It was said that the famous French strongman Louis “Apollon” Uni ran off and joined the circus at 14 and started performing as a strongman a year later. Even at a relatively young age, Apollon’s potential for great strength is evident by his thick bone structure. Strength ran in the family, he was descended from Pompelius Unicus, an undefeated Roman Gladiator. As was the custom at the time, Apollon was fond of lifting thick-handles weights — which certainly contributed to his incredible forearm development. The French blockweights at his feet are still a nice touch though.