There are over 7 billion people on this planet, each of us with our own talents and quirks
that make us special and unique.
Still, with variety that wide, it can be pretty hard to stand out at times, which makes it
all the more impressive when someone comes along who’s so incredible that they blow
everyone away.
Whether it be through physical or artistic talent, there are individuals out there who
amaze the world through sheer will and dedication, and today we’re going on a journey to get
to know these people who’ve truly shocked the world.
So what's so special about them?
Let's find out!
JEFF DABE While some people like participating in team
sports, Jeff Dabe found his passion was for arm wrestling.
One look at him and it’s not hard to see that he’s a total prodigy, and he absolutely
crushes the competition with his massive 50 cm arms.
Starting his arm wrestling career in the 70s, people’s jaws would drop at the sheer proportions
of the young man, and as he grew, so did his arms, earning him the affectionate nickname
Popeye, and I can definitely see the resemblance.
At one point Jeff went a little too hard, and his muscle popped during a competition,
however this didn’t deter him, and after about 15 years of rehabilitation, Jeff returned
to the world of arm wrestling, this time only using his left arm, a feat that’s practically
unheard of in the sport.
But with Jeff's proportions, it's not hard to see how he quickly rose back up the ranks,
even going southpaw.
TRISTYN LEE Most people’s image of a bodybuilder is
that of a huge, jacked grown man who’s put years of dedication into their physique, and
well, Tristyn Lee does meet most of those criteria, except of course for the grown part.
That’s because believe it or not, this shredded gym rat is actually just 17 years old!
Hailing from California originally, Tristyn blew up not just physically, but also metaphorically,
when he posted his bodybuilding feats online, currently hailing a following of over 1.3
million Instagram followers.
What’s the secret to this kid’s absurd success?
Well the secret is that there is no secret, just consistent hard work, dieting, and dedicating
almost all his free time to the gym.
The teenage phenomenon wakes up every day at about 4 am, eats and hits the gym before
class, and while to the uninitiated this lifestyle might seem hard, it’s Tristyn’s dream
to win a handful of bodybuilding titles, as well to become a professional soccer player,
so he is quite literally chasing his goals.
Whatever he ends up doing, it’s pretty clear that Tristyn Lee has got a very big future
ahead of him.
TROY JAMES Canadian acrobat Troy James is the very essence
of the phrase - Don’t try this at home.
A naturally gifted contortionist from birth, Troy has trained his entire life to master
the art of bending his body in ways that seem entirely otherworldly.
In fact, he’s gotten so good at moving in ways that are totally in-human that he’s
regularly cast to play monsters and demons in movies and TV shows.
Believe it or not, Troy actually hid his crazy contorting abilities until high school, after
suffering some bullying at a younger age, and as you can imagine, he was suddenly the
coolest guy in school when he started showing off these unbelievable moves.
There are some people who still get a little freaked out by Troy’s talents, and it’s
not hard to see why, but these detractors only serve to encourage him these days, and
who can blame him, after all, he’s made a living off of his passion, which is more
than most people can say.
ROMARIO DOS SANTOS ALVES Typically people who do things like exercise
and go to the gym do it in order to get their dream bodies, but instead of turning to sports
supplements, Romario Do Santos Alves turned to cosmetic medicine in the pursuit of the
perfect body.
That’s right, did you really think these insane proportions were just the result of
a regimented gym routine?
Romario owes most of his astonishing 25-inch biceps and other colossal muscles to a substance
known as Synthol, a chemical pumped directly into muscles to artificially make them look
larger.
After years of pursuing his dream physique through less than kosher methods, Romario
learned that if he kept going he would have to have his arms, the things he had worked
so long to gain, amputated.
Luckily, Romario got smart and took to bodybuilding the natural way before reaching the point
of no return.
Either way, the Synthol remains in his system, and he walks around looking like The Incredible
Hulk to this day.
While some people are frightened by the sight of him, tons of kids come up to him and ask
to take pictures as if they’re meeting a real-life superhero.
That kind of encouragement is what pushes Romario to keep building his body the natural
way, with hard work and dedication.
Nonetheless, he’s gotten a pretty big headstart on that dream body of his.
KEVIN RICHARDSON Most people think that it’s impossible for
humans to talk to animals.
Or at least, for us to be truly understood by one another.
However zoologist and animal behaviorist Kevin Richardson would beg to differ.
Kevin has made it his life’s mission to get to know wild animals in a very personal
manner, and through years of studies and hands on communication, he’s earned himself the
nickname The Lion Whisperer.
Kevin’s formed loving bonds with wild animals like hyenas, lions and other big cats, and
he’s radically changed the way zoology understands these animals.
Unlike some people who seek to tame wild animals with force, Kevin has figured out how to be
accepted by pride of lions and other animals through mutual respect, compassion and love.
He’s quickly been welcomed as part of the family by the types of carnivores that could
easily tear him limb from limb.
And while watching him work with these animals might make you think that he’s got some
sort of lion whispering superpower, there are still very real dangers associated with
his work.
Despite several injuries throughout his long career though, Kevin has never strayed from
his compassionate approach to befriending wildlife, and his work has taught us more
about animal behavior than anyone who ever came before him.
ALAIN ROBERT Known to many as the French Spiderman, with
how many times Alain Robert has been arrested he might have more in common with The Green
Goblin than Peter Parker.
At the age of 57, Alain is one of the most amazing daredevils the world has ever seen.
The French native has made a name and a career for himself by climbing the tallest buildings
in the world exclusively by hand, without any safety equipment or harnesses whatsoever.
Watching him climb is apparently more nerve-racking than actually climbing is for him, as Alain
claims that he has no fear and really feels more alive than ever when he’s tackling
a climb, and that includes the fear of getting arrested, which is something that happens
to him on a regular basis.
In fact, Alain says that he can’t even remember how many times he’s been arrested for his
unapproved climbs all over the world, but the charges never seem to stick, as the public
adores his crazy feats of athleticism and bravery so much that tourism to cities he’s
climbed in notably rises once videos of him hit the web.
As one of the best free urban climbers in the world, it’s probably not surprising
that Alain has racked up a hefty stack of world records, including the most buildings
climbed, breaking the record at 121 buildings at the time but with that number currently
closer to 200, and the fastest climb of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building on the
planet, standing a towering 2720 feet high in 6 hours and 13 minutes.
Clearly his age isn’t slowing him down one bit, and Alain Roberts plans on continuing
to shock the world with his astounding climbs for a very, very long time to come.
ESKIL RONNINGSBAKKEN If you’re afraid of heights, you’ll probably
get some serious anxiety from watching Eskil Ronningsbakken’s incredible performances.
The Norwegian born balance artist has been training to perfect his insane feats from
the young age of 5, jumping from one circus troupe to another.
Today Eskil travels the world performing more and more death-defying stunts that take nerves
of steel just to watch, including balancing on a stack of chairs on a rock wedged between
two 3500 foot high cliffs, riding a bicycle with his hands across a tightrope 1000 feet
up, and even balancing on a tightrope suspended between two hot air balloons.
He challenges death itself as he doesn’t use safety wires and relies solely on his
professionalism and skills.
Eskil’s current dream is to do a one- handed handstand at the top of the Burj Khalifa,
the tallest building on Earth, but the stunt is too dangerous for him to get clearance
just yet.
Still that doesn’t stop Eskil from pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with the
human body every single day.
DEAN KARNAZES Superheroes are all the rage at the box office
these days, but outside the big screen, superpowers aren’t actually real right?
Well if you thought that, meet Dean Karnazes, the distance runner with a superpower that
literally doesn’t let him get tired.
Dean has been called The Man Who Can Run Forever with his crazy ultra-marathon skills.
He’s run for three days and nights straight, even occasionally falling asleep while still
in motion without missing a step.
While most people get sore and achy after running for too long, Dean’s body literally
does not produce the signals to tell him to stop, so he experiences absolutely no fatigue
from running.
He’s even pushed himself to see how far he can take this superpower of his, running
marathons at the South Pole at temperatures of -25 C, and competing in the Marathon Des
Sables, a six-day ultramarathon through the Sahara Desert.
Dean has no intention of stopping nor slowing down any time soon, and with his stamina,
why would he ever want to?
SHIFU SHI YAN MING Xiaolin monks are an ancient order shrouded
in myth and legend, and made out to be nearly superhuman in pop culture.
Something about their ascetic way of life and incredible discipline seems to make the
rise up in stature to the average person.
Xiaolin monks spend their lives practicing martial arts and Buddhist philosophy, sometimes
meditating for days on end, and pushing the boundaries of not just the body, but also
the mind and the spirit.
From among the tradition of these warriors, Shifu Shì Yán Míng is possibly one of the
most influential in spreading Xiaolin teachings to the West.
After defecting from communist China to live in New York, Míng did what he knew best and
began his own Xiaolin academy, and quickly attracted the attention of some of the most
famous people in the world who witnessed his skill in the art.
He even featured in a number of movies.
To this day Ming's school attracts students from all over the world who are simply drawn
to the mysterious ways of the Xiaolin monk.
ZION CLARK Wrestling is one of the oldest sports around,
and those who compete in it today keep the gladiator spirit of its roots alive.
Of these modern wrestlers, there probably isn’t anyone who embodies the mentality
of a gladiator more than Zion Clark.
Born with a rare genetic condition known as Caudal Regression Syndrome, Zion was born
without legs and put through the difficult foster care system.
While some people might let this get them down, Zion only used these experiences as
fuel to propel his wrestling skills forward.
Having incredible upper body strength from walking on his hands, Zion was a natural and
took to training quickly, even making it all the way to the semi-finals during his senior
year in high school.
At the age of 21, Zion currently studies business on a wrestling scholarship, and has started
competing, and doing fantastically, in paralympic wheelchair races, where he became the fastest
man in Ohio by 2016.
Currently Zion has his eyes locked on heading to the 2020 Olympic Games, and if his incredible
story tells us anything, it’s that the words tattooed on his back are a mantra we should
all live by: No Excuses!