyn legend. Having survived World War II, he could lift a weight of 215 kg with his teeth, and a weight of 290 kg with just one finger.

See photos of this strong man

2 Alexander Zassa

It’s not for nothing that he was dubbed Iron Samson - after all, he fell under a truck, but remained alive! A native of Lithuania also could not boast of outstanding physical skills. parameters: height 167.5 cm, and maximum weight – 75 kg. In order to strengthen the tendons, Zass developed his own training method. Fame came to Alexander during the First World War. Having escaped from captivity, he managed to carry a wounded horse on himself. Later he performed with the Hungarian circus, demonstrating extraordinary tricks: he carried a horse or a piano around the arena with two girls; caught a cannonball weighing 90 kilograms fired from a cannon from a distance of 8 m; held on his body a cobblestone weighing 0.5 tons, which they hit with sledgehammers, while Alexander lay on nails driven into the board.

Strong photo of Alexander

3 Yakub Chekhovskaya

The name of the famous hero and circus weightlifter is now almost forgotten. Jakuba Chekhovskaya, already in his teens, entertained his friends by holding an iron beam on his shoulders with two guys holding on to its ends and spinning them around, as if on a carousel. An incident helped him become famous: in the Warsaw circus, Ciniselli announced: if one of the spectators lasts at least 5 minutes in sparring with a wrestler, he will receive a substantial prize. To the amazement of the audience, it took the unknown guy less than 3 minutes to defeat the professional wrestler, putting him on his shoulder blades. The next morning, all the newspapers in Warsaw trumpeted about such a sensation, and Yakuba received offers from circus entrepreneurs. Subsequently, Chekhovskoy was awarded a gold belt for carrying six strong men in a circle with one hand.

Photo of a strong wrestler

4 Arnold Schwarzenegger

Started strength training at the age of 15. Schwarzenegger became Mr. Olympia in 5 years, although other athletes took an average of 10 years to achieve this. Arnold is the youngest Mr. Universe, and the title of Mr. Olympia belonged to Arnold 7 times. Since the 70s, he has starred in spectacular films that are so popular with all viewers.

Photo in strong youth

5 Zydrunas Savickas

Lithuanian Zydrunas Savickas is the strongest on the planet (according to 2009). The weight of this weightlifter is 180 kg with a height of 191 cm. 523 kg is the weight of the barbell that the athlete lifted in 2014 at the Arnold Strongman Classic. Zydrunas continues to work out now, and not only in the gym: he ties ropes to cars and rolls them around the yard. One of his cars, the Nissan Pathfinder, weighs 2.2 tons.

See photo

6 Vasily Virastyuk

A native of Ivano-Frankivsk, Vasily Virastyuk has been involved in weightlifting since he was 10 years old. In 2004, he became officially the strongest in the world.

In addition, he holds a number of Ukrainian records:

  • he independently pulled a train weighing 101.5 tons;
  • in a minute he moved a couple of 10 cars by 18.5 meters;
  • in 60 seconds he managed to lift and install 4 ice cubes weighing 0.6 tons to a height of 1.3 meters.

It should be noted that no one had worked with ice before Virastyuk.

Strong record in the photo

7 Vasily Alekseev

An outstanding weightlifter of the Soviet period. A two-time Olympic champion, he has 81 Soviet Union records and 80 world records. The Russian Bear spent his childhood in the Arkhangelsk region. Helping to raft wood during school holidays, Vasily lifted heavy logs and so gradually moved on to weightlifting. Interesting fact: for a long time Vasily trained completely independently. At the age of nineteen, he already became a master of sports, lifting a total weight of 315 kilograms. Vasily is the “eternal” holder of the world record for three exercises - 645 kg (such competitions are not held now). It was Alekseev who became the first “six hundred”, conquering the peak of 600 kg.

Photo by Vasily Alekseev

8 Pole Mariusz Zbigniew Pudzianowski

Five-time winner of the World's Strongest Man competition, the strongest man in the world in 2006 – 2007.

See photo

9 Bruce Wilhelm

He is also a twice-titled world strongman: the first time in 1977, and the second time exactly one year later. Then he contributed in every possible way to organizing the Strongman competitions and wrote a lot of books and articles on weightlifting.

Photo

10 Raivis Vidzis

The strongman rightfully held the title of the strongest man in Latvia (2000 – 2003). He was a Strongman Cub winner in 2004 and 2005. Physical data (Raivis's height is 184 cm, weight - 133 kilograms) allow the athlete to move heavy trucks, lift cobblestones weighing about 180 kg, move 400 kg tires and even heavier barrels.

The most powerful - the strongest kick in football

The strongest football kick belongs to the excellent football player and one of the most handsome men in the world, David Beckham. Back in 1997, the ball flew into the Chelsea goal at a speed of about 156 km per hour, and the goalkeeper, after such a powerful blow, could only throw up his hands. The famous football player ended his sports career on May 16, 2013.

Rating
( 1 rating, average 5 out of 5 )
Did you like the article? Share with friends:
For any suggestions regarding the site: [email protected]
Для любых предложений по сайту: [email protected]