Researchers out of Loughborough University in England put strongman Eddie Hall under the microscope.
Last updated on September 12th, 2024
Relax, it’s not what you think. Researchers out of Loughborough University in the United Kingdom conducted research on strongman Eddie Hall — and were shocked by what they found.
- The scientific paper hit the ‘net on Aug. 15, 2024 and is titled, “Muscle and tendon morphology of a world strongman and deadlift champion,” by Balshaw et al. (1)
In their discussion of the research, the academics were astonished by what they observed in the thousand-pound puller. Particularly, his uncommonly large “guy rope” muscles.
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Eddie Hall’s Extra-Large Guy Ropes
Let’s go over anatomy. Guy rope muscles refer to three muscles that wrap around the pelvis and groin area; the sartorius, gracilis and semitendinosus.
- “[The guy rope muscles] had the largest differences (+120 to +202%) relative to a group of untrained men,” said the university in a report on their case study.
The researchers examined how Hall, who set a 500-kilogram (1,102-pound) deadlift world record in 2016 and won the 2017 World’s Strongest Man contest, differs from an average man physiologically.
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The authors noted that Hall’s lower-body muscularity — built through years of high-intensity strength training and strongman competition — approach “the upper limit of human variation.”
In plain English, Hall is a peak human as far as strength and muscle are concerned, boasting quadriceps at double the size of an average adult male.
Eddie Hall: History Maker
Regarding the world’s best deadlifters, Hall broke the 500-kilogram barrier in ’16, ann achievement considered a landmark in strength sports history.
- Strongmen are permitted to use just about anything short of an actual forklift to haul weights. For the 500-kilogram pull, Hall donned a deadlift suit and used figure-eight straps. The barbell was of standard length and loaded with regulation-size weight plates.
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Study author professor Jonathan Folland concluded the conversation by remarking on the hypertrophy of Hall’s guy ropes: “This indicates that these stabilizing muscles may be more important for heavy lifting and carrying than we previously thought.”
If you want to out-deadlift Hall, we wish you luck. If you want to improve your deadlift, this case study indicates you’ll should beef up more than just your lower back. For a big pull, mind the small details.
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References
- Balshaw, T. G., Massey, G. J., Miller, R., McDermott, E. J., Maden-Wilkinson, T. M., & Folland, J. P. (2024). Muscle and tendon morphology of a world strongman and deadlift champion. Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985), 10.1152/japplphysiol.00342.2024. Advance online publication.
Featured Image: @eddiehallwsm / Instagram
