What do you think about World's Strongest Man competitions?

[VetLegion]

I've just seen one on Eurosport (under 105 kilos) and it was great. I broke my computer, well... I broke the water pump so now I can only have it on for 15 minutes until it reaches 70 C ... so was pissed off, threw some music on IPod Shuffle and turned on the TV... and whoah, great stuff.

The Finns really kicked ass, taking all three podium places

Aki Kathamajaki (my spelling is probably wrong) was my favourite, being the shortest. However another guy took it.

Anyway, how come on these competitions you always see northeners? I've never seen an Italian, a Greek or a Spaniard. Nor a Frenchman. How come? Why are these weird sports popular in the north and nowhere else? They are weird mind you.

Anyway, I've gotta run. My computer ovrheated again.

[chequita guevara]

If Pekka isn't in it, who cares?

[DRoseDARs]

I went to school with Magnus Samuelsson's sister-in-law right here in Reno. She's going to school in San Fransisco now. I miss her.

[KrazyHorse]

Scandinavians, Russians, Finns, sometimes Turks always seem to excel at sports involving huge amounts of pure strength.

Wrestling, weightlifting and so forth are all dominated by Northern countries.

[Pekka]

VetLegion, I don't know why.. northeners are usually well represented and they usually win it. Maybe it's just more popular in here. But it's really not that popular in here either.. I guess it's more popular than elsewhere then. There has been some traditions there so it's easier for people to start doing it since they have the right people to work with.. the initial success breeds more success type of thing.

Yeah and those dudes are CRAZY strong.

Actually one guy, Jouko Ahola, who won it pretty impressively in the late 90s is now doing movies, he is in the Kingdom of Heaven, the big strong dude, supposedly has some OK action scene. He was also in the invincible, supposedly a good movie and a good role.

[Pekka]

as you see, he looks normal, which is good. I hate those dudes who have these beast of guts and stuff hanging. I like it more when guys are showing pure strength and are in great shape, cardio as well, not just some 800 pound dude lifting what to him is a bucket of food.

as you see in this pic, he has crazy strength, pretty big muscles too but he's still in the range of a normal person, and not these bulldozer types who look like bulldogs.

[Pekka]

this is one of the great ones too.. magnus magnusson (?).. Swedish powerhouse... (I think, if not then from Norway).

What should be realized is, that even when these dudes look big and all that, they actually have horrible amount of strength, so yes they are extremely powerful in addition. And they have decent stamina, because the competition has different areas so it's not just one task they have to do.

[Hueij]

...weightlifting...are all dominated by Northern countries.

Bulgaria!

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse
Russians

Same thing.

[Hueij]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse


Same thing.

Don't say that to a Bulgarian, you might find yourself in trouble.

[Pekka]

yeah in wrestling turks are pretty good and in strength competitions. It's just too nasty to wrestle with them because they are always so hairy. The worst is seeing Turkish and Greek wrestle with combined eyebrows of two.

[Hueij]

Originally posted by Pekka
yeah in wrestling turks are pretty good and in strength competitions. It's just too nasty to wrestle with them because they are always so hairy. The worst is seeing Turkish and Greek wrestle with combined eyebrows of two.

So I take it you are not into oiled hairy men?

[Pekka]

NO! Yeah I forgot the oiled part.. and vaseline too. omg... I mean I don't complain for small stuff but that is just disgusting.

And then they grab that towel that's in their crotch or something, wonder how that smells..

[BlackCat]

Originally posted by Pekka
this is one of the great ones too.. magnus magnusson (?).. Swedish powerhouse... (I think, if not then from Norway).

Nope, he is from Iceland.

[Pekka]

Right.. sorry..

[VetLegion]

What does one eat to become so powerful? It can't be normal food. What happens to them when they stop doing the sport?

They're scary. I mean, a guy like that is someone you don't want to piss off. I can't even imagine how I could hurt a beast like that. Guns maybe... yeah, guns!

[Pekka]

I don't know what they eat.. most of them are just naturally big I guess, and many of them I guess have juiced up a bit. When they stop, who knows.. die of early age?

And yeah I wouldn't want to start any mama jokes with those guys, even though I would beat them down if they came one at a time.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Geoff Capes!



World's strongest man twice. I think he was runner-up four times as well. I believe he still holds the record for the greatest weight ever lifted in the contest.

[Ted Striker]

These competitions are awesome.

And yeah, I don't understand why the Northerners are always so strong at it.

[Winston]

Any strong man contest where an Icelander doesn't win is obviously and blatantly rigged. The rest are just rigged.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
These competitions are awesome.

And yeah, I don't understand why the Northerners are always so strong at it.

Because weightlifting is an indoor sport, one that is well-suited towards climates with 10 months of snow?

It's just a guess, but I think the inability to do outdoor sports for long periods each year probably has something to do with it.

[child of Thor]

What do you think about World's Strongest Man competitions?

.....strangely arrousing.....

Imho it used to be better when there was much less drug assisted bodybuilding in the contestants(geof capes for example was just a huge strong freak), and the Icelandic guys usualy have a strong tradition of being strong naturaly.

Now they all look like they eat creatin for breakfast and spend half the year doped up on steroids

[BeBro]

I don't participate anymore. It was boring....no real competition

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Originally posted by child of Thor
What do you think about World's Strongest Man competitions?

.....strangely arrousing.....

Imho it used to be better when there was much less drug assisted bodybuilding in the contestants(geof capes for example was just a huge strong freak), and the Icelandic guys usualy have a strong tradition of being strong naturaly.

Now they all look like they eat creatin for breakfast and spend half the year doped up on steroids

The competition has changed over the years- the weights are lighter and there's more emphasis on speed and endurance. That means you get more "Muscle Mary" gym queens than the old behemoths like Geoff Capes and Bill Kazmeier.