Who wants weights when you will have one another?
The strongest athletes on the planet are arguably the behemoth-sized strongmen who load 400-plus pound Atlas Stones, deadlift 1,000 kilos on obscure apparatuses, and pull literal trucks, buses, and airplanes with their our bodies. These titans of power conflict in opposition to one another in competitions just like the World’s Strongest Man (WSM) contest; the 2025 version will likely be held from Could 15-18 in Sacramento, CA.
What occurs when there’s presumably not sufficient weight within the gymnasium worthy of being lifted by athletes who’ve gained the WSM contest? Properly, 2019 WSM champion Martins Licis and 2023 WSM champion Mitchell Hooper demonstrated that uncooked power generally requires getting inventive.
On March 18, 2025, Licis and Hooper shared a video whereby Licis floor-to-shouldered a fetal-positioned Hooper in Licis’ Wreck-It Health club in El Segundo, CA. You learn that proper, and now it’s time to watch it beneath:
[Related: The Stoltman Brothers Train to Defend and Rebuild via Heavy Dumbbell Pressing]
After the hype, the query “Can Mitchell Hooper do the inconceivable?” is posed, hazarding viewers to guess whether or not Hooper will be capable of keep his inflexible place in order that Licis can lap him, clear him to his shoulder, after which lock him out.
Licis, sporting a lifting belt and knee sleeves, hoists Hooper as if performing a routine stone-to-shoulder — an occasion generally featured in elite strongman contests. At no level does the elevate seem doubtful, as Hooper maintains his curled construction to stay as rounded as attainable in order that Licis can mimic stone lifting.
Nevertheless, these feats of power are to not be completed haphazardly, even by the perfect on the planet. Licis wrote, “Bear in mind, when recognizing your mates doing unbelievable shows of power, play it protected and put on [a lifting]belt and sleeves to be sure you can assist help and do your job as a spotter.”
Licis is scheduled to current the 2025 Santa Monica Traditional on June 28-29, 2025, on the Santa Monica Pier. Extra particulars in regards to the occasion, together with featured divisions, are forthcoming, and competitor sign-ups are anticipated to go reside the week of this text’s publication.
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Featured picture: @martinslicis and @mitchellhooper on Instagram
