The first time I ever encountered Sigmarsson, I was at home during a school day
because I was sick. I must’ve been in 5th or 6th grade. I was watching ESPN 2, and on
came World’s Strongest Man. I loved watching the show, and would often do pushups
(it was probably the only exercise I really knew how to perform) during commercial
breaks. I thought it was incredible; the feats of strength, the muscle, and the man
dubbed “The Viking” was easily the most memorable for me. To this day, I believe there
is much we can learn from Jon Pal.
Jon Pal was born in Sólvangur, Iceland on April 28th, 1960. Manual labor was
the way of life growing up. He became obsessed with training at a young age, with
Tarzan being one of his role models. He began wrestling at age 5, and also swam,
played soccer, handball, and competed in mid distance running in his youth. At age 18
he competed in his first powerlifting competition, where he won the 110kg (242 lbs)
weight class, with a 185 kg (407 lbs) squat, 125 kg (275 lbs) bench press, and 220 kg
(484 lbs) deadlift. I think these numbers sort of put things into perspective. He would
go on to become literally one of the world’s strongest men. He won his weight class
with these lifts. Remember that the next time someone tells you “so and so” benched
315 lbs the first time they bench pressed. The internet can warp our perception of
reality, but the fact is these numbers are pretty darn good. He also competed in an
Olympic weightlifting competition that same year. The next year he won the Icelandic
Olympic weightlifting title, while winning/placing top three in a bunch of powerlifting
competitions and setting several powerlifting records. Heck, he even set a reputed
world record in the one handed deadlift at 230.5 kg (507.1 lbs).
In 1984, he won the Icelandic bodybuilding title, competed in the Highland
games, set a European deadlift record, and won the World’s Strongest Man competition.
There were many other instances where he excelled, won multiple venues of strength,
and increased muscular development all in the same year. How is this possible? Some
people would have you believe it is impossible to be a master in multiple aspects,
especially in the same year. However, Jon Pal was able to accomplish this multiple
times, not just as someone who was very good at multiple disciplines, but one of the
best in the world.
The fact is one fitness endeavor can benefit another when trained appropriately.
A stronger deadlift can improve performance in the Highland Games. Training for
hypertrophy can improve strength performance. Strongman training can improve body
composition. Jon Pal still had a six pack when he did Strongman, as have many other
competitors. It is ok to step outside the popular opinion to incorporate exercises and
methodologies from other places to improve, and you often will by doing such.
Personally, I saw a pretty significant increase in muscle mass, especially in my
legs when I started including true strength work (Powerlifting) into my routines along
with my more traditional “bodybuilding” sets. I also notice a strength increase when I
am doing sprint work regularly and consistently.
Jon Pal was a good sportsman. He was not afraid to give credit where credit
was due. If he lost, he would often praise the ability of his opponent, while continuing to
strive to do and be his best. He was able to stay cheerful the majority of the time,
regardless of how he performed. There is a lesson in humility that we can learn from
Sadly, at the age of 32, he died of a heart attack while deadlifting. Many will
point the cause to a heart condition in his family history. However, others have pointed
to his anabolic steroid use as the culprit. Many other strongmen, bodybuilders, pro
wrestlers, and other competitive athletes have died early deaths with anabolic steroid
use being a common denominator. Jon Pal was an icon to me as a child, and his sportsmanship
and training methodology are still applicable today.
The following is a link to the 1984 World’s Strongest Man competition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So3R6wrCLh4
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