The direct answer: It depends on how you define “strongest.” Below are two common, well-accepted ways to rank strength and a top-5 for each. Tell me which definition you meant (or if you want a different one) and I’ll refine the list.
1) Top 5 strongest (Greatest strongman competitors — by titles, records and influence)
These are the athletes most often called the “strongest” because of repeated wins in elite strongman contests (especially World’s Strongest Man) and many event records:
- Mariusz Pudzianowski — 5× World’s Strongest Man (dominant across 2000s)
- Žydrūnas Savickas (Big Z) — multiple WSM wins and dozens of world records in strongman events
- Jón Páll Sigmarsson — 4× World’s Strongest Man (1980s–1990) and legendary for his all-around strength and charisma
- Bill Kazmaier — 3× World’s Strongest Man (early 1980s), famed for brute pressing and deadlifting power
- Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson — WSM champion (2018) and set the 501 kg deadlift mark (see note below)
(Honorable mention: Eddie Hall — WSM winner and the first widely publicized 500 kg deadlift.)
2) Top 5 strongest by single-lift feats (notable maximal deadlifts)
If you judge “strongest” by the absolute heaviest lifts ever completed, especially deadlifts, the top names are:
- Hafþór J. Björnsson — 501 kg deadlift (2020, famously performed under strongman conditions)
- Eddie Hall — 500 kg deadlift (2016, official strongman event)
- Benedikt Magnússon — very large raw deadlifts (notable historical raw lifts around 460 kg)
- Andy Bolton — one of the first to exceed 1000 lb deadlift in competition (notable lifts ~457.5 kg)
- (Historical/other contenders) such as Paul Anderson (legendary early feats), with many other modern lifters posting extremely large deadlifts depending on gear and rules
Important note about comparisons: lifts and results differ by context — raw vs. equipped, use of straps, type of bar, competition sanctioning, and whether the lift was done in a sanctioned meet or a special event. That’s why different lists can have different names.
If you want:
- A current (active athletes) top-5 as of a particular year,
- A list based on powerlifting totals or Olympic weightlifting records,
- Or a ranked and sourced list with dates and exact numbers,
tell me which one and I’ll produce a precise, sourced top-5. Which definition should I use?