A one-day close-up on the World's Strongest Man, where the world's strongest superhuman strength gathers on Muscle Beach

Nordic strength man who manipulates tires weighing 136 kg.

Pop chalk, grab it tight, and carry it across the beach at incredible speed. As he pulls up the third and final pedestal, he finally looks back at the Venice Beach crowd and is surrounded by applause.

"Who is the king? I am!"

I've never seen such strength before. It is 205 cm tall and has a 1.5 liter bottle of water just like a baby bottle. The already strong bicep looks like it's going up extra with the tattoo.

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson is also cast as Gregor Clegane (Mountain) in Season 4 of the TV series Game of Thrones. The four letters "Thor" dance on the neoprene armband. It is exactly the strongest man worthy of the name of Mighty Thor.

I also try to use what little strength I have and try to get to the front row where I can see the best, but I have a hard time because there are many people around me who have arms that are twice my head circumference.

As expected, the audience at the World's Strongest Man Contest is amazing. All of them have magnificent bodies that look like they have been shaved off with a carving knife.

The World's Strongest Man (Worlds in English) is the pinnacle of strength contests to determine the world's strongest man. A Scottish group started it in 1977.

There are a total of 20 events, from Overhead Log Lift to Fridge Carry. The content of the events changes slightly from year to year (all events are included in the DVD "30 Years of Pain"), but the basics of "a giant's superhuman strength delighting the audience with superhuman techniques" do not change.

Wearing a harness and pulling a truck down the main street is World's Strongest Man. If you add the Summer Olympics and WWE and divide by two, you're the World's Strongest Man.

The World's Strongest Man contestants are dozens of select professional athletes who make a living from this type of "strength-athletic" competition. They travel the world together, competing in tournaments, taking and winning titles every year.

Almost everyone is tall. However, there are quite a few people who are not overly muscular and have a body more like a basketball player than a bodybuilder.

Because of his superhuman strength, he probably doesn't know his own limits. During the warm-up, one player sat in a plastic paint bucket and the weight crushed the bucket. .

2011 and 2013's number one in the world is America's proud Brian Shaw. He is 203 cm tall and weighs 188 kg. Raised in Fort Lupton, Colorado. I started competing relatively late, eight years ago when I turned 24. Would you like to enter a weightlifting competition? A friend recommended it to me.

I talked to the parents, Jay and Bonnie. She said that his son became a champion because of his mental strength rather than his physical size. "He's been so competitive ever since he was little," said Jay. Miss Bonnie.

Unlike other weightlifting competitions, becoming the World's Strongest Man requires a certain amount of DIY know-how. It's not like going to the gym and twirling around like a rat will get you going. You have to create a strange, yet fairly strict spec... competition environment at home. Jay said we turned our backyard into a sandbox so my son could throw beer kegs. "That big atlas stone (concrete ball) cracked the floor of my garage a little bit~"

Break time. Players return to the tent one by one, straddle the chairs and look at their mobile phones. Meanwhile, there was a person walking towards the boardwalk. Martin Wildauer.

There are many other body hackers like him on the streets. A head-spinning breakdancer, a back-flipping snowboarder, a snake charmer performing acrobatics on a ladder with two giant snakes around his neck, and a naked man wearing nothing but a red Speedo bathing suit and gold bracelets. Looking at those people, he headed to the outdoor gym "Muscle Beach": a sacred place that is said to be the birthplace of bodybuilding.

Wildauer is the strongest man in Austria. He works in the government's construction sector when the tournament is off-season. As he poses for the camera, he reveals that it has always been his dream to come here.

"A tournament in Venice Beach would be awesome."

Speaking of Muscle Beach, it is famous because Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is from the same town, used to train there. I have a special feeling for him. I also want to meet my senior someday. "Everybody here knows Arnold Schwarzenegger, and he's from Austria."

A man in a sleeveless shirt is lifting weights. With that roar behind him, Wildauer looked back on the highlights of his battle record. "In 2009, we pulled a plane. It weighed 50 tons!" After that, it became a philosophical discussion about what it takes to win.

"Honestly, all you need is food, and genes, of course."

I quietly say that 80% of my wins are innate and out of my control. However, despite his genetic disadvantage, he still competes well in competition. "I'm the lightest guy in the tournament, and I can't be as big as Brian Shaw, because he's a giant. I weigh about 145kg. Compared to Brian, I'm like zero."

Wildauer's weapon is the power to see, the power to look back on the competition. He observes and constantly refines his fighting style. "For overhead lifts, you have to learn smarter tricks. You have to use weightlifting tricks," he said. "But I'm pretty good at deadlifts.

Today's final event is the "Keg Toss."

Throw a beer keg high in the air and pass a 5m high bar to clear it. Ends with a pound (45kg) gold barrel.

That's scary enough, but when you think about it, you can't always clear the bar. In other words, if you throw it in the wrong direction, you have to run away with all your strength so that the barrel that falls towards you doesn't crack your head. Exactly life-threatening.

By the way, there are hundreds of spectators a few meters away, and there are no barricades in between. Those who see it will also risk their lives.

The 12 remaining finalists throw in order. One of the most difficult events is clear to the outside. No one over 50 pounds (22.6 kg). Almost no one gets it all in one try, and everyone has to redo at least one barrel, and then time runs out.

As expected of Wildauer's deadlift technique, this alone is no match. All but the 100lb (45kg) barrel was threw at breakneck speed, but the bar was just too high.

It's Brian Shaw's turn. My parents said that they want this competition in the best conditions. Shaw confidently grabs the first barrel. The venue to watch with bated breath. And 16.5 seconds later, Shaw started whizzing through the barrels. The next barrel flies before the barrel has landed yet. Stunning world record update.

...But next was that Icelander. Björnsson enters, taking his signature pose that makes his pectoral muscles twitch. Throw the first barrel. I jumped too high and freaked out with fear. His speed is relentless. Every time the barrel rises into the air, the audience screams. The last gold barrel also landed immediately.

Complete all 8, time is 16.35 seconds. I broke the new world record that I set just a few minutes ago.

However, sadly, this world record alone doesn't seem to win the title. It was Lithuanian chubby Zydrunas Savickas who beat Shaw in the final the next day to beat Björsson to become the world's strongest player of the year.

Leave the venue and head inland. I can still hear the sound of the barrel landing in my head. Suddenly, I wondered what strength is. I always thought it wasn't something that could be measured, but it's pretty interesting to have someone play an old-fashioned obstacle course like that and decide who is the best in the world.

It's a trade secret even if you ask the strongest men in the world, so I interviewed for tips on training at the first Gold's Gym in Venice Beach, the mecca for muscles.

Josh Squyres is a former UCLA football strength and conditioning coach who also trained rangers. Here he shares 8 tips to help you get stronger and faster.

Weight machines look great, but they don't give you strength. "When you're on the machine, the muscles that keep you in balance are out of the equation, because the machine makes up for it," says Skiers. Ask your trainer or coach to show you good lifting form and try it on the weight bench.

When you're lifting, focus on compound movements to work multiple muscle groups. Skiers recommends the following four basic lifts. Deadlift, bench press, overhead military press, back squat. "The more muscle groups you move, the more stress you put on your body."

"You need muscles to be strong, but muscles are very lazy and won't work unless you put a lot of weight on them," says Skiers. His recommendation is the formula, "Train at 85% of what you can do in one session." So if you can lift 100 pounds (45.4 kg), drop it to 85 pounds (38.5 kg).

The 85% rule is pretty strict. If you increase the weight, naturally the number of times you can handle it comfortably will decrease. decrease greatly. So, "Aim for a range of 5 to 1" (Skiers)

Like machines, you should avoid weight belts. "Belts take power away from your muscles," says Skiers. "The whole body has to be strong." Of course, this is for people who want to break world records.

Food is important to strength training. Squeers says the key is protein, which you need in large quantities. Chicken, fish, eggs, beans, it's all good. Steak contains natural creatine, which activates the body's ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is needed for short-term bursts of energy. A whey protein mix with powdered creatine is also recommended.

Some sore muscles deserve to be seen by a professional. It doesn't hurt to see a masseuse or chiropractor. For more serious pain, Squires goes to acupuncture. "When you're injured, acupuncture helps to circulate blood to the muscle tissue, so it heals faster."

Rest is important too. It's partly for replenishing energy, but it's also because the body is resting on its own. "You only gain muscle when you're sleeping," Squires says. Sleeping 8 hours a night is good, but sleeping 10 hours is even better. Especially those who train hard. Just like your gym time, remember that your rest time is an essential part of your training.

Alissa Walker - Gizmodo US [original]

(satomi)