In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or circus performers .Who would support large amounts of weight held overhead at arm's length, steel bending, chain breaking, etc. Large amounts of wrist, hand, and tendon strength were required for these feats. In the late 20th century the term strongman changed to describe one who competes in strength athlete - a more modern strength competition in which competitors lift rocks, lift fridges, pull trains, walk while towing an eighteen wheel lorry behind them, etc. The most famous competition of this type is the worlds strongest man.In recent years, interest in the sport at the grassroots level has skyrocketed, leading to the formation of local clubs. Outside the entrance to many a Scottish castle the ‘clach cuid fir’ sits. In lands around the globe they sit, Forgotten about by all but the few but bearing witness for time eternal to a time when the mark of a man was his strength, his power. The ‘Clach cuid fir’ or ‘Manhood stones’ were used to test a man, to find the mightiest warrior. They sat defiant challenging all to lift them.In ancient times a young man would seek to lift such a stone to waist height to prove his manhood. He would then be allowed to wear an eagle’s feather in his bonnet. This is almost certainly the origin of the saying “A feather in his cap”. To this day replicas of these old type strength stones can be seen in the form of the large round stones sitting on top of gate pillars at the entrance to many Scottish lodges, evidence of an ancient custom sadly lost in time. We move further and further away from a time when the mark of a man was his strength and honour. Yet despite these modern times, despite the trend for the de-masculineation of modern man, the ancient manhood stones remain! They have stood long before the time of man and as of times of old there are men who still hear their call, Modern day gladiators, and men with the warrior spirit ready to meet their challenge. It is the spirit of these ancient traditions that is kept alive in the hearts of the strongman of today. It is this spirit that calls out to these men to test their power and resolve in feats of extraordinary strength. It is this spirit that is the basis for the modern day Strongman competition. The current format for the sport we currently see was formed in 1977. The TV Company TWI set out to try and find the world’s strongest man with a series of strength tests. These early shows took men from all sports and walks of life and brought them together to find the strongest man Over the years the concept developed; with a standardisation of events and regular competition the men involved became very competent thus the modern day specialist strongman competitor was born. In the early days the platform for the sport was to run in parallel with the throwing events of the Scottish highland games the best Scottish strongmen and strongman from around the globe were invited to test themselves over five events. Thus was reborn the ‘clach cuid fir’ in the form of 5 round stones known as the McGlashen stones. These smooth granite stones made by the Mcglashen stonemasons were one of the earliest modern day test of a strongman competitor and today the infamous ‘Atlas’ stones still remain the true test of a strongman and continue the traditions of old marking the strength of a man. The sport as moved on over the last 30 years and whilst we still see many of the early events in present day competitions; The atlas stones, the farmers walk to name but two, The strongmen of today have taken the sport to a whole new level. Weights used in today’s strongman events far exceed the weights once used in the world’s strongest man competitions. As little as 15 years ago world strongest men competitors would run with 90kg (198lbs) weights in each hand. Today 120kg (264lbs) per hand is considered light for these modern day gladiators. The ‘sport’ of strongman is still relatively young yet its traditions span the centuries. The roots of the sport to test the fortitude, the Strength and resolve of a man to take on any challenge marks this sport out as something from another time.