Top 10 Strongest Men Ever: From Ancient Titans to Modern Icons

Men with superhuman strength have existed since time immemorial. But competitions or practice of testing strongmen and their strength has not been a thing until the modern era.

Contests to determine the strongest human are always met with much fanfare from enthusiasts because these competitions test not only the muscular strength of individuals but also their endurance. It is beyond fascinating to watch people lift an insane amount of weight that is two times their weight, sometimes more.

Top 10 Strongest Man Ever

Determining the strongest man of all time can be a matter of subjective debate because not everyone will agree. Besides there are factors that determine these rankings, such as type of strength. This is to say that an overall physically strong person may not always have great endurance or a person with great endurance may not necessarily be able to lift beyond a particular amount of weights. 

Keeping that in mind, here is a list of ten very strong men who are widely considered the strongest men to ever live.

10. Louis Uni

• Height- 190 cm
• Weight- 120 kg
• Year- 1862-1928

Louis, a French national, gained worldwide fame for his exceptional grip strength and was known as the strongest man of his time in the late 1980s. He was a performer and often entertained the audience with his incredible strength feats. In 1889, Louis Uni participated in the Greco-Roman wrestling competition and effortlessly lifted 118-kilo train-car wheels. Three years later, he achieved another remarkable feat by lifting a 115-kilogram double barbell with a single hand. He accomplished numerous feats during his time, and his strength remains unmatched even today.

His noteworthy lifts are as follows:

• 118 kg train car wheel lift against Batta in 1889
• 166 kg Barbell lifts in 1882

Louis Uni was popularly referred to as “Apollon” due to his grip strength and ability to perform heavyweight. He was primarily a showman and thus there is little to no well-documented or official record of his feats. Despite this, his name cannot be ignored as one of the premiere strongmen of the world. 

9.  Mark Henry

• Height- 193 cm
• Weight- 181 kg
• Year- 1971-

Mark Henry, born in Texas in 1971, is a former professional wrestler and powerlifter who is widely considered one of the best in the industry.

He has won two world championships in WWE and also competed in the Olympics twice, in 1992 and 1996. In 1995, he claimed silver, gold, and bronze medals from the Pan American Games.

Mark Henry holds several records in Strongman and Powerlifting competitions.

His noteworthy lifts are as follows:

• 922 Kg Total at the 1990 Texas State Championships
• 1050 kg raw Total at the 1995 ADFPA U.S. National Powerlifting Championships.
• Raw deadlift at 410 kg.
• 430 kg Squat without a squat suit and then again a 432 kg squat record.
• Broke his 1995 record by 1060 kg raw Powerlifting total.

He won both the U.S. Weightlifting and Powerlifting Heavyweight Championships and the Arnold Strongman Classic in 2002. Notably, he created history by successfully executing a one-hand clean and push press with the liftable Thomas Inch Dumbbell.

8. Mariusz Pudzianowski

• Height- 186 cm
• Weight- 142 Kg
• Year- 1977-

Mariusz Zbigniew Pudzianowski, also known as “Pudzian” and “Dominator”, is a Polish former strongman competitor, mixed martial artist, and entrepreneur. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest strength athletes of all time, having won five World’s Strongest Man titles and set a record with 43 international victories at a 70% winning percentage during his strongman career.

His noteworthy records are as follows:

• 260 -360 Kg Barrel Squat at 2005 World’s Strongest Man Competition.
• 295-350 Kg Deadlift at 2005 World’s Strongest Man Competition
• 175 Kg Africa Stone Carry for 110 meters at 2000 World’s Strongest Man Competition (World Record)
• 392 kg Timber carry (35′ ramp) in 22.93 seconds (Raw grip) at 2006 Arnold Strongman Classic
• 40,000 kg Plane Pull for 25 meters in 36.67 seconds at 2008 World’s Strongest Man Competition. (World Record)
• 380 Kg Squat record
• 415 Kg Deadlift record

He has achieved six Europe’s Strongest Man titles, and made it to the World’s Strongest Man final nine times out of nine, a feat that has only been replicated by Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson since then. In 2009, Pudzianowski transitioned to mixed martial arts and is currently ranked #10 in the KSW Heavyweight rankings.

7. Louis Cyr

• Height- 178 cm
• Weight- 136 Kg
• Year- 1863-1912

Louis Cyr, who predates the official World’s Strongest Man event by eight decades, was widely recognized as the strongest man in the world.

He toured Canada, America, and England, taking on the strongest competitors in various strength challenges, and remained unbeaten. In 1895, in Boston, Cyr accomplished his greatest feat by lifting a plank crowded with 18 men weighing over 4000 pounds.

Since this strongman lived way before there were any official tournaments, his feats are recorded in feats that are different from strongman competitions. His noteworthy feats have been listed below:

• Carrying a platform with 18 men weighing 1,967 Kg/ 4,336 pounds on his back.
• Lifting a weight of 242 Kg/534 pounds with a single finger.
• Pushing a freight car uphill.
• At 19 years old, he lifted a rock weighing 234 Kg/ 514 pounds to his shoulder.
• Beating Eugen Sandow’s record of the heaviest weight lifted with one hand by 2 pounds, lifting 123 Kg/ 273 pounds in total.

He is widely considered one of the strongest persons in history, despite never having been officially tested.

6. Jón Páll Sigmarsson

• Height- 191 cm
• Weight- 133 Kg
• Year- 1960-1993

Jón Páll Sigmarsson was an Icelandic powerlifter, bodybuilder, and strongman. He made history by becoming the first man to win the World’s Strongest Man four times and the World Muscle Power Classic five times.

His best personal records are listed below:

• 970 Kg Raw Total ( Deadlift+ Bench Press+ Squat) at 1984 European Powerlifting meet.
• 523 Kg Rectangular-handled wheel deadlift at 1987 Pure Strength Competition ( World Record in 1987)
• 515 Kg Ox-cart deadlift at 1985 World’s Strongest Man Competition.
• 1,360 Kg Wheel-barrow push at 1985 World’s Strongest Man Competiton.

Jón Páll is considered one of the greatest strongmen ever and is credited with shaping Iceland’s national identity. He was named Icelandic Sportsperson of the Year in 1981 and was one of Iceland’s most well-known athletes. In 2012, Jón Páll was inducted into the World’s Strongest Man Hall of Fame.

Don’t miss:

Strongest WWE Wrestlers Ever
Best Bodybuilders of All Time
Short Bodybuilders of All Time
What Happened to Ronnie Coleman

5. Eddie Hall

• Height- 190 cm
• Weight- 161 Kg
• Year- 1988-

Edward Stephen Hall, an English media personality and former strongman, is renowned for his world-record-setting 500 kg (1,100 lb) deadlift in 2016, considered a significant moment in the history of strongmen.

He also won the 2017 World’s Strongest Man competition and several national competitions. His best lifts and personal records have been listed below:

• 500 Kg Deadlift at 2016 World Deadlift Championships/ Europe’s Strongest Man.
• 360 kilograms Raw Deadlift (without suit or straps) at 2013 UK’s Strongest Man.
• Húsafell Stone (replica) – 186 kilograms (410 lb) for 27.15 meters at 2013 UK’s Strongest Man.
• 300 Kg Bench Press- Training best.

In 2022, he lost to Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, another World’s Strongest Man winner, in a boxing match that was dubbed “The Heaviest Boxing Match in History.” Eddie Eats America (2018) is a television series hosted by him, and he appeared in The Strongest Man in History (2019) on the History Channel.

4. Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson “Thor”

• Height- 205 cm
• Weight- 200 Kg
• Year- 1988

Nicknames as “Thor” due to his towering stature, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson is easily one of the most well-known strength athletes of the modern times. While his fame is justified by the fans of endurance spots, he is more well-known for his role in the immensely popular series, Game of Thrones, a role which he got because of his astounding physique.

He is considered one of the greatest strength athletes of all time, hailing from Iceland. He has won the Arnold Strongman Classic, Europe’s Strongest Man, and the World’s Strongest Man competitions in the same calendar year, a feat that no one else has achieved. He holds several Strongman titles from various strength federations, including multiple world records, some of which have been listed below:

• 650 Kg Viking Log carry for 5 steps at 2015 World’s Strongest Viking. (Former 1000 year old legendary world record)
• 501 Kg Deadlift at 2020 World’s Ultimate Strongman (The Heaviest Deadlift of All-time -World Record)
• 460 Kg IronMind S-Cubed Bar Deadlift -Stiff bar, single-ply suit with figure 8 straps at 2017 World’s Strongest Man (former joint-world record)

He has other records that are too numerous to state. He has won 30 international competitions, making him the third most decorated strongman in history, after Lithuania’s Žydrūnas Savickas and Poland’s Mariusz Pudzianowski. Many strength analysts and strongman experts consider him to be the strongest man of all time in terms of pure brute strength.

3. Bill Kazmaier

• Height-191 Cm
• Weight- 150 Kg
• Year- 1953-

One of the most powerful individuals of our time is a former world champion in powerlifting from America. During the 1970s-80s, he was a prominent and intimidating figure in strength competitions.

Kaz accomplished numerous strongman feats, including the lifting of five McGlashen stones, each weighing between 250-300 pounds, making him the first person to do so.

He won the World’s Strongest Man contest three times and outperformed other renowned strongmen of his time in displays of strength. His best records are listed here:

• 415 Kg Deadlift at 1981 Highland Games
• 1159 Kg Car deadlift in 1979
• 510 Kg Hungarian Farm Cart Deadlift in 1988
• 1100 Kg Total ( Squat+ Bench Press+ Deadlift) in 1981 Powerlifting Full Meets ( Former IPF World Record)

Bill Kazmaier was famously known for his bold declaration of being “the strongest man who ever lived.”

2. Brian Shaw “Gigantor”

• Height- 183 cm
• Weight- 204 Kg
• Year- 1982-

Brian Shaw is a retired American professional strongman who is widely considered to be one of the greatest strength athletes ever.

He has won the World’s Strongest Man competitions four times (in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2016), and he was also the first man to win both the Arnold Strongman Classic and the World’s Strongest Man competitions in the same calendar year in 2011, a feat he repeated in 2015. Some of his best lifts and records are as follows:

• 190 Kg – Húsafell Stone (replica) for 31.72 metres (104 ft 1 in) at the 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic.
• 9,100 Kg – Conan’s Wheel of Pain for 28.96 meters (95 1/16 feet) at the 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic.
• 460 Kg Ironmind S-Cubed Bar Deadlift at 2017 WSM ( former joint-world record)
• 1,385 Kg Raw Total- Training Best

Additionally, he has won 27 international competitions, making him the fourth most decorated strongman in history, behind Lithuania’s Žydrūnas Savickas, Poland’s Mariusz Pudzianowski, and Iceland’s Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson.

1. Zydrunas Savickas “Big Z”

• Height- 190 cm
• Weight- 181 Kg
• Year- 1975-

It is a widely known fact that Zydrunas Savickas is the most dominant strongman in history. He has won countless tournaments, making it impossible to keep track of all his victories.

Savickas started his career in 1998 by winning his first Lithuania Strongest Man competition. However, in 2001, he suffered a severe injury during a competition that forced him out of all strength-related events for almost nine months. His injury was so severe that many experts believed that he would never be able to return to competition.

Despite the odds, Savickas made a remarkable comeback in 2002 by winning the Lithuania Strongest Man title for the second time. This was just the beginning of his winning streak, as he went on to capture the World Strongest Man title in 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2014.

Some of his best lifts and records have been listed below:

• 1,090 Kg Raw total at the 2004 Lithuanian National Championships. (Lithuanian record)
• Medicine ball for Height – 22 kg for 17 ft (5.18 m) at 2004 Arnold Strongman Classic, Columbus, Ohio ( World Record)
• 442 Kg Ironmind S-Cubed Bar Deadlift at a 1-inch deficit at 011 World’s Strongest Man (Former World Record)
• 166 and 208 Kg Apollon’s Axle Press for Reps × 8 clean and press each rep at, 2006 and 2010 Arnold Strongman Classic (World records)

Additionally, Savickas was the winner of the Arnold Strongman Classic for six consecutive years, and he was crowned Europe’s Strongest Man three times.

The accomplishments of Savickas are truly remarkable, and it would take an entire book to list them all. He is undoubtedly the strongest man of the modern era and statistically the strongest person in history.

Who is the strongest man that ever lived?

Statistically speaking, Zydrunas Savickas is widely regarded as the strongest man to ever live. While this fact is still contested as other decorated names are up for the #1 spot, there is no doubt about the fact the Savickas have won a high number of contests and it will be difficult for any future athlete to match up to his wins.

Don’t miss:

How Strong was Arnold Schwarzenegger in his Prime
How Strong was Ronnie Coleman in his Prime
How Strong is John Cena
What is a Good Height for Bodybuilding

Final Words

In conclusion, the feats and accomplishments of these strongmen are nothing short of amazing. These men have pushed the limits of human strength and endurance. While the debate over who is the strongest man of all time may continue, there is no denying that these individuals have left an indelible mark on the world of strength sports and continue to inspire the next generation of strongmen.