Two Brothers Each Packed on 17 Pounds With This 30-Day Strength Challenge

Can a skinny guy become a strongman in just one month? Two YouTubers who go by the moniker DangieBros proved it’s possible. In a recent video, the brothers (Jeff and Chris) shared their journey to get into strongman shape: With the help of coach Jacob Finerty, they went from “skinny brothers who have no idea what we’re getting ourselves into” to stone-carrying, log-lifting, tire-flipping gym warriors in just 30 days. In the process, they packed on over seventeen pounds of muscle each.

To do it, the brothers met Finerty for workouts four days a week, with three rest days. They also followed a strict meal plan—developed by the strongman himself—that seriously ramped up their caloric intake: six meals a day for a total of over 4,000 calories. (Finerty puts away over 5,500 calories daily.)

“The hardest part for the guys will be the change in lifestyle,” Finerty said at the beginning of the video. “Everything will be different—the food, soreness, your body’s going to be tired.”

Here’s a closer look at how Chris and Jeff pulled off their transformation.

Week 1

The challenge began with an assessment of the brother’s baseline strength. They each completed a farmer’s carry, and both brothers maxed out at 200 pounds per hand. Finerty was impressed.

“200 pounds per hand is very good for your first time doing strongman,” he said.

Then they moved on to Ukrainian deadlifts (Jeff hit 215 pounds, Chris lifted 190) and sandbag lifts (158 pounds for both brothers).

“Overall, we were stronger than we thought,” said Jeff.

The rest of their Week 1 workouts involved a variety of exercises to build on their baseline strength: Everything from pushups to sandbag throws and more. Even after just one week, they began to see results. Jeff tacked on nearly six pounds, and Chris added nine pounds at their first weight check-in.

Week 2

In Week 2, Jeff and Chris tackled more challenging strongman exercises. After several false starts, they both managed to lift a 190-pound atlas stone (essentially, a big concrete ball). They also performed yoke carries (lifting and carrying a 400-pound metal cage), circus dumbbell presses, and log lifts—all key moves in strongman competitions. Overhead presses and single-arm deadlifts rounded out their workouts for the week.

Week 3

In week 3, Finerty introduced additional challenges to the brothers’ rotation. First was the axle deadlift—lifting a metal bar with two massive off-road wheels and tires on either end. Both brothers managed to hoist 275 pounds. Next up? Farmer’s carries, but this time with even more weight. 

Week 4

Finerty dialed up the intensity for the final week of training. Chris and Jeff powered through a wide range of challenges, including atlas stone lifts, Ukrainian deadlifts, and more yoke carries. Finerty also had them round out their gym sessions with leg curls and log lifts. The biggest challenge was the tire flip: Jeff, in particular, struggled with mental blocks on this move. But by the end of the week, both brothers were flipping the 600-pound slab of rubber.

The final weigh-in showed just how far they’d come. Jeff weighed in at 178.8 pounds and Chris hit 189.1 pounds—both gained well over 17 pounds in just four weeks. During the final competition showcasing their gains, both Chris and Jeff stacked up reps on moves they couldn’t even attempt at the beginning of the month. It was an impressive transformation and Finerty’s coaching certainly was essential. But the brother’s also had a secret ingredient: sibling rivalry.

“There’s plenty of motivation when you’re training with your opponent,” said Jeff.

Check out the epic fitness journey in the video above.