Monday, October 19, 2009 11:16 AM
cstanton
Arm Wrestler Matthias Schlitte Must Eat His Spinach

Looking at this picture you may think that this man's arm is a genetic mutation or a deformity, but really this is Matthias Schlitte, professional arm wrestler.
Schlitte has turned himself into a lopsided Popeye the sailor man by training only one side of his body for wrestling so that he can compete in lighter weight classes. His right forearm measures nearly 18" around!
Schlitte said that when he first got into the sport, he was 16. He went to a bar, and they were having an arm wrestling competition. At the time he only weighed about 65 kg, about 145 pounds. He competed in the competition where the weight limit was 90 kg. "At first, older and more experienced fighters smiled at me for being so
light-weighted, but after winning the contest the opinions changed
immediately," said Schlitte.
After gaining the recognition from Bill Frank, the vice-world-champion and coach of VfL Wolfsburg, he was invited to a practice and was quickly accepted onto the team. In 2004, shortly after being accepted by the team, he participated in his first professional event, the 17, and proceeded through the event with zero losses in the -70kg youth class, giving him his first championship.
Since then, he has competed in 23 tournaments, where he placed first in 12 of them. These first place triumphs included the international Over The Top competition and the Arm Wars "Iron Curtain" event.
Here's a video clip of him beating fellow arm wrestler Daniel Balzer at the First Gameday Competition of the Armwrestling National League.
Filed under: Schlitte, arm wrestling, armwrestling, armwrestling champion, Matthias Schlitte, arm wars