\n[post_page_title]Apple of their eye[\/post_page_title]
\nVarya Akulova was first welcomed into the world in 1992, but it didn\u2019t take her long to build herself a reputation as the world\u2019s strongest girl. Like most children, Varya was the apple of her parents\u2019 eyes, and they only wanted the best for her. However, her father made no secret of the fact that he wanted her to follow in his footsteps. As a circus performer, Uri Akulova always had dreams of creating a father-child circus act that would wow the world. He had no idea that this would actually come true\u2026
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\n[post_page_title]From generation to generation[\/post_page_title]
\nWhen Varya was just a toddler, her parents began to wonder whether she had inherited the bizarre Akulova trait that seemed to be passed down from generation to generation. For as long as he could remember, Uri\u2019s relatives had all possessed a form of superhero strength. They could lift incredible amounts with ease, and their muscles seemed to be able to take more than the average person. His family believed that God had blessed the family with this strength, and Uri hoped his daughter would showcase these talents too.
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\n[post_page_title]A child prodigy[\/post_page_title]
\nThankfully for Uri, it didn\u2019t take long for his daughter to show the telltale signs of this impressive strength. When she was just three months old, Varya could already lift her own body off the ground and walk unaided, and her balance and strength seemed extraordinary for such a young age. In fact, Uri was able to balance his daughter on the palm of his hand before she was even one year old. This was a clear decider for the family, and they had no doubt that Varya had inherited their gift.
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\n[post_page_title]Joining the circus[\/post_page_title]
\nVarya\u2019s parents didn\u2019t want her talents to go to waste, so they asked her whether she wanted to join the circus and perform with them. At the time, she was just three years old – but she eagerly accepted the offer. She spent the next few years working her way up from simple acrobatics, to more complicated gymnastics, to eventually showing off her superhuman strength. By the time she was just five years old, Varya was performing alongside her parents and other strongmen in weightlifting stunts that wowed their audiences.
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\n[post_page_title]Getting competitive[\/post_page_title]
\nVarya loved seeing how much weight she could lift with her bare hands, and she eventually decided to enter weightlifting competitions when she was seven years old. Her other contenders were amazed to see such a young girl taking part in the competition, and many of them doubted her – until they saw what she could do! By this age, she could not only lift two incredibly weighty kettlebells with ease, but she could also lift up her father off the floor. As a weightlifter himself, he certainly wasn\u2019t light.
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\n[post_page_title]A new world record[\/post_page_title]
\nHowever, Varya wasn\u2019t done with the surprises just yet. When she was eight years old, she decided to put herself forward for a Guinness World Record. She wanted to prove to the world that she was capable of lifting incredible amounts of weight and lifting more than anyone else her size. At the time, she weighed just 88-pounds herself, but she received her certificate and her new world record for lifting 220 pounds. That\u2019s more than double her own weight! This achievement was a huge success, especially when you take a look at their personal circumstances\u2026
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\n[post_page_title]Life in Ukraine[\/post_page_title]
\nDuring her childhood, life in Ukraine was difficult for everyone. The country had only recently achieved its independence, and the economy was in no fit state to cater for its people. Employment was at record highs, and few people had money to survive. Although Varya and her family were traveling around Ukraine with their circus troupe, they weren\u2019t making enough money to live comfortably. Because of this, the family had to make a tough decision. They had to move out of their apartment and move into their local gymnasium.
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\n[post_page_title]Another talent[\/post_page_title]
\nAlthough Varya\u2019s physical talent is enough to make the strongest of people weep, it seems as though this wasn\u2019t the only talent that the young girl exhibited from a young age. As well as being physically strong, she was also mentally strong. In fact, she had displayed some of the greatest hints of intelligence from a young age and had continued to impress her teachers and tutors in between her rigorous training schedules. She was always at the top of her class, and this would eventually work in her favor.
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\n[post_page_title]Saving up[\/post_page_title]
\nAfter living in the local gymnasium for a couple of months, Varya\u2019s parents were finally able to save up enough money to have their own house that they could call their home. They finally had the space to live in separate rooms, and they even had space to create their own home gym. It was here that Varya truly perfected her craft and made a name for herself. Before too long, she was making television appearances and showing off the fact that she would lift both of her parents while lying in between two chairs with ease.
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\n[post_page_title]Another string to her bow[\/post_page_title]
\nAs Varya became more and more famous around the world, she wanted to prove to them that she wasn\u2019t all about the fame and the fortune. She wanted to show them that she really was talented. So in 2006, she set herself another Guinness World Record target. At just 14 years old, she wanted to be the strongest girl in the world, but she needed to lift a hefty weight of 660 pounds to get there. Luckily for Varya, this was absolutely no problem for her, and she had another world record in the bag.
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\n[post_page_title]All in the family[\/post_page_title]
\nVarya continued to impress her fans with her superhuman strength, but they couldn\u2019t help but wonder where it had come from. Her family had spoken of a trait that had been passed down, but could that really be true? Well, both her father and her grandfather had also been lucky enough to have this strength and had continued to up the ante throughout their lives. In fact, her grandfather broke a record in 1910 when he was able to carry an incredible 2,600 pounds of weight with his bare hands.
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\n[post_page_title]Keeping some back[\/post_page_title]
\nHowever, what might surprise you is that Varya wasn\u2019t using all of the strength in her locker when she was putting on these performances and breaking these world records. That\u2019s because her father didn\u2019t want to push her body too hard. Although she could lift even more weight if she wanted to, she was trained to use just \u00be of her strength during performances to decrease the risk of injury. Although most people were even more impressed by this, there were some people who weren\u2019t as impressed\u2026
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\n[post_page_title]Media backlash[\/post_page_title]
\nLike many people who have found themselves in the limelight over the course of their career, Varya\u2019s place in society was greeted with media backlash. Many people believed that her parents had forced her into such a lifestyle and that they were pushing her to her limits – but that wasn\u2019t true. Alongside this, Varya also received nasty comments from those who did not believe a woman should be doing such an activity. One man even told her that she would never find a man to marry her if she continued on her path.
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\n[post_page_title]Health concerns[\/post_page_title]
\nAlongside those who didn\u2019t think Varya should be lifting such heavy weights as a woman, there were others who didn\u2019t think she should be lifting such heavy weights as a youngster. They were worried that it would be detrimental to her health and her growth and didn\u2019t want her to be at a disadvantage later in life because of her early actions. As the criticism grew, Varya\u2019s family decided to put the naysayers at bay once and for all. They booked a doctors appointment to get some answers.
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\n[post_page_title]The results[\/post_page_title]
\nTo get to the bottom of their daughter\u2019s superhuman strength, Uri and his wife took her to the doctor to see whether there was a real explanation for being incredibly strong but without the physical muscle mass so often seen in weightlifters. The doctor subjected the young girl to numerous tests and medical exams to see if there was a scientific reason – and the results were shocking. In fact, the family soon realized that their superhuman strength may not have been divine intervention after all.
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\n[post_page_title]A different makeup[\/post_page_title]
\nThis wasn\u2019t the first time Varya had gone to the doctors, though. Because of her incredible ability, her parents ensured that she was checked over every single year to confirm that their daughter was not in any physical distress or harm when she lifted such heavy weights. Thanks to this, the doctors could examine her history and come to a conclusion about why she was so strong. They believed that the young girl and her relatives had a different makeup to others and that their muscles were aligned differently.
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\n[post_page_title]Controversial documentary [\/post_page_title]
\nIn 2009, Varya was the subject of documentary made for British television called, The World\u2019s Strongest Child. The documentary did not portray Varya\u2019s family in the best light, and brought up allegations for how she had been treated growing up. Many believed that her father\u2019s training methods were inappropriate for a child. In the documentary, it claimed that as a baby, Varya\u2019s parents would attach weights to her limbs to help her build her strength.
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\n[post_page_title]Olympic hopes dashed [\/post_page_title]
\nWith weightlifting and athletic skills like Varya\u2019s, one has to wonder why on earth she never competed in the Olympics. After all, she seems like she would have been a shoe in to win. Varya herself had once dreamed of attending the Olympics, but those hopes were dashed when the Olympic committee turned her down. The organizers of the 2012 London games did not approve of Varya\u2019s father and his coaching methods, and therefore she wasn\u2019t allowed to participate.
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\n[post_page_title]A new addition[\/post_page_title]
\nWith a scientific reasoning under their belts, Varya and her family were able to move on – but soon enough their lives changed again. This time, their lives were changed by a new addition to the family. When the strongest girl in the world was just 17 years old, she was told the exciting news that she was going to be a big sister. Varya couldn\u2019t wait to welcome her little sister into the world but had no idea that her sister would soon demonstrate her own special talents that would push her out of the limelight…
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\n[post_page_title]Taking over[\/post_page_title]
\nYes, Varya\u2019s sister Barbara also showcased this superhuman strength and soon made her way into the circus life. Like Varya, she was able to lift her parents and heavy objects from a young age, and this made her a popular new item on the circus roster. As Barbara took over the spotlight, the popularity of Varya started to wane. There was a new strong woman on the scene, and fans began to see less and less of the teenager. But where did she go? The truth might surprise you.
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\n[post_page_title]Young Barbara[\/post_page_title]
\nLike her sister, Barbara has dazzled and astonished people across the Ukraine and around the world. She is strong like Varya, but that\u2019s not all. She is also a talented contortionist, which surely comes in handy in her family\u2019s circus. Barbara has also followed in Varya\u2019s footsteps in regards to intellect, and has proven to be very intelligent. Her parents claim that by age two and a half, Barbara was already able to pick up a book in Russian and read it completely. Sounds like she has a bright future ahead of her!
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\n[post_page_title]Akulova family [\/post_page_title]
\nIt has been clear from the beginning that all this weight lifting and special skills is just what it means to be part of the Akulova family. We already know that they have all been in the circus businesses performing their extraordinary skills, but it\u2019s really Varya that put the Akulova family on the map. As Varya\u2019s fame grew, so too did the family\u2019s. In 2013, her parents decided to take their act one step further by creating their own website where people could find out about their performances.
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\n[post_page_title]Choosing academics[\/post_page_title]
\nAlthough she had loved proving to the world that she was the strongest girl in the world, Varya took the opportunity of her fading popularity to showcase another of her talents. She had always excelled in the academic world and had always wanted to go to university. So, she cut back her circus appearances, cleared her schedule, and started studying full-time. As you could probably expect, she soon came top of her class and utilized all of the knowledge she had built up over the years to obtain an impressive degree.
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\n[post_page_title]Working part-time[\/post_page_title]
\nYou\u2019ll be happy to know that Varya has left her weightlifting world behind completely. Although she is now solely focused on her studies, the 26-year-old still maintains a physical lifestyle to ensure that her strongwoman title isn\u2019t taken away from her. In fact, she divides her time at university with her part-time job that she uses to pay the bills. She does not work in a store or in the university library. Instead, she works as a personal trainer and has lines of people waiting to work with the woman who has superhuman strength.
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\n[post_page_title]Wants to be bigger[\/post_page_title]
\nNow, Varya is focused on gaining an education and creating a better life for herself and her family. Not only does she want to graduate and obtain a well-paid and exciting career, but she also wants to continue with her weightlifting career. After all, she loves it. In the future, she wants to focus on looking as strong as she feels. She wants to build up muscle, and she wants to be bigger than her current size. Most notably, she has a mission to look just like her father…
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\n[post_page_title]Taking care of her body [\/post_page_title]
\nOver the years, one of the things that Varya and her family received the most criticism for was her body. Many feared that she wasn\u2019t getting proper nutrition to compensate for all the athletic activities she was doing, amongst other things. But these days Varya assures everyone that she takes care of her body. In an interview with the Daily Mail, she shared that she makes sure to stay away from things like steroids, and only takes multi-vitamins as supplements. She also maintains a good diet and is the picture of health.
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\n[post_page_title]The job[\/post_page_title]
\nAttending university was certainly very important to Varya, and with her intelligence who could blame her, but she wasn\u2019t ready to leave the athletic world behind completely. These days, in addition to going to school, she also has a job. In her job she works as a physical trainer, and we honestly couldn\u2019t think of a better job for her to have chosen. What better person to have coaching you in the gym, than someone who has been in one her whole life?
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\n[post_page_title]Feminine but fierce [\/post_page_title]
\nMany female athletes, particularly those who dabble in weight lifting, are usually portrayed as not having very feminine looks to them. Indeed, many people worried that if Varya kept up her weight training she would develop bulky muscles that would detract from her looks. However, Varya never cared about how her athletic abilities made her look, and she has also never hidden her femininity. She has no problem dressing in more \u201cgirly\u201d clothing and showing off her assets.
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\n[post_page_title]Don’t judge a book by its cover[\/post_page_title]
\nOver the years, some people have actually found it confusing that Varya doesn\u2019t display any big, hulking muscles. From looking at her, you would never guess that she is capable of lifting things much larger than herself. But if Varya has taught us anything, it\u2019s that you can\u2019t judge everything from just a look. When she encounters people who have never heard of her, she is usually able to surprise them with what she is capable of.
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\n[post_page_title]Life skills [\/post_page_title]
\nMany have criticized Varya\u2019s parents over the years for starting them at weight lifting and acrobatics from such a young age. What if it affects their bodies and health? What if affects their education? But many fitness experts might actually argue the opposite. Some experts and fitness gurus believe that not only are there physical benefits to weight lifting and exercise, but mental ones as well. Some would even go so far to say that there are valuable life lessons to be learned from time at the gym.
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\n[post_page_title]Good habits [\/post_page_title]
\nOne of the top things that experts say you can learn from weight lifting and fitness routines is the benefit of forming good habits. While Varya certainly had natural strength and talent, it was still something she had to work on and cultivate, which meant regularly exercising. Teaching yourself the importance of good habits can help you in other areas of your life for things like good study habits at school, good cleaning habits at home, and more.
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\n[post_page_title]Priorities [\/post_page_title]
\nStrong fitness and weight lifting can also teach you the valuable lesson of learning how to prioritize something. Sometimes what you want to do with your body isn\u2019t always what needs to happen first. You might need to stretch before you lift something heavy, or workout a different muscle than you want to, but it\u2019s important to do so. If you don\u2019t learn how to prioritize things in your work out you could hurt yourself. Similarly, it\u2019s important to know how to prioritize things in your own life.
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\n[post_page_title]Self care [\/post_page_title]
\nFor years people worried about Varya\u2019s health and if she was taking care of herself through all of her athletic activities. But participating in athletics is a good way to teach people how to take care of themselves. You have to learn about what nutrition your body needs, and what to do to make sure you don\u2019t get injured. This translates into other areas of life, especially as you get older and need to take care of yourself, and make sure you know what to do.
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\n[post_page_title]Be open minded [\/post_page_title]
\nThis is one lesson that Varya has not only learned herself, but also imparted on to others. It\u2019s important in the fitness world to be open minded to new ideas and new methods of training. There are always new trends and new studies coming up, and something that worked for someone else might help you too, even if it\u2019s different. In life, there might be new things we haven\u2019t tried, or things we\u2019ve seen and judged, all because we didn\u2019t keep an open mind.
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\n[post_page_title]Winning and losing [\/post_page_title]
\nNothing ever comes easy, even if you\u2019re the strongest girl in the world. What Varya, and many other athletes, have to learn is that sometimes no matter how hard you try, you can\u2019t get everything you want. For example, despite her success, Varya had to live with the disappointment of missing the Olympics. But she made the best of it, and today is doing very well and happy. In life you can\u2019t always get what you want, but you learn to push through anyway.
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\n[post_page_title]Not alone [\/post_page_title]
\nVarya is not the only girl out there to be dubbed the strongest girl in the world, and some argue over who is and who isn’t. But the most recent girl to be considered for the title is teenager Naomi Kutin. She is an expert in raw squatting and deadlifting, and in 2014 set the world record for the 105 pound class by squatting 226 pounds. The media has dubbed her \u201cSupergirl\u201d and a documentary by the same name was made all about her in 2017. She might be giving Varya a run for her money!
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[post_page_title]Apple of their eye[\/post_page_title] Varya Akulova was first welcomed into the world in 1992, but it didn\u2019t take her long to build herself a reputation as the world\u2019s strongest girl. Like most children, Varya was the apple of her parents\u2019 eyes, and they only wanted the best for her. However, her father made no secret […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":68040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n