How Strong Was Bill Kazmaier Actually / The Strongest of all time?

[@StrengthUniverse]

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[@BIGJATPSU]

Across all lifting fields, yeah, Kaz is THE STRONGEST MAN TO EVER LIVE BY FAR! He did it in official meets, he did it official competitions, he did it in exhibitions, and the records he set stood for years if not DECADES! Some people are seemingly born to just do certain things, Bill Kazmaier was simply born to just lift heavy things! 😅😅😅😅

[@Nirsterkur]

@@BIGJATPSU By far? Absolutely Not! I can't argue on the test of time BUT except for the Bench Press, Hafthor Julius Bjornsson has beaten every single lift or event performance of Kaz. I can name at least 40 or 50. *Prime Hafthor is the Strongest Man to have ever walked the Earth.*

[@abhinavkumar547]

@@Nirsterkur I know it is about ifs and buts but I m willing to bet had Kaz not been suffered with so many injuries at the same time, he would have become even stronger than he already was which is obvious. Normally strength athletes reach their physical peak in terms of strength when they reach the age group of 30-35 as Hafthor also reached. Kaz's career from 81 was affected with countless injuries and he was what just 28 years at that time. He would have reached his peak by 1983-85 and would have totalled more than 2500 lbs in powerlifting meet which is what he also believes. He bench pressed 661 lbs , squatted 925 lbs with light 80s suit and deadlifted 837 lbs after getting several injuries. His weight toss from height was not beaten for decades until Hafthor broke it and Hafthor is a good 6 inches taller and 100 plus lbs heavier than Kaz. Kaz was more impressive than Hafthor when we take into account the inferior drugs, inferior training methods , inferior nutrition knowledge and less knowledge of recovery. With today's technological advancements and an increase of bodyweight of upto 400 lbs I bet he would have been stronger than both Eddie and Hafthor. Kaz also has more overall feat of raw strength than Hafthor and no i m not talking about most of the strongman events which r indicative of strength endurance, athleticism and Conditioning so don't bring medleys, farmer's walk etc. Kaz set the world records in cheat biceps barbell curl, weight toss for height, pressing dumbbells overhead for reps, lifting Thomas inch db in his 1st attempt without using two arms initially just after breaking many old time strongmen records in Australia. He also outlifted Louis cyr's records in dumbbell side raise and hold as well as Cyr's front raise and hold, set the world record in seated overhead press with a torn triceps , set world record in log lift which were extremely unbalanced in weight unlike today's gen. In addition to that he set the world record raw bench press in full meet and world record squat with suit in full meet. Also set the new raw deadlift world record. When u look that what Kaz was doing things 35-40 years before Hafthor and has very close numbers in all the pure strength lifts then I have no doubt that in today's era he would probably have become even stronger than Hafthor.

[@paulwilliams9381]

@@Nirsterkur Bjornsson is a modern strongman and has had the benefits of modern training techniques, diets, trainers etc. If Kaz had been in his prime at the same time as Thor then Kaz's level would have been higher than it was in the 1980s. Not only that, Thor only managed to win one WSM (in a fairly mediocre field) in all his years of competing at strongman events. Kaz was so dominant that they banned him from competition. Thor is great, but not even in the conversation for the greatest ever.

[@Nirsterkur]

@@paulwilliams9381 1. Thor has 30 international wins (3rd highest in history). 2. Kaz was banned not necessarily for his dominance. Give me some time to research and tell you the exact *set of reasons.*

[@eugenesummers8645]

Kazmaier came to do a demonstration at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, NC, in 1989. At the end of his talk, we asked him to do a feat of strength. He put on a belt, walked over to our dumbbell rack, picked up the 115 lb dumbbells, and did 13 repetitions of standing presses without warming up. He put them back and said, "That's all I'm going to do...I have to bench press later today." We were just dumbfounded. I had watched him on television for years, but could not believe just how massive he was in person. When he would raise his arms to make a point during his speech, his triceps looked like thighs. He was one of a kind...God makes people like Kazmaier to keep everyone else humble.

[@richard7586]

I saw him in seminar at around the same time; he was the first human I'd ever seen who made a car look like it was built to 3/4 size. He also (again without warm up), did 6 reps or so with a pair of 100lb dumbbells, for alternate curls!

[@eugenesummers8645]

@Richard Richard, great description. I had a workout partner at the time who was 6'7" and a lean 300 pounds, but there was no comparison with Kazmaier. I could not believe the depth of his ribcage; his bones looked enormously thick as well. I think he used to overtrain back in the 1980s and that led to his injuries. If he trained with today's techniques, he likely would have set some frightening records.

[@jmodified]

I saw him coming out of a buffet restaurant in the late 90s. I didn't recognize him at first and was just thinking "that's about the biggest person I've ever seen". I saw him again at the 2019 WSM and he looked small compared to some of those giants. I mean, he was a lot smaller but Eddie Hall, who was not competing but hanging out and goofing around, also looked small compared to some of those guys 5 to 7 inches taller.

[@Ardonn]

God doesnt do that. Steroids made Kazmaier and everyone else who is massive what they are, they dont look anything like it without the drugs. Calm your tits captain gullible.

[@slowturtle6745]

My wife and I saw him at a Waffle House a few years ago. It was down the street from the World Gym where they had some kind of event going on. He was eating all alone and I certainly didn't want to interrupt his breakfast so I didn't say anything but he was instantly recognizable and still had an impressive build for a man in his late sixties. Whether he or Anderson was stronger is a moot point as they lived in different times with different training techniques.

[@matthewelliott2213]

Some of his injuries were just gruesome--those were some incredible comebacks.

[@D.J.G.81]

This BS barbending. Really stupid event.

[@scottpope6210]

Yes, Bill was the strongest during his prime, he threw himself at every event and lift like a pit bull, fearless.

[@sjbr101]

Yes I would say bill is certainly one of, if not, the strongest man who ever lived. Imagine Bill as a 16 yr old in 2023 with the training science, food and sports nutrition as well as all the advances in PED's, I honestly believe he would dominate easily.

[@Ardonn]

food and "sports nutrition" is much worse today than it was when he was a kid. a brocolli head today has 5 times less calories and nutrients than it did in the 50s. He had much better and richer food available, the only difference is the drugs of which he also used alot of back then, they are just better now.

[@ivailoivanov01]

@@Ardonn yeah not true, food is good nowadays you just gotta know where and what to buy. Or maybe just take vitamins and minerals in the form of pills instead of food have you thought about that?

[@yan3066]

Bill said in an interview that if he would have been clever, he would have been stronger. He said he never stopped training, like everyday. In his words, he said he was always sore, feeling like beated up all the time. If he knew to let his body recover, he would have been stronger. Noneoftheless, his name is still relevant 40 years later as one of the best strongman that ever was.

[@williesnyder2899]

When Kaz initially shown up on the lifting scene as reported in PL-USA, Mike Lambert was obviously impressed by his early prowess and the fact that he was having someone clap him across the face before a massive lift. I recall the photo that Mike took of Kaz’ profile as he awaited the iron adversary. I thought to myself, That is NOT the profile of a mere human to be trifled with! A year or so later I briefly watched Kaz warm up at the 1980 Senior Nationals. There was definitely something different in an auditorium of very different human beings, one and all! Whatever happens to the pupils of Kaz’ eyes is of another wavelength!! As a side note though, the calm of some lifters like Mike Bridges, the intense psyching of Jerry Jones or Vince Anello, the hype of Jo-Jo White before failing to reach depth with 1,000 pounds… Folks do what they need to do. Does anyone recall the sumo completion of a Worlds Strongest Man, Kaz vs John Gamble…??

[@WordSaladUnburdenedCircleBack]

​@@yan3066OMG if he did just one deload every so often 😮

[@c4662]

I believe it. If they banned him from competing because he was too dominant, that really says something.

[@atodaso1668]

Pretty crazy not to invite the champion back, they said they did it to promote the European market...More like Bill made everyone look weak.

[@thewestfaceofdhaulagiri6697]

But the competition wasn't even close to as fierce as that it was say in the last 20 years.

[@chuckstevens2672]

Part of that was because Bill wasn’t the nicest guy back then. There’s footage of his aggressive behavior back then on KZbin. I can understand why the promoters just wouldn’t want him around after a while.

[@GuyFromTheSouth]

Participation trophies for the other guys. Number 1 was "a meanie" apparently.

[@daviddudley1988]

Just imagine if Kaz never suffered any injuries and was never banned from WSM. Even with all the injuries his statement of being the strongest man to ever live was true at the time he said it.

[@jmcrjc6799]

Agreed Legend

[@williamlawlor7445]

A 551 raw bench on a torn pec. That says it all. If Bill didn't tear that pec he would have being the first to bench 700.

[@johnreidy2804]

Dom Delouise was stronger than Kaz. I love Kaz he was exciting to watch and was insanely strong. But Delouise bested him

[@springpistonriflefeverlone9611]

Paul Anderson was way stronger.

[@daviddudley1988]

@@springpistonriflefeverlone9611 That's just like your opinion, man

[@tonmisty]

I went to one of his seminars once. He was awesome and very articulate. A real example of what a WSM should be.

[@tommulford7138]

Guy was nuts....all the injuries he sustained, yet STILL was dominating the competition and setting world records that weren't broken until decades later....all these feats speak for themselves.

[@MatJak87]

Based on all I’ve seen, I’m convinced Kaz is the strongest man who ever lived. I believe you can place him in any era and he rises to the top. A prime Kaz with modern sports medicine and training methods would dominate today in both strongman and powerlifting.

[@mastersironmantarmstrong7148]

We really need more information on Kaz’s training and philosophy of training. He was very innovative and ahead of his time.

[@doublem1975x]

There’s a lot of interviews where talks about his training in depth.

[@mastersironmantarmstrong7148]

I have watched several but usually it’s more about his accomplishments his mentality his start in strength sports etc I read his bench routine around 1985 as a 19 year age just before I began competing. None of the interviews I have seen got much in depth with any real consistency just smattering here and there. He needs to either write a book or get an in depth interview or lectures exclusively on his training philosophies and application’s

[@doublem1975x]

@@mastersironmantarmstrong7148 You want me to link you interviews? Lots of content out there of him talking in depth about his training methodology and how he would approach S/B/D. Truth be told even if you knew his training regimen to the tee and did it you probably would get burned out quick. In my experience very few people can handle the high intensity, high volume pyramid style training he would do without getting injured. It’s best to figure out a style that works best for you. The psychology of lifting that Kazmaier explains I think is far more valuable.

[@nachosafe]

@@doublem1975x Please where can I find them?? thank you

[@mastersironmantarmstrong7148]

@@doublem1975x I competed in powerlifting from 1987-1991 when I was in my late teens and early 20s. I am now 55 and lifetime natty. I kind of eluded to that in the above comment so of course I am not going to try to follow his program. I also mentioned above how I wanted information on his training philosophy and principles not so much his exact program. I mentioned above I read his exact bench program in 1985 when I was fresh out of high school. You can post links if you want but I have probably already viewed them. Usually he kind of jumps around unlike the few articles he wrote where he was very in depth and thorough.

[@ctgblue]

I met Bill and Marius P at the GNC Show of Strength, Atlanta 2005. I was competing in bodybuilding back then, but was a lean Masters competitor. Bill was my height, but his hands were like paws, his wrists bigger than my elbows. I could see why he was so dominant, he was built for it. He and Marius both were very nice, funny, and a pleasure to talk to. Class acts, both of them.

[@MaddMike125]

I think he was the strongest ever. Especially at that time, he most certainly was. His numbers at 6.2 300lbs are quite insane. It's pretty comparable to the 400lb strongman monsters we have today. And that's with all the advancements in technology, nutrition, and recovery that the newer athletes have. I don't think there is any question that barring injury, he'd have 5-6 WSM titles if he wasn't banned.

[@dbzownz12345]

would loved to have seen him & Jon Paul go at it during those years he did get banned. They would have been much closer then in his later years when he turned after 4-5 years. Not to mention they were 6-7 years apart. Jon Paal being much younger, which did help him to a degree, but sometimes older men in their 30s reach their muscle maturity too, hard to call what's "Prime" during lifting comps.

[@delboy9234]

I think it's pretty clear that Bill is one of the all time strongest men to have ever lived. His lifts from 40 years ago stack up well even today, and training methods and nutrition have advanced since then. Hence if the younger Bill was competing in todays age, with the advantages modern athletes enjoy, he'd be performing outrageous feats of strength. It's just a shame he was banned from competing in WSM in his prime, because who knows what extra he'd have achieved.

[@slchambers1]

I met Bill in Scotland back in the 80’s during the Highland Games. He took a 10” aluminum frying pan and rolled it up like a rolling paper with one hand. Strong man

[@epicchanges1072]

He’s still doing that

[@craigcochrane2284]

The GOAT, no doubt about it. I remember watching WSM as a young boy during his era and he was a SCARY dude. But it was him that got me interested in lifting weights and watching strongman, so cheers for that Bill.

[@Joe___R]

Since human history goes back so far, no one can really say that someone is the strongest man to ever live. But Bill is definitely one of the strongest.

[@PinnaclePete]

My favorite Bill Kazmaier moment was when Bill's deadlift got turned down by Judge Bruce Wilhelm. So Bill does his next lift for a double (!), yells at Wilhelm who just laughs and thinks, "I'm glad I didn't have to compete against this guy."

[@casefarley5744]

At the time he said he was the strongest man ever, he probably was. I am not sure that it is still true, but he's in the argument, and he remains a legend. Great video.

[@thewestfaceofdhaulagiri6697]

He definitely isn;t the strongest of all time anymore and even when he said it I would still would have put Paul Anderson as a better candidate for the strongest of all time or even possibly Don Reinhouft ahead of Kaz.

[@connorrimo2730]

He is worthy of being called the strongest man to ever live, kaz is an absolute legend and from what I've seen of him while he mc's for Giants live is he is a lovely guy and really loves the sport.

[@randysavage8963]

He was definitely incredible for his era and he still appears to be in good shape . Good video

[@erikness4231]

"The strongest" will always be subjective, but I think he has a very legitimate claim. He was my lifting inspiration growing up, and it's great to see him in good health after all he put himself through.

[@Lickmabumbum]

Well not really, whoever lifted the most in all compound movements and machines is objectively the strongest.

[@sagarnongmaithem6237]

Indeed Kaz is absolutely a legend whose record needs decades to be broken even by modern strongman with modern knowledge and technology

[@dnegel9546]

did it raw. no wrist straps or knee wraps.

[@honestreviewer7788]

The guy was so dominant that the governing body of the sport asked him to please not compete anymore. I mean DAM! single most dominant athlete of all time, not even a question

[@brettgast]

Bills up there with the strongest who ever lived for sure. Put him with the Big Z, Shaw, Marios, Eddie, ect. What he did in the time he was competing was pretty crazy.

[@tymargrif7460]

That was the fastest 800lb deadlift I've ever seen

[@Nirsterkur]

I believe KAZ was the Strongest Man to have ever lived from early 80s to around 2002/03.

[@Lickmabumbum]

Definitely, an absolute legend

[@StrengthUniverse]

In the era I agree

[@BuJammy]

Maybe if he'd been 40 lbs heavier, who knows where his records would be?

[@abhinavkumar547]

@@StrengthUniverse I say he was most probably the strongest human being from early 80s to 95. Most of the people don't notice it but Mark Henry from that point on for 2 years 1995-96 was definitely stronger than Kaz or has a strong case to be stronger. He then went to pro wrestling and came back in 2002 for asc and that is at that point many people consider him the strongest ( he was officially the strongest at that time though ) but this was his 2nd tenure as being the strongest, first being during the period of 95-96.

[@lucianm5459]

That's the minor problem here "you think",wich doesn't translate into "he was".

[@ewigit8077]

A comparison video of strongmen of the past vs modern strongmen would be interesting. Angus MacAskill, Loius Cyr, and Paul Anderson vs guys like Shaw, Kazmeier, Hall, etc

[@jonathanzoellick8602]

I met the man once back in the early 80s when our Albany YMCA weightlifting team would go to Auburn for a competition, and he was working as strength coach at the time, but I believe he deserves to be considered one of the strongest men who ever lived, in powerlifting, he was before his time. Amazing individual 😊

[@rossclement7321]

Met him at Glasgow giants live meet and great. Very nice , humble guy. What a chatterbox

[@russellthompson583]

Kaz got me into weights and powerlifting he was my hero when young. Kaz and Tony Steven’s powerlifting

[@henrydelrisco6959]

I believe he is and has always been the strongest man in history, considering the raw power he possessed, if it wasn't for the injuries he obtained, he'd won a lot more competitions

[@arthurblackhistoric]

Kaz has been a hero to me for my whole life. He's just six months older than me and I've been following his career since 1979 when I first saw mention of him in Iron Man magazine. I truly believe he was the strongest man ever.

[@marcbreaugh1633]

Awesome video, superb research and narration. Thanks for offering this retrospective on Kaz.

[@StrengthUniverse]

Thank you, Much appreciated!

[@richardcottom7474]

Kaz was 30 years ahead of his time! He was the strongest who ever lived.

[@BIGJATPSU]

Across all lifting fields, yeah, Kaz is THE STRONGEST MAN TO EVER LIVE BY FAR! He did it in official meets, he did it official competitions, he did it in exhibitions, and the records he set stood for years if not DECADES! Some people are seemingly born to just do certain things, Bill Kazmaier was simply born to just lift heavy things! 😅😅😅😅

[@thewestfaceofdhaulagiri6697]

Look its really simple. Records are well documented. His records not only have been broken for a long time but they have been broken by a lot of pounds whether it's on the bench press, deadlfitt total, loglift, etc. Broken using less equipment (look at the raw records just with sleeves) under Stricter IPF conditions that Kaz never competed with. It's like a lot of things. A lot of people form their opinions based on what they have heard in an echo chamber. Go on and google who is the best guitarist and there is a big-time echo chamber that will tell you such overrated guitarists like Eric Clapton or Jimmy Page where the best guitarists ever.

[@chonzen1764]

Blessed to have stood next to him and trained in the same gym as him. I'm 6'2" we are about eye to eye but damn even in his 60s two of me fit into one of him and I'm a big guy.

[@lesterthurtle9621]

Kaz is a one off, if he could start again in this era with all the advances in training and nutrition etc no one would challenge him , the man in his prime is a strength god

[@Steve157Oh]

I met him a few years ago and he's still an absolute UNIT. Very nice guy too.

[@wilsonsmanz]

What I cannot get over with this dude is how he keeps getting serious injuries mid-competition and still breaks records and wins the competition.

[@bhu3050]

Bill Kazmaier and my father were talking after a seminar, he had borrowed my fathers Eleiko bar to do the demonstration and he said to my father “ I truly believe I am the strongest man to walk the face the earth.” I asked him what his response to that was. He said “well….I looked at him….and I said… I’ll go along with that.” 🤣

[@davidanderson3684]

I met him by accident in Cleveland several years ago even in his older age he is still JACKED!!

[@Chaosdude341]

Kaz's story shows that often the winner is simply the only one that's not injured. Kaz was very good, but his potential was much bigger if he'd had a better training protocol (that didn't result in injury).

[@BWBParmwrestling]

I believe that when he said he was the strongest man who ever lived, he was absolutely right. Maybe not anymore but at that point absolutely

[@atsekjoker]

he was in terms of static and mobile lifting sure the strongest, measured, man who ever lived up to his prime. it's a matter and a shame of time, that we never saw him compete against the others - magnus, eddie, thor, brian, big Z, marius or even the powerlifters of the last 2 decades. imagine he had all the modern features and "supplements" of today

[@PinnaclePete]

I remember the first time I heard about Bill Kazmaier was in a Ironman article written by Terry Todd. I always followed the national and world championship powerlifting competitions back then and knew the top lifters, but Bill hadn't burst on the scene yet. Terry Todd expressed that this new kid from the midwest was going to be something special in the strength world, destined for greatness! Terry was so impressed, I believe he was predicting he may become the strongest man ever! How right he turned out to be!

[@abhinavkumar547]

Hii can u tell me which article was that of Dr. Terry Todd? Thank u.

[@PinnaclePete]

@@abhinavkumar547 Hi Abhinav. I have hundreds of issues of Ironman magazines in storage and it would require removing a lot of stuff to even get at them. Then I would have to go issue by issue looking for it, quite a project! If you have access to Ironman magazines, I would start early in Bill's career and work your backwards finding each Terry Todd article. Eventually, you'll find it.

[@abhinavkumar547]

@@PinnaclePete Thanx for the information. I m myself a great fan of Dr. Terry Todd's articles and have read many of his articles written for starkcentre. Speaking about the strongest man ever lived later Dr. Todd said firmly that Mark Henry had the potential to become the strongest man who ever lived and that he was the naturally most impressive strength athlete he ever came across. Had he not left strength world for pro wrestling Dr. Todd suspected that he would have been even stronger than Zydrunas Savickas. I shall look at his writings about Kaz.

[@PinnaclePete]

@@abhinavkumar547 Terry Todd was my favorite writer in the muscle magazines. I think it was sometime in the 1990s he wrote an updated article on his top 10 list of the strongest men of all-time. Big "Z" finished #1. Kaz, was 'about' #3. Paul Anderson, I think was 'about #4. Outside of his top ten, (honorable mention list) Terry gave kudos to two bodybuilders: Ronnie Coleman (800 deadlifts with straps) and Franco Columbu for his pound-for-pound strength. I have that article too, somewhere. 😄

[@charliebeane5549]

I have met Bill on a couple off occasions. The first was not long after his shoulder injury, in Nashville Tennessee at the Nike Nashville Invitational . He was very nice and answered all my questions. Later on he was a guest lifter at a friend’s gym in Asheboro,NC. He benched 500 lbs for 10 reps. He also bent a 1/2” rebar using a small towel between his teeth. I still have the picture of he and l holding the bent bar

[@anthonyparenti1928]

Dropped out of college to focus on lifting weights. This man is a true gym bro.

[@DerSpazzvogel]

I think in his time of competing he really was the strongest man who ever lived 😎👌 Such a unit!

[@robertcochran2124]

Well for the number of events that he was in and the percentage of the ones that he won I would say that if you went by that to judge his overall performance then yes he would be considered the strongest man to ever compete but I don't know about to ever live.

[@ryanchadwick4432]

Torn bicep and sprained ankle. Still ended up 4th place at WSM. Crazy

[@Scott-jk5zk]

Hi strength universe I've watched most of your videos thanks for the contract and biographies 👍

[@StrengthUniverse]

Thanks for watching and support💪

[@goranilievski3841]

Only one Word for finishing injured the Competition and even win the Contest. Unstoppable!

[@JayP7.62]

He was a beast!! I remember as a kid watching all the world strongest man competitions. It was the only reason I ever looked at the TV guid. The good ole days of TV guid lol. No internet back then.

[@baki_sigma]

imagine what a 20 y old Bill Kazmaier could do in the modern era, crazy if you think about it x)

[@EDGEDAZZA]

Blows me away what he achieved. If he was active in any given era, he’d be on top with this self belief.

[@toddpeters9007]

Strong , I was a power lifter at his hay day,time, he was unreal , for the years 1980s unreal , and he competed in WSM,

[@thebreakbarrelshow]

I have to agree with Kaz and so many of you commenting , especially at that time he WAS the strongest man alive. His dominance with speed and power. Consistently. You always wondered at each event , was he going to break a record. He was the poster child for intensity. He had chasma. He put strongman on the map.. Ive talked with him several times over the years and he is a very kind good person . Kaz is a legend in my book

[@Donantonio26]

In terms of static power, Kaz is probably the strongest ever. Eddie Hall at his peak was the strongest ever in terms of numbers lifted. However, Kaz competed nearly 40 years before Eddie and weighed 100lbs lighter. Taking those factors into account, Kaz definitely has the edge in the GOAT debate in my eyes.

[@grindfreakmike5754]

As i listen/watch this video i always thought he was a European but to learn he was born close to where i grew up in wisconsin i couldnt believe it. I watched the strongman competitions every time i could and watched bill in them competing and then being a commentator later on , always one of my favorites.

[@JBCCT01]

Met him at a celebrity golf tournament. Long story short...he stopped 2 chuckleheads from beating down Lawrence Taylor. He was an absolute awesome guy. Friendly, funny and still a bear of man.

[@paulwilliams9381]

The "bar bend" event... ridiculous. Did anyone see JPS win the WSM in a running event? The WSM in the 1980s was a joke. Had they let Bill Kazmaier compete in all events through the 1980s he would probably be considered the greatest and most dominant strong man of all time - he was so strong that they banned him from competing.

[@snakeplissken6313]

All of those record breaking videos, not only did bill break the record, he did it easily and could have done even more. What a beast

[@abhinavkumar547]

Wow what a well detailed and informative video on the strongest of the strong Kaz. I salute your hard work and patience while making this video. Bill is one of the greatest strength athlete in the history. What a resume he has. Pardon me but who broke Bill's deadlift raw world record in powerlifting of 887 lbs in 1988 ? Because as far as i know it was not broken until 1995. Also, how Bill's powerlifting total record stood for 23 years until 04 , when guys like Bedenhorst, Od Wilson etc. all totalled more than him in 80s Or were u talking about the category of meet where powerlifter have used only squat suit and rest lifts were done raw for total? Some additional informations : His best bench press done in the training was 633 lbs for 3 reps before his 661 lbs attempt in 81 meet. Also his best squat done in the training was 900 lbs for triple before his lift of 925 lbs squat at that 81 meet. Additionally Bill has also pulled 903.9 lbs with straps in an exhibition in 1983. Regarding the nos. of his best bench press and standing military press done inside the gym that u have shown here I m skeptical as i have already told u before. David Webster in his book Sons of Samson wrote very clearly that Bill was a competition lifter rather than being a gym lifter which means he always lifted higher poundages in the competitions than in the gym. He was the first man like u said in the video to press Thomas inch db overhead with one arm and the fifth person in history to lift it above the knee.

[@StrengthUniverse]

I didn't mention the 633 or 900 for a triple as it's hard getting all the info in and the record numbers he achieved at the meet were the important thing. I went on to talk about the numbers he was achieving in the lead up to the 83 World's because I felt they gave a good indication of what he should have hit in that competition if not for the injury. Same goes for the 904lb deadlift with straps, the 914.9lb deadlift on a stiff bar with straps superseded it's importance (in the story) As you mention yourself and I eluded to on the screen the record lasting for 23 years is on the basis of the exact same conditions , single ply squat suit, raw bench press and raw deadlift. As per the on screen note, it's hard to find accurate information or even a video to see if the lifter used equipment for the bench and deadlift. For the 402kg - 887lbs raw deadlift I was going off the info on All Powerlifting (Wiki states Doyle Kenady's in 1986) which shows it was beaten by Norén Lars in 1988. Lars also competed in single ply equipment but it's hard to know if this included the deadlift so it may well been the case that Kaz's record wasn't beaten until 1995 by Mark Henry. There is a photo in the video of Kaz hitting a seated press of 448lbs for 3 reps (in training) which makes the 495 standing press perfectly plausible. I also found the feat of strength listed in other articles. This is always the issues when trying to get accurate information from the late 70s, 80 and 90s as equipped lifting was so popular

[@abhinavkumar547]

@@StrengthUniverse Hii buddy. Regarding the information on raw deadlift world record, Kazmaier set the world record in this lift with approx. 887 lbs done in 1981 which was actually broken by Dan wohleiber in 1982 with 904 lbs deadlift ( pretty sure it was with single ply suit) . Wiki has Doyle Kennady breaking Bill's record in 1986 with the lift of 903.9 lbs and i wondered why didn't u said the record lasted for 1986 rather than 88 because earlier in the video of your superstars of deadlift u have mentioned clearly that Don Kennady Deadlifted the aforementioned weight in 1986 and even showed a video of that lift. In reality Wohleiber deadlifted 900 lbs even before Kennady and was originally the first guy to broke Kazmaier's world record. U can check it in open powerlifting, powerlifting watch etc. Regarding, Lars Noren i have send u a video of him deadlifting 891 lbs ( 405 kg) on insta which happened in 1987 not 88 . Decide whether it was done with the help of deadlift suit Or not. Aside from Noren, Both Kennady and Wohliebers's deadlift were done with the help of single ply suit. So, Bill's raw deadlift world record didn't get beat until 1995. Regarding the powerlifting total world record, u may be right as it is really hard to find out whether anyone before 04 totalled more than kaz with just squat suit, raw dl and raw bench press. Keeping this thing aside Bill's total world record was originally broken by John Ware in 1989 with the total of 2427 lbs ( equipped with squat suit and bench shirt). U can confirm it in open powerlifting site. A few months later Od Wilson totalled 2430 lbs ( his total was also done with the help of squat suit and bench shirt).Then in I think 1990 , Gerrit Badenhorst totalled 2431 lbs ( done with the help of multiply squat suit and double ply bench shirt) .

[@mikepagliassotti]

Kasmaier is WITHOUT a doubt the strongest man who ever lived.💪🏋️‍♂️

[@markovasil1608]

Kaz is the GOAT…. For his era he was Miles ahead of all competitors

[@ThumperT51]

Been a fan of WSM since I was a kid... Kaz should have 3 more WSM victories. They messed him over, big time!

[@maurosbrighi9222]

He is the true "Mr. Incredible"

[@Adumah77]

Broke deadlift record in Nigeria 🇳🇬 🇳🇬 🇳🇬 I'm proud 👏

[@stevenseagal4664]

I agree Bill is the strongest man to ever live.

[@ericmarks7648]

Dear lord! Kaz was an alien. Love your channel.

[@StrengthUniverse]

Thanks Eric!

[@sword-and-shield]

13:35 WTF...never seen that...thanks for the vid brother.

[@tommygoode9644]

Great video Bill was a beast back in the day. Probably still is.

[@bencornish6910]

Kaz was the GOAT. Later Big Z & Pudinovski challenged as Mitch Hooper is now but times, techniques & diets have changed a great deal & if he was competing in this era he would still be on podiums regularly.

[@jamesdunsby2213]

Not much doubt imo he’s top 5 ever and without the ban would be unquestionable no1 his numbers for 30 years ago to still be relevant today are ridiculous!

[@chiawena]

Yes You can prove all of it. He was. Incredible power and strength. The requirements to win these events at his weight category are huge, for any person to attempt or try and win. He was able to successfully compete and win, therefore he was.

[@jordangroff8978]

1981 Kaz would be a podium threat even today, especially if he had the advancements in nutrition, training, drugs, etc. that they have today.

[@robbybee70]

every Kaz Deadlift, no matter the weight looks smoother then when I just use the bar...

[@skipklauber1162]

Pretty amazing strength accomplishments. Maybe most impressive of the folks you’ve covered to date? Interesting that while some of his feats were “unofficial” you don’t seem to doubt the numbers as you have on so many videos to date.

[@StrengthUniverse]

I think there's enough evidence on the lifts that we have seen to support his claims and most of the lifts were done in exhibitions with plenty of witnesses, some of whom were other professionals or organisers

[@skipklauber1162]

@@StrengthUniverse the guy was for real

[@steinfranken1108]

Kaz was truly amazing. It's too bad he was treated so poorly by "World's Strongest Man". He surely is one of the best competitors ever in that venue.

[@samarthur1847]

I have no doubt that Kaz, was the strongest man who ever lived when he made that claim. The only strongman banned for being to strong, also David Webster who knew a thing or two rated Kaz above all. Of course time moves on, but for then, definitely imho😊 thank you.

[@joep5146]

Impossible question to answer, but would anyone be surprised if Bill indeed was the strongest man who ever lived? I wouldn't be suprised. In his prime he was a machine.

[@jonhanna2753]

I remember going to a mr Olympia around 2005 and watching him roll up a frying pan like a tortilla, seemed to be effortless

[@kozmo7]

Fantastic video thank you Subbed

[@StrengthUniverse]

Thanks, pleased you enjoyed it.

[@TheSwiftCreek2]

I know people like to talk about Brian Shaw (who I like) and a few others, but when I hear about Kazmaier every time I think if you judge him by his time period, then he was the strongest overall man known to modern times.

[@col98]

Hey that’s cool I didn’t know that I was born and raised in Burlington, WI also!

[@rushtk2112]

Thank u for a great vid!

[@StrengthUniverse]

My pleasure!

[@mrwhite2930]

Another great educational watch cheers once again

[@rosrebel]

As a person who didn’t get into strongman until the last decade ..it’s my belief that ‘ Kaz. May well have been the strongest man that ever lived ...and as with the absolute top strongmen ..they are power athletes and would had professional careers in contact sports ..ie nfl linemen ....

[@jaybigboy34]

Bill is definitely up there. If he had the tools and training that the strongmen have in today's time, he very well could be the strongest ever.

[@waggingtongue]

With todays science and techniques, Bill would still be at the top. I interviewed Derek Pounstone in 2009 and he said Kaz was bruatlly strong and if in his prime would probaly be on the podium everytime. When you look at his powerlifting totals, His final lifts were far from max lifts and had they let them go for another round, Persoanlly I think h e would have eclipsed a 2600lb total. I run throught the events of WSM post Kaz from 83-87 and anytime I thought there might be a tie in a n event with JPS or another athlete, I gave the point to the other athlete and Kaz still won an additional 4 WSM titles, for a total of 7. Interesting. Great vid compilation, thanks

[@StrengthUniverse]

I agree, had he been invited, Kaz was certainly capable of winning more titles, at least 5 and possibly 6 or more. It's a shame that politics got in the way of sport. must say I'm in awe that you interviewed Derek.

[@mandingincito]

Probablemente uno de los hombres más fuertes que haya pisado la tierra. Uno de mis favoritos junto a Savickas.

[@user-mu5ny1ks6t]

I would have loved to see how Bill would have done if he were able to train in new strongman style like the current competitors.

[@bendavies8881]

I am not sure that he was the strongest man who ever lived to this day, but on the day that he made the claim, absolutely.

[@clinkert483]

At the time he made that comment he certainly was. However the amount of people he inspired to test them selves as to what was possible can't be ignored either

[@ADAM_COLLECTS]

as a wrestler he was the first man who could truly call himself the Worlds Strongest man. It was a regularly used gimmick, but Kaz was no gimmick

[@williesnyder2899]

Paul Anderson was briefly both a boxer and a professional wrestler.

[@m4yd0g]

One of the most intimidating competitors for sure!

[@Chaosdude341]

Really tremendous research

[@StrengthUniverse]

Thank you, much appreciated

[@edwardwood3622]

I remember watching the first few WSM competitions, Bill Kasmaier looked like an alien.

[@atodaso1668]

Kaz is a legend, one tough SOB