10/14/2026
Two guys known for being ridiculously strong, but with a massive difference in size.
Anatoly is approximately 5’11” and 170–175 lbs.
Eddie Hall is around 6’3” and weighed roughly 400–420 lbs during his strongman career.
That’s a difference of well over 200 pounds in body weight.
And yet, both are incredibly strong.
Eddie Hall is a former World’s Strongest Man and became the first person to deadlift 500 kg (1,102 lbs). His absolute strength is on another level.
But Anatoly is a great example of how someone doesn’t necessarily need to be enormous to be incredibly strong.
And that’s because strength isn’t determined by muscle size alone.
Technique, leverages, neural adaptations, and years of practicing specific movements all play a significant role in how much weight someone can lift.
Of course, muscle size still matters. A bigger muscle generally has a greater potential to produce force, which is one reason Eddie can move significantly more weight in absolute terms.
But when you consider strength relative to body weight, Anatoly becomes a lot more impressive.
And that’s really the point of this comparison.
Being bigger generally gives you greater strength potential, but being smaller doesn’t mean you can’t be ridiculously strong.
You can build strength without gaining much muscle, and you can build muscle without maximizing your strength in specific lifts.
The two are closely related, but they’re not interchangeable.
