Secret sauce of world’s strongest man’s extreme strength decoded by new study

Eddie Hall, the former World’s Strongest Man, is a titan of strength. But what makes him so extraordinary?

Scientists at Loughborough University set out to uncover the secrets behind Eddie’s incredible strength. Eddie, a truck mechanic from Staffordshire, gained worldwide recognition as the World’s Strongest Man in 2017.

By studying Eddie, researchers were able to identify the factors that contribute to his extreme strength. This knowledge can be applied to help people of all backgrounds improve their muscle function and performance.

“Scientific understanding of muscular strength is important because of its role in athletic performance, injury prevention, and healthy ageing. However, our knowledge of extreme human strength is limited,” said Tom Balshaw from the University’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences.

World’s strongest man and his large ‘guy rope’ muscles

Through a series of tests and scans, the researchers compared Eddie’s muscle and tendon structure to that of various athletic populations, including trained and untrained.

The findings were surprising and revealed the underlying muscle use.

Eddie’s lower-body muscle mass was found to be “almost twice (+96%) that of untrained men.”

Compared to untrained men, Eddie’s calf muscles (plantar flexors) and the three “guy ropes” muscles were 120-202% larger.

The sartorius, gracilis, and semitendinosus muscles, often referred to as guy rope muscles, play a crucial role in stabilizing the pelvis and thigh. Reportedly, these muscles helped Eddie Hall achieve a world-record deadlift of 500kg, which is equivalent to lifting a camel.

Moreover, Eddie’s quadriceps — the large muscles on the front of his thigh — were found to be twice the size of those in untrained men.

Compared to other sports, strongman competitions require these muscles to be exceptionally strong.

“With Eddie, a strongman and deadlift champion, we expected the big muscles involved in extending the knee and hip would show the greatest development,” said Professor Jonathan Folland.

Folland explained: “Whilst these muscles were certainly well developed, we were surprised that the greatest muscular development was of the long, thin ‘guy ropes’ muscles that stabilize the pelvis and thigh. This indicates that these stabilizing muscles may be more important for heavy lifting and carrying than we previously thought.”

Less demanding muscles not that large

The researchers also found that Eddie’s muscles used for less demanding movements, such as flexing the hip, were not as very large. These just showcased “modest differences” of 23-65% larger than the untrained men.

Moreover, his patella tendon — the tendon that connects the quadriceps to the shinbone — was only 30% larger. This suggests that muscles are more adaptable to training than tendons.

These findings suggest that everyone can improve their muscle strength and function through targeted training.

“Overall, the results suggest how adaptable the muscular system is, with the greatest muscular development of the muscles that Eddie trains and uses the most. This suggests that we can all change and develop our muscular system to improve the function and performance of our muscles,” Balshaw concluded in the press release.

The findings were published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.