'You're just absolutely buzzing' - World's Strongest Brothers Tom and Luke Stoltman on how to start the day well

Virgin Radio

28 Nov 2023, 10:27

Known as ‘The World’s Strongest Brothers’ after multiple victories at various Strongest Man competitions, Tom and Luke Stoltman brought their not inconsiderable frames into Virgin Radio. 

Luke won Europe’s Strongest Man in 2021, and is also the five-time Scotland's Strongest Man. At 29, Tom is ten years younger than Luke, and won the World's Strongest Man title two consecutive times in 2021/22, and also won Britain's Strongest Man in the same two years. Speaking about his brother, Luke said: “Tom got diagnosed with autism when he was younger. So for him to come forward and do this amazing thing, win World’s Strongest Man not once, but twice, it makes me very, very proud. 

About his brother, Tom joked: “He looks stronger, but he also looks older!”

Tom and Luke have their own gym, The Stoltman Strength Centre, in Invergordon, and also have a weight training academy offering online coaching. Earlier this year, the brothers released their autobiography, titled Lifting: Becoming the World's Strongest Brothers.

The siblings spoke to the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with cinch about the importance of starting your day well. Luke said: “I do a lot of cold water swims, so every morning I go into the sea. We're very lucky that we live on the coast. I get to see a sunrise.”

Speaking about the duo’s mum, who passed away in 2016, he continued: “For my mental side of things, for my reset, to reconnect with mum as well, when I see a sunrise. We've got tattoos on our arms of sunflowers. That's what mum was to us. So when I see a sunrise, I get to see mum every day, to reconnect with her.

“Plus then, the cold, what the cold does for you, allows you to reset, takes care of inflammation. It gives you that focus, that hit of dopamine for the day, and you're just absolutely buzzing!”

He added: “The mornings are what makes a day right. If you start your morning right, if you do a test in the morning. That’s what it is. Get up, go for a swim, it’s like a test. Yesterday was minus two and I was swimming in the water with a good friend of mine. ‘Wow, this is amazing seeing a sunrise. Amazing’. And then the rest of your day is just perfect. It just goes well."

Speaking about keeping life simple, the brothers told Chris: “What we live in, today, the society, the consumer, consumer, we're trying to buy things to make us happy. So why not just learn to be us, learn to be happy. See a sunrise. Sit outside in the morning, watch the sunrise, go in the cold water, speak to your family, love, care about each other. We talk a lot about loving, about caring, We need to care more, we need to have our communities. I think when we're in a community of support and love, that's where we can really be special.

“Get out for a run, for a walk, lift some sandbags, flip some tyres, get that hit of dopamine for the day, and that's you set up for the rest of the day. 

“It doesn't need to be so complicated. I think we, as humans, our brains are really overwhelmed.”

Lifting: Becoming The World's Strongest Brothers is out now. For more information visit stoltmanbrothers.com.

For more great interviews listen to  The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with cinch weekdays from 6:30am on Virgin Radio, or catch up on-demand here.