Eddie Hall has spent his career competing alongside some of the strongest athletes the world has ever seen.
From battling fellow World’s Strongest Man champions to witnessing record-breaking feats of strength firsthand, the 2017 winner has shared the arena with some of the biggest names in the sport.
So when Hall was asked to name the strongest pound-for-pound athlete he’s ever seen, his answer may surprise many fans.
Rather than choosing one of Strongman’s modern giants, Hall immediately pointed to legendary powerlifter Ed Coan.
“I’m going to go with a gentleman called Ed Coan,” he said.
When interviewer Rob Moore admitted he expected a different answer, Hall was quick to explain why the American stands above everyone else in his eyes.
“So, Ed Coan… give him a Google. Ed Coan, phenomenal powerlifter from back in the day,” Hall went on.
Hall believes Coan’s strength relative to his bodyweight remains virtually unmatched.
“He weighed something like 70 kilos, and he was deadlifting 420,” Hall explained. “Just the most ridiculous pound-to-bodyweight ratio you’ve ever seen.”
For Hall, that settles the debate.
“So, I’m going to say the pound-for-pound strongest man that’s ever been is Ed Coan.”
Hall believes there are several factors behind that extraordinary level of strength, beginning with something that can’t be taught.
Dedication.
But he also believes genetics play an important role.
“Having that mindset of pushing the boundaries, but a little bit of genetics,” Hall said. “Good bone structures, good cartilage strength and everything else.”
He also highlighted physical attributes that can provide advantages in the deadlift.
“Long arms, you know, to help you lift longer off the floor.”
Even so, Hall insists the greatest separator between elite athletes and everyone else isn’t found in their body—it’s found in their mindset.
“Mainly I would just say mindset,” he said.
He believes the willingness to attempt what others won’t is what ultimately creates champions.
“Just a bloke that’s like, ‘Right, I’m going to do something so drastically different to everybody else and push the boundaries harder than everybody else.'”
According to Hall, that relentless mentality stretches far beyond the gym floor.
“Eating those extra bits of meat and protein and whatever else,” he said.
For the former World’s Strongest Man, that’s what defines greatness.
“That’s what sets apart a champion from a loser is mindset,” Hall said.
Hall knows exactly what it takes to reach the very top of strength sport.
He famously became the first man to deadlift 500kg under competition conditions before going on to win World’s Strongest Man in 2017.
But despite achieving feats that changed the sport forever, Hall still believes there is one man whose strength, relative to his size, has never been surpassed.
For him, the title of the strongest pound-for-pound athlete in history belongs to Ed Coan.
Featured image credit: Rob Moore / YouTube / Ed Coan / Instagram
