‘I break sofas when I sit down!’
Once the World’s Strongest Man, Eddie Hall is someone who loves a challenge and is no stranger to a big meal
Eddie Hall is the proud holder of several strongman titles. He stands at 6ft 3ins and weighs 28 stone, training three hours a day to maintain his impressive physique. In 2017 he won the coveted title of the World’s Strongest Man and has been using his epic strength to take on some serious challenges in Eddie Eats America.
With Arnold Schwarzenegger as one of his biggest fans and training partners such as Paddy McGuinness, Eddie,
31, is enjoying his newfound celebrity status.
But he’s down to Earth when we meet him, just a lot bigger than us. Here, he talks injuries, arm wrestling and lots and lots of food…
Hi Eddie.Was a show eating the best food in America a dream gig for you?
Absolutely! I was approached to tour the States and take on eating challenges. I do strength challenges beforehand to build up an appetite, and then I eat large amounts of the local delicacies.
What was the nicest thing you tucked into?
The Philly cheesesteak. It was genuinely incredible. I ate a four pounder but I could have polished off two of them.
How much do you eat ordinarily to maintain your physique?
About 8,000 calories a day. When I was training for the World’s Strongest Man I was consuming about 12,500 every day.
What do you normally eat?
On an average day I’d have breakfast twice. A full-English – four slices of bacon, four sausages, black pudding, eggs, beans, fried bread – then a second breakfast is porridge with five pieces of fruit. I snack all day on nuts and beef jerky. For lunch I’d have chicken or steak, rice, pasta and veg.Then half a family cheesecake for pudding. My second dinner is steak, rice and veg. And my evening meal is spag bol or a curry, then the other half of the cheesecake.
Wow.You must spend a lot of time in the kitchen...
I’ll be honest, my wife does most of the cooking. She has to cook separately for her and the kids and prepares all these extra meals for me. When I was at peak training I was spending £300 a week on food just for me. Now we’ve got it down to about £200.
How did you get into fitness?
I fell in love with swimming aged five. At 10, I was breaking records and winning national championships. Then I suffered bad anxiety and depression when my nan was diagnosed with cancer and I got a girl pregnant. I was chucked off the swimming squad. My world came crashing down and I barely left the house.Then my parents suggested I joined a gym. I never looked back.That euphoric feeling I got afterwards became addictive.
And you went on to win the World’s Strongest Man…
When I was 19, I developed this amazing strength and from posting on Facebook, I realised I was one of the strongest men in the country. So I decided to enter a strongman contest and came fifth out of about 30 guys. I said on that day,“I’m going to win the World’s Strongest Man.” And 10 years later to the day I achieved it.
Did you ever feel like packing it in?
Of course. Failures are a big part of success. I did loads of competitions when I was starting out and I was disheartened that I wasn’t doing as well in them.
I saw a psychiatrist who said, “What if I told you you’re only 105 competitions away from being the world’s strongest man, and you’ve already done 30.” That’s how I saw it. Every failure adds fire to the belly.
Have you hurt yourself training?
The worst was in the gym doing leg presses. I was slamming heavy weights on and I heard a loud thud. I’d trapped my penis between the weight plates. That was bad.
‘At peak training I was spending £300 a week on food just for me’
Do you need special furniture?
I’ve broken a few friends’ sofas in my time. I sit on them and they break in half. Beds in hotels aren’t great for me either. And I struggle on planes and trains. It always
has to be business class.
What’s the biggest downside to being a strongman?
Leaving my wife and kids at home while I travel. Not seeing them for months on end is hard.
Do you get recognised everywhere in the world?
I do! Dubai, China, Mauritius on my honeymoon. People always want me to pick them up or ask me to arm wrestle. Even at home my kids know a 10-minute supermarket trip could be an hour if everyone stops for pictures, but I embrace it.
Do you hope your kids follow in your footsteps?
I’d love them to, even my daughter. It would be fantastic. But whatever they want, I’ll support them. For the minute it works in their favour. When it comes to,“My dad’s bigger than your dad,” in the playground, they always win!