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May 15, 2023

Eddie Hall and Martins Licis Named Team Captains for 2023 World’s Strongest Nation Contest

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The rematch between two World’s Strongest Man winners is on.

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The 2023 World’s Strongest Nation (WSN) contest is set to take place on Nov. 18, 2023 in Liverpool, England. It will be the second edition of this unique contest that includes both strongmen and strongwomen competing on behalf of their countries.

On May 12, 2023, Giants Live announced the captains for Team UK and Team USA, and they are the same captains as the 2022 contest — 2017 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) winner Eddie Hall will lead Team UK and the 2019 WSM champion Martins Licis will be at the head of Team USA.

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At the time of this article’s publication, neither Hall nor Licis made any statements or shared their thoughts about the announcement. It will be the second time that Hall and Licis face off as captains for their respective nations.

Licis was a replacement captain after Robert Oberst bowed out for undisclosed reasons. Neither man has competed in strongman since the first matchup in the inaugural World’s Strongest Nation event, which was held on Nov. 26, 2022 in Liverpool. The UK team won that contest, but Hall suffered a torn teres minor when competing in the Viking Press.

One of the main highlights of that show came from neither of the WSM champions. Gabi Dixson of Team USA dominated the Hercules Hold event by holding on to the pillars for a time of one minute, 8.61 seconds, which was the longest of any woman and only behind Team UK’s Mark Felix, who managed to maintain his grip for nearly 20 more seconds.

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Hall’s and Licis’ teammates — four men and four women on each team — have not been announced as of this writing, but their own accolades make this contest a must-see. Hall was the first man to deadlift 500 kilograms (1,102 pounds) in 2016, and he followed that up by winning the 2017 WSM title.

After winning the 2018 Britain’s Strongest Man contest, he retired from competition. His appearance in the World’s Strongest Nation was his first sanctioned strongman event since. He stayed involved with the sport in a media-based role, rather than directly competing, as well as being one of the stars of the History Channel’s series, Strongest Men in History.

Licis made one of his earliest big impacts on the sport when he won the 2019 Arnold Strongman USA contest, and he finished second in the Arnold Strongman Classic to Hafthor Björnsson. That same year, he won the WSM title. After taking over a year off to recover from injuries, he won the 2021 Rogue Invitational Strongman contest, and he claimed the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic six months later. Licis finished as the runner-up in that year’s WSM to Tom Stoltman.

Featured Images: @giantslivestrongman on Instagram

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January 26, 2023

Eddie Hall Preps for Bodybuilding Debut by Training His Back With a Pro

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Hall took cues from an established pro as he readies himself for bodybuilding.

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In early January 2023, former 2017 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Eddie Hall revealed he would be training to prepare for a venture into bodybuilding in the late stages of the year 2024. In accordance with those ambitions for one of the greatest strongmen of all time, Hall is already taking steps to be ready for this new career venture.

On Jan. 22, 2023, Hall posted a video on his YouTube channel where he tackles training his back with International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Pro League bodybuilder Jamie “The Giant” Christian. Per NPC News Online, the bodybuilder is perhaps best known for his fourth-place finish at the 2020 British Grand Prix. At 6’5″, Christian is also the self-proclaimed tallest Men’s Open pro bodybuilder in the world.

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This filmed session appears to be one of Hall’s first earnest inside looks at shifting away from his usual strongman focus to create a more ripped and refined physique fit for a bodybuilding stage. Hall and Christian waste no time diving in, letting this unique exercise session speak for itself as part of Hall’s upcoming transition to bodybuilding.

Lat Pulldown

With formal introductions out of the way, Hall and Christian begin the workout by tackling some wide-grip lat pulldowns. It is here where Hall noticed the distinction between Christian’s focus on the movement. Whereas Hall might center on the weight being pulled down, Christian emphasized keeping tension on the lats. The pair would finish a heavy drop set, beginning with the entire weight stack and descending two to three plates per set, to close this portion of the routine.

“You can feel your lats working way more,” Hall said. 

Seated Rows

On the ensuing seated rows, Christian would once again emphasize keeping tension on the lats while working through a quality range of motion. The athlete would explain to Hall that bodybuilding training was more about keeping the muscles contracted rather than leaning on “momentum” while maximizing weight. On the final set, the experienced bodybuilder guided Hall through a rest-pause set — training to momentary muscular failure, resting 20 seconds, and performing additional reps to reach failure a second time.

“Momentum is allowing the muscle to relax,” Christian clarified. “So, try to take the momentum out of everything.”

Heavy on the Back

The duo would close the workout diving into chest-suppored rows, single-arm machine rows, and a superset of lat pulldowns and seated rows. Overall, Hall and Christian performed roughly two high-rep working sets at a high intensity while executing their final lat pulldown and seated row superset as a fitting four-set flourish.

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To make a successful foray into bodybuilding, Hall will likely need all the sport-specific knowledge he can get. Picking the brain of an experienced professional like Christian is a quality start for the strongman legend to ensure his bodybuilding journey develops the way he envisions.

Featured image: @eddiehallwsm on Instagram

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November 25, 2022

Strongmen Eddie Hall and Brian Shaw Attempt to Train Legs at a Planet Fitness

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The two strongmen headed to a commercial gym to make the best of a leg workout.

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Many strongmen train in gyms that specifically support their sport. After all, Atlas stones, yokes, and farmer’s walk handles aren’t readily available in many health clubs, and most commercial gyms are focused more on the general population than strength sports athletes.

That certainly didn’t stop four-time World’s Strongest Man Brian Shaw and 2017 World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall from training legs (or at least attempting to) at a Planet Fitness in Colorado. Shaw posted a video of the session on his YouTube channel, which you can see below:

[Related: Hammer Curls vs. Biceps Curls: The Battle for Bigger Arms]

Eddie Hall and Brian Shaw Head to Planet Fitness

Since most Planet Fitness gyms don’t have squat racks, the pair started their workout with Smith machine squats. Thanks to the sheer width of their frames, it took Hall and Shaw some time to get used to the machine. In the end, they both worked up to five 45-pound plates on each side of the bar, even though Shaw had to hold onto the other end of the machine to execute his squats properly.

The duo also tried their hands at an abdominal crunch machine before moving to the leg press. They eventually loaded up the machine with six 45-pound plates on each side and another on top of the sled, which they moved with ease. Next up were the leg extensions, adductor, and abductor machines. 

[Related: 2022 Down Under Championship Results — Madeline Sturt and Jay Crouch are Triumphant]

The final exercise of the day was a personal challenge between the two strongmen. They entered the gym’s circuit training room and performed one rep on each of the 20 stations with max weight, and the man who could complete all 20 in the fastest time won. Hall finished in 1:15.09, while Shaw was slightly behind at 1:19.

Shaw is in the middle of an off-season, but Hall is nearing a return to competitive strongman after five years. He’s getting ready to serve as captain of Team UK at the World’s Strongest Nation contest, taking place on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, in Liverpool, England. The captain for Team USA in that competition will be the 2019 World’s Strongest Man champion, Martins Licis.

Featured Image: Brian Shaw on YouTube

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May 18, 2022

Strongman Legend Eddie Hall Swims a 50-Meter Freestyle in 27.06 Seconds

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Eddie Hall built a career as one of the greatest-ever strongmen, but that doesn’t mean he can’t excel in other sports. What’s clear is that the 2017 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Champion has an ability that seems to transfer over well to other avenues. 

On May 17, 2022, Hall decided to again test his mettle in the pool as a swimmer when he completed a 50-meter freestyle in 27.06 seconds. Since there are distinctive demands between strongman and swimming as sports, it’s undoubtedly an impressive showcase of Hall’s rare talent.

It also marked a return of sorts to the pool for Hall, who was a champion swimmer as a teenager before pivoting to strongman. 

[Related: Learn How To Build Strength With Three Key Principles]

Hall completed the 50 meters in a short course swimming pool (or one that is only 25 meters long). That shorter length also means the athlete has to flip around and swim back in the other direction on the latter 25 meters. By contrast, a long course 50-meter freestyle features the full length of the lap on a straightaway swim. That setup is more in line with Olympic swimmers’ standards.

While Hall’s time of just over 27 seconds isn’t necessarily world-class, it is notable considering that swimming is not his usual focus (though his background could play a part). For context, the fastest-ever time on a short-course 50-meter freestyle belongs to Germany’s Nils Rudolph. He achieved a time of 21.76 at the 1990 Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA) Swimming World Cup.

According to TopEndSports, the typical modern elite male swimmer weighs around 88 kilograms (194 pounds). With swimming being a sport that would certainly favor a lighter (and more experienced) athlete, that Hall could clock in at just over 27 seconds — despite weighing over 300 pounds — is a testament to his raw athleticism. 

[Related: Deloading 101: What Is A Deload And How Do You Do It?]

A Post-Career of Joy

After notching the peak of his strongman career at the 2017 WSM, Hall decided to retire and focus on other aspects of his life. In addition to a well-maintained YouTube channel with over 2.03 million subscribers (and counting), he’s been very busy across the board showcasing his versatility. 

For reasonably recent athletic examples, in February 2020, Hall set a record on the CrossFit “Isabel” workout with 30 unbroken snatches in a time of 50.9 seconds. It was a mark so lofty that powerlifter Julius Maddox did a staggering 28 unbroken reps in January 2022 and still fell short of Hall’s time. Meanwhile, Hall just finished (for now) a long-standing rivalry with 2018 WSM Champion Hafthor Björnsson. The two strongman legends decided to settle their differences in the boxing ring with a publicized match around the strength sports sphere.

As he moves forward in his life without competitive strongman, Hall seems to have a desire to stay occupied. Be it in CrossFit, in the ring, or in the pool, it appears this strength sports legend wants to leave a mark and have some fun wherever he can. 

Featured image: @eddiehallwsm on Instagram

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March 31, 2022

Eddie Hall Talks Future, Eating ‘Humble Pie’ After Boxing Match With Hafthor Björnsson

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On March 19, 2022, former World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champions Eddie Hall and Hafthor Björnsson ironed out their “dirty laundry” in the boxing ring. Björnsson defeated Hall by unanimous decision in what might have been the capper to a long-standing back-and-forth.

As Hall moves forward, he took to his Instagram on March 29, 2022, to reflect on the defeat. His address included a few important notes about the fight and what’s next. Among them, was a humble expression of appreciation for his rival.

[Related: Strongman Nick Best Pulls A 755-Pound Deadlift At Age 53, Continues Comeback From Lat Injury]

Eating ‘Humble Pie’

Hall first offered deference to Björnsson. He shared his admiration for the Icelandic athlete’s achievements, even before they took to the ring together. 

“It’s time for me to eat a little bit of humble pie and address a few things,” Hall says in the video. “Firstly, I want to say a massive well done to Thor. I want to say well done for the fight. I want to take this opportunity to say what a great Strongman you are, or were.”

Hall’s commentary makes it appear that he always respected Björnsson, regardless of any potential bad blood. When push came to shove, it seems Björnsson was only another elite strongman who happened to compete against Hall over some of the highlights of his career.

Nothing more. That dynamic could understandably establish healthy regard between two top strength-sports athletes and two human beings. 

“I appreciate you [Björnsson], as a man and the things you’ve done and who you are because, at the end of the day, you’re a phenomenon,” Hall continues. “You’re a giant of the world amongst us.”

True to His Word

The lead-up to the fight saw Hall and Björnsson discuss the terms of defeat.

Initially, there was minor contention over the amount of money the loser would donate to the winner’s chosen charity. The two eventually agreed to both donate $200,000 to the winner’s preferred charity. There was also an apparent agreement on the loser getting the winner’s name tattooed on their body. 

Adding fuel to the fire post-match, bodybuilder, powerlifter, and strongman Larry Wheels stipulated that Hall owes him $10,000 over a bet about who would win the fight. The two had previously verbally sparred intermittently over social media in 2021.

Wheels mentioned Hall’s debt again in a post-match interview with Björnsson on his YouTube channel.

“We’ve got to wait for people to pay up,” Hall says. “We’ve got like a month sort of clause in the contract for these things to be paid over. Everybody is going to get their money. Larry [Wheels] is going to get his money. I’m a man of my word.”

Notably, Hall leaves the tattoo out of his address. Due to possible miscommunication, he says that he and Björnsson never agreed to formal terms on body ink. As such, he won’t be getting one for now.

Hall stopped short of ruling out the tattoo altogether. He left it as a chip on the table to potentially entice Björnsson into a rematch in the future.

“So, it’s going to be used as a tool for the rematch, which is fine,” Hall says. “I would do the same. I wouldn’t do the rematch unless Thor got the tattoo. It’s going to happen.”

What Lies Ahead

Hall’s rivalry with Björnsson began during the 2017 WSM, where Hall claimed the championship over his competitor. That win did not come without controversy. An official appeared to miss the call for one of Björnsson’s Viking Press reps — Hall’s margin of victory.

Later, in 2018, when Björnsson eclipsed Hall’s previous world record 500-kilogram deadlift (1,102.3 pounds) by precisely one kilogram, the competitive spirit continued to fester. Similarly, because Björnsson’s record occurred outside of a sanctioned competition, Hall made it clear he thought it shouldn’t count. 

With both men since retired from professional strongman competitions, they couldn’t settle their differences by lifting Atlas Stones. Instead, they took to boxing, and Björnsson ultimately got the last laugh. 

Of course, if Hall gets his tattoo, that might change. He could use it as a precursor to continuing his now friendly rivalry with Björnsson.

Featured image: @eddiehallwsm on Instagram

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