Strongman lifts others

Tom Stoltman grew up in Invergordon, Scotland alongside five siblings. He was diagnosed with autism when he was five years old, but he never saw himself as different or deficient in those early years.

As he reached secondary school, Stoltman began to have trouble with social situations that came naturally to other kids. He remembers being bullied and struggling to fit in as a lanky teenager who was riddled with anxiety and the stigma of disability. At some point, he finally grew tired of hiding his diagnosis.

“I stood up and took my seven or eight best mates into a room and said, ‘Look, I have autism.’” To his surprise, nothing changed. His friends accepted him and moved on without the need for an explanation.

“And that day is when a weight lifted off my shoulders and I felt normal. Like a normal member of society. I felt just normal around people and they all just treated me the same as them” he said. “That was the day that changed my life. When I was open about having autism.”

Around the same time, Stoltman’s older brother Luke was beginning his journey as a competitive Strongman. Luke is 10 years older than Tom and was already pulling trucks and hurling kegs when he first dragged Tom into the gym. The younger brother hated the mirrored walls and uneasy stares from strangers, but he loved the familiar safety of being around his big brother.

Today, the pair of giant Scots are widely considered to be the strongest brothers in the world. Tom attributes much of his success to two unique traits: his appetite and his autism.

Strongmen don’t bulk up just by lifting heavy. They have to eat. Tom starts each morning with 10 boiled eggs on toast with mayonnaise. He regularly puts down 10,000 calories a day to maintain his mass.

According to Stoltman, learning to understand his own particular brand of autism has helped unlock the dual “superpowers” of intense focus and relentless repetition — qualities that are gradually, inevitably rewarded in the weight room. He reflected on how those characteristics show up in training:

“Having autism and [going to] the gym goes hand-in-hand. When you’re in the gym, you need a routine. And obviously, when I found ‘Strongman,’ it’s all routine. You’re waking up every day. You’re eating the same meals every day. You’re doing the same things every day. And you’re going to the gym at the same time every day.”

The man nicknamed “The Albatross” (thanks to a gaping wingspan) has grown more confident and willing to speak publicly about his challenges in recent years. Stoltman posts stories describing how he manages the sensory overload of the airport and uses stimming to help calm his anxiety. He brings people into his life and helps them shed the shame of disability.

There is something beautiful about the strongest man in the world opening up about his journey with mental health and self-acceptance. The Stoltman brothers can push a passenger train and squat a school bus, but their biggest lift has been to help others come out of the shadows and embrace what makes them different. That is the type of strength that even Strongmen often lack. 

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Tom Stoltman harnesses 'superpower' of autism to become World's Strongest Man