Real life Popeye is arm-wrestling contest champion with 19 INCH forearms

10.08.2015 20:00

An armwrestler with 19 inch (49cm) forearms has earned himself the nickname Popeye from fans as he travels America competing to become the world champion.

Jeff Dabe's monster forearms measure 19 inches (49cm) in circumference, with the strongman's hands big enough to fit a basketball in each hand.

Tests have been conducted to discover what makes Jeff's arms so large, as family photographs show he was born with over-sized limbs.

Having looked for signs of gigantism and elephantiasis, the University of Minnesota concluded that there were no signs of the disease or abnormalities

Jeff's wife, Gina, said he was simply born that way.

The arm wrestler from Stacy, Minnesota, has been competing in arm wrestling tournaments since the 1980s, with his giant paws giving him a natural advantage.

He said: 'I arm wrestled as a senior in high school.

'The fans way back then were the ones that named me Popeye.'

Having made a promising start in the sport, Jeff, 52, popped his right arm during a contest in 1986, causing him to stop competing.

It wasn't until 2012, when Minnesota armwrestling champ Josh Handelland came to town, that Jeff decided to start competing seriously again - this time using his left arm.

He would then go on to become the State Champion himself, which would see him invited to compete on the World Armwrestling League (WAL) circuit.

Jeff said: 'Thanks to the World Armwrestling League I am now competing with people from all over America.

'It's so fun to travel to places we wouldn't normally go.

'I was always good at arm wrestling, but the size of my hands did shock people at first - I had the strength to back it up.

'People freak out when they see my hands in real life.'

The WAL sees Jeff and Gina, 53, travel across the country to compete in tournaments in the likes of Las Vegas.

Initially, Jeff did not focus purely on arm wrestling-based training - he would build up strength carrying out farm chores: chopping wood, shovelling and working with heavy equipment.

Recently, though, Jeff has begun taking arm wrestling more seriously, welding his own practice table and hitting the weights.

Gina said: 'I always encourage Jeff no matter what he does - and it's so fun.

'Everyone thinks Jeff is really funny and we do lots of goofy things together.

'This is just the next phase.

'I love the tournaments, and he gets me on aeroplanes to nice hotels and beautiful places.

'We are so proud of him.'

(dailymail.co.uk)