Eddie Hall has lost about 100 pounds of body weight since winning the World’s Strongest Man award in 2017, but “The Beast” loves lifting weights just as much as he used to. In an exclusive interview with the man who once broke the deadlift world record At 462 kilograms (1,019 pounds), the 34-year-old from Staffordshire, England, opened up to Muscle & Fitness on a wide range of topics. speaking in the MyProtein Laboratories Fitness exhibition live in London, Hall reflected on the amazing requirements that strong men have for calories, and talked about the ways he now keeps his weight down. “The Beast”, who also won medals as a teenager in freestyle swimming competitions at 50, 100, 400 and 1500 meters in the UK shared how sport had a major impact about your general physical condition.
How important are live fitness events like this to you?
They are very important. Obviously, yes, online presence is great, but I think one-on-one interaction is very important, keeping that connection with people. Covid, and the kind of lockdown has made people really lose touch; a little bit of that one-on-one connection. You see all these people on your screens, on bodybuilding shows, on TV, on Strongman and everything, but I think having that one on one is what these people want and it’s nice to give back. a little you know, doing the photos, doing the autographs. I remember when I was kind of a young teenager going to these kinds of events and meeting (people I looked up to). They inspire you and just those little moments of meeting your heroes can make a big difference.
Speaking of social media, we love your Instagram and enjoy watching you swim, and that’s a part of your story that people may not know about. What was your experience in swimming?
I think I won the UK national between the ages of 11 and 13; It was a long time ago and I don’t keep track of it. I did set some British records, but yeah, I was on the potential world class team, which is basically like the GB Junior Olympic team, and that was something. When everyone else was at school studying for their GCSEs, I was in a swimming pool. You know, two hours in the morning and two hours at night, most days. So yeah, it was a really hard thing to go through as a kid, but I think it taught me a lot of self-discipline and what you put into what you get. I think he is a great role model for the rest of my life.
You have reduced your weight in recent years. Swimming is great for that. Have you increased the level of cardio you do?
Cardio has gotten a little more of a basic of my routine. Walking is the main, you know, [I put a] weighted vest on; 20, 30 kilos. I only take my dog for a mile and a half, most mornings, at a brisk pace,
and that tends to keep me pretty fit. Heart rate goes up to 140, 150 for about 15 to 20 minutes and for me that’s all you need to do is get your heart in a good rhythm every day but yeah weight is definitely my number one staple , and probably always will be. You know, I like to keep fit but I also like to keep fit, it’s important.
How was your calorie burn at the height of your strongman career, compared to where you are now?
I mean, when I was the size of the strongest man in the world, in American terms, I was 433 or 434 pounds. So, you know, I was a giant of a man. And actually I did a study with (Staffordshire) University one time (in 2016) where I sat in a chair and wore this whole breathing apparatus and they were able to measure oxygen expenditure, carbon dioxide, and they can find out how many calories you’re burning just sitting in a chair. And they worked so that if I just sat in a chair, for 12 hours, I would burn 5,000 calories in that size. So you have to think, how many calories do I need to put in to not only fuel that, but fuel the [training] sessions. You know, I was moving around a lot, training a lot, two or three times a day, so at my peak you’re talking 10,000 to 12,000 (calories), plus the 12,000 most days. Today, it’s more like 4,000 to 6,000. So almost halved, but I’m not half the body weight. I guess it was that sheer mass that made the difference to how many calories went in and out.
His wife, Alexandra, would help him meet those high-calorie requirements. What were some of the tricks you guys used?
I mean, food was a chore. When you’re a strong man, food is an absolute chore. You know, you don’t enjoy your food at some points. Then it is [all about] a good healthy diet you’re talking about your normal porridge and your steak and rice and chicken for dinner and vegetables the same for dinner and dinner but I guess with a strong man it’s [about] adding those little calories so if you have a chicken curry with rice, you know, you cut a back of bacon to add a thousand calories. Breakfast, you would have like a smoothie, you wouldn’t do it with water, you would do it with ice cream. Then for dessert, lunch and dinner, I would have half a family cheesecake for dessert, half a family cheesecake for dinner. You know, cheesecake alone is like 3,000 to 4,000 calories, so you have the healthy foods, but you also have to add the junk to bulk up and get that energy in there.
What’s next for Eddie Hall?
I want to come back to me Youtube channel and start doing more fun stuff in there because I feel like that was my bread and butter. And then sportingly, I’m just taking a step back. I’m taking it as it comes. I have no contracts, no offers under my nose so far. You know, it doesn’t make sense for me to go and fight Joe Bloggs in the future, it has to be a big name, it has to be someone really important, or it’s not worth doing in my opinion.
But obviously you stay ready.
Yes, I mean that I will always continue like this. So, I want to say I’m just waiting for another shot, but until then, I’m booking TV shows, getting back into the YouTube business, and staying fit and active. Those are my main goals right now.
