'Strongest man on the planet' is nicknamed Hercules and most people don't even know his name
A man that is known pound for pound as the 'strongest man on the planet' has spoken about his rise to fame, and why he is known as 'Hercules'.
The powerlifter and professional stuntman boasts 15 grip strength World Records in his weight class - not too shabby.
'Hercules' has amassed a following of over 98,000 people on Instagram through his training and competition videos, and while many may recognise the strongest man on Earth as Eddie Hall, Hercules might give the Brit a run for his money.
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YouTuber and rock climber Magnus Midtbø went out to meet the unit himself, and documented it all in a video on his channel.
Hercules' real name is actually Ben Galper, and as Magnus calls him the strongest man in the world 'pound for pound', the two have a go on the fat bar at the gym, as Magnus maxed out at 143 kg, while Ben went up to 184 kg without a sweat.
Recalling the time he saw Ben lifting huge weights at a gym in Long Beach, he revealed that he had no idea who the powerlifter was, until he did a quick social media search.
Ben smiles and let out a few laughs throughout, but stayed modest and nice to the content creator while they worked out, just warning him not to 'hurt himself'.
Bringing up his famous nickname of 'Hercules', Magnus pointed out that he goes by the moniker on Instagram, but Ben was quick to shut it down.
"Someone gave that to me, it's not self-proclaimed," he explained after laughing at the nickname.
Magnus wanted to know how he got so strong though, asking if he did anything in particular, to which the powerlifter replied: "I did gymnastics," before moving on to his career as a Hollywood stuntman.
Ben said that he has done some 'jet-skiing' and has even been 'launched out a wall', as footage of the stunt is played on the overlay of the video.
I can tell you for free that it looks no easy feat - as fun as it may look.
Viewers took to the comments to share their thoughts on the American personal trainer, as one said: "He's so nice and humble. He seems like a cool guy to hang out with."
Another added: "Definition of the quietest in the room is the strongest. I’ve never heard of this guy before."
A third said: "It's crazy how its the first time I am hearing from this guy, despite the 15 world records."
Who knew that Hercules would be so reserved?
Topics: Community, YouTube, Social Media
Joshua Nair