Louis Cyr was a French Canadian strongman with a career spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Based on his recorded feats, including lifting 500 pounds (227 kg) with one finger and backlifting 4,337 pounds (1,967 kg), former International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation chairman Ben Weider stated in 2000, that Cyr is the strongest man ever. Since his strength was so far above and beyond the ordinary during his time, he and his contemporary Louis 'Apollon' Uni were collectively called the 'Kings of Strength'.