Eddie Hall says the secret behind his colossal frame may lie in a rare genetic twist.
The 6ft 3in, 186kg strongman — winner of multiple Britain’s Strongest Man titles and the 2017 World’s Strongest Man — has highlighted DNA results that point to a myostatin-related variant in the MSTN gene, a factor he believes helps explain his extreme size and power. Hall famously broke the world deadlift record at 500kg and owns a massive 216kg axle press.
According to analysis shared from genetics company Muhdo, Hall has a variant in MSTN (rs3791783) correlated with overall body size, which in turn aligns with deadlift potential.
The analysis also notes Hall appears to carry “many variants associated with stamina,” potentially explaining his high-rep performances. The broader conclusion in the material: genetics and environment (training, nutrition, coaching, and epigenetics) work in tandem, and Hall may be a rare exception who breaks the usual “genetic box.”
Hall shared his take directly on Instagram, crediting a myostatin-linked variant as one of his advantages. His post reads: “Guys, just wanted to share this interesting result from my @MUHDO_HEALTH DNA test.
“Turns out I have what’s called the ‘MYOSTATIN ONE variant MSTN gene’. According to the geneticists at MUHDO, this allows for greater muscle mass and SIZE. One of my Genetic gifts that has shaped who I am today. Luckily for me I was working with my gifts unknowingly.
“Imagine actually knowing where your strengths and weaknesses lie.
“If you haven’t already done a test then follow the link and get one ordered @muhdo_health
If you’re serious about training and being the best you can be as I am, then go and unlock your genetic code and get that edge.”
Hall also posted a longer explainer on Facebook about MSTN and myostatin, including his own description of a rare variant. In full, Hall wrote: “MSTN is responsible for creating a protein in your body called ‘Myostatin’.
“Myostatin is essentially a protein that can restrict the amount of muscle you can obtain!!
Animals without myostatin get double-muscle, as their body doesn’t know when to stop growing the muscles such as a Belgian blue!!
“I have found out I have a condition called ‘myotronic hydrotophy’, so I have a single variant of the MSTN gene which is quite rare. People with a double-variant gene might exist out there, but there’s no scientific data to suggest that yet, although I’ve seen the odd overly muscly baby/child on the internet.
“In a way this can be seen as an X-man gene, a mutated variant of the human gene pool…
I’m going to see if my son has this variant so we can keep his options open for the future.”
What myostatin does — and what science says
Myostatin, encoded by the MSTN gene, is sometimes referred to as the “Hercules gene.” It was identified in 1997 by scientists Alexandra C. McPherron and Se-Jin Lee while studying unusually muscular cattle breeds like Belgian Blue and Piedmontese. In those animals, a loss-of-function mutation in MSTN meant myostatin wasn’t produced, leading to a distinctive “double-muscled” look.
There are human precedents too: a 2004 case study documented a German infant with exceptional muscle development for his age. Lab studies in mice show that removing the MSTN gene increases muscle size, but not necessarily proportionate strength or endurance; the myostatin-deficient mice relied more on short, explosive efforts and had reduced oxidative capacity.
The MSTN/myostatin pathway remains an active area of research, including therapeutic trials aiming to inhibit myostatin to help treat muscle-wasting conditions such as muscular dystrophy and cachexia.
The material around Hall’s testing underscores a broader point: even where studies estimate that 30–80% of athletic performance may be influenced by genetics, environment and epigenetics can powerfully shape outcomes. Hall is presented as an outlier — someone whose training ethic, nutrition, and coaching combined with atypical variants (including MSTN rs3791783) to produce world-class results.
Whether you call it a genetic gift, an anomaly, or simply another data point in the evolving science of performance, Hall’s results has me wondering if we’re ready to start putting together a real-life group of X-Men.
Featured image credit: Instagram/eddiehallwsm
