Eddie Hall has spent years being known as The Beast — the man who conquered the impossible by deadlifting 500kg and claiming the title of World’s Strongest Man. However, after stepping away from competition, many people are now asking whether his 13-year-old son, Max, might one day follow in his father’s footsteps.
Appearing on the Disruptors podcast with Rob Moore, Hall was asked outright if Max could one day also earn the title of World’s Strongest Man.
At just 13 years old, Max – known as Beast Jr on his YouTube channel – is already lifting more than most adults can. In fact, dad Eddie frequently takes to social media to share videos of Max pulling huge numbers in the gym.
READ MORE: Eddie Hall’s 13-Year-Old Son Hits New PB With 160kg Deadlift
So, there’s no saying that Max doesn’t have all the potential in the world, but for Eddie, his answer was refreshingly honest. Deep down, he said that while he’d love to see his son be crowned the World’s Strongest Man some day, experience has taught him that pushing too hard can have the opposite effect.
“Deep down inside, I would love him to be,” Hall admitted. “And deep down inside I would love to push him hard and pressure him to do that. But I feel like — and I’ve been there myself — if you put too much pressure on a kid, they go the opposite way. And they almost want to defy their parents.”
Hall knows that feeling all too well. As a teenager, he was a top-level swimmer, even reaching junior Olympic squad standard. But when his parents started to push him more seriously — insisting on longer training sessions and monitoring every result — his passion for the sport disappeared almost overnight.
“It just made me hate it,” he recalled. “The second my parents started pushing me into training is the second I hated it. And the second my times and results just dropped out the a**e.”
That experience shaped how Hall approaches parenting his own son. He explained that he’s careful to provide support, not pressure. “Support is great,” he said. “But pressuring, like, ‘You’ve got to go to session, you’ve got to do this many lifts’ — those are two totally different things.”
That philosophy has guided Hall’s approach with Max since day one. He recalled how, from as young as five, he’d invite his son to join him in the gym, but Max always said no. “He said, ‘When I’m 10, I’ll come training with you. 10 sounds like a good age.’” Hall eventually agreed — and, true to his word, on Max’s tenth birthday they began training together. Since then, Max has been hitting the gym four times a week, two hours a session, for three solid years.
According to Hall, his son’s consistency has been remarkable. But when he’s tried to push him harder, things haven’t gone well. “Any time I’ve tried to push him, we’ve just butted heads,” he admitted. “Any time I tried to force him to do anything or a heavier weight, I almost feel like we could just break into a fistfight at any second. And honestly, I’m actually quite scared of the little b**tard. He’s going to be so much bigger than me.”
To keep things balanced, Hall hired a personal trainer who works with the whole family — including Max. That setup, he said, works brilliantly because it gives his son structure, guidance, and even a bit of friendship. “He’s got someone he can talk to — about girlfriends, about school, whatever,” Hall said. “I’ve sort of employed his best friend for him to go and take him to the gym, which has been great. And I feel like that gets the best out of him.”
Still, every now and then, Hall admits he can’t resist stepping in. “Now and again I’ll join in,” he said with a grin. “Sometimes I’ll ring his coach up and say, ‘I’m going to take him today.’ There are times I just like to remind him what hard work is.”
Those sessions, Hall explained, are designed to push Max’s limits — not to punish him. “I’ll say, ‘This is how I train. If you want to be a top-level strongman, this is what you’ve got to do.’ It clicks with him,” Hall said. “He goes back to his coach and pushes that little bit harder.”
Hall emphasised that his goal isn’t to turn Max into a carbon copy of himself, but to show him what’s possible through discipline and example. “It’s little incentives, little pushes — but not to the point where if he’s not doing the reps or if he fails something, I’m getting angry with him,” he said. “I don’t want to be that parent.”
And by the sounds of it, Max is already built for the part. At just 13, he’s 5ft 11in, weighs 101kg, and can deadlift 160kg — numbers most adults couldn’t dream of matching. “He’s f***ing ginormous,” Hall laughed. “He’s going to be bigger than me. If he’s under 6’5”, I’ll be very surprised.”
Whether Max Hall ends up chasing the World’s Strongest Man title or not, one thing’s clear — he’s growing up with the right mix of freedom, encouragement, and fire. And with Eddie Hall as both a role model and a sparring partner, the next generation of The Beast might not be too far away.
Featured image credit: Instagram/eddiehallwsm/YouTube/Robmoore (screenshot)
