Two Bavarian muscle men set stein-carrying world records a week apart

Bavarian waiter Matthias Völkl equalled a new world record for stein carrying this week, ahead of Munich's annual Oktoberfest.

Völkl, who works as a waiter at Munich's infamous Hofbräuhaus bier hall, successfully carried 27 steins (Germany's traditional 1L beer glasses) a distance of 40m to equal the record set by 38-year-old tax inspector Oliver Struempfel just last week (Struempfel broke his own record of 25 steins, set in 2015).

And while 27 steins is an impressive effort, 26-year-old Völkl actually started his 40m dash carrying 29 of the handled mugs – which weigh around 2.5kg each, including beer – but saw two tumble to the ground as he approached the finish line.

Local media reports that Völkl has successfully completed the 29-stein dash a number of times, clocking up four gym sessions per week and practicing for six months in the lead up to his world record attempt. But with a world record under his belt, there's no use crying over spilt bier.