Old Man Of The Stones

Stonelifting Technical guide

Sat, 15 Mar 2025 06:45:35 -0700

Thanks to Marin Jancsics (aka the Stoneman) for his technical guide to the practicalities of stone liting!

Ol Rosen - Swedish Stonelifter

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 13:06:07 -0700

Ol Rosen is a Swedish strongman and stone lifter. He's lifted many, many of the Swedish stones personally.

His physical strength is matched with a quick wit for funny stories.

A good man to know if you want to lift stones in Sweden https://www.instagram.com/olrosen/

He told me of a man living in färdelands. Each morning he lifted the same stone. If he could not lift it he called in sick to work. Cause then he knew something was wrong!!

Jawad Ahmed - Pakistini Stone Lifter

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:44:18 -0700

I was fortunate to exchange some insta messages with champion Pakastani stone lifter Jawad Ahmed.

He explained that the stone lifting he does is a cultural pasttime. He trains for the lifting using only stones (no barbells, dumbells etc).

The stones themselves look similar to what are known in Strongman as Atlas Stones. However, these round boulders are sources in the mountains. They retrieve very large chunks of rock and mechanically/physically turn them in to globes.

This is entirely different to the Western approach of pouring concrete in to a mold.

Another significant difference is that in Pakistan they carve two 6" slots for finger tips to be placed. These are in a standard position, parallel to each other.

Jawad himself weighs roughly 96kg at 5'8".

I hope you enjoy yhese two video showing different lifting styles. As well as a stone being weighed.

The Mason's Stone of Glen Esk

Sun, 14 Sep 2025 02:51:15 -0700

When talk turns to Scotland’shistoric lifting stones, Glen Esk is not usually the first name mentioned. But hidden beside the Modlach Tower lies a curious stone with its own history, linked to the traditions of local Masons. After much research, false leads, and a visit to the site itself, this stone has been confirmed and reintroduced to the wider lifting community.

Research Begins

The trail started with a single mention on the IronMind forum. Peter Martin noted that Donald Dinnie, the most famous of all Scottish strongmen, had once lifted a “lump of granite” in Glen Esk. It wasn’t much to go on, but it was enough to spark a search.

Digging deeper, I found an article describing Masons who inspected Modlach Tower. As part of their visit, they were said to “lift a large lump of granite,” referring to it as “the stone of destiny.” The connection between the tower and the lifting tradition became clear, but the actual stone was still to be found.

Dead Ends and Cold Trails

I reached out to the Glen Esk Folk Museum through Facebook. The staff were kind and helpful, and one mentioned a local man who knew about the stone. His name was Mr. Skene, and I was passed his email. I wrote to him, but weeks went by without reply. Even after follow-ups through the museum, nothing came back. The lead had gone cold

Rather than wait any longer, my partner Dawn and I decided to make the trip to Glen Esk ourselves to see what could be discovered in person. At the museum, no one could give a clear answer. They knew the tradition of the tower, but not the whereabouts of the stone itself.

We hikedup to Modlach Tower, a striking monument. On the inside door was a laminated sheet retelling the same story I had read online: the...Read More

Karperö Lyftstenen (Lifting Stone)

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 11:42:34 -0700

The Lifting Stone at the Youth Center Draws Young Men for Strength Tests

The nearly egg-shaped, smooth stone weighs 117 kg. Its circumference along the length is 142 cm and across the width 127 cm. Likely shaped entirely by nature (a product of the Ice Age?), the stone is remarkable in its symmetrical form.

As for the stone's "recent history," we know that it has served both as a measure of men’s strength and arm girth, and that it lay at the Nysto farm before being moved in the 1930s to the
yard of the youth center.

Edvard Beijar (Nysto Edvard, b. 1900) recounts that both youth and older folks often gathered for lifting contests at his home farm. Edvin Back (1908–1986) offers this brief reflection on the early days of sports in Karperö:

“The methods with which young people tested their strength were probably among the
most primitive, such as arm wrestling, throwing cart wheels over the
head, pulling a rolling pin or a smooth stick, or lifting stones like
the one that lay in the yard at Nysto. Many a young man likely strained
his back on that stone in his eagerness to show off his strength.”

Lifting the stone isn’t particularly difficult when using handgrips—for instance, if a rope is tied around it. But using only one’s arms makes it significantly harder and therefore "heavier." The lift then depends on arm length, the strength of the arms and hands (wrists and fingers), the ability to maintain grip (unless one manages to securely “clasp” the hands—a near impossibility when lifting the stone lengthwise), and, of course, leg and back strength as well as balance (technique).

Before the war years, the stone was still frequently "in use." During social events, visiting young men would often gather around it. Here, one could sometimes see the disappointed expressions of strong but inexperienced lifters—proving that raw strength alone wasn’t enough to lift an awkward
...Read More

Husefel Stone - Keith Surette

Thu, 02 Jan 2025 09:48:13 -0800

The Húsafell Stone

The purpose of this article is to share my personal experience with the Húsafell Stone, in hopes that you will find the same inspiration I did from those who went before me, and to offer some practical ideas and training strategies to help you better prepare yourself, if you ever decide to test your mettle
against the mighty stone. But first, the story of the stone.

The History

The legendary Húsafell Stone is a historic lifting stone found in Húsafell, Iceland. The stone weighs 186kg/410lb and is made of iron-rich basalt, which is poetic, because it means the stone is volcanic lava forged into existence by the land of fire and ice!

The stone's Icelandic name is Kvíahellan, meaning The Pen Slab, because the stone was originally used by Snorri Björnsson as a gate to prevent sheep from escaping their pen. Snorri was a reverend and farmer who lived in Húsafell from 1756 to 1803. The pen, or fold, is made of very large natural stones and it still stands. It’s approximately 30m/100ft around, and Snorri’s name can still be seen carved on the top of one of the stones in the northern wall.

In time, this humble stone that was used as a gate became a monumental test of strength for people from near and far. If somebody was strong enough to lift the Husafell Stone from the earth and carry it one complete lap around the pen without putting it down, they would earn the title of Fullsterkur, meaning full-strength. It’s said that Snoori created this challenge by doing it himself, and that his daughter, Guðný Snorradóttir, could do it as well. This 200+ year strength tradition...Read More

Historic Stone Lifting in England?!

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 11:13:06 -0800

Introduction by Dave from Liftingstones.org

Most researchers have experienced making progress in one direction, only for a fresh discovery to pull them in another. In this month's article, guest author Calum Stott shares his story of jumping in the deep end of stonelifting research to find a stone in Teesdale last lifted in 2012, only to uncover a historic lifting stone in the same dale. And it's a story that reinforces the idea that timing can make all the difference. What's more, Calum only started his stonelifting journey less than a year ago! I'll let him tell you more:

I'm fairly new to the world of lifting stones and strength culture. My first encounter was listening to David Keohan talk so passionately about his rediscovery of Irish lifting stones on The Blindboy Podcast in late 2023, but after that, I was inspired.

The Cost and Other Things to Consider

Always shop around for the lowest prices and usereward points when possible.

Flights - Do you have a valid passport?Search for flights into different airports throughout the country as well as
neighboring countries for lower prices or greater convenience. Consider paying more money for a flight that has a more convenient schedule. Compare prices by using different travel websites, as well as different arrival and departure dates/times to ensure the best deal. Buy your flight as far as possible in advance.

Hotel/Motel - Travel websites often offer lower prices than when booking with ahotel/motel directly. ...Read More

Stones of the Caribou Inuit

Sat, 02 Dec 2023 08:58:19 -0800

First historic stones of North America

When you live on the North American continent and you’re a historic stonelifter, the first thing most people will ask is “Do we have any Historic stones here?”

In 2017 I had just got back from lifting stones in Scotland and decided to really dig in and find if there were any truly historic lifting stones on the North American continent. After hundreds of hours searching to find if the Native Americans had any testing stones and coming up somewhat empty, I started in on the Inuit tribes of Northern Canada. Within a few days I was able to find a single picture (above) that was labeled ‘Weight lifting stone”. This started what has become a 6 year obsession of tracking down information, location, calling the locals of the area and plotting a very expensive trip to document the first liftable Historic lifting stones on my home continent and what could easily be the oldest liftable testing stones on earth.

Maddern Stones.