Top most powerful people on the planet. The strongest man in the world in history (photo)

Strong people, strongmen, always and undeniably cause admiration. Needless to say that everyone wants to have a strong friend, and girls even dream of a strong man nearby. But these people are not just strong - they are the strongest people on the planet. They amazed millions of people with their records and tricks, which will forever remain in history along with the names of the heroes who became the best of the best. The strength and power that mankind never ceases to be amazed at.
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The person who opens this list was not just the strongest. Joe Rollino, or Baby Dundee as he was called, was the oldest strongman on the planet. Joe did not live up to his 105th birthday in just a few months. Throughout his life, Rollino was a staunch vegetarian and not. But this is not why he appeared here - this man shocked the world with his incredible strength. Baby Dundee remained undefeated in both legal and illegal boxing matches. With a height of 165 cm and a weight of 68 kg, Joe defeated opponents from a completely different weight category. With just one finger, he could hold a weight of about three hundred kilograms. And world fame came to Joe Rollino after he lifted almost half a ton off the ground, it was for this that in 1920 he was named the strongest man in the world. No one believed his age - despite the fact that Joe lived to be a hundred years old and did not even wear a hearing aid. On his 104th birthday, Rollino delighted guests with a coin-bending trick. And at the moment when this amazing man was overtaken by an old woman with a scythe, he was going to buy another newspaper, but was hit by a car.

2

The man who went down in history as a madman who lay down under a truck loaded with coal and survived! It happened in 1938 in Sheffield (England). So the world learned about Alexander Zass, who was immediately called the iron Samson. Alexander did not differ in body parameters -167 centimeters in height and 80 kilograms in weight. Rather modest parameters were extremely deceptive - for most of his life, Zass worked for more than half a century in a circus, where he carried a piano with girls around the arena, caught a cannonball from a circus cannon, lifted a horse, broke chains with his fingers, hammered nails with his palm. And all this is the result of long training, hard work on oneself and, of course, good heredity. Zass participated in the First World War - he carried several people out of the bullets, once he even carried a wounded horse. After the war in England, he showed the public a number - Zass lifted a metal beam with his teeth, caught on a crane and transferred it to the top of the building. But if the strongman had dropped the beam, the audience, most likely, would not have survived.

3

Another unique strongman on our list is Yakub Chekhovskaya. He was awarded an honorary gold belt for carrying six people in a circle on one arm alone, or rather 6 adult men - a soldier of the Guards Regiment. After that, Yakuba repeatedly demonstrated this number to the general public. In addition to him, his repertoire included a gymnastic bridge (plus 10 people on top), holding a platform with an orchestra on his chest (by the way, 30 musicians) or an I-beam (20 people on each side bent its ends to the ground). But most of all, the audience was not struck by these tricks, but by a sentimental moment when three trucks drove along the platform installed on Yakuba's chest. And not empty, but with the public! After each such number, it seemed that this person would not be able to rise, it is simply impossible! But he got up and received a standing ovation.

4

Undoubtedly, the most famous strongman is Arnold Schwarzenegger. His strength training began at the age of 15, and very soon he began to earn his first awards, including the titles of "Mr. Olympia" (as many as 7 times!) And "Mr. Universe". In the 70s, Arnold began acting in films, demonstrating a beautiful body and incredible strength. Interestingly, in his entire career, Schwarzenegger played bad guys only twice. Can anyone imagine someone else as Terminator or Conan the Barbarian? Impossible! Despite the fact that the power career of Arnold Schwarzenegger ended 10 years after the start of his film career, he will forever remain the strongest and most recognizable bodybuilder.

This man holds the title of the strongest in the world according to 2009. For the Lithuanian Zydrunas, this was far from the first victory, but definitely the most important one. As a child, he was taller and stronger than the rest, and later began to engage in power triathlon. First, he improved the Lithuanian records, and later reached the world records. Participation in the Strongest championship almost became his last - severe injuries to both knees, no one believed in him anymore. But he believed in himself, and therefore it took him less than a year to recover, and then he won one of the national championships. Gradually, he took a leading position, and along with the title of the most powerful man in the world, he received Hammer.

6

This man took up weightlifting very early - already at the age of 10, gradually the decision came to connect his life with sports. After the technical school of physical education and military service, Vasily became a coach in one of the sports clubs. He received the title of Master of Sports, and three years later he confirmed it at the international level. Later, he received the title of the most powerful man on the planet, this happened in 2004, and three years later he won it again. Vasily Virastyuk clearly demonstrated his strength when he moved 7 cars, put ice cubes of 150 kg each on almost one and a half meter pedestals and pulled 5 tram cars, the total weight of which was a hundred tons. Respect to Vasily and two photos.

7

And now let's turn to the Soviet Union - weightlifter Vasily Alekseev excelled here with outstanding strength. He has 81 USSR records and one less world records. Vasily became the world champion eight times, and still no one can repeat some of his achievements. Then he bore the title of the most powerful man on the planet, albeit unofficially. Later, he left his career and moved to Shakhty, where he worked for a long time as the director of the Children's and Youth Weightlifting School.

8 Bruce Wilhelm, Raivis Vidzis, Mariusz Pudzianowski

Why did three people share the eighth place at once? All of them received the title of "The Strongest Man in the World" twice! The first is Bruce Wilhelm, he received this title back in 1977, and a year later he confirmed it. After that, he judged these competitions and helped in their organization. Raivis Vidzis received this title in 2004 and 2005 according to the World Strongman Cup Federation. In addition, from 2000 to 2003 Vidzis was the strongest man in Latvia. In 2006 and 2007, Mariusz Pudzianowski was the strongest man in the world - this is only according to the Strongman Cup, while Mariusz won countless times in other similar competitions.

9

Of course, the youngest on this list is Bruce Khlebnikov. Now the guy is only 23 years old, and he has already set more than three dozen records! From a very early age, Bruce showed simply breathtaking results. For example, at the age of 8 it was not difficult for him to tear the book, gradually their thickness reached seven hundred pages. By the age of 11, he could already move a fighter jet and a 38-ton crane, lift 240 tons on a hanging twine. This was followed by tearing 365 tear-off calendars in an hour and a half, and then 500 pieces in 38 minutes. Bruce moved the steamer with his hair, dragged two tram cars, and then dragged a 14-ton boat 15 meters, moved a 17-ton bus. His records are incredible and are already listed in the Guinness Book of Records - and the guy is still so young!

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And finally, the only woman on the list is Becca Swenson. Yes, do not be surprised, there are women who cannot be called weak. They can not only compete with men - they compete with the strongest men. And who said that only a man can be the strongest person? It is much more difficult for a woman to be strong, she needs titanic work on herself. However, this does not stop some, so Becca Swenson rightfully won the title the strongest woman on the planet. She holds several world records. She came to powerlifting from bodybuilding, apparently, this was a good decision.

Strength and power - that's what has always surprised, inspired and caused a stream of inspiration in mankind. Strong people or, as they are also called, strongmen, no doubt deserve your attention, because this is not only a standard of strength, but also an example of endurance, perseverance and incredible faith.

Especially if this fact concerns the male half of our society: the ideal of all girls is a strong and reliable man who could protect his soul mate from all the hardships and difficulties of life.

Today we will talk not just about the strong, but about the most powerful men on the planet, whose names will forever remain in the memory of their fans and millions of other people. These people amazed with their deeds, tricks and records, they managed to become the best of the best, and therefore undoubtedly deserve respect.

1. Joe Rollino

We open our top 10 from the oldest and most amazing strongman on the planet, who was called Baby Dundee. This man managed to live 104 years, and on his last birthday, he managed to please the guests with an impressive coin-bending trick.

Joe did not drink alcohol and was a vegetarian, who knows, maybe to some extent because of this, he managed to shake the whole world with his incredible strength. World fame came to Joe Rollino after he managed to lift about half a ton from the ground, for which he received in 1920 the title of the strongest man in the world.

1. Eugene Sandow

It is this person who is called the ancestor of bodybuilding, despite the fact that at the time when he was doing this, there were no such competitions and directions in sports. Eugene was born in 1867, was half German, but took his mother's surname for a sports career.

Did you know that the gilded figurine with the image of a bodybuilder, which is awarded to the first bodybuilders of the world, is a figurine that depicts Eugene Sandow? At the beginning of the last century, he was awarded the title of "professor" of physical education and, as we have already said, became the founders of the sport, which is now considered one of the most masculine.

1. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Perhaps this person does not need advertising or any special introduction, because, in fact, this is a man of the era! Active strength training of a young man began at the age of 15, and soon he began to earn such prestigious titles and awards as "Mr. Universe" or "Mr. Olympia".

Despite the fact that Schwarzenegger's power career ended quite a long time ago, today he still remains the most striking and recognizable bodybuilder of our time.

1. Sergio Oliva

The Cuban hero, who already at the age of 20 managed to acquire the title of the most promising bodybuilder of his time.

Immediately after that, Sergio immigrated to the United States, where his active strongman career began: he edited his training system and managed to get in such a shape that he shocked even Schwarzenegger himself, who at that time was still very young. He is a three-time champion of the Mr. Olympia competition.

1. Steve Reeves

The famous "Hercules", as well as a wonderful actor in many more roles, Steve Reeves, is not only a successful movie star, but also the youngest bodybuilder in the history of bodybuilding. Despite the fact that the young man was not predicted a brilliant future in the field of physical culture, Steve managed to win the title of "World Champion" in the 48th year of the last century, and after 2 years, "Mr. Universe".

1. Vasily Alekseev

There were enough strongmen on the territory of the former Soviet Union, and among them is Vasily Alekseev, who holds 81 records within the USSR and only 1 less records around the world. By the way, no one has been able to repeat some of his achievements and tricks so far. At that time, although not officially, Vasily bore the title of the most powerful man on the planet.

1. Dorian Yates

Surprisingly, this man did not always dream of the future of a bodybuilder, he was once a skinhead and even spent half a year in a correctional facility.

However, a few years later, the young man became the best Champion of Britain, subsequently receives the title of "Mr. Olympia", where he performed with a serious injury and, as a result, ends his career as a bodybuilder.

1. Vasily Virastyuk

In 2004, he confirmed the title of the strongest man on the planet at the world level, and just three years later he won it again. In front of the discouraged spectators, Vasily managed to move a load from place to place, the total weight of which was about a hundred tons!

1. Franco Colombo

Surprisingly, the Italian Franco got into the world of big sport, and, specifically, bodybuilding, thanks to his chance acquaintance with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Although he was not as powerful as a Hollywood star, Franco managed to win a number of his victories: he became “Mr. Olympia” after a severe knee injury, from which he managed to recover thanks to a program that he himself developed.

1. Bruce Khlebnikov

Without a doubt, Bruce is the youngest in our top, because he is only 25 years old today. However, in such a short period of his life, he managed to achieve breathtaking results, and most of his records are listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

For example, one of them: drag a boat weighing 14 tons on the hair for a distance of 15 meters, and then move a 17-ton bus! But Bruce is still so young and we hope that he has everything ahead of him.

In fairy tales, legends and epics, heroes are often the main characters. But it turns out that they exist not only in fairy tales. They are among us too. Who are these rich people? At different times over the centuries, the most powerful people on the planet (for their time) lived. Today, it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to the question of who is the strongest person in the world. Consider who claims this title.

Zydrunas Savickas - 2-time world champion

At the World's Strongest Man tournaments in 2009 and 2010, a resident of Lithuania became the winner. Since the age of 15, he has been involved in sports requiring strength training.

He has several records to his credit:

• weighing 425.5 kilograms;
• push-ups in the prone position with a weight of 285.5 kilograms;
• pulling 462 kilograms;
• lifting 1090 kilograms.

Winners of recent competitions

In 2011 and 2013, American Brian Shaw won first place in the World's Strongest Man competition. In 2012, this title was given to Pole Christoph Radzikowski.

80 records of Vasily Alekseev

Often the strongest man on Earth is called the Soviet weightlifter Vasily Ivanovich Alekseev, who lived for 69 years. He has 80 world records in his arsenal. Vasily Alekseev - Olympic medalist in 1972 and 1976, world, European and USSR champion.

Vasily Virastyuk - the strongest man in the world in 2004

The title of the strongest may well deservedly belong to the Ukrainian Vasily Virastyuk. In 2003, he won third place in the World's Strongest Man tournament, and in 2004 he became the winner of this competition. He won international power all-around competitions. Vasily Virastyuk pulled 7 cars with a total weight of 11 tons over a distance of 25 meters and five connected tram cars weighing 101.5 tons.

Records of Dmitry Khaladzhi

Ukrainian Dmitry Khaladzhi set several records that were entered in the Guinness Book. He was distinguished by great strength in childhood. At the age of 17, Dmitry could lift cars, break iron chains, bend horseshoes and hammer nails with his hands. Thanks to his strength, the Ukrainian hero has repeatedly acted as a rescuer. He pulled the victims out of emergency vehicles, arching the door, hood and engine. Dmitry Khaladzhi made his first record in the Moscow circus, dedicating it to Donbass coal miners. The hero lifted a 152-kilogram stone, processed in the form of a coal block, over his head and broke the record made back in the 6th century BC by the ancient athlete Bibon. He lifted a 143-kilogram stone over his head. Dmitry's second record was called the "Devil's Forge". In this number, the hero lies on nails and 3 blocks of concrete are placed on his chest. Then these blocks are broken by assistants. Dmitry Khaladzhi is distinguished not only by iron strength, but also by iron will. Having received significant burns in childhood, he underwent 8 operations and 12. Below you will see a photo of the strongest person.

Yuri Vlasov - 4-time world champion

Another Ukrainian strongman, Yuri Petrovich Vlasov, has been fond of lifting the barbell since childhood. He set 31 world records and 41 records. In addition, Yuri Vlasov is a 4-time world champion, 6-time European champion, 5-time USSR champion and 1960 Olympic champion. He won these titles for 7 years in a row. And at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, he became the second, which led to the departure of Vlasov from the sport. The Ukrainian hero lifted a weight of 172 kilograms in a jerk, 215 kilograms in a push, and 199 kilograms in a bench press.

Strongmen Anthony Clarke and John Wooten

The strongest man is also called the Filipino Anthony Clark, who squatted with a weight of 363 kilograms. John Wooten of Massachusetts also claims the title of "World's Strongest Man". He pulled a boat against the current, a train weighing 280 tons and an elephant, and held 2 aircraft.

John Poltrath - man who survived quartering

The title of "The Strongest Man on the Planet" deservedly belongs to John Poltrat. This strong man, quartered, was able to survive by holding the horses.

Alexander Zass - another hero

The strongest woman

American Jen Suffolk Todd is considered the most world. She lifted a weight of 453 kilograms.

Since 1977, every athlete who wanted to compete for the title of "The Strongest Man on the Planet" participated in the show of the same name (World's Strongest Man). Similar competitions were also held by the International Federation of Strength Athletes (IFSA) and at the Arnold Sports Festival.

But still, due to the diversity of species, it is not possible to determine a single champion, everywhere fans recognize only the winner of their direction or organization. For example, powerlifting fans consider the strongest man in the world to be Ed Cohen, who set the maximum records for his own weight; or the much bigger Andy Bolton - the absolute maximum. Strongman fans will name three-time world champion Bill Kazmaier or five-time Mariusz Pudzianowski (pictured above).

All the athletes listed here, of course, deserve to be called the strongest, but only one should remain. To determine the champion, we turned to the person who knows the most about power competition: Dr. Terry Todd. He was not only the winner of the first national eventing competitions in America (in 1964 and 1965), but also a powerlifter, who first collected record amounts of 1600 pounds (726 kg), 1700 (771 kg), 1800 (817 kg) and 1900 (862 kg). He is also one of the organizers of the Arnold Strongman Classic tournament and director of the world's largest museum of physical culture and sports (Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports) at the University of Texas. We turned to his extensive collection and examined the documented strength records of all time.

Of course, it is not so easy to compare the achievements of athletes from different eras: firstly, pharmaceuticals are used today that were clearly not available to the French "Apollo" Louis Yuni. Secondly, as Todd notes, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, strongmen did not have the opportunity to constantly train, but only showed their achievements in infrequent performances. Although the spectators were amazed by the unprecedented power, it was developed only by these rare demonstrations - there were no training systems. So we not only considered recorded records, but also took into account some potential. Okay, enough introductions, let's find out the name of the most powerful person on the planet!

No. 10 among the most powerful people on the planet

Brian Shaw, strongman.

Year and place of birth: 1982, USA.

Height: 203 cm.

Weight: 197 kg.

The show, who started his sports career in basketball, was seven times in the top three finalists of the World's Strongest Man and won there four times (2011, 2013, 2015, 2016). Among his competitive records are a deadlift of 441 kg and a deadlift with Hummer wheels of 521.5 kg (in straps). The best results in the gym are squat 410.5 kg, bench press 242.5 and deadlift 447 (in straps).

No. 9 among the most powerful people on the planet

Leonid Taranenko, weightlifter.

Year and place of birth: 1956, USSR.

Height: 180 cm.

Weight: 118 kg.

Taranenko set a world record in clean and jerk (266 kg) and combined total (475 kg) back in 1988. Due to the revision of the weight categories by the International Weightlifting Federation, Taranenko's achievements are now replaced by others, but any weightlifter still respects him. What do you think, is it easy to squeeze out the lying neck, on which there are 6 twenties on each side? And imagine that you are lifting so much above your head - this is power!

No. 8 among the most powerful people on the planet

Andy Bolton, powerlifter.

Year and place of birth: 1970, England.

Height: 183 cm.

Weight: 159 kg.

Briton Bolton was the first in history to lift 1,000 pounds (454 kg) in deadlift. Then he broke his record twice in competitions: 455 and 457 kg. He also ranks 4th in the world in squatting (550.5 kg) and 3rd with a total (1273 kg). Andy said that he dreams of collecting a record amount of 3000 pounds (1361 kg), which so far no one in the world has succeeded.

No. 7 among the most powerful people on the planet

Brian Siders, powerlifter.

Year and place of birth: 1978, USA.

Height: 188 cm.

Weight: 157 kg.

Siders excelled in all competitive powerlifting moves: max squat 462kg, bench press 362kg, deadlift 392kg and best total 1202kg. Speaking in unequipped competitions, he benched 295 kg and deadlifted 381. These records were set without the use of auxiliary means, thanks to outstanding genetics and brutal work in the gym.

No. 6 among the most powerful people on the planet

Louis Yuni, strongman.

Time and place of residence: 1862-1928, France.

Height: 191 cm.

Weight: 118 kg.

The achievements of the French strongman, nicknamed the Mighty Apollo by his contemporaries, are difficult to compare with today's records; then there were no professional judges, power tricks were more often described by ordinary spectators. Louis was known for his outstanding grip strength, lifting and pushing a railway axle with a pair of 118 kg wheels (the "Apollo Axle"). Also - unlike modern giants - Louis Yuni was in excellent physical shape and was engaged in wrestling.

No. 5 among the most powerful people on the planet

Vasil Virastyuk, strongman.

Year and place of birth: 1974, USSR (Ukraine).

Height: 191 cm.

Weight: 145 kg.

Virastyuk became the first winner in two competitions - World's Strongest Man (2004) and the IFSA World Championship (2007). In addition, the Ukrainian strongman took second place three times at the Arnold Strongman Classic tournament (2005-2007). Now forty-year-old Virastyuk is taking a break from competition, but his records are still inspiring.

No. 4 among the most powerful people on the planet

Paul Anderson, weightlifter, powerlifter.

Time and place of residence: 1932-1994, USA.

Height: 175 cm.

Weight: 159 kg.

Paul Anderson's name is the most controversial on this list; while some people consider him the world's greatest strongman, others are skeptical. There is still debate whether he really squatted with 1200 pounds (544 kg), but Dr. Todd saw with his own eyes how Paul squatted 8 times with 700 (317 kg). And this at a time when the official world record (1RM) was slightly higher! In weightlifting, Anderson won a gold medal at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.

No. 3 among the most powerful people on the planet

Bill Kazmaier, powerlifter, strongman .

Year and place of birth: 1953, USA.

Height: 191 cm.

Weight: 150 kg.

Bill is considered by many to be the strongest of the strongest, and it's hard to argue with that. Having become a three-time WSM champion (1980, 1981, 1982), he was removed from the 1983 championship by the organizers - with his participation, no one else had a chance. Bill was the first in history to lift all five McGlashen stones (from 90 to 160 kg). His 300-pound bench press could not be interrupted by anyone for many years. If not for the subsequent rupture of the pectoral muscle, Bill would have possibly surpassed this record himself. And his triathlon total of 1100kg (completed in 1981) is still unsurpassed in raw powerlifting - no bench shirt or squat suit.

No. 2 among the most powerful people on the planet

Mark Henry, weightlifter, powerlifter, strongman, wrestler.

Year and place of birth: 1971, USA.

Height: 193 cm.

Weight: 187 kg.

Mark is a unique athlete who simultaneously became the US champion in weightlifting and powerlifting. But Dr. Todd believes that Mark Henry had incredible potential and could have impressed us even more if he had not switched to wrestling (WWE). So he may well claim to be the strongest man in history. If it wasn't for the next...

No. 1 among the most powerful people on the planet

Zydrunas Savickas, powerlifter, strongman.

Year and place of birth: 1975, USSR (Lithuania).

Height: 191 cm.

Weight: 181 kg.

In our opinion, he is the strongest athlete of all time. Savickas was the champion of the Arnold Strongman Classic tournament 8 times (2003-2008, 2014, 2016), where strength records are recorded more strictly than at WSM. In 2005, he broke three world records by winning the IFSA World Championship. In 2002, 2004 and 2005, Savickas finished second in the WSM, usually excelling in pure strength and losing in tasks that required speed and agility. In 2009, he managed to win, which he repeated several more times (2010, 2012, 2014). In 2015, Savickas set a world record in the log press - 228 kg, in addition to his collection: raw squat 399 kg, deadlift 430 kg, bench press 286 kg.

Physically strong people have always attracted everyone's attention and admiration. For girls - this is the ideal of a real and unique man, for guys - an object for worthy imitation, for the elderly - an indispensable assistant and protector. In our article we will try to figure out who is the most powerful person in the world.

We present to your attention the TOP 10 strongest people on the planet.

10th place. Becca Swenson

This woman is hard to attribute to the weaker sex of humanity, because she can easily cope with several adult and strong men. The American athlete has long been the proud title of "the strongest woman on the planet." She holds many powerlifting records, including world ones. It is quite difficult to believe that she was able to master the weight that many men cannot lift. However, more about everything.

In 1996, Becca began bodybuilding, and later realized that she wanted to devote herself to powerlifting. As subsequent events showed, this choice turned out to be more than correct. In 2002, the girl was already demonstrating her abilities with might and main at the competition "the strongest woman."

With a weight of 110 kg and a height of 1 meter 78 cm, Becca broke the record. After all, she managed to lift a barbell weighing 387 kg in the squat, 310 kg in the deadlift, and 270 kg in the bench press.

Now the woman is already well over 30, but she actively continues to do her favorite thing.

9th place. Mark Henry

This man is also worthy of the title "the strongest man in the world." Mark Henry is a powerlifter, weightlifter, wrestler, Olympian and film actor. To this day, he continues to do his favorite thing - he conquers previously unattainable peaks.

In 1992, Mark took 10th place at the Olympic Games in the weightlifting competition. Four years later, he tried his hand again, but only reached 14th place. In the Pan American Games, the weightlifter won a silver medal.

In 2002, Mark defeated Randy Orton and became the new heavyweight champion. Later, this most powerful man in the world defended his title several times, fighting Big Show. Their last fight ended with Henry disqualified for hitting an opponent in the groin. After some time, Daniel Bryan called him to the fight, but Mark again turned out to be unshakable and won the title. In 2011, in a fight with Big Show, Henry lost, and his opponent got the title of champion.

8th place. Jon Paul Sigmarsson

Jon Paul Sigmarsson was awarded the title of "the strongest man in the world" four times. The photo of this hero proves how long he had to train to achieve such a result.

In the beginning, Sigmarsson devoted himself to powerlifting and bodybuilding, and already in 1984 he became the champion of Iceland in bodybuilding. Several times the strongman won in various European competitions. His records: bench press - 222.5 kg, squat - 357.5 kg.

In 1983, the already famous bodybuilder was invited to participate in the World's Strongest Man competition. Sigmarsson agreed and immediately took second place. The next participation brought him the coveted and more than deserved victory. After several defeats in 1986, Sigmarsson again won such a title as "the strongest man in the world", thanks to the lifted wagon weighing 495 kg.

7th place. Bruce Wilhelm

In addition to the title of "the strongest man in the world in history", Bruce is the author of many books about weightlifting. Wilhelm also won the World's Strongest Man twice, served on the Anti-Doping Committee, the Athletes' Advisory Council, and served on the executive board of the US Olympic Committee.

Bruce studied at the Fremont School, where he was seriously involved in athletics. Even in his youth, he became a shot put champion. Then Bruce studied at Stanford University, where he was engaged in wrestling, discus throwing and shot put.

In 1975, Wilhelm became the US weightlifting champion and also won a silver medal at the Pan American Games. In 1976, he placed 5th at the Montreal Olympics.

In 1977 and 1978, Bruce became the honored champion of the World's Strongest Man.

6th place. Yuko Ahola

Yuko holds world records in Hercules hold - 197 kg, 45.7 s and in Atlas Stones - 215 kg. Also in 1998 and 1999 he was recognized as the strongest man in Europe.

Yuko won the World's Strongest Man for the first time in 1997. After that, he was able to defend the championship title in 1998.

Now Yuko can sometimes be seen among the members of the World's Strongest Man judging panel and in the movies.

5th place. Benedict Magnusson

The strongest man in the world, whose photo we will provide a little lower, in 2011 set an incredible record in deadlift - 460 kg. Benedict dreamed for quite a long time to break the record of the famous strongman Andy Balton, and finally his dream came true.

The future record holder started in a regular gym at the age of 16. Even then, his coach saw in him the ability to deadlift. Benedict started with a weight of 120 kg, and after a couple of days he reached the mark of 180 kg with a body weight of 140 kg.

In 2003, Benedict placed 10th at the World Powerlifting Championships. In 2005, he placed sixth at the WPO European Semi-Final in Finland.

4th place. Brian Shaw

The most powerful people in the world, the pictures with which we provided in our article, as a rule, began to show great promise even in childhood. This also applies to the famous Ryan Shaw, a native of the United States of America.

The boy grew up quite strong, and by the end of school his weight had reached 110 kg, and his height was 2 meters. At the same time, he was very fond of water sports and basketball.

Later, the young man realized that he was craving for lifting heavy objects, which is why he decided to devote his whole life to this hobby.

In 2009, he took 3rd place in World's Strongest Man, and in 2010, Brian was already second. Exactly a year later, Shaw defeated Savickas himself and took away his champion title. In 2012, Brian lost ground, but by In 2013, he again won the coveted title.

3rd place. Vasily Virastyuk

Vasily is a native of Ukraine. He studied at the College of Physical Education in Ivano-Frankivsk. After graduating from an educational institution, the future record holder went to the track and field coaches.

Until 2000, he was engaged in shot put. During this time, Vasily was awarded the title of "Honored Master of Sports of Ukraine".

In 2004 and 2007, he became the strongest man on the planet, breaking all world records.

2nd place. Mariusz Pudzianowski

Our TOP of the most powerful people in the world continues Mariusz Pudzyanovsky. This is the only person who has become a five-time World's Strongest Man winner. Mariusz is a 4th dan in karate, enjoys powerlifting, rugby, and is also a fairly successful MMA fighter.

Mariusz started with karate, and at the age of 13 he became seriously interested in powerlifting. By the age of 15, the interests of the future champion changed, and he devoted himself to boxing.

In 1999, Mariusz takes first place in the competition called "Strongman", and in 2012 he receives the title of "the strongest man in the world", which he then manages to defend 4 more times in a row.

In 2010, Mariusz challenges Zydrunas Savickas himself, but loses to him by a small margin.

1st place. Zydrunas Savickas

The first and well-deserved place in our ranking is occupied by Zydrunas Savickas. This man became the winner of the Arnold Classic Strongest Man competition twice in a row, several times the strongman won the World’s Strongest Man. Savickas has broken more than 20 world records in powerlifting and power extreme sports.

Zydrunas became interested in sports at the age of 14. In 1992, he took part in the Strongest Man for the first time and finished in 10th place. In 1998, he earned the right to participate in the World Extreme Power Championship. There, he received a serious knee injury, but quickly recovered and returned to the competition.

In 2002, 2003, 2008, Zydrunas became the second in World's Strongest Man. During the same period, he several times became the champion in the Arnold Classic Strongest Man and extreme power competitions.

2009, 2010, 2012 are happy years for Savickas, because he is the champion at World's Strongest Man.

The strongest man in the world in history - Masutatsu Oyama

The brightest representative of the martial arts that ever existed on the planet, Masutatsu Oyama, who possessed the 10th dan of the Kyokushinkai style.

He was born in 1923 in Korea. Masutatsu began to engage in sports in early childhood - from the age of nine. By the age of 13, the young man had already become a well-deserved black belt in Chinese kempo.

After 2 years, Oyama went to Japan, where he became a military pilot. For all the time that he spent in the Land of the Rising Sun, the young man achieved great success in studying samurai traditions. For the sake of this hobby, he even subsequently left the service. In addition, Oyama decided on a hermitage on a mountain called Shinobu. Such a step was not easy for him, but the desire to bring his fighting skills to perfection overcame all doubts.

For almost a year, the man trained tirelessly. It took him 12 hours a day to hone his skills. Upon returning to his hometown, Oyama felt invincible and invincible.

He called the best martial artists to fights. But no one could resist Oyama. Some fighters gave up immediately after the first blow, which the master delivered so deftly that no one was able to block it.

Oyam could break 17 layers of tiles and 4 bricks, split cobblestones in half, demolish the necks of bottles with his clear blow, and also fight with fifty bulls.

To prove his incredible power, Masutatsu challenged the most powerful animals on the planet, but the government forbade him to kill animals in order to demonstrate his strength to everyone.

In 1964, Oyama opened a martial arts school called Kyokushinkai, which eventually became 12 million members.

The great fighter and strongman died in 1994. Thousands of people attended his funeral. In honor of Oyama, films such as "The Warrior of the Wind" and "Doomed to Solitude" were made.

As you can see, heroes exist not only in epics, but also in real life. The strongest people in the world, whose photos we provided in our article, are real strongmen who have proven their true strength in all kinds of international competitions. Whether it is worth imitating such people is up to you. But this is much better than devoting your life to addictions and unnecessary entertainment.