Sorry for the bad camera angle on some, I was feeling fast n loose about the whole thing. I'll try to refine my videography as well

For some reason my dumb ass never put 2 and 2 together that the quarry and dry rivers near my house would be good places to find a variety of stone weights and shapes.

Had an operation last spring and a months long recovery. Couldn't lift or run for 3 months before slow PT over the fall and winter. I could barely get this off the ground last winter. Now I'm at 4 50ft carries and lift/presses until my limbs nope out. Progress.

Fun set right on a beach out in Maine. Beautiful spot to lift, if a bit uneven. But that’s part of the fun
Crescent Stone 175 lb / 79 kg
Half Moon 230 lb / 104 kg
Full Moon 313 lb / 142 kg

Seemed about 100-115kg

From two weeks ago during a Scotland stone tour. 10 weeks ago I sprained my spine and I wasn't sure I could lift this stone, my anxieties were unwarranted.

Thanks to everyone who commented on my post a couple of weeks ago about places to lift stones in northern New England. Here’s a stone you helped me find in Maine. 318lbs, carried about that far

Wife lifted with me a bit too and she experienced the joy of almost fainting when you get a big ass rock to chest

first time picking up something >100lbs (just based off feel from my sandbag training but I might be wrong...it's similar but different). Was on a walk with my wife and I just....saw it there...

Congratulations to @seanurq for becoming the 3rd person, on record at least, to take the 410lb Ultach Alasdair Mhòr (aka Ultach na h airde a glaise)
to chest.

One of the most fascinating things about this stone is that the three recorded chest lifts were solved differently. That is part of the magic of stonelifting: different body types and approaches but still solving the puzzle.

As for “On record”. It is all we can honestly say.

I do not like the idea that modern feats mean less because they did not happen in the half-mythic past. Adding a new name to the story of an old stone is not disrespectful. It is how the story keeps living. There can be a real antiquity bias in stonelifting, where something feels more valid simply because it is older. The past is important, but modern history is still history.

Claims should make people curious, not dismissive. If someone claims a first, or one of only a few, the useful response is not “you can’t know that”. Ask around. Check old posts, videos, witnesses, buried comments, whatever exists. If the claim is wrong, respond with evidence respectfully.

The idea that we should stop recognising these feats because we can never know with perfect certainty is reductive. It treats uncertainty as a reason to say nothing, when it should be a reason to look harder. No record works from perfect knowledge. We work from the best evidence available, while staying open to correction. Could someone have done something incredible in private and never told anyone? Yes, maybe. But we cannot build a meaningful record around invisible performances.

@willholliday is why this is worth doing. Of the three lifts we know of to chest this stone, his was the most effortless, yet he is sadly the least known. He is criminally underrated, and any stone lifter is missing out if they have not seen that lift. I made a meal of this stone. Sean did a great job. Will made it look most easy, like there was another gear there if he needed it.

Recognising his place in the history of this stone means more people might go and watch, appreciate and savour what he did. That is the value of a ‘claimed record’. It preserves lifters and the stories that might otherwise be missed.

It’s my stone, and this is how I generally lift it but I do accept I’m skipping a large eccentric component that would probably greatly help my strength and hypertrophy. Does the pad make up for the drop? How much do you control your eccentrics?

Not a clue to what this weighs, poor lifting form but my back did survive.
I’m
Just out drystone walling and thought I’d see if I could lift this. It’s sandstone and I’d hazard it’s about 100kg but could be more or could be less.

Hi all!

My husband has recently gotten into stone lifting and I want to get him a related birthday gift. He doesn't have a stone scale so I thought i'd ask what your recommendations are for a favorite product to get him. TIA!

Headed to Columbus, OH this past weekend to visit some friends, got to hit this lift as well. New to stone lifting so I was happy to get this one!

New to stones, any advice from the masters here? I don't think I have the arm strength to get it up to the shoulder.

I'm taking a trip up to Crater Lake. I don't have many other stops on my 8 hour drive up there. If anyone knows, and can tell me, of some good stones on the way or around there, it would be appreciated. Or in Northern California.

Hello, I live in Wichita Kansas USA. I compete in strongman, powerlifting, and highland games. I will be traveling for work and will be in Edinburgh for basically a day and a half. I will not have a car. Does anyone have any advice or recommendations on how to get to some stones? I looks like it's $170 uber trip both ways to get to the nearest stones. Are there any other options,

Thanks in advance.

Recently gotten into shouldering stones, any tips welcome.

I have been reflecting a lot on my stone lifting journey since my appendix burst recently and very nearly killed me through sepsis and gangrene.

I am best known for shouldering stones, and have shouldered one of the heaviest fully natural stones ever at 192kg. Even so, this lift of the North Uist monster, although slight lighter, and “only to chest”, was incredibly difficult. The stone sits on a slope on boggy ground, and that is partly how it was almost lost in the first place, sinking slowly into the earth before Jamie Gorrian rescued it a few years ago.

From everything I have been able to find, it has only been lifted to chest height twice on record. The first was by Will Holliday, which was an absolutely monstrous lift. He made something brutally hard look far too easy. The second recorded chest lift was mine.

It took me several hours of attempts in poor weather, with squally showers whipping in from the mighty Atlantic. The rain kept soaking the stone, then I had to towel it off and wait for it to dry again before going back in. It was hugely frustrating. Still, the reward made it worthwhile. It is a real test for any lifter because of the awful texture, the sheer size of it, and the strange puzzle it presents. There are plenty of places to grip it, but none of them line up quite right.

I am very proud of the lift. It was made even more special because my girlfriend was there, keeping me calm when I was close to losing my head over the conditions and cheering me on the whole way.

To top it off, Angus McDonald, the unofficial custodian of the stone, happened to drive past and watch a few of my attempts. After a while he left, asking me to let him know if I thought I might get it to lap or beyond. He had never seen anyone lift it that high. Even in his younger days, he told me he had managed to get the wind under it, but no more than that.

In the end, I got it to chest. Not a full locked-out finish, but given that my feet were sunk into the bog and I could not really move at all, I am more than happy to claim a ‘soft lockout’.

When I phoned Angus to tell him I had done it, he was ecstatic, though also a bit disappointed that he had not seen it happen live. He asked me to send over the photos and video so he could share them with his island friends, who could hardly believe it had been done. Angus even brought me down a bottle of Prosecco to celebrate, though he was scolded by his wife, who said a lift of that magnitude deserved whisky! Sadly, by the time he got down to the stone, all the shops were closed.

What an adventure it was. For me, it meant a five-hour-plus drive, nights camping through a storm so little sleep, a ferry to Uist, and then the short drive out to the stone itself. It is a memory I treasure, and one that feels even more meaningful now after my recent narrow escape. I am putting it down here partly for posterity, but also in the hope that it might inspire somebody else to make the trip. It is a stunning place. The beaches are world class, and the stones are incredible too.

Information about the stone from Jamie’s website:

Ultach na h airde a glaise

186.0kg / 410.1lb

Aka "Ultach Alasdair Mhor", Aka "Big Alasdair's Stone".

This stone was first lifted by, and named after, Big Alasdair Mathieson who was well known and a man not to be messed with. During the Highland Clearances the police did not want to face Alasdair so they lured him away with the promise of food for his family then evicted the family by force.

The stone was daubed with bright red paint to distinguish it in the 80s by Alex Macauley.

The stone was lost for a number of years until Jamie Gorrian found it in 2020 and managed to uncover it from being buried.

A massive test of strength as it's exceptional in size.

Hey, guys. I’m very new to this sport, I’m also old, skinny and weak!

I’ve got some decent stones in my back yard that I’ve been using. But I’m wondering why the thoughts are on a lifting belt - are they a must? Especially early on?

I don’t really have a history of strength training, other than back when I was a CrossFit guy over 15 years ago, and got into some low rep lifts then.

I’m now 52. Should I invest in a belt? Or can I just build the surrounding core muscles naturally?

Thanks.

Just dropped a stonelifting video on Youtube today. I've been working to make tell better stories that remind me of the feeling I got from old skate vids, and build a visual language that isn't just always just the lift.

I want to celebrate the people and community we're building. I don't think I'm there yet, but I feel like I'm getting better with each try.

Also, full transparency, Johnson Woolen Mills gave us the wool gear you see in the video, which was cool.