Stephen Adele

The Most Interesting Man I Know

I recently had dinner with a good friend, and without a doubt, the most interesting person I know. His name is Shane Hamman.

Shane is not your average guy. (Far from it!) Let me tell you a little bit about him:

He's 5'9",

has a 22-inch neck,

"...what's even more amazing is Shane's spirit—his internal strength—which, believe it or not, far outweighs his brute strength."

22-inch biceps,

22-inch calves,

35-inch thighs,

a 47-inch waist,

a 62-inch chest...

(No, he's not Superman!)

But if that isn't enough, he's also considered the strongest man in America.

How so? Well, as a U.S. Olympic weightlifter, he hoisted a one-time record squat of 1,008 lbs.

In 1999, Shane became the first U.S. man to win a weightlifting gold medal at the 1999 Pan American Games.

To say this guy is amazingly strong would be an understatement. But, what's even more amazing is Shane's spirit—his internal strength—which, believe it or not, far outweighs his brute strength. Let me tell you why…

Common sense would tell you that Shane's strength comes from the fact that he's spent the last 12 years of his life at the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, training six days a week, twice a day.

Or, that he eats three square meals a day.

But the truth is, Shane's strength comes from within. From his unwavering faith in God.

Ask him how he is able to clean and jerk 500 lbs,

Or how he can snatch 430 lbs,

Or, why he holds three American records in the 105+ kg (that's equivalent to roughly 230+ lbs) weight class, and his answer is always the same:

..."the power of God flows through me and provides me with all of the strength I need."

"the power of God flows through me and provides me with all of the strength I need."

What I find most fascinating about Shane is that most guys of his stature or size wouldn't dare confess their strength, or power, comes from a higher being. (Because that might seem too wimpy.)

But not Shane. He stands and shouts it.

I admire that about him.

But what I find even more interesting about Shane is that he has boldly decided to take his strength, and the power of his words, and put them to good use.

Shane has teamed up with a victim of the Columbine shooting's family to use his weight (pun intended!) to speak out against teen violence.

It's a wonderful cause, called "Rachel's Challenge."

See, Rachel Scott was one of the students killed at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. (A school a mere two miles from my home). Her acts of kindness and compassion, coupled with the contents of her six diaries, have become the foundation for one of the most life-changing school programs in America.

Rachel's Challenge is a program that INSPIRES, INSTRUCTS, and ENABLES students to bring positive change to their school atmosphere.

Shane travels about 20 to 25 days a month (Yes, that's a month) to high schools all across America, using his powerful words, and faith, to help students understand the importance of their actions.

He motivates them to positive change in the way they treat others. And he's had great success.

If you remember back to an article I wrote, called "The Ripple Effect," Shane is a living, powerful example of how one person can have a dramatic effect on others, and this positive influence can have a ripple effect—a chain reaction, if you will—well beyond the origin.

Oh yeah... Shane can do a couple more amazing things. He can dunk a basketball with two hands, has a vertical standing leap of 36 inches, has a handicap of eight on the golf course, and can hit a golf ball 350 yards.

"Shane can dunk a basketball with two hands, has a vertical standing leap of 36 inches, has a handicap of eight on the golf course, and can hit a golf ball 350 yards."

But you know what, the way I see it, nothing tops the work Shane is now devoting his life to and the strength he is instilling kids across America.

I am extremely proud to consider myself a friend of Shane's.

And it's for these reasons, and many more (which I'll share with you later) that I find Shane Hamman to be the most interesting and inspirational man I know.

* Stay tuned... in future editions of my newsletter (and magazine) Real SOLUTIONS, I'll be sharing more exciting stories and facts about Shane Hamman, his philosophies about becoming the best you can be (at anything you want), his techniques for developing strength and muscle mass, and his powerful, new endeavor—Rachel's Challenge.

Respectfully,

Stephen Adele
Editor-in-Chief, Real SOLUTIONS
CEO, iSatori

P.S. I almost forgot to mention, as a special treat, Shane will be joining us on our Performance Nutrition Show next Sunday, September 17. You won't want to miss this show. (I know I don't!)

P.P.S. If you'd like to learn more about Rachel Scott, or the Challenge, please visit www.rachelschallenge.com.

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