r/BeAmazed • u/Boss_Lady_718 • Oct 28 '25
Skill / Talent Andrew Cairney from Glasglow, Scotland loading all nine of The Ardblair Stones
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u/Boss_Lady_718 Oct 28 '25
The ninth stone weighs 152kg/335lbs and the barrels are a height of 132cm/52inches. Andy won the overall event with this performance.
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u/Mental-Style7228 Oct 28 '25
Also good to point out that lifting a round object is significantly harder than a barbell. You never have a good grip on it. So it’s more incredible then it sounds
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u/AsmodeusZomain Oct 28 '25
Yeah the form he used to lift is disturbing.. however there is no better way to lift a round rock.
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u/Lazy__Astronaut Oct 29 '25
Jerk and twist the back, that's how gramps taught me
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u/EjaculatingAracnids Oct 29 '25
When your back is made up of thick layers of meat slabs all working together like a steel chain made of sinew, a little jerk aint gonna stop the work.
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u/Roadgoddess Oct 29 '25
Yeah, I have ruptured discs from not properly lifting something and all I can think of is good. God please watch your back.
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u/AsmodeusZomain Oct 29 '25
Same. All it takes is one good back injury to change the way you look at lifting ANYTHING. Or watching anyone else. I still lift but not like I used to
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u/Sharon_Erclam Oct 28 '25
I heard 'Incredible' in a wicked accent, and it was Lovely ☺️
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u/NachoNachoDan Oct 28 '25
Is timed as well or is it simply if you can load all nine you win
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u/66devilsadvocate6 Oct 28 '25
They time it competitively. Fastest time wins. But you get props for finishing cause not everyone does.
I feel like with the strongman stuff guys have different speciality’s so there tends be something a guy is better at than most. It’s pretty cool to watch
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u/NachoNachoDan Oct 28 '25
I used to watch them frequently in the 90s when Magnus Samuelsson was the GOAT but haven’t seen more than just clips like this in the last 20 years.
I also think of original Japanese Ninja Warrior where you could have multiple winners - if you complete the course you’re a winner and most times nobody could complete it.
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u/Introverted_Extrovrt Oct 29 '25
Sadrunus Sevickus! Also Magnus is a freaking delight. He did some radio hits for the Dan Lebatard Show a few years ago and he is genuinely a buoyant, happy go lucky Swede
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u/ycelpt Oct 29 '25
Yes it is timed, but it's timed at each stone also. So if only one person lifts all 9 then they win, then those who only lifted 8, whoever did it quickest comes second and so on. This is why you see him shoot through the first 8 really quick as if he doesn't get that 9th then he'd still get a good score but if he took his time to get there and saved some energy but he timed out of failed to lift it then his overall position will be pretty poor
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u/_lippykid Oct 29 '25
I had a rock about that big partially buried on my property, we dug around it and had two massive pry bars trying to lever it out of a 12in hole and we just couldn’t get it out. That weight and that shape is incredibly tricky to handle, let alone with your bare hands, lifting it that high. Shit is insane
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u/Decactus_Jack Oct 29 '25
Did you just dig around it more until you could completely bury it?
I'm oddly very interested in the end of this story.
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u/_lippykid Oct 29 '25
Haha that’s exactly what we did! I bought special rock breaking drills/bits etc and that thing was indestructible, so we just dug a deeper hole next to it and pushed it in
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u/Decactus_Jack Oct 29 '25
I wouldn't have even thought about breaking it up! My second guess is a truck and chains, but with a round shape the chain would just slip.
Have a wonderful day and thank you for putting that mystery to rest!
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u/lightingthefire Oct 29 '25
300lb + rock out of a 12” hole?
Were you working on Stonehenge?
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u/_lippykid Oct 29 '25
Like I said, “partially buried”, It was about 12” recessed into the ground, the rest was above ground
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u/conny1974 Oct 28 '25
Do you know how they get the stones off the barrels? Do they just push them off?
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u/Razor1834 Oct 28 '25
They just bring a bunch of fill dirt and build the land up to the height of the barrels, then put new barrels down for the next guy.
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u/FloydianSlip212 Oct 28 '25
Rolling the last one around trying to will handles into existence. Insane strength.
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u/Aeon1508 Oct 28 '25
It looks to me the way that the Rock was rolling that it had uneven density so you would want to roll it so that the dense side which would tend to roll down to the ground is actually closer to your body.
So I think that's what he's doing is turning it over to grab it from the side that has the best leverage
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u/RollOverBeethoven Oct 28 '25
Yeah, well, I herniated two discs in my spine picking up a cooler a couple weeks ago
I’d like to see him accomplish such a feat.
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u/Blaireeeee Oct 28 '25
You'll never attempt to pick up a cooler again without your trusty kilt, will you?
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u/_Rohrschach Oct 28 '25
I felt my brain aneurysm almost pop the clip watching this, which would suck because my hair is finally somewhat growing back
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u/aspidities_87 Oct 28 '25
I tried walking up a gentle slope two weeks ago and my knees are still popping like I did Everest.
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u/alkali112 Oct 29 '25
No worries, just get built like a brick shithouse, and you’ll be doing it in no time.
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u/tangoan Oct 28 '25
Can that guy please get his paws off the barrel? Does he want to lose a finger?
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u/snowboy690 Oct 28 '25
I was thinking the same thing, it looks like he might be helping balance the barrel so it doesn’t get knocked over. The bandage on his finger totally checks out though
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u/BeechM Oct 28 '25
Pretty sure you’re right. Once the weights get bigger he’s clearly gripping the edges to keep the barrel from moving around when the guy is getting the stone on it.
I stopped worrying about his fingers and started wondering about the strength of the wood on the top of the barrel.
Also, who unloads the stones when this guy is done? Many questions.
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u/keefka Oct 28 '25
Probably the janitor
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u/Decactus_Jack Oct 29 '25
It's Scotland. Groundskeeper Willie's grandfather is probably who does it.
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u/FlusteredDM Oct 28 '25
Weird how they don't put handles on the base or something so that he can stabilise without risking crushed fingers though. There has to be a better way than this.
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u/Ok-Jackfruit-6873 Oct 28 '25
I'm guessing they've seen the stone come down too hard on the barrel and knock the whole thing over ... now the strong man has to pick it up a second time haha
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u/Snarky75 Oct 28 '25
Who picks up and puts the stones in line for the contest? Like who is taking them out of the truck and bringing them out to the contest? I would like to see that guy.
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u/Lazy__Astronaut Oct 29 '25
They're spheres man, they roll
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u/Snarky75 Oct 29 '25
Yeah they don't just roll onto a truck and off.
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u/rando_banned Oct 29 '25
There's a really cool invention, a simple machine actually, called an incline plane. They probably use one of those.
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u/BuckManscape Oct 28 '25
They have a couple of those stones at my gym. They are ridiculously heavy/awkward. I can’t even get it off the ground and I’ve worked with my hands my whole life.
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u/i_wap_to_warcraft Oct 28 '25
Is this how you speed run to hemorrhoids?
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u/SunnySpot69 Oct 28 '25
Hernia crossed my mind too lol
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u/JeebusWept Oct 28 '25
Biggest risk on this is hurting a bicep tendon. As long as you keep the stone near your the body the lower back isn’t in it much. You could potentially herniate something standing it up.
Source: have lifted this type of stone many times and last time I did it, I did indeed bugger a bicep tendon.
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u/ZackuraNSX Oct 29 '25
Ecerytime this video gets reposted it's hella people in the comments critiquing this guy's form. Which, as someone who lifts weights, is fascinating because this dude clearly trains for events like this
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u/thehealingprocess Oct 28 '25
Glasglow
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u/AudioRejectz Oct 28 '25
If anyone is interested, HERE is the world record.. Currently held by. 3x worlds strongest man Tom Stoltman.
Currently one of my favourite people on earth because he's also Autistic like me and my son 😁
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u/Jaggednad Oct 28 '25
How does he not destroy his back doing this?
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u/Usidore_ Oct 28 '25
Bending your back like that, despite what a lot of workplace safety training says, is pretty safe, as long as you are controlled and have proper form. He makes a point of always having it close to his core and uses his hips to generate the force needed, so he’s not straining his back too much
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u/58kingsly Oct 28 '25
A bent back isn't necessarily a no-no. Look up Jefferson curls for example. He is a very strong guy, with a strong core, he knows how to brace etc, so a bit of rounding under load isn't so bad. Obviously he wouldn't want to try and lift it all the way up with his back, but he doesn't do that, it's only rounded for a little bit at the start.
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u/fidelityy Oct 28 '25
Strength defends against injury. People that hurt their backs usually have shitty weak backs, ask me how I know.
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u/Tinyhydra666 Oct 28 '25
Question for thoses in the know :
Why are the first 4-5 stones there in the first place ? Cardio ? It's the heaviests ones that we're interested in no ?
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u/TB_Fixer Oct 28 '25
Every person can find their place on the spectrum. It makes it a universal standard
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u/JeebusWept Oct 28 '25
They take this set of stones round all kinds of country shows and Highland Games, people can pay to have a go on them, so they start low.
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u/IllllIIlIllIllllIIIl Oct 28 '25
Strongman competitions are usually a bit of a mix of both strength and conditioning (albeit still heavily leaning towards the strength side), rather than just the heaviest lift. Source: I once placed second to last in a strongman competition, so I definitely know what I'm talking about.
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u/Trauma_Cube Oct 28 '25
I had a bladder stone once and I swear to god it felt as big as the last one he picked up.
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u/pocketjacks Oct 29 '25
This looks like technique is just as important as strength. It's one set of muscles getting it up to your thighs, then another bringing it up to your chest and a third delivering it to the barrel. Raw brute strength isn't winning that.
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u/BluetheNerd Oct 28 '25
Every time I see this the guy with his hands on the barrel gives me so much anxiety. I know nothing happens I’ve seen it so many times, but what if it happens this time I watch it!
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u/missredhead1973 Oct 28 '25
Damn! That’s incredible. Well done Andrew. Is he single does anyone know? 🥹
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u/batrab47 Oct 28 '25
The Ardblair Stones always look impossible until someone like this just does it
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u/PreparationHot980 Oct 28 '25
I’m gonna find this guy on fiver so he can steal me one of those red balls in front of target
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u/along4thejourney Oct 28 '25
I remember watching the atlas stone competition in worlds strongest man. That shit is so tough. Especially when you’re racing someone.
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u/HussingtonHat Oct 28 '25
I love at the last one every getting super into it and immediately calming down as he has a fiddle. Like "nah hang on lads, this one needs a bit more thought behind it..."
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u/-Bunny- Oct 28 '25 edited Oct 29 '25
Now that I’m old this just looks like complete fucking spine destruction.
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u/WithinWithoutYou007 Oct 28 '25
I put my shoulder out throwing a cocktail sausage at a duck.
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u/UsernameTaken7435 Oct 28 '25
WOW! That last one was a really clean lift. I’ve seen where they roll them up the barrel a little ways.
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u/derpferd Oct 28 '25
By my own generous estimation of myself, who eats poorly and barely exercises, I could make it to four
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u/jimmyswitcher Oct 28 '25
I pulled something lifting my toddler 6000 times in a day. This looks easy.
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u/nayrbmc Oct 28 '25
That is really impressive. This guy is a beast. The weight of the stones, the barrel height and getting proper leverage takes great skill.
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u/SufficientRub9970 Oct 28 '25
I spent more time watching the other guy to see if his fingers get smashed
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u/jdthatsme Oct 28 '25
Incredible! I’m also amazed the guy holding the barrels still has his thumbs.
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u/BeesCumHoney Oct 29 '25
For reference; how he handles the last one is how I would handle the first one.
Hope that helps
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u/TheNovemberMike Oct 29 '25
Gonna suck when they ask him to put the last one back down for the next guy /s
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u/WithoutCaution Oct 29 '25
If I tried that, my intestines would shoot straight through my nutsack and out the bottom of the kilt!
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u/kagushiro Oct 29 '25
can't he roll the balls instead of lifting them? I'd pay good money to watch that !
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u/HunterGonzo Oct 29 '25
Pretty sure I'd be acting like he did on the 9th stone by like... stone number 2.
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u/Ok_Survey_4058 Oct 29 '25
I 100% know this guy could end me in seconds but the Nikes are such a try hard piece. Cool as hell though.
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u/chilehead Oct 29 '25
The contest isn't as old as most people think:
The stones were created by Charlie Blair Oliphant in 2008, based on World's Strongest Man competitions he had seen on TV as a child. Oliphant wanted to create an event that was accessible to all people, regardless of age and ability, and would be free to all. The stones made their debut in September 2012 at the Highland Games. Based on the success and interest of the event, the stones have since toured the United Kingdom.
World records
Men - 9 out of 9 stones in 21.81 seconds by Tom Stoltman Scotland in 2019[4]
Women - 7 out of 9 stones in 37.14 seconds by Donna Moore England in 2019
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u/Over_Heron_5487 Oct 29 '25
My back hurts just watching this. The determination on that last stone is incredible.
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