Eddie - Strongman Page #2

[reflective music]

Strongman is a mix of...

Strength, athleticism,

endurance, techniques.

Completely different to any other sport.

It's not like running or cycling.

You know, Strongman is a good

all-round test of the human body.

[Colin] There's something very basic

about lifting more weight...

-than the next man.

-[Eddie] You're lifting weights...

off the floor that no other man

in history has lifted before.

It's a hell of a buzz.

It really is the best feeling

in the world.

It's basically lots of pain,

lots of hard work

for little moments of greatness.

[Terry] If you wanna even

be good to a regional level,

you have to literally

put your whole life into it.

[Laurence] Train hard and eat right

and not go out down the pub

with your mates.

You've damaged your back,

you've had rows with the missus,

you've eaten two, 300 quids worth of food

for weeks and weeks and weeks.

[Terry] Three gym sessions a week,

conditioning work,

you stretch and you fine roll

in your sports massage,

looking after you diet,

you try and eat every two hours.

[Laurence] This is a 100% lifestyle.

Eat, sleep, sh*t it.

It's not a sports team.

It's not we are the strongest man

in the world,

there's not 15 men on a rugby field,

you're out there. Exposed on your own.

So, Strongman is in some ways...

it's a lonely path to follow.

Strength plays a huge role

in human history, in human evolution.

Look back over time...

I mean, manhood stones

are recorded history since 1020,

I believe, in Scotland.

Er, King Malcolm Canmore,

his number one bodyguard was picked

by who could lift the greatest stone.

Thousands of years before that,

you had Milo, the great Olympic champion.

He used to carry the calf

until it became a cow or a bull

across his shoulders.

So, strength was held up in high regard

since the beginning of time.

Then the Victorians

did the first vaudeville,

the first real entertainment on stage.

Strongman, again, kind of grew

in the modern era.

Eugen Sandow.

Luis Cyr, the Canadian,

and his famous dumbbells.

Louis Appollon and George Hanschmidt

and then in 1977,

they said:
"Right, let's find out

who is the World's Strongest Man."

You know and, nowadays, there's

a whole generation who've grown up...

with Strongman on television.

I mean, I actually remember

one of my earliest childhood memories

is watching Geoff Capes

win World's Strongest Man.

-He's sheer...

-Heave!

Capes, he just looked like a bearded

big guy that you see down the pub

What he did was just amazing.

-[man] Heave!

-[intense grunting]

We started it, you know,

in terms of competitiveness

when you look, you know...

the early days. I mean,

it was like eight Americans and me.

You know, that was

the world championships.

And that's where I met Bill Kazmaier.

And to me, he's a legend as well.

We all, at that point, started...

If you like, the global

World's Strongest Man as you see it today.

[commentator]

Battle it is. Kazmaier versus Waddington.

Kaz, as we all affectionately know him,

was just a man possessed

and have wild power.

[moaning and groaning]

[commentator] Oh, Kazmaier wins

and Dave Waddington--

[Bill] Over the years, I became

better and better at powerlifting

and then was invited

to the World's Strongest Man competition.

The first time there I took third place,

cause I didn't really know

what was going on.

I then very quickly went home and...

started events a little bit.

I took three firsts in a row

[applause]

So then Kaz into Jon Pall,

he was the first razzmatazz guy.

Bit of a crazy man.

He was a total extrovert.

[commentator] Just look at that power.

And Geoff's hooked.

[speaking Swedish]

You know, he had a personality

and he shouted and he bawled.

"I'm the Viking" and you know,

he got the crowd going.

He loved to entertain.

[Colin] And then after that, you had

the likes of Magnus Ver Magnusson.

I think the Icelanders probably assumed

they had to turn up just to win it.

[Magnus] I thought that a little country

like Iceland,

to have won eight

Most Strongest Man titles...

is a lot.

-Viking power.

-[crowd] Viking power.

-[wind rushing]

-[rain sprinkling]

[indistinct cheers]

[Eddie]

Strongman's one of them sports where,

money isn't one of the best features.

What do I get out of it?

A f***ing backache.

[Colin] For what we do and how we tear

and damage our bodies,

it's pennies. We don't do it

for the money.

We do it, cause we love it.

I think I lost about a grand last year

competing in this sport.

You make nothing innit whatsoever.

You know, sponsors are great

and they kind of offer you bits

and help you along the way,

but the sport's broke.

Certainly the very best Strongmen...

I think they're like

the very best athletes in any sport.

There's something missing.

There's often a hole in them

and that's what drives them.

They're hoping to fill it.

I think that the general mindset

of a Strongman is a typical narcissist.

Being confident is a huge part of it.

If you don't believe you can lift

something then you are not gonna lift it.

It's as simple as that.

In my mind I've lived that moment

probably ten million times

over and over in my head.

And when I finally do it,

it's just doing it one more time.

[crowd applauding and cheering]

[commentator] Great lift.

So, he's already proven

he's got the strongest--

So, the events of Strongman...

Gosh, they vary. So you have the deadlift.

[orchestral music]

[Eddie] The deadlift.

Who can pick the most weight up

from the floor to your hips.

Straighten your back, lock it out...

referee gives you the down signal

and then you can drop the weight.

That guy, in the eyes of many,

is the strongest man on the planet.

[Colin] Any good contest

has to have an overhead element.

Now that can be a log, it can be

an axle, it can be a dumbbell.

Stone lifting. Sometimes round,

sometimes natural.

And then you've got farmers' walk

and you can carry anything.

You can carry cylinders, frames.

Then you super yoke even.

Put a bar across it

and stick it over your shoulders.

Events like medleys where you run

with different implements.

Sack loading,

barrel loading, tire loading.

Pulling events which test your back.

Squats which test your leg strength.

Keg toss.

Firing things into orbit.

An untold amount of ridiculous things

you can lift

and pull in many different ways.

It's quite a difficult sport to train for

'cause you're looking at being able

to press 180 plus overhead

to being able to run 40 meters

with anywhere between four

and 500 kilos on your back.

It's all about the progression

of getting better at every event.

You've got to be a good all-rounder

to be that complete package.

To be the World's Strongest Man,

it's no good just being a one trick pony.

[lively, rhythmic music]

-[indistinct conversation]

-[groans]

[Eddie] Britain's Strongest Man

is one of the best titles you can hold.

Obviously it makes you the strongest man

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