The record-breaking feats of the two-time World’s Strongest Man don’t come easy. Here’s how he shoulders the load
HOW I BUILT MY BODY
06 HEAVY DUTY
07 BULK ORDERS
Heavy lifting clearly runs in the family. Born in the Scottish Highlands, Tom Stoltman started weight training at age 16, prompted by his older brother and fellow strongman competitor, Luke – who in turn was inspired to take up the sport after seeing a photo of their grandfather carrying a log the size of his body.
Last year, Tom defended his 2021 title at the World’s Strongest Man championships in California, competing in a range of events, from dragging an 18.5-tonne bus for 30m in the fastest time and deadlifting a car for max reps.
At 6ft 8in, more than 27st and with an arm span that earned him the nickname ‘The Albatross’, Tom Stoltman might seem built for such feats. But developing the strength and skill to win titles is back-breaking work.
The Stoltman brothers, who train together, try to condense their efforts into a five-day week, leaving the weekends free for downtime. In a typical week, Monday might be devoted to deadlifts and back accessories, Tuesday to overhead pressing movements and Thursday to leg exercises, with competitions, events, physio appointments and chiropractic work filling up the remaining time.
Refuelling is a job in itself: in the lead-up to competition, both Tom and Luke can put away 9,000-plus calories a day. Sometimes, that means eating the stuff you’d expect – steak, fish, 10-egg omelettes. At other times, particularly in the days before a big event, it’s simply about getting as much highcalorie, high-carb food into their bodies as possible, pizza included.
Two world-title-winning performances are not enou
