Rare Old Video Shows the Downside of Intense Arm Wrestling

Strongman competitions are one of the most thrilling bodybuilding competitions. There have been instances when the strongmen have taken the challenge too far and sustained injuries along the way. Recently, a video from the 1995 strongman arm wrestling tournament resurfaced on the internet. It shows the repercussions of not knowing when to stop.

The video featured two of the strongest men that year. While one was confident about his build and his skills, the other swooped in to flaunt his strength. When none of the two were ready to back down, one was forced to go down. The video is proof that pushing the body to extremes is not always a good idea.

Nathan Jones sustains an injury while arm wrestling

Recently, the official Facebook handle of SBD World’s Strongest Man shared a video of an arm wrestling event from 1995. The video began with Nathan Jones going up against Phil Martin. The best of the three-match winner was supposed to proceed to the next round. It did not take much effort on Jones’ part to defeat the American strongman.

Nathan Jones was confident about his power and technique. With that mindset, he stepped into the next round against the Swedish Hulk, Magnus Samuelsson. Jones was aware that arm wrestling was Samuelsson’s specialty. However, the Australian strongman took that as a challenge. But when the duel began, the reality seemed to be harder than he had imagined.

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In the first round, Jones gave a tough fight and held on for as long as he could. But it was Samuelsson’s comfort zone at the end of the day. Shocked after losing the first round, Jones decided to give his 200% in the second round. However, his body failed to follow through with his plan. The intense pressure from the consecutive arm wrestling matches ended with Nathan Jones and his broken arm. This isn’t the only instance when a strongman ended up with a severe injury after pushing his body too far.

Strongman burst the nerves of his brain onstage

In 2016, Strongman Eddie Hall performed the deadliest deadlift of the time. The 339-lb star set a record by lifting three times his own weight. Lifting 1100 lbs that year made Eddie Hall the first person ever to do so. However, Hall paid a huge price for it.

While performing the deadly stunt, the 6’9″ giant nearly lost his life. As the strongman was trying to lift the heavy weight, blood started coming out of his eyes, ears, and nose. Soon after he achieved the feat, Hall fell to the ground, unconscious. Upon further check-up, it was revealed that Hall had burst a nerve in his head.

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Though medical assistance was provided to both the strongman in time, these incidents just prove that there are downsides to trying too hard too.