Training Strongman recently announced that they will be hosting the Official Strongman Games in Raleigh, North Carolina. The event will take place at the Dorton Arena, and this year the majority of the spots will be given out in an online strongman competition. So, anybody with enough strength and basic equipment can take part.
The strongman news came earlier this month that there would be seven World’s Strongest divisions in this year’s games, along with a Giants Live qualifier, which offers a tour spot. The men’s divisions include the under 80kg, under 90kg, and under 105kg, while the women’s divisions are the under 64kg and under 82kg. The Giants Live is an open men’s competition.
The structure of the 2017 Official Strongman Games marks a major step forward for the inclusiveness of the sport. This will be the first time that all the weight divisions, as well as the men and women’s titles, will have contests on the same weekend at the same event.
The format serves lower weights well, and a couple of the competitions are open to those who wouldn’t usually consider it. Tennis superstar Andy Murray, for example, who currently has 4/1 odds on BetStars of winning the U.S. Open, has a pretty intense strength training regime. Could we see a rise of athletes who usually focus on other sports coming to the forefront of lighter divisions?
Each division will have 30 competitors: 20 from online qualifications and 10 by invite. Each athlete will take part in the same four events on Day 1, and by Day 2, only the top ten competitors in each division will remain.
Day 1 features a Max Log Clean and Press event, with the last man standing and able to press the most weight taking the maximum points. Then a Yoke Carry, followed by a Car Deadlift for reps. Day 1 ends with a Carry Medley involving frames, hassafels, and sandbags.
The ten competitors from each division with the most points will settle the score on Day 2, with a Semi-Truck Pull, followed by an Atlas Stone Series, with the winner taking the World’s Strongest title for their class.
For the first time ever in the Official Strongman Games, most of the places will be given to those who qualify through the online competition, and the events of the online qualifier have been outlined by Aaron Molin. Interested strongmen can send in video entries of their attempts at the events below, with the most impressive entries over the three events gaining a qualification.
Event 1 consists of an unusual but welcomed Total Tonnage Deadlift. You have 30 seconds to lift as many reps as you can at a weight of your choice. The score is the total weight multiplied by the total reps, and you must come to a dead-stop with each lift. It is doubtful that anyone can lift much more than 15 reps in 30 seconds though, so aim for your maximum weight, and use fractional weights to enhance your score.
Event 2 is a 3-reps Max Log Press. You can use logs with a diameter of 8-12 inches and you must lift the log clean to the shoulders once, followed by three overhead reps. There is no trick or tactic here. Just go as heavy as you can — without breaking your back — for the top score.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw4qGSk5QQs
Event 3 is a Farmer’s Walk with a bit of a twist. The 50’ out and 50’ back format means you have to turn on the break line. Be sure to practice this if you are not used to turning. The score will be based on the maximum weight with no drops, and tiebreakers will be decided on the total time taken for the walk. Aim for your top weight and practice making the turn quickly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNUliKcumyw
The Official Strongman Games take place on December 16th – 17th. We will bring you more information on the online qualification and Official Strongman Games when we have it. Stay tuned.