Can a skinny man become a strong man in just a month? Two YouTubers nicknamed DangieBros proved it's possible. In a recent video, the brothers (Jeff and Chris) shared their journey into getting into strongman form: With the help of trainer Jacob Finerty, they evolved from "skinny brothers who have no idea what we're getting into let in” to petrified brothers. Carry gym warriors, lift logs and flip tires in just 30 days. In the process, they each put on over seventeen pounds of muscle.
To achieve this, the brothers met with Finerty to train four days a week with three days off. They also followed a strict diet plan — developed by the strongman himself — that significantly increased their calorie intake: six meals a day totaling over 4,000 calories. (Finerty burns over 5,500 calories a day.)
"The hardest thing for the guys is going to be making lifestyle changes," Finerty said at the beginning of the video. "Everything will be different - the food, the sore muscles, the body will be tired."
Here's a closer look at how Chris and Jeff accomplished their transformation.
week 1
The challenge began with an assessment of the brother's core strength. Each of them completed a farmer's carry, and both brothers peaked at 200 pounds per hand. Finerty was impressed.
"200 pounds per hand is very good for your first time doing strongman," he said.
They then switched to Ukrainian deadlifts (Jeff hit 215 pounds, Chris lifted 190) and punch bag lifting (158 pounds for both brothers).
"Overall, we were stronger than we thought," Jeff said.
The remainder of her week 1 workout included a variety of exercises to build her core strength: everything from push-ups to punch bag throws and more. The first results were already visible after just one week. Jeff gained almost six pounds and Chris added nine pounds at the first weight check.
week 2
In week 2, Jeff and Chris tackled more challenging Strongman routines. After several false starts, they both managed to lift a 190-pound atlas rock (essentially a large concrete sphere). They also performed yoke-carrying (lifting and carrying a 400-pound metal cage), circus barbell press, and woodlift — all important moves in strongman competitions. Overhead presses and one-arm deadlifts rounded out her weekly workouts.
week 3
In Week 3, Finerty introduced additional challenges to the brothers' rotation. First up was the axle deadlift — lifting a metal bar with two massive off-road wheels and tires on either end. Both brothers managed to lift 275 pounds. next up? Farmer's carries, but this time with even more weight.
week 4
Finerty upped the intensity for the final week of training. Chris and Jeff have completed a variety of challenges including Atlas stone lifts, Ukrainian deadlifts and more yoke carries. Finerty also rounded out her workouts at the gym with hamstrings and woodlifts. The biggest challenge was changing the tires: Jeff in particular had to deal with mental blocks on this move. But by the end of the week, both brothers knocked over the 600-pound block of rubber.
The last weigh-in showed how far they had come. Jeff weighed 178.8 pounds and Chris weighed 189.1 pounds - both gaining well over 17 pounds in just four weeks. During the final competition, which showcased their accomplishments, both Chris and Jeff racked up reps on moves they couldn't even attempt earlier in the month. It's been an impressive transformation and Finerty's coaching has certainly been essential. But the brothers also had a secret ingredient: sibling rivalry.
"There's a lot of motivation when you're training with your opponent," Jeff said.
Check out the epic fitness journey in the video above.
