There may be no purer test of strength than a contest between two arms.
In the small New South Wales town of Deepwater, the local pub has played host to two of arm wrestling's most intimidating biceps as they battled for ultimate supremacy.
The faces of the two contestants passed between shades of pink and deep purple, as fingers danced across their opponent's palm, searching for an angle of attack.
For the many people who packed into this country pub on Friday night, it was the first time they had seen arm wrestling in it's competitive form.
They may not have realised it, but they were to witness one of the biggest events in the sport's Australian history.
A mighty contest
New Zealand's Maateiwarangi 'The Beast' Heta-Morris and Australia's Lachlan 'The Anvil' Adair have stared each other down before.
This special match was their third time competing against each other.
Before the contest, match referee Tom Uglijesa said he was "pumped" for the battle.
"I've been doing this for about 10 years; these two gladiators are about to battle it out," he said.
"This is like the be all and end all of matches for the Oceanic Title."
The pair have an interesting history together, with Heta-Morris taking the first victory four years ago and Adair taking back the crown last year.
"This is Maatei's chance to come back," Mr Uglijesa said.
The passionate and somewhat astonished crowd roared as the rounds went on and it was home-grown Adair who took the victory, winning the first four rounds.
But instead of calling it a night, both men decided to continue and complete all six rounds giving the crowd exactly what they wanted.
Taking on a bigger battle
Beyond competition the two men consider each other friends, spending time together before and after battles and more often than not finishing a match-up with a hug and a pat on the back.
For these men, it's about more than just the frenzy of strength and technique, it's about men's mental health.
"Arm wrestling is really unique in terms of the camaraderie," Adair said.
"My opponent today, we're really good mates.
"We get all the guys together, and it's just an excellent opportunity to unload of life's stresses and troubles.
"It's become this movement, that I've become really proud of the guys to be able to open up in a hyper-masculine sport."
Adair's opponent is also proud that arm wrestling has created a safe environment.
"It is a sport where you are able to let things out, and not just that, you build relationships," Heta-Morris said.
Small town on the big stage
The pub's owner and organiser of the match, Stuart O'Neill, has also dedicated much of his life to raising awareness for men's mental health.
Mr O'Neill has written his own book aiming to provide tools to help people, as well as coining his pub Australia's first mental health pub, where patrons can not only grab a beer but are encouraged to treat each other with kindness, have a chat and listen to others.
"When I saw there was an enormous amount of amazing male camaraderie going on [in arm wrestling] ... it felt like it tied in with mental heath and with my background in that, I thought this is a really cool thing," Mr O'Neill said.
"Just watching all the guys get along, they're all brutes when they are arm wrestling but there was a lot of love in the room between all the men.
"They are caring for each other."
In the world of arm wrestling the meeting of these two giant palms was a super fight.
Both men have made a name for themselves on the international stage, with countless wins.
This epic rematch, set in a town of less than 500 people, was a unique and important stage, opening the world of competitive arm wrestling to those who may have never had the chance to see it live before.
