In early May 2025, Norwegian rock climber Magnus Midtbo delved into arm wrestling, conversing with Jeff Dabe, one of the sport’s most renowned figures, known for his colossally large hands and beefy forearms. The left-handed Dabe hails from Minnesota, has won multiple national and state arm wrestling championships, and competed in the World Armwrestling League.
Midtbo offered an inside look at Dabe’s daily life, exploring the unique challenges of living with his enormous hands, sharing insights into his intense farm workouts, and testing his raw strength.
Armwrestling Dabe
Midtbo visited Dabe on his farm, where the two shared a handshake. The typical greeting was anything but with Dabe. Midtbo couldn’t help but remark on the impressive size of Dabe’s hands.
Oh God! Those are some beefy hands.
—Magnus Midtbo to Jeff Dabe
Midtbo held his hand against Dabe’s. The Michigander’s hand dwarfed the Norwegian’s. Midtbo asked Dabe if he had ever trained his grip strength and awareness of his power’s true extent.
No. I try a lot, but my hands don’t fit in them. I tried bigger Thomas inch dumbbells…I couldn’t get my hand in between.
—Jeff Dabe
Dabe tried to adjust, but couldn’t get a firm grip with his entire hand. “A lot of the stuff is designed for smaller hands,” Dabe admitted.
Dabe’s Gym Equipment
Midtbo and Dabe headed to Dabe’s barn, where he keeps his arm wrestling equipment. Midtbo attempted a cable side pressure arm exercise and sought feedback on his technique. Dabe affirmed Midtbo’s form but elevated the challenge by switching to a smaller bar. “That puts more pressure on the wrist and the hand,” Dabe said.
Dabe’s daily activity involves various farm chores, inherently good functional strength training. (1) He demonstrated his woodchopping skills to Midtbo. (2)
It’s a whole body workout. It’s not just arms.
—Jeff Dabe
Midtbo asked Dabe if his unusually large hands posed any challenges, aside from the fact that he could not wear a wristwatch. Dabe explained that he was born with massive hands and has never allowed them to hinder him.
I work on cars and can do all my mechanical stuff.
—Jeff Dabe
Dabe’s huge hands were noticeable from a young age. As he grew older, he visited several doctors who tested him for gigantism. Dabe showcased his wedding ring, prompting Midtbo to remark that he could easily fit three fingers inside it.
Dabe’s Arm Wrestling Origins
Dabe recalled his early days of arm wrestling as a young boy in his neighborhood. During his senior year of high school, he pursued his passion, competing actively on his school’s wrestling team.
Dabe’s coach introduced him to a charity event where he encountered members of an arm wrestling team. At the time, Dabe could bench press 400 pounds.
I beat all the kids and adults. It was just like wrestling in that one-on-one competition. I got hooked right away.
—Jeff Dabe
Dabe never defeated Devon Larratt, widely regarded as the top arm wrestler in North America. “I’ve never pulled him up on a table. We did grip up once after I did a supermatch, and we pulled up. I could pull him over, but I couldn’t finish him. I had just done like 25 matches.” Dabe believes he could best Larratt if he weren’t fatigued at the start of their match.
Dabe’s Workouts
Dabe’s training is anything but ordinary. To feed his horses, he climbs to the top of his barn and tosses hay down, repeating this process roughly 120 times. In the gym, he trains with bench presses and hammer curls. He warms up with an empty bar, works up to 60 kilograms (134 pounds), and progresses to 90 kilograms (200 pounds). Dabe feels slightly weaker on his right side.
Dabe’s hammer curls open with 11 kilograms (25 pounds) in each hand. He upped to 20 kilograms (45 pounds) but encountered some difficulty with his right side again. To ensure strength balance, Dabe trains unilaterally with 11 kilograms (25 pounds), gradually increasing to 14 kilograms (30 pounds) and 16 kilograms (35 pounds).
Dabe wraps up his workout by applying chalk to his hands and gripping the heads of dumbbells to lift them, progressing to a weight of 18 kilograms (40 pounds) and then with a three-kilogram (6.6-pound) ball.
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References
- Racine EF, Laditka SB, Dmochowski J, Alavanja MC, Lee DC, Hoppin JA. Farming activities and carrying and lifting: the Agricultural Health Study. J Phys Act Health. 2012 Jan;9(1):39-47. doi: 10.1123/jpah.9.1.39. PMID: 22232503; PMCID: PMC3257835.
- Zemková, E., Cepková, A., Uvaček, M., & Šooš, L. (2017). A Novel Method for Assessing Muscle Power During the Standing Cable Wood Chop Exercise. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 31(8), 2246–2254. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001692
Featured image: @jeffdabe on Instagram
