Named after Scottish strongman and athlete extraordinaire, Donald Dinnie, the Dinnie Stones are seen by many in the strength world as one of the toughest challenges around. Rediscovered in 1953 by physical culture historian and strongman contest organiser David Webster, the two stones – which both have unforgiving metal handles – have a combined weight of over 700 pounds.
Since their rediscovery they have been used in a variety of ways. Some deadlift the stones, others walk and carry them and a few, myself included, simply like to look at them and dream what if!
Something that has increasingly interested me in recent weeks has been the inclusion of older strength tests in the sport of strongman. As we’ve previously discussed on this website, the World’s Strongest Man contest did not actually begin until 1977.
From the first iteration of the contest, it was clear that organizers, like the aforementioned David Webster, wanted to inject more and more historical events into the games.The Dinnie Stones were one such example.
So take this as a heads up that the next few weeks will likely see innumerable videos of old strongman shows!
As always, Happy Lifting.