This past 3 months I have been training exclusively for Kentucky’s Strongest Man, a North American Strongman sanctioned event and national qualifier. I had not competed in this federation in a few years and, the last time I did, I barely finished top three in the novice division. This federation is a heavier weight class as 231lbs and has a lot stronger competiton in my state than the other competitions I had been doing. Training was difficult to organize because I now have a 5 month old son that usually has to be with me when I’m training. Not the typical strongman set up, but excuses aren’t my thing so it got done. Here’s a video of 3/5 events:
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- Testing for the World's Strongest Man: Ensuring that the Man Called 'The Strongest Man in the World' Is the Strongest Man in the World by M. Andrew Holowchak (Iron Game History, Volume 11, Number 2, June 2010) 3 Ways to Improve the World's Strongest Man Contest by Dane Curley (August 1, 2017).
Strongman is a brutal showcase of strength, endurance, and will. We’ve all seen the inhuman behemoths lifting enormous rocks and pulling trains on TV in the World’s Strongest Man competition. Compare this to the weight lifting you have seen in the Olympics or powerlifting’s 3 lifts and you begin to understand what makes this sport truly. Europe’s Strongest Man 2018 took place at First Direct Arena in Leeds on 7 April 2018 along with the World Log Lift Challenge. World’s Strongest Man, Eddie Hall, secured a new British Record with a 213kg Log Lift, but failed his 230kg attempt to secure a new World Record!
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This was a huge win for me personally and professionally. The KY Muscle show is a big show that is always filled with tough competition. This meet qualifies me for NAS Nationals next year and I will always carry the title of Kentucky’s Strongest Man under 231.
Event recap:
Weigh ins- I usually walk around at 225lbs and compete in United States Strongman at 220lbs, so the 231 weight limit was heavy for me. I knew that most of my competition would be cutting to get down to the weight while I was eating biscuits and drinking as much fluids as I wanted. I made weight with all my clothes on and my wallet in my pocket. It was great not having a cut and not depleted, but my competitors would have a weight advantage the day of the competition.
Log clean and press, max reps in 60s- pressing events are usually my weakest events, so my goal is to get as close to top three as possible and make up the points later. The log weighed 240lbs and my goal was more than 5. I stumbled on my second rep and took too much time off the clock. I managed 6 reps which is a personal record for me so I would have been happy regardless of placing. Luckily, two guys tied with 7 reps so I walked away with second place.
Duck Carry- one of the most awkward events I’ve ever done, duck carry comes down to long legs and fast feet. I excel at moving events and knew I needed to make up points. I managed 7.7s with a 295 T-bar for second place. The final placing was almost flipped from log so the points were even in our group going into deadlift.
Farmer’s bar deadlift 700lbs total- This event was supposed to be car deadlift, but sometimes in strongman the events change the day of the comp and you have to be ready. Deadlift is my strength, so I knew I had to win this to have a chance at 1st place overall. I was second to last after my finish on the duck carry which played well to my advantage. The reps to beat were 11 when it was my turn to go. I strapped in and stood up with the weights with no problem. I flew through 11 reps easy and added another 5 to give myself a cushion for the last guy in the group. I ended up winning this event with a lot left in the tank.
Farmer’s carry 250lbs per hand- another strong event for me. I was last to go and only one guy was able to take the bars down and back without dropping the weights. He put up a fast time so I had to go quickly. I gripped and took off, made the turn smoothly (which had eluded me in training) and finished fast. Another first place.
Atlas stones 300lbs over bar in 60s- I have come to love atlas stones and at this point I had a 4 point lead going in. 4 reps was the highest put up and all I needed was 1 to win. I fumbled the tacky application and got my arm stuck on the second rep. Luckily I was able to recover and matched the 4 reps on the board. I had won KY Strongest Man!
Thank you to everyone who cheered me on through my training and anyone who sent me kind words after my win. I plan on competing again in January to try and qualify for USS Nationals. Check back for my training progress or follow me on instagram.
Europe’s Strongest Man 2018 took place at First Direct Arena in Leeds on 7 April 2018 along with the World Log Lift Challenge.
World’s Strongest Man, Eddie Hall, secured a new British Record with a 213kg Log Lift, but failed his 230kg attempt to secure a new World Record!
Europe’s Strongest Man has long been the most hotly anticipated competition on the UK strongman calendar. But this year, with an athlete line-up to rival a World’s Strongest Man finale and the strongest pressers from around the world gathered to join in Event 1 (the World Log Lift Challenge), expectations and tensions were running higher than ever before.
With bitter rivalry, hard-fought ambition and world record hopes... the event certainly did not disappoint!
World’s Strongest Man, Eddie Hall, despite suffering with a broken ankle, had promised fans a World Record 230 kilo log lift and for the first time in his strongman career, he was unable to fulfil that promise, vowing to return for the title:
“It is a massive disappointment for me. I’ve let myself down and my fans down and I’m sorry. I’ll be back and that record will be mine, I promise you that.”
World's Strongest Man Competition 2018
But the Beast did walk away with a new British Record in the Log Press – no mean feat at a whopping 213kg!
Big Z, 4x World’s Strongest man (considered by many to be the Strongest Man that has ever lived), has held tightly to his Log Lift record since 2005 and had no intentions of letting it go. Unfortunately, after a recent illness and still fighting old injuries, Big Z failed to make the 213 kilo lift.
The Beast wasn’t the only one publicly coveting Big Z’s long-held 228kg Log Press World Record. Strongman sensation, Iron Biby from Burkino Faso, also attempted the 230 kilo lift with hopes of making the magic press.
Despite not making the lift, Biby put in a valiant effort to roaring support from the 10,000+ strongman fans in the Arena. We’re sure there is much more to come from this incredibly talented and charismatic 25 year old.
“I will go away, I will work hard and I will come back for that record.”
Big Z’s log record remains intact (for now, at least).
...and that was just event 1!
The Europe’s Strongest Man competition also included a 360KG Giant Axle deadlift “for reps”, a 320KG Farmer’s Walk, a 450KG Car Walk and the Atlas Stones.
Big Z ended the show in fourth place, with Poland’s Strongest Man, Mateusz Kieliszkowski, in third place; the Georgian Bull, Konstantine Janashia, in second place; and Iceland’s Hafþór Júlíus 'Thor' Björnsson claiming his fourth Europe’s Strongest Man title. All men securing their places at the 2019 World’s Strongest Man final.
Thor – otherwise known as “The Mountain” from Game of Thrones – announced to the audience that he is hell bent on winning World’s Strongest Man.
“I want to prove to my fans that I am the strongest man in the world!”
Winning Europe’s Strongest Man was his first stepping stone to that title and Thor is certainly the man to watch this year.
Strongest Man Competition 2020
Full results:
| # | Athlete | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HAFPOR BJORNSSON | 44 |
| 2 | KONSTANTINE JANASHIA | 36 |
| 3 | MATEUS KIELISZKOWSKI | 35 |
| 4 | ZYDRUNAS SAVICKAS | 33 |
| 5 | GRAHAM HICKS | 27.5 |
| 6 | TERRY HOLLANDS | 23.5 |
| 7 | MATJAZ BELSAK | 20.5 |
| 8 | MARK FELIX | 17.5 |
| 9 | KRZYSZTOF RADZIKOWSKI (retired, event 4) | 16 |
| 10 | VYTAUTAS LALAS (retired, event 4) | 13 |