双语阅读

Zydrunas Savickas of Lithuania competes in the Deadlift for Max event during the World's Strongest Man competition on Hainan Island, China. Savickas is often considered the world's strongest man of all time.

立陶宛选手Zydrunas Savickas在中国海南岛举行的世界最强壮男子比赛中参加极限举重比赛。萨维卡斯通常被认为是世界上最强壮的人。

Ancient myths and legends abound with astounding feats of superhuman strength, but the truth is that today might very well be the golden age of strongmen.

古代神话和传说中充斥着令人惊叹的超人力量，但事实是，今天很可能是强人的黄金时代。

"I would argue that the strongest men in history are alive on our planet right now," says Jan Todd, and she would know. Jan Todd and her late husband Terry are powerlifting royalty, sports historians and co-founders of the Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports at the University of Texas, Austin.

“我认为历史上最强壮的男人现在还生活在我们的星球上，”简·托德说，她知道。简·托德(Jan Todd)和她已故的丈夫特里(Terry)是举重运动的皇室成员、体育历史学家，也是德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校斯塔克体育文化与运动中心的联合创始人。

"I don't think we've ever had a period in history where we have as many men who are in the kind of physical condition and able to lift the kinds of weight they're lifting right now," says Todd, who credits the surge in strongmen to the popularity of competitions like the World's Strongest Man and the Arnold Strongman Classic, which her husband helped create. (Events at these competitions may include powerlifting, pulling vehicles and lifting heavy round stones called Atlas stones.)

托德说:“我认为我们历史上从未有过这样一个时期，我们有这么多身体状况良好、能够举起他们现在举起的重量的男性。”她把强人的激增归功于世界最强壮男人和阿诺德强人经典赛等比赛的流行，她的丈夫帮助创建了这些比赛。(这些比赛项目可能包括举重、拉车和举起被称为阿特拉斯石的沉重圆形石头。)

"The Arnold Strongman Classic is typically seen as a test of raw strength," says Conor Heffernan, who blogs about the history of strength and exercise at Physical Culture Study and teaches the sociology of sport at the University of Ulster in the U.K. "Whereas the World's Strongest Man combines strength, agility and endurance."

“阿诺德·斯特朗曼经典赛通常被视为对原始力量的测试，”康纳·赫弗南(Conor Heffernan)说，他在《体育文化研究》(Physical Culture Study)网站上撰写关于力量和锻炼历史的博客，并在英国阿尔斯特大学(University of Ulster)教授体育社会学“然而，世界上最强壮的人集力量、敏捷和耐力于一身。”

The current "World's Strongest Man" titleholder is Tom Stoltman, a 27-year-old gentle giant from Scotland who stands 6 feet, 8 inches (203 centimeters), weighs 397 pounds (180 kilograms) and holds the world record for lifting a 630-pound (286 kg) Atlas stone and hurling it over a chest-high bar. Another up-and-coming champion is American Martins Licis, the 2019 "World's Strongest Man" and the 2021 winner of the Rogue Invitational, who Todd thinks may be "the future of the sport."

目前的“世界最强壮男人”头衔的保持者是来自苏格兰的27岁的汤姆·斯托尔特曼，他身高6英尺8英寸(203厘米)，体重397磅(180公斤)，是举起630磅(286公斤)阿特拉斯石并将其扔过齐胸高的木棒的世界纪录保持者。另一位崭露头角的冠军是美国人马丁斯·利西斯(Martins Licis)，他是2019年的“世界最强壮的人”，也是2021年Rogue邀请赛的冠军，托德认为他可能是“这项运动的未来”。

But neither of these impressive strongmen has earned the title of the strongest man to ever live, or even the strongest man alive. According to Todd and other strength experts, that crown (size XXXL) goes to a man known as "Big Z."

但这两位令人印象深刻的强人都没有获得史上最强壮男人的称号，甚至都没有获得世界上最强壮男人的称号。根据托德和其他力量专家的说法，这个皇冠(XXXL码)属于一个被称为“大z”的男人。

Contents 目录

Zydrunas Savickas, the Lithuanian Superman 立陶宛超人Zydrunas SavickasMore Living Legends of Strength 更多关于力量的活生生的传说Strongman Culture Started More Than 100 Years Ago 强人文化始于100多年前

Zydrunas Savickas, the Lithuanian Superman 立陶宛超人Zydrunas Savickas

"Zydrunas [Savickas] may actually be the strongest man who ever walked the earth," says Todd. "He's one of the most amazing athletes I've ever seen of any kind."

“Zydrunas (Savickas)可能是地球上最强壮的人，”Todd说。“他是我见过的最了不起的运动员之一。”

Still competing at 46 years old, in his prime Savickas took home more strongman titles than anyone in the game. The 6 foot, 3 inch (191 centimeter), nearly 400-pound (180-kilogram) Lithuanian has not only won the World's Strongest Man four times, but he took first place in the Arnold Strongman Classic a mind-blowing eight times. (He's also won Lithuania's Strongest Man 16 times.) In all, he's broken more than 20 world records in strength competitions.

萨维卡斯在46岁时仍在比赛，在他的黄金时期，他比比赛中任何人都赢得了更多的强人头衔。这位身高6英尺3英寸(191厘米)，体重近400磅(180公斤)的立陶宛人不仅四次获得世界最强壮男人的称号，而且八次在阿诺德强人精英赛中获得冠军。(他还16次获得立陶宛最强壮的人。)他总共打破了20多项力量比赛的世界纪录。

The fact that Savickas defeated world-class competition in both contests is proof to Heffernan that the Lithuanian champ is not only "one of the most complete strongmen to ever compete" but also "probably the strongest man to have ever walked the earth, or close to it."

萨维卡斯在两场比赛中都击败了世界级选手，这一事实向赫弗南证明，这位立陶宛冠军不仅是“有史以来最全面的强人之一”，而且“可能是地球上有史以来或接近地球上最强壮的人”。

More Living Legends of Strength 更多关于力量的活生生的传说

There are a handful of other strongmen who could rightfully challenge Big Z for the title of the strongest man alive. Here are some of the top contenders according to Todd and Heffernan:

还有一些其他的强人可以挑战大Z的头衔，成为世界上最强壮的人。以下是Todd和Heffernan列出的一些热门候选人:

Mariusz Pudzianowski won the World's Strongest Man competition five times, more than any other competitor. Heffernan bumped him from the top of the list because Pudzianowski never won the Arnold Strongman Classic like Big Z. The Polish strongman retired from strength competitions and now competes in mixed martial arts.

Mariusz Pudzianowski五次赢得世界最强壮男人的比赛，比其他任何选手都多。赫弗南将他挤下了榜首，因为普济亚诺夫斯基从未像大z一样赢得过阿诺德强人经典赛。这位波兰强人从力量比赛中退役，现在参加综合格斗比赛。

Mark Henry lived with the Todds after high school as he trained to become an Olympic weightlifter, and the beefy American went on to win the very first Arnold Strongman Classic in 2002. "Mark's natural talent for strength exceeded anything that I ever saw in my lifetime up close and personal," says Todd. Henry holds world records for "raw" squat and deadlift (no straps to help grip the bar) and was the first to lift the "unliftable" Thomas Inch dumbbell (172 pounds [78 kilograms] with a handle as wide as a Coke can) above his head with one hand. Henry left strongman for a long and successful career as a WWE professional wrestler.

高中毕业后，马克·亨利和托德一家住在一起，他接受了奥运会举重运动员的训练，这位健壮的美国人在2002年赢得了第一届阿诺德·斯壮曼经典赛的冠军。“马克天生的力量天赋超过了我一生中亲眼所见的任何东西，”托德说。亨利保持着“原始”深蹲和硬举的世界纪录(没有带来帮助抓住杠铃)，他是第一个用一只手举过头顶的“无法举起的”托马斯英寸哑铃(172磅[78公斤]，手柄有可乐罐那么宽)。亨利长期远离了强人的头衔，成为一名成功的WWE职业摔跤手。

Wrestler Mark Henry (far right), boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and wrestler MVP (far left) celebrate at the end of a tag team match during the WWE Monday Night Raw show in Las Vegas, 2009. Mayweather was a special guest host during the broadcast.

2009年拉斯维加斯，摔跤手马克·亨利(右一)，拳击手小弗洛伊德·梅威瑟和摔跤手MVP(左一)在WWE周一晚间Raw秀的一场标签队比赛结束时庆祝。梅威瑟在直播中担任特别嘉宾主持。

Brian Shaw has come the closest to replicating Big Z's amazing record. The 6 foot, 8 inch (203 centimeter) American has won the World's Strongest Man four times and the Arnold Strongman Classic three times (he won both competitions in 2011 and 2015), proving that he's "an amazing athlete and a very complete strongman," says Todd. At 39, Shaw is still competing and may yet take the title of strongest man ever.

布莱恩·肖最接近于重现大Z的惊人记录。这位身高6英尺8英寸(203厘米)的美国人曾四次赢得世界最强壮的人称号，三次赢得阿诺德强人经典赛(他在2011年和2015年赢得了这两项比赛)，证明他是“一名了不起的运动员，也是一个非常全面的强人，”托德说。39岁的Shaw仍在竞争，可能会获得史上最强壮男人的头衔。

Bill Kazmaier was never shy about claiming he was the "strongest man to ever live" and maybe he was right. The American was one of strongman's "first breakout stars" in the 1980s, says Heffernan. Kazmaier won the World's Strongest Man three years in a row (1980-82) and "wasn't invited back" because the contest organizers feared it was "getting boring," says Heffernan.

比尔·卡兹迈尔从不羞于宣称自己是“世界上最强壮的人”，也许他是对的。赫弗南说，这位美国人是20世纪80年代铁腕人物“第一批崭露头角的明星”之一。赫弗南说，卡兹梅尔连续三年(1980-82年)获得世界最强壮男人的称号，但“没有被邀请回来”，因为比赛组织者担心比赛“变得无聊”。

Hafthor "Thor" Julius Bjornsson, who played "The Mountain" on the HBO series "Game of Thrones," is a legit giant, standing 6 foot, 9 inches (207 cm) with a competition weight of 420 or 430 pounds (190 or 195 kilograms). "It's not an accident that the strongest men on the planet are also some of the biggest," says Heffernan. "They're atypical men." The 33-year-old Thor is a three-time winner of the Arnold Strongman Classic, one time champion of World Strongest Man and currently holds the world deadlift record (with straps) at 1,104 pounds (501 kilograms).

在HBO电视剧《权力的游戏》中扮演“The Mountain”的“雷神”哈夫托·朱利叶斯·比约恩森是一个真正的巨人，身高6英尺9英寸(207厘米)，比赛体重为420或430磅(190或195公斤)。赫弗南说:“地球上最强壮的男人同时也是体型最大的男人，这并非偶然。”“他们是非典型的男性。”33岁的雷神是三次阿诺德强人精英赛冠军，一次世界最强壮男人冠军，目前保持着1104磅(501公斤)的硬举世界纪录。

Hafthor Julius Bjornsson of Iceland (center) and Mateusz Kieliszkowski (right) of Poland lift concrete spheres during the Atlas stones competition of 2018 World's Strongest Man in Manila.

冰岛的Hafthor Julius Bjornsson(中)和波兰的Mateusz Kieliszkowski(右)在马尼拉举行的2018年世界最强男子阿特拉斯石比赛中举起混凝土球体。

The late Jón Páll Sigmarsson deserves a place on this list. The charismatic Icelandic strongman won World's Strongest Man four times and Europe's Strongest Man twice before his sudden death in 1993 from cardiac arrest at just 32 years old. In competition, the larger-than-life Sigmarsson often yelled "I am a Viking!" and was a beloved figure in Iceland.

已故的Jón Páll西马松值得在这个名单上占有一席之地。这位魅力非凡的冰岛强人曾四次获得世界最强壮的人，两次获得欧洲最强壮的人，1993年他因心脏骤停突然去世，年仅32岁。在比赛中，具有传奇色彩的西马松经常大喊“我是维京人!”，在冰岛是一个受人爱戴的人物。

Strongman Culture Started More Than 100 Years Ago 强人文化始于100多年前

It's only recently that being really strong was considered a legitimate sport. Back in the late 1800s, the first big names in strength were entertainers.

直到最近，真正的强壮才被认为是一项合法的运动。早在19世纪晚期，第一批实力雄厚的名人是艺人。

"Strength performers had their origin in the circus, in Vaudeville and music halls," says Heffernan.

赫弗南说:“力量表演者起源于马戏团、歌舞杂耍和音乐厅。”

Arthur Saxon, a German-born strongman who gained fame in England, was a wildly popular performer who may have been the strongest man of his generation, says Heffernan. Saxon was a pure weightlifter who dazzled crowds with old-timey lifts like the "bent press" in which he'd raise more than 300 pounds (136 kilograms) over his head with one arm.

赫弗南说，阿瑟·撒克逊出生于德国，是一位在英国成名的强人，他是一位广受欢迎的表演者，可能是他那一代人中最强壮的人。撒克逊是一名纯粹的举重运动员，他的老式举重动作让观众眼花缭乱，比如“弯曲推举”，他用一只手臂将超过300磅(136公斤)的重量举过头顶。

The French-Canadian strongman Louis Cyr stood only 5 foot, 8 inches (174 centimeters), but weighed almost 300 pounds (136 kilograms) and had 20-inch (51-centimeter) biceps. His claim to being the world's strongest man came from an 1895 backlift in which he supported 16 men standing on a platform weighing more than 4,000 pounds (1,814 kilograms).

法裔加拿大人路易斯·西尔身高只有5英尺8英寸(174厘米)，但体重近300磅(136公斤)，肱二头肌长20英寸(51厘米)。他声称自己是世界上最强壮的人，这是在1895年的一次背举中，他支撑了16名男子站在一个重达4000磅(1814公斤)的平台上。

Perhaps the most famous strongman of the turn-of-the-20th century was Eugen Sandow, considered the world's first professional bodybuilder. An international sex symbol and a master of self-promotion, "Sandow had this amazing physique and he knew how to court public favor," says Heffernan. Sandow organized some of the first bodybuilding competitions and toured the world as an ambassador for fitness.

也许20世纪初最著名的强人是尤金·桑多，他被认为是世界上第一个职业健美运动员。作为国际性感象征和自我推销大师，“山多拥有惊人的体格，他知道如何赢得公众的青睐，”赫弗南说。山多组织了一些最早的健美比赛，并作为健身大使周游世界。