Sky is the limit for Strongman Tom… and brother Luke is not for slowing down either

At 6-foot-4 and 364 pounds, Luke Stoltman can safely qualify as a man mountain. But next to his younger brother Tom, even he looks small.

Standing just 6 feet tall and weighing 408 pounds, Tom Stoltman is now a three-time World’s Strongest Man after regaining his title with victory in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, earlier this month.

Tom, an enthusiastic footballer who was invited to matches for Ross County and Rangers in his youth, has always been involved in sports. After watching Luke, who was ten years older than him, excel in Strongman, the younger Stoltman quit football and turned to strength training at the age of 16.

While his bigger brother acted as coach within a year of strength training, Tom quickly showed an aptitude for Strongman and Luke didn’t hesitate to help his younger sibling navigate that new world.

“Tom is a phenomenon, I knew that when I took him to the gym,” says Luke. “Everything just seemed easy to him. I knew his potential early on and of course it was easy to accept (that he could go as far, if not further, than me).

“There is nothing that makes me prouder and happier than seeing Tom at the top of the world and being discussed as one of the best to ever play the sport. Overcoming what he has done in his life to be here now is something that comes with Hollywood movies.”

In addition to winning the World’s Strongest Man Award in three of the past four years, Tom holds numerous records for the discipline, including the world record for lifting five (light) Atlas Stones – weighing between 100 and 180 kg – in 16.01 seconds. He also holds the record for lifting an Atlas Stone, weighing 500 pounds (286 kg), over a 48-inch barrier once. It’s no wonder he’s nicknamed King of the Stones.

Reigning champion Tom is the first Briton to win the world title three times and the first to do so consecutively in 2021 and 2022. Reigning champion Tom still has his sights set on the overall record of World’s Strongest Man titles, currently held by Mariusz Pudzianowski. , who has five to his name, the last of which came at the age of 31.

“The way I feel now, I think it’s doable,” Tom admits. ‘I would of course very much like that. WSM is such a special competition and the title that every man competing in Strongman wants.

“Marruisz was also a great athlete, so to even be considered someone who could match his achievement is an honor in itself.”

It has not always been easy for both brothers. Both have previously spoken about the sad passing of their mother, Sheila, in 2016 and how they use her influence to inspire them to success within Strongman.

Not only that, Tom has been diagnosed with autism. Although many use the term and suggest it is a disability, for Tom it is his ‘superpower’ and he hopes he can show it to others provided it does not hinder them from achieving their goals.

“It’s very important (in the gym and during competitions),” he says. “There can be a stigma around it, and people can call it a disability and generally not understand it.

‘Honestly, there can be positives to living with autism, and I want to inspire people to see that you can achieve great things and, most importantly, educate people about it.

‘I called it my superpower after I won my first WSM title. At that moment, I was no longer the autistic child being held back. I had channeled it to help me focus on achieving my goal of becoming the strongest man in the world.”

Once again, Tom’s special strength came into its own early this month in Myrtle Beach, where he failed to crack the top three in any of the six events.

Tom was the only man from an elite field to complete the Atlas Stones Challenge in the final event and tied for first place in the third challenge, the Keg Toss. Strong men were given the task of throwing a 15 kg barrel over their heads, with the highest throw winning. There was another new record for the Albatross, at 7.76 metres, although he had to share the distinction with Mitchell Hooper and Wesley Derwinsky.

It is that consistency over the past few seasons that has seen Tom rise to the top of the sport and reclaiming his crown this year was all the more special as Luke was there to present him with his trophy.

‘That was a lovely surprise from the organisers, they know how special our bond is and of course Luke is such a big part of my story. If I win, he wins; it was very special,” says Tom.

‘Last year’s result was the incentive I needed to work harder after winning two years in a row. We assessed and made a plan on how to get the title back, and luckily everything fell into place.”

Like his brother, Luke has also struggled and uses his experiences to help others. Whether it’s exercising, leading a healthy lifestyle or taking a dip in the North Sea, the Stoltmans are big proponents of using the gym and sports to help process and cope with mental trauma.

“(The gym is) incredibly important, and I try to tell as many people as possible about the benefits of working out,” says Luke. ‘Being healthy, active and strong is something to be proud of.

‘I’m also a big believer in cold water therapy. I try to start most days by hitting the North Sea. It helps me reset and clear my head for what’s going to happen tomorrow, and if I see a sunrise to go with it, even better. That is something that gives me a lot of energy.

‘We train 4-5 days a week and the sessions last between 2-5 hours depending on what stage we are at in the run-up to a match, while the event specific training days are longer (3.5-5 hours).

‘Recovery and rest are just as important, so we make sure we have two days off (usually weekends) a week.

‘Due to the hectic schedule throughout the year, there isn’t really much free time. This year we have scheduled competitions in January, March, April, May, July, August, October and November. And consistency is key. The sport is becoming increasingly competitive, so we know we have to work hard to stay at the top.”

Even at the age of 39, Luke can still hold his own against the best from Europe and the world. Earlier this year, he became a two-time Europe’s Strongest Man, regaining the title he last won in 2021, one point ahead of Latvia’s Aivars Smaukstelis.

With events taking place all over the world – and in Scotland – this year, the eldest Stoltman has no plans to hang up the lifting set yet.

“Just as Tom got his title back, it was special for me to know I could still combine it in the big leagues,” he says.

‘I had also made some changes to my training, hired a new coach, worked on maximizing recovery and we worked with a sports psychologist who had a huge impact on myself and Tom in the lead up to these two games.

“While I still see progress, I will continue, and with the aforementioned changes I feel as strong as I have ever been.

‘I don’t recover as quickly as Tom, but we now have many more recovery techniques that we use to ensure we are in optimal condition.’

One of those events coming to Scotland later this year is the Rogue Invitational. A weightlifting competition that collaborates with CrossFit. Some of the biggest names in both CrossFit and Strongman will be in Aberdeen from November 8 to 10.

It is the first time that the event is organized outside America, with a total prize pool of more than $1.5 million. There are few places better suited to showdowns than Scotland. And with the World’s Strongest Man just a few hours away, it would be no surprise to see Tom go one better than his second-place finish in last year’s competition.

“It’s great to have such a big competition coming to Scotland, it’s really special,” the brothers agree. ‘Scotland has so much to offer and such a history of strength sports and stone lifting, so it’s a fitting location and great to put it on the map.’

Both brothers work at Autism & Neurodiversity North Scotland (www.a-nd.org.uk) and are currently working to bring more support services to the Highlands of Scotland. To stay up to date with the Stoltmans, you can follow their YouTube channel @stoltmanbrothers