Eddie Hall

“For the people that keep asking why I don't compete at the World's Strongest Man anymore, simple: I choose to live a healthier life now and enjoy the fruits of my labour.”

“I was expelled from school at 14, and whilst everyone else was studying for their GCSEs, I got a membership for that gym, and I just started lifting weights. So while everyone else was in school, I was in the gym sort of bulking up, and when I got to 17, I got a full time job.”

“I tend to wake up around 7, and I start the day with a protein shake.”

“I remember watching World's Strongest Man as a kid, and I was just obsessed with it. At sort of five, six years old. Just watching these huge guys lift planes, pulls trains, lift stones - I was just mesmerised by it.”

“After swimming, I have breakfast. I start with a big bowl of porridge - say, 100 grams of oats - then some cereal, five or so pieces of fruit, an oat bar, a litre of fruit juice, and a big bag of beef jerky.”

“My workouts are based on very heavy, fast movements using weights, the science behind it being that the faster you move a weight, the more fast twitch fibres you rip and then repair.”

“Sometimes I'll have cheesecake - just anything that's high calorie, because that's what I need for the training.”

“Coffee... The caffeine in your morning coffee stops an enzyme called amylase from working correctly, which is located in your mouth and gut, and breaks down starchy carbs.”

“Yes, I'm doing damage to my body now. The human body isn't designed to be this size.”

“No event in strongman competitions lasts longer than 40 seconds, so by swimming in fast bursts, my body is conditioned for the level of speed and power it needs.”

“I'm not going to walk around at 28 stone until I'm 48. My plan is to win the World's Strongest Man, walk away gracefully, and live a long life.”

“When I was ten years old, I would get up at 5 in the morning, cycle to the swimming baths, do an hour-and-a-half session, then cycle to school, do a day at school, then cycle back to the baths after.”

“My life revolves around World's Strongest Man. I want to be the World's Strongest Man.”

“Because fats are so calorie-dense - there are nine calories per gram of fat - at 400 grams of fat, you're getting a lot of calories in. It's so easy to digest fat, too. That was my fuel.”

“It's that great feeling, like the first man on the moon, the first man to run a mile in under four minutes. And now, I'm the first to deadlift half a ton. It's history, and I'm very proud to be a part of it.”

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day; this is where most people will make their first big mistake if they're trying to lose weight.”