The Arnold Classic is considered the heaviest strongman competition in the world.

2009 Strongman Competitors

Zydrunas Savickas (USA)
Derek Poundstone (USA)
Travis Ortmeyer (USA)
Mikhail Koklyaev (RUSSIA)
Brian Siders (USA)
Phil Pfister (USA)
Andrus Muramets (ESTONIA)
Dave Ostlund (US)
Ervin Katona (SERBIA)

Sheer Strength

The Arnold Strongman Contest will welcome the world’s most elite Strongman athletes in 2009. MHP Maximum Human Performance is a critical partner in the Arnold Strongman Contest. Top past performers have included World’s Strongest Man – USA’s Phil Pfister, Zydrunas Savickas, Mariuz Pudzianowski, Svend Karlsen, and Brad Gillingham.

These champions compete in front of a mesmerized crowd at the Arnold Fitness EXPO, with the final event Saturday evening on the Arnold Classic stage. The athletes compete in a variety of events for more than $150,000 in awards, and the coveted $10,000 bronze statue of legendary strongman Louis Cyr.

Events in the Arnold Strongman Contest are designed and supervised by Dr. Terry and Dr. Jan Todd of the University of Texas at Austin. Six events were showcased in 2008 and in 2009 may include the Apollon Wheel, a unique barbell first used by turn-of-the century strongman Louis “Apollon” Uni that resembles two train wheels welded to a thick bar for a total weight of 366 lbs. – only ten men have ever lifted it overhead; the Tire Deadlift where athletes lift a 14′ long bar weighted with up to 8 truck tires. Other events may include the One-Handed Overhead Dumbbell Lift where contestants lift a 195 lb. dumbbell as many times as possible in a 90 second timeframe; the Hammer of Strength where the athletes will upend an 18′ long giant hammer; the Yoke Walk – athletes are saddled with a 1,116 lb. shoulder yoke and must walk a distance of approximately 36 feet; and the Farmer’s Walk where competitors have 30 seconds to lift and carry 865 lbs. of barn timbers bolted together up a 32′ incline ramp.

The final event of the Strongman competition is part of the Arnold Classic Finals. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com/arnold