ADELAIDE

He's the oldest player on the Crows' list but James Podsiadly also lifts the heaviest weights at West Lakes. The key forward/defender is rumoured to bench press a touch over 140kg and Josh Jenkins is right there with him. Jenkins has taken his game to new heights in recent seasons as the club's second tall forward and his upper body strength is a key asset. On a pound-for-pound basis, 'J-Pod' is again up there with the strongest at the club but is joined by, surprise, Patrick Dangerfield and Scott Thompson. One look at Thompson and it's clear the two-time best and fairest keeps himself in extraordinary shape and he couldn't be criticised for skipping leg day either. As his explosive acceleration would suggest, Dangerfield is also one of the club's strongest in terms of leg strength - along with skipper Taylor Walker and Richard Douglas. - Harry Thring

BRISBANE LIONS

Look no further than Herculean ruckman Stefan Martin for the club's all-around strongest athlete. Martin can bench 140kg, deadlift 240kg and clean 130kg – which took the previous Lions record from premiership fullback Mal Michael (120kg). For upper body power it's veteran Brent Staker, who can bench 160kg, ahead of a couple of other experienced campaigners in Luke McGuane (150kg) and Daniel Merrett (145kg). Sneaking into the club's top-four on the bench is powerful midfielder Daniel Rich (140kg). Physical performance coordinator Matt Hass says Martin is an incredible athlete. "Stef is the most well-rounded 200cm athlete that I’ve worked with – he’s extremely diligent in his application to strength training, while 'Richy' is easily our strongest and most explosive pound-for-pound athlete," Hass said. - Michael Whiting

CARLTON

Levi Casboult is the undisputed strong man in the gym at Ikon Park. No other Blue can match the key forward in the bench press, where he lifts about 160kg to outdo his nearest challengers key defender Sam Rowe and former Western Bulldog Liam Jones. Casboult is also Carlton's king of squats, lifting about 190kg, with ruckman Matthew Kreuzer the next strongest Blue here. The one discipline where Casboult lowers his colours is the 'upper pull', an exercise where players lie facedown on a bench and lift weights up from the ground. Jones is the strongest Blue here, followed by Rowe and Casboult. Chris Yarran can lay claim to being the Blues' strongest player on a pound-for-pound basis. The speedy half-back can bench press about 130kg, an impressive effort for someone who tips the scales at 83kg. - Nick Bowen

COLLINGWOOD

The Magpies aretight-lipped about who dominates the weight room, but AFL.com.au’s spiestell us two of their biggest lifters are man-mountain key forwards Travis Cloke and Jesse White. It's little wonder Cloke is such an imposing playergiven he is a gym animal and is always striving to surpass his personal-bestefforts. White is one of the club's heavy lifters despite being more theathletic type and losing 8kg over the pre-season to improve his aerobiccapacity. Champion midfielder Dane Swan had a massive summer in the weight room and it's said that he would easily be the AFL's strongestplayer among those no taller than his 185cms. Brent Macaffer is another medium-height Pie who is seriously muscled,a consolation benefit from extended gym time while recovering from two kneereconstructions. And this list wouldn't be complete withoutmentioning coachNathan Buckley, who still boasts therippling physique he built duringhis outstanding playing career. They say Buckley would not only comfortably out-muscleall of his AFL coaching counterparts, but probably also the majority ofplayers. – Ben Collins

ESSENDON

Patrick Ambrose and Cale Hooker are the two standouts for the Bombers when it comes to work in the gym. Ambrose, an athletic forward who has also overtaken Brent Stanton as the club's time-trial specialist, is best at the squats and deadlifts. Hooker is the leading Bomber in the bench press - his physical strength and power was on show last week as he played a starring role as the Bombers beat the Hawks. There is a boxing ring at the club's facilities at Tullamarine and Jake Melksham has the mantle as the most fierce with the gloves on, while David Myers' work on the bike has been a standout during cross-training. Ruckman Tom Bellchambers has also proven hard to beat in the pool. - Callum Twomey

FREMANTLE

The biggest bench presser at the club is veteran midfielder Ryan Crowley. His chest strength has been on show on the field in recent seasons to hold his ground at stoppages when grappling with the opposition's best midfielders. Nat Fyfe has added several kilos to his legs during the off-season and his leg press and squat strength is obvious. But pound for pound, without the size advantage, two of the strongest players at the club are Hayden Ballantyne and Matt de Boer. Ballantyne weighs just 77kg and is the chin-up king of the club. De Boer is one of the elite runners at Fremantle and only weighs 86kg but in the gym he is as strong as anyone. - Alex Malcolm

GEELONG

Harry Taylor and Rhys Stanley are the big power lifters in the Kardinia Park weights room. Despite dropping five kilograms over summer to help improve his match conditioning, Taylor is still a force to be reckoned with on the bench press. However, the star defender has faced strong competition from Stanley after he joined Geelong from St Kilda in last year's trade period. Renowned for being an outstanding all-round athlete, Stanley is regarded as the best upper body lifter at the club. He is a beast on the bench press and he regularly puts together high repetitions of chin-ups. Mathew Stokes enjoys putting the boxing gloves on and is one to avoid in a sparring session. Luckless forward Daniel Menzel has spent a lot of time on the squat rack and on the leg press to strengthen the area around his troublesome knees, so he excels when it comes to leg weights. – Ben Guthrie

GOLD COAST

If you're talking pure power, look no further than big men Steven May, Daniel Gorringe and Sam Day. May is the strongest on the bench, pushing 140kg, with Gorringe and Day both not far behind in the 130s. Strength and conditioning coach Mark Ladbrook says with all three being 23 years old or younger, there's plenty of room to improve. "We're not chasing numbers, we're trying to get athleticism in and take a long-term approach," Ladbrook said. "May, potentially, is a very strong guy and could push 160kg in the next couple of years." The current trio still lag behind club record holder Joel Wilkinson, who was not only the Suns' best runner, but also set a staggering 160kg mark despite his smaller frame. Pound for pound, experienced duo Jarrod Harbrow and Nick Malceski lead the way in the bench and squat, but Ladbrook says to keep an eye on first-year player Touk Miller, who has posted some good numbers after just one pre-season. - Michael Whiting

Which Gold Coast player leads the way in the weight room? Picture: AFL Media





GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY

Ruckman Shane Mumford and key defender Tim Mohr are forced to lock horns with some of the biggest bodies in the League, so it's no surprise they're the strongest players at GWS. Mumford takes on the likes of Melbourne's Mark Jamar and Fremantle's Aaron Sandilands, so it's little wonder he's a standout in the Giants' weight room. Former Magpie Heath Shaw is best known for his dashing runs from the half-back line, so it might shock some fans to learn the 2011 premiership star is the Giants' best on the bench press. Young guns Dylan Shiel and Adam Treloar are "extremely strong for their size" according to GWS strength and conditioning staff. Chad Cornes was a fitness fanatic in his playing days, so the current assistant coach still holds many of the Giants' records. - Adam Curley

HAWTHORN

Veteran defender Brian Lake has forged a career from standing up to the League's gorilla forwards, a feat the dual premiership Hawk couldn't have achieved without some serious grunt work in the gym. Lake can deadlift more than a mammoth 200kg and is one of the most powerful Hawks, although key position player Ryan Schoenmakers and ruckman Ben McEvoy are known to throw some hefty weights around at Waverley. In power-to-weight ratio, dynamic star Cyril Rioli, elite runner Isaac Smith and emerging midfielder Will Langford pack a punch. Over his more than 10 years at Hawthorn, fitness guru Andrew Russell told AFL.com.au that ruckman Robert Campbell and Trent Croad were among the peak physical specimens he's seen in terms of strength, with the pair pushing the 130-140kg mark for the bench press. – Travis King

Hawthorn players work out at the club's gym at Waverley. Picture: AFL Media





MELBOURNE

It is the young bullleading the way at the Demons, with JackViney the best bench presser at the club. Having been at the club forseveral seasons, the 21-year-old is impressive in totalweights and dominates the club when the ranking is measured on power-weightratio. His main opposition comes from experienced vice-captain Lynden Dunn, the 27-year-old known forhis strength in the gym and in one-to-one battles on the ground. Like all clubsthe Demons have some giants such as Jake Spencer and Chris Dawes but focus on technique first and foremost with theirtalented bunch of youngsters. – PeterRyan

NORTH MELBOURNE

Not surprisingly, Majak Daw puts his hulking physique to good use in North's gym, where he holds the coveted bench press title ahead of American rookie Eric Wallace. All Australian defender Scott Thompson also excels in this discipline and so too – somewhat surprisingly – does medium defender Jamie Macmillan. When it comes to leg strength, 2014 best and fairest winner Ben Cunnington rules the roost at Arden Street, out-lifting all others in squats, with Jack Ziebell and Daniel Wells also very strong in the lower body. North players were given a series of exercises in the pre-season to test their overall strength and endurance, with Sam Gibson leading the way ahead of veteran Brent Harvey and Cunnington. Prior to his shoulder injury last season, Ziebell was regarded as North’s strongest player overall. As he builds his strength back in the gym, the joint vice-captain is expected to regain this title by the end of the season. As has long been the case, Harvey is the strongest Kangaroo pound for pound, followed by Macmillan, Kieran Harper and skipper Andrew Swallow. - Nick Bowen

It's not surprising to learn Majak Daw is the strongest player at North. Picture: AFL Media









PORT ADELAIDE

Size matters at Port Adelaide, with ruckman Matthew Lobbe rated the strongest player in the gym. The 200cm, 97kg beast lifts more than any of his teammates and it's not hard to imagine why given his week-to-week battles with the game's largest specimens. Forward Jay Schulz is known more for his ability to split the middle of the goals and fly above packs than push opponents aside, but the Power say he's one of the club's top three strongest players. The third is probably Port's most explosive player – Matthew White. His acceleration and top speed require enormous leg strength to rocket him to top speed and then sustain it, however his upper body strength is also said to impress. - Harry Thring



RICHMOND

Key defender AlexRance is one of the most competitiveTigers in the weights room and it has paid off, with the 25-year-old holdingthe title of Richmond's strongest player for a number of years now. At 194cmand 96kg, Rance holds the group's bench press record and also sets the standardwith leg weights and squats, ahead of Nathan Foley and ShaunHampson. Foley and defender David Astbury are the two players who challenge Rance as the most competitive Tigersin the gym. Of the most recent draftees, rookie Jason Castagna made thebiggest gains in strength over the pre-season. Pound for pound, recentlyretired Tigers Daniel Jackson and Jake King were very strong, with 'Push-Up'King famously completing 303 push-ups on a pre-season camp in 2006 to earn hisnickname.Physical performance manager Peter Burge said the club used measures such ascore strength lifts, bench press and chin-ups to assess strength. "We alsolook at core/postural strength and total bodystructural strength as a whole and how a player uses his levers.What's most important is how this is applied on field."- Nathan Schmook

SYDNEY SWANS

Swans ruckman Mike Pyke is "easily" the strongest man at the club, according to strength guru Damien Austin. Pyke holds the bench press record at the Swans at 150kg. Like his brother Heath at GWS, Rhyce Shaw is one of the best in the gym at the Bloods, a legacy of a strenuous rehabilitation program he went through after a knee reconstruction. Lewis Jetta might not carry too much weight on his frame, but the speedster is a deadlift king, while swingman Same Reid is another whose strength may come as a shock to those outside the club. Barry Hall finished his career as a Bulldog, but the power forward still holds many of the records still standing at the SCG, with Austin describing Hall as a "freak of nature", who had to be kept out of the gym to keep his size down. - Adam Curley

ST KILDA

It's been seven years since Fraser Gehrig retired but the 260-game player was by far the leader in bench-pressing at both St Kilda and West Coast. At 195cm and 109kg, there was no doubting Gehrig's strength and intimidation factor during his playing years, and his work in the weights room remains legendary. His press of 172.5kg is still the record at the Saints. Now, Tom Curren – despite his size difference from Gehrig – is the clubhouse leader. Fanatical about fitness, Curren is very much the standout in most disciplines and is the biggest bencher despite his 178cm/78kg frame. However, Sean Dempster's physique proves the experienced backman is also very familiar with where the gym is. After 184 games, the 2005 Sydney Swans premiership player knows what he needs to do to stay in shape and remains very disciplined in getting the best out of himself. David Armitage and Tom Hickey are also known for their work in the weights room while Shane Savage gets a nod for his recent improvement in leg strength. - Jennifer Phelan

WEST COAST

Key defender Mitch Brown is one of the club's biggest lifters and works hard his upper body strength. He lifts big weights in the gym, which helps him in one-on-one battles as a key defender and he enjoys taking on his teammates in contests at training in the pre-season. His gym work will be critical in his rehabilitation after rupturing his ACL. Key forward Josh Kennedy has added some size and strength over the summer and is a strong performer in the gym. Nic Naitanui is another with impressive upper and lower body strength. Chris Masten is the club's best runner, although he was challenged by Damien Cavka this summer, but he is also very strong for his size and one of the best pound-for-pound lifters in the Eagles' gym. - Alex Malcolm

WESTERN BULLDOGS

Ever since he arrived at the club in 2002, Will Minson has been a powerhouse of the Whitten Oval gymnasium. Former teammate Luke Darcy labeled the then 18-year-old a 'genetic freak' due to his impressive strength at such a young age. 'Big Will' was barely challenged on the bench press until the day Barry Hall stepped foot in the club and took his crown. Hall's retirement in 2011 saw Minson reclaim his throne, but fellow veterans Matthew Boyd and Dale Morris are the power-to-weight specialists. A couple of young pups are also making a name for themselves with Tom Campbell, Jake Stringer and Koby Stevens all lifting heavy weights. When it comes to the 'sweet science', no one envies a session in the ring with hulking forward Jack Redpath. The Kyneton product loved to spar as a junior and still loves to rope in an unwilling teammate. - Ryan Davidson