Carrying 300kg for eight metres would be a formidable challenge for most people. British Turkish Cypriot strongman Mehmet Musa did it every day for 60 consecutive days – and says that by the end, it was beginning to feel like a “warm-up”.
The Islington-born athlete made headlines earlier this year after completing an extraordinary strength and endurance challenge that ultimately earned him a world record.
Mehmet’s feat started with a 300kg farmer’s walk every day for 60 days without a rest day. He then immediately followed it with another month-long challenge: squatting 220kg every day for 30 consecutive days.
The resulting 90-day feat is officially recognised by Record Holders Republic (RHR), which continues to list Mehmet as the record holder for the combined “Farmer’s Walk and Squat Challenge”.
For those unfamiliar with strongman terminology, a farmer’s walk is deceptively straightforward: the competitor picks up extremely heavy weights in each hand, or uses a specially designed frame, and walks with them for a specified distance or time.
In Mehmet’s case, that meant shifting 300kg or more for eight metres – every single day for two months.
The challenge attracted considerable attention in the British Turkish and Turkish Cypriot media during the spring, while the Islington Tribune also covered the Holloway-based strongman’s achievement.
Yet Mehmet tells T-VINE that breaking a record had not actually been his original motivation.
“I did this challenge specifically to mark my difference, test my capabilities and prove my mental fortitude, physical resilience, discipline and sheer determination to succeed,” he said.
From boxing to strongman
Mehmet’s fascination with strength developed while he was still a teenager.
He trained in boxing for three years from the age of 16 before moving into strength training, eventually becoming drawn to Strongman and its more unconventional tests of power.
Unlike a conventional gym workout, Strongman can involve lifting huge Atlas stones, pressing logs overhead, pulling or pushing heavy objects and, of course, farmer’s walks.
Mehmet says it was this emphasis on “practical, real-world strength and explosive power” that appealed to him.
His interest eventually became much more than a hobby.
“I am still maintaining this lifestyle as it is a part of who I am,” he told T-VINE.
Although he describes himself as a Strongman, Mehmet says his training is not simply about preparing for competitions.
“I don’t specifically train this way for Strongman, but to test my capability, my physical resilience and mental fortitude.
“I have always known I was different, and this was a way of marking my difference, and to know how strong I really can be when my capabilities are put to the test.”
Perhaps the most remarkable part of his record attempt was how quickly his body and mind adapted to a workload that would seem unimaginable to most people.
After completing 60 successive days of 300kg farmer’s walks and then launching straight into 30 days of 220kg squats, Mehmet was asked how he was coping.
His answer?
“I adapted so much that it started to feel like a warm-up.”
He accepts that what he was doing might appear “extremely tough and undoable” to others, but sees the challenge very differently.
“For me it was just a glimpse of what I am truly capable of doing.”
A personal challenge becomes a world record
What began as a private test of his own limits gradually attracted attention beyond Britain, with Mehmet’s exploits also generating interest in North Cyprus and Türkiye.
The British Turkish Cypriot’s achievement was even featured on BRT television in North Cyprus.
“I initially set out to do this challenge as a personal challenge, but then it gained attention not only in the UK but in Kıbrıs and Turkey too,” Mehmet said.
“What I set out to do as a personal challenge had then gained me a World Record.”
For Mehmet, however, the certificate is less important than what the experience taught him about himself.
“The most important thing I have gained out of this is knowing what I am truly capable of – knowing that I have the mental fortitude, physical resilience, determination and grit to stand against any challenge I face, even if pushed to my utmost limits.”
Next stop: 400kg
Five months on, Mehmet has no intention of putting his feet up.
He says the record has increased both his physical strength and his confidence, and he now hopes to move into competitive Strongman events.
“I am now hoping to soon compete in Strongman, representing the flag of Turkey and Kıbrıs,” he told T-VINE.
And apparently shifting 300kg every day has only made him think bigger.
Among his next ideas is another month-long endurance challenge – this time involving a 400kg sled.
“One of the feats I have in mind is to do a 400kg sled pull every day for 30 straight days with no rest,” Mehmet revealed, adding that he is considering “other heavy lifts” too.
Given that his last personal challenge ended with his name in the record books, it may be worth watching this space.
