how strong was andre the giant

February 28, 2026

André the Giant was extraordinarily strong even by elite-athlete standards, with most evidence suggesting he had world-class “natural” strength despite almost never training like a powerlifter. Exact numbers are impossible to pin down, but his real-world feats and eyewitness accounts point to him being able to handle well over 500 lb in basic lifts and many hundreds of pounds in awkward, real-life objects.

Basic size and raw power

André was usually billed around 7 ft 4 in and roughly 500–520 lb, giving him leverage and mass that translated into huge power even without formal strength training.

Accounts from strength experts like Terry Todd describe him as a “wonder of nature” and estimate that, if he had trained seriously, he might have reached or approached powerlifting world records of his era in the squat and deadlift.

Importantly, he reportedly did very little weight training, especially early in his career, meaning most of his strength was just natural size, bone structure, and everyday physical work.

Famous feats of strength

In wrestling footage and documentaries, André is seen lifting and carrying two 200‑plus‑pound men at once, holding them as if they were light bags.

A well-known TV segment and later compilations show him lifting a platform or apparatus weighing over 2,000 lb off the ground, demonstrating his ability to move enormous loads, even if the setup isn’t a strict “gym lift.”

Several wrestlers and friends also tell stories of André moving heavy pianos or large pieces of furniture by himself that would normally require multiple people.

Grip, hands, and “functional” strength

André’s wrists were reportedly close to 12 inches in circumference, and his hands were described as “three times” the size of a normal man’s, giving him a crushing grip and control over opponents.

Co‑stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger recalled André picking them up one‑handed or effortlessly hoisting their full bodyweight (around 230–240 lb) while talking casually.

In the ring, his bearhug and simple lifts looked especially brutal because he could control and manhandle 250‑ to 300‑lb athletes as though they were children.

Could he match elite powerlifters?

Since André almost never did structured barbell training, there are no verified squat, bench, or deadlift numbers, so anything specific is educated speculation.

Strength historians suggest that, given his bodyweight, bone structure, and stories from people who trained with him, a trained version of André might have pushed into the same territory as top super‑heavyweight lifters of the 1970s–1980s in squat and deadlift.

However, his acromegaly, joint stress, and chronic pain—especially later in his career—likely limited how far he could have gone safely in highly specific competitive lifts.

Myth vs. reality

Some legends (like casually flipping cars) are hard to verify or are likely exaggerated, but the consistent theme across wrestlers, strength experts, and video evidence is that André’s “baseline” strength was far beyond that of typical heavyweights.

Real footage of him lifting 2,000‑lb setups, hoisting multiple grown men, and doing so with minimal training strongly supports his status as one of the strongest natural performers in wrestling history.

The fairest takeaway is that André the Giant may not have been a measured world-record powerlifter, but in practical, real-world and in-ring strength, he was genuinely “larger than life.”

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.