You’re watching a guy the size of a refrigerator pick up a 400-pound stone like it’s a bag of groceries. Your brain probably does that thing where it tries to find a label. "That’s him," you think. "That’s the strongest man in the world."
But honestly? It depends on who you ask and what day of the week it is.
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If you’re looking for a name to drop at the gym, Rayno Nel is the guy holding the official 2025 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) title right now. He pulled off a massive upset in Myrtle Beach, becoming the first champion ever from outside Europe or North America. It was wild. He beat the heavy favorites by the skin of his teeth, proving that the old guard might finally be losing its grip on the throne.
The Problem With "Strongest"
The thing is, "strongest" is a messy word. Are we talking about who can lift the most weight once? Or who can move a literal semi-truck the fastest?
In the world of professional strength, there isn't just one throne. There are three or four, and the guys sitting on them usually don't agree on who the real king is. You've got the World's Strongest Man competition, which is the big flashy one you see on TV with the rocks and the trucks. Then there's the Arnold Strongman Classic, which many athletes actually respect more because the weights are heavier and the gimmicks are fewer.
Then you have the record-breakers. Hafthor Bjornsson (yeah, The Mountain from Game of Thrones) currently holds the heaviest deadlift in history at 510kg (1,124 lbs). He did that in 2025, finally silencing the people who said his 2020 lift didn't count because it was in a home gym.
Who Is Strongest Man in World Right Now?
If you want the most honest answer, you have to look at Mitchell Hooper.
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The Canadian "Moose" is basically a human physics engine. He won the WSM in 2023, and while he "only" took third in 2025, he has been winning almost every other major show on the planet. He’s won the Arnold Classic three times in a row. He won the Rogue Invitational. He won the Strongest Man on Earth title.
Hooper is terrifying because he isn't just strong; he’s efficient. He’s a clinical kinesiologist, so he treats lifting like a math problem. Most strongmen look like they’re fighting for their lives. Hooper looks like he’s doing a light warm-up.
The Big Three: A Breakdown of Power
If we’re being real, the "strongest" title usually bounces between three guys lately.
- Rayno Nel (The Current WSM Champ): The newcomer from South Africa. He’s 326 pounds of raw explosive power. He won the 2025 title by being incredibly consistent across all events. He might not be the best at any one thing, but he doesn't have a single weakness.
- Tom Stoltman (The Albatross): This guy is a literal giant from Scotland. He’s 6'8" and has won the WSM three times (2021, 2022, 2024). He is widely considered the greatest "Stone Lifter" to ever live. If the competition involves Atlas Stones, Tom wins. Period.
- Mitchell Hooper (The Specialist): As mentioned, Hooper is the most decorated active athlete. He holds the world record for the Axle Press (218kg) and the Dinnie Stone carry. He’s the guy most experts would bet on in a "last man standing" fight.
The Ghost of the 500kg Deadlift
We can’t talk about who is strongest man in world without mentioning the deadlift. For years, Eddie Hall was the king because he was the first human to pull 500kg. It almost killed him—literally. He had blood vessels bursting in his head and lost his sight for a bit.
Then Thor Bjornsson came along and pulled 501kg. Then 505kg. Then 510kg.
Now, Thor is talking about the Enhanced Games in May 2026. He’s claiming he can pull 550kg (over 1,200 lbs). If he does that, the conversation about who is the strongest man alive is over. There is no argument. That much weight is basically venturing into "how are your bones not snapping" territory.
The Different Types of Strength
Strength isn't a single stat like in a video game.
- Static Strength: This is powerlifting. Squat, bench, deadlift. If we go by this, Russel Orhii is currently shattering records in the 93kg class, recently hitting an unofficial world record squat of 372.5kg. But he's a "small" guy compared to strongmen.
- Dynamic Strength: This is Strongman. It’s about moving heavy stuff over distance. Loading sandbags, pulling planes, flipping tires.
- Grip Strength: A different beast entirely. Think of the Dinnie Stones in Scotland—two massive boulders with iron rings. Mitchell Hooper currently holds the record for carrying them 12.6 meters.
What You Can Learn From the Giants
Most people look at these guys and think it's just about eating 10,000 calories and being born huge. It’s not.
Watching the current "strongest" crop, especially Hooper and Nel, shows that the sport has moved away from just being "the biggest guy." It’s about recovery, biomechanics, and mental grit.
If you want to get stronger yourself—even if you aren't trying to pull a Boeing 747—you should pay attention to how these guys train. They focus on "the big three" but they also spend an insane amount of time on posterior chain health and core stability. They don't just lift heavy; they lift smart.
How to Follow the 2026 Strength Season
If you want to see who claims the next title, keep an eye on these upcoming dates:
- Arnold Strongman Classic (March 2026): Mitchell Hooper is looking for a four-peat.
- The Enhanced Games (May 2026): This is where Thor Bjornsson tries for that 550kg deadlift. It’s controversial, but it will be historical.
- World's Strongest Man (Summer 2026): Can Rayno Nel defend his title, or will Tom Stoltman take back his crown for a fourth time?
To really understand the current landscape, start by tracking the "Podium Points" of the top five athletes across the Giants Live tour. This gives a much more accurate picture of dominance than a single one-day event. You should also follow the training logs of Mitchell Hooper on YouTube; he breaks down the science of these lifts in a way that actually makes sense for normal people.