Meet the ‘strongest man in history’ Nick Best aged 54 who had his life saved by failed bench press attempt
Nick Best is a legendary strongman and failed workout one day changed his life.
The 54-year-old explained how a failed bench press attempt helped him uncover an underlying health issue.
Best disclosed how that bench-pressing tragedy saved his life on an episode of Shaw Strength with Brian Shaw.
He was bench pressing 425 pounds in his garage gym when the bar slipped from his hands and landed on his chest and stomach.
Best went to the hospital to get checked and get a CT scan.
The scan revealed he had kidney tumors — something that he would never have discovered if he didn't have the bench-press error.
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He detailed the experience and expressed how both his rib cages were bruised and how he reacted to hearing the news.
"He goes, we've had an incidental finding, and that's when they found the tumor in my kidney. He says there's a growth in your kidney.
"It's completely inside the kidney, but you need to go get another CT scan in two days because they gave me contrast, and they can't do that back to back."
The doctors had to remove one of his kidneys surgically, and feels very grateful and blessed that this happened.
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"I feel somebody literally took it out of my hand and dropped it on my chest because I've been lifting 40 years and never had that happened. nothing ever like that, ever." Best stated.
Best is a world record powerlifter who began his career in the 90s before switching to Strongman.
He won the USAPL National Powerlifting Championships in 1996 and 1997 and the WDFPF World Powerlifting Championships.
He competed in 36 Strongman competitions and won three times.
Last November, Best announced his retirement from the professional Strongman competition after 16 years in the sport.