Eddie Hall

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.