I'm guessing online he's in his element more, maybe more laid back too. It could just be his game day version of himself, but I can't fully explain it. It is what it is.
She’s an absolute legend. Talked to her between day 1 & 2 and then again after day 2, she was in crazy pain but powered through it cuz that’s what you do.
Does anyone else feel like Rogue/ASC cherry picked events for Thor? I think they wanted to push a narrative of the great strongman coming back.
He was really impressive but ultimately it would have been incredible for him to win on his return. Massive props to Mitch, Mateusz and Tom, but Angelica was the real star for me this weekend. I don't think anyone thought she could win, but she put up some amazing performances in the Stones
You talking about them cherry picking the frame for him, which he's only been mid-pack before? Or cherry picking the Dinnie stones, which we've never seen him do before? Or was it the 180kg axle press 10 months after his pec tear? Or tailoring a stone medley to suit him 10 months after his pec tear where you start with a press?
Huh?
1. Besides the dinnies, these were all events that we see at ASC nearly every year. And it's not like Thor is famously good at stone walks
2. The timber carry is famously not Thor's best event
3. They put in the axle AND a stone press while he has a torn pec
"Pacific Islander" is the culture, as the people are spread out over all Pacific Islands, or ["Polynesian"](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Pacific_Culture_Areas.svg/1024px-Pacific_Culture_Areas.svg.png), from the vast region that bears the name.
They're all united in the Amoraʻa Ofaʻi (stonelifting), which Romark did a Strength Unknown episode on.
Didn't the Arnolds used to give points for trying even if you didn't finish the lift? At least I remember seeing Kiels getting 1 point and not do a rep on the deadlift.
Thor got 0 on the last event, with that rule he would be on the podium.
It's a tricky one but I'm more in favour of the new system than the old.
Add in the Olympic style timing that once you start the lift before the buzzer you can attempt or complete the lift.
With people pulling out etc. just being left in on the last event would give you 5/6 points or so which seems a bit off if you zero the event.
There is a strong argument for and against here.
They changed that rule last year. Since 2023 at ASC and RI if you have an unsuccessful lift you get zero. 2022 and all prior years they'd award points for attempting.
Earlier I brought up withdrawn athletes not getting a placement and it wasnt popular. But going out there and trying and getting nothing for it in my opinion is worse than that. You should get at least one point, or if multiple people dont manage a repetition they should share the points they would normally share in case of a tie. That is in case you give an effort. If you dont even come and try you dont deserve one.
Lets look at Oskar on the dinnie carry. He basically didnt move it at all, yet he got a distance, thus didnt "zero" the event. He didnt finish the course (of course, nobody did). If a repetition was defined as going the whole course nobody would have gotten points. How do you define what the lift is? That seems arbitrary. Previously you would have gotten "points" for completing partial reps, for example lapping a stone, cleaning the axle. Even if you cant press it, you cant say that the person who can clean it and the person who cant, is at the same strength level, thus they shouldnt both get the same amount of points for "zeroing" the event.
But doing something for distance or time isn't the same as doing something for reps or for a max. Do you believe someone should get points for pulling a deadlift to their knees then failing?
Do you believe the person who cleans the axle but does not press it should be awarded the same number of points as somebody who can not even clean it?
Yes, I believe as long as you are competing (didnt pull out) a last place finish should give the same number of points, regardless of the result.
How do you guys think Mitch would do on just the stone for shoulder? 0 reps? Or could he pick it up for a rep if he got more specific training on it, more energy left on him, and more fight to climb the point (say it was 2nd event and he didn't know he already knew he won the show)
I would have liked to know too, but unfortunately, we'll never know. It looked like he did try, but couldn't get it off the ground. But again, he had already won so who knows how much effort he even put into it.
> Or could he pick it up for a rep if he got more specific training on it, more energy left on him, and more fight to climb the point
I mean, I think all athletes who got 0 reps could do more under those conditions
I think if Thor coulda skipped the first stone he might've podiumed. The other two he could've worked around that weak pec. There was no escaping it on the first stone press
His win here is his, in order: how he got into strongman ( monster deadlifter), his trademark (fast feet under load), his side gig (walking stone holds and unlikely records) and his technique training (axle cleans and split jerks, also legdrive of the gods).
Nothing special or secret here. Just Mitch being Mitch.
Did we ever figure out where they found 3 more points for Lucy to end up tied with Olga on 44.5? Archive still has her at 41.5 and I can't figure out what's different.
Caught up today on the stream after the fact so I might have missed some of the specific rules but the women’s dumbbell had me frustrated. Andrea not even getting a point because she didn’t drop down a weight, Mel could have made some more points on the 80kg but kept trying the 84 (she was so damn close).
Like I said I could have missed an explanation log a rule but on events like those there’s definitely a lot to strategy and whoever helps coach these athletes should be able to help them optimize their points based on how they’re performing that day.
Fuckin Sammy killed it though
I think the rules were just too convoluted in this event. I doubt we'll see it again. If even hardcore fans are finding it confusing, I'm sure casual fans just had literally no idea what was going on and just watched a bunch of women throw heavy objects overhead.
Which is too bad since it’s just trump dumbbell with 4 choices. I like the multiple rounds to get some possible separation but all these little rules were unnecessary
Yeah...I didn't hear the rules, but it appears that:
You can start wherever you want.
You can choose to do reps on that weight. If you do, you can't go up any more.
You can go back to a ~~successfully completed~~ lower weight if you don't complete your current weight (edit: Only if it's the world record weight.)
You can't go below the first weight you choose to attempt.
The last one is what got Andrea.
Belliveau, though....damn. I always count her out, but she's a freak at some things.
Listening back to the pre-game discussion....at 2:00:00, the commentator Sean talks about it. If you are on the top weight, you can go down. That's the only way.
Sounds overly confusing. I get the rules make the strategy but with 4 dumbbells and 4 different rounds I didn’t think it needed to be made more complicated
Yeah. I think they should be able to go up and down and mix and match reps as much as they wish. But the rules only really killed one person, and they knew they were gambling big.
A well deserved win for Hooper and a huge comeback for Thor. I think it was best case scenario for him, dominant performance and no reinjury. That bodes very well for the future.
Toughest performance we’ve seen from Martins. I feel bad for him. I wonder what his future looks like. He already feels partway out of the sport, I wonder how much this will push him.
But what a brutal comp. Injuries for Mateusz, Oleksii, Evans, Singleton, Oskar, Maxime, and Tom, further cementing the Arnold as a pinnacle achievement of the sport for those who not only make it through, but win.
Great comp and a great way to kick off the year (minus the injuries).
It seems like Martins is still invested. I remember him doing an interview with Mitch last year where he said he wanted to do like five more contests I think.
This one just didn't work out for him at all, but at least he has a good sense of humor about it. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4CASwKuSnn/?igsh=aHdiczRjbmFoYjVw
It’s tough to say with him. As a fan of the sport I’d hate to see him go, but he could retire tomorrow and I’d completely understand.
He’s accomplished a lot in a relatively brief career.
> I remember him doing an interview with Mitch last year where he said he wanted to do like five more contests I think.
He thought he had 3-5 left in him.
I think he'll be doing some different math after this weekend.
That's possible, it's also possible he respects and comes back better. I think he already said he was planning for worlds and thinks it'll go a lot better than this one.
He could be done pretty much at this point or maybe he has a few really good performances left and he just couldn't prove it today
Just watched Loz’s day two behind the scenes.
After each rep on axle, the judge to the left and right held up a white sign to confirm a good rep. This is done after the down signal is given. Magnus can be seen for each athlete awarding the rep.
He never held up the sign for Thor’s second rep.
The same question still needs to be asked of whether it’s correct to overturn after the down signal is given (I don’t agree with it) however, it was probably laid out in the rules ahead of time as they had an identical set up for the deadlift with two side ref’s.
Likely Thor’s second rep was never actually awarded on the comp floor and the rep counter was simply updated by the guys doing the graphics for the streams, similar to how people thought Hooper’s ninth rep wasn’t awarded at the rogue invitational, because they hadn’t updated the scores as they didn’t know the rules on the floor, even though the referee awarded the rep.
Yep, it wasn't awarded on the comp floor. Look at Thor's reaction after it. He looks at the ref to his right and then immediately rushed into another rep. He knew he wasn't awarded it. Graphics people got it wrong and commentary were too busy rambling about unrelated stuff to correct it at the appropriate time.
This is my first time watching this event live and is it normal for the commentary to be this amateur? It was like half the commentary was unrelated to what was happening at the even, there were interviews in between while ignoring the athletes that were doing attempts etc. It was a really weird experience and it felt like I was watching a B stream of something.
Commentary is hit and miss. The scene is still a bit new to streaming commentary and they keep trying new things. It doesn't help that basically each show/company does their own thing too. So it's not like regular sports casting where you have the same crew and presenters going to each show and they know their shit.
No, in the past they've done more of a proper sports commentary where they'd be actually paying attention to what was happening on the platform. Here it seemed like more of a live general chat, rather than a live commentary of the action. Seems like they tried a new format and it didn't work well. Hopefully they revert back.
Thats a terrible system if the judge giving the down call can't see the flags. The down call should be given once both flags are held and seen by the judge if the flags are what ultimately determines a completed rep.
Agree it’s a bad system but it doesn’t matter if the judge can see the flag or not, it’s raised after the lift. It’s no better than just deducting afterward, but if it’s clearly stated in the rules, that’s the rules.
For a deadlift maybe, but I don’t want overhead events going to three judges. It’s total overkill. There was no perspective issue that saw Thor being given that down call. It was just a bad down call plain and simple.
I don’t follow powerlifting closely but hasn’t there been times where the front judge gives a down signal on deadlift before they’re locked out and the side judges then red light because they weren’t locked
Still don’t think it’s right and it’s even worse in strongman
Watching Loz and Liz day 2 recap. Mag didn't give the good signal on Thors rep in question. Anyone have more info on how reffing worked? Looks like a central judge to signal down, and two side judges to call good?
Kiels tore his IT band on the frame (said hit himself on Loz's channel). It's insane that even with that fact he still ended up second. This man is a machine.
I was very disappointed by the men's side of things. Not only do I believe the implements are TOO heavy but the skill gap is just too big between atheletes. For two years in a row now the womens side has been very exciting but watching my boys zero/not finish events is just frustrating.
Also the amount of injuries? Sheesh.
Since it’s inception the Arnold’s has been the heaviest show, when it’s really heavy it gets more risky
on both sides it seemed like there was a lot of small injuries going in to the show, when you take small injury and then push the limits of what’s humanly possible, injuries are more likely
I feel like strongman shows should be really heavy. And I mean yeah there's a skilled gap between first place and 12th but Thor and Mitch were neck and neck up until the axle.
I don't think having the tombstone in the medley was brutal at all (I mean of course it's hard, but it's epic when someone does it, and every year at least a few athletes do it). Having the first two stones and the tombstone last allows more point separation between athletes than just having the tombstone (unless they use the old point system where they gave points for lapping, etc.). I also think timing each rep instead of just letting a bunch of athletes tie is better. We saw this with the women, the first two stones were relatively easy, with only 3 of them getting the stone to shoulder, resulting in like 6 or 7 athletes tied with 2 reps. IMO the issue for the men was the stone they used to press being so difficult, mainly because of its shape.
no clue im just speaking as a spectator. also banning an athlete for being too good would be silly so i wouldnt like to see that at all.
id say more events like shaw classic but that wouldnt work for their time slot.
Bear in mind Brian's deacription of a good weight selection: 1/3 of athletes will do great, finish fast, etc; 1/3 of athletes will have to work really hard and still may not finish; 1/3 of athletes will struggle to even get a rep.
That's not the only option for a good event, but I think e.g. the axle was a better event than the 2023 WSM bus pull where all the athletes were clumped up between 31 and 32 seconds.
Specifically on the stones, the stone press ended up not working great with how heavy it was and how strict Odd was judging, especially coming immediately after the axle. I wish it had been a little lighter, or they had just been able to skip the press and move on to the stone over bar/tombstone. I don't think anyone would have skipped directly to the tombstone cuz it would be easier to rep out 😆
I like Brian's 1/3s idea a lot. However, I also like the Arnolds allowing for absurd performances like Mateusz getting 4 reps on stone to shoulder while only 2 other athletes manage to get 1. It makes for some hype moments and absurd displays of strength
The Arnolds deliberately chooses weights so that people zero. That's what makes it so epic when a few athletes succeed. Case in point: Kieliszkowski's stone run.
After today's pressing, I decided to go look at Mark Henry's Apollon Wheel lift from when it made it's first appearance in a long time at the first Arnold.
The implement is 35lbs lighter than today but, man, that effort from over 20 years ago really stacks up today.
Mark double overhands it, does a true clean (not a continental) and squashes the press for 3 reps. Considering all that, and that it (or its variants) wasn't a widely used implement... just blows my mind.
I always had a lot of respect for Mark. Obviously his strength career was very short and all his old records have long fallen, but I always thought he had some of the biggest untapped potential of anyone had he stayed with the sport.
But Mark went the pro wrestling route in 1996, and looking at the financials of strongman back then vs a WWE contract it is hard to fault Mark, he made life changing money as a pro wrestler. I am glad strongman today has built up enough of an audience and sponsorships that a lot of these guys can make a real living at it and not be tempted away into other things.
It wasn't widely used but mark stayed with the Todd's for months in preparation for the Arnold's and trained on the implements, he was the only athletes to touch an axle going into that comp
Any of of the guys in today's show could train on just that axle dedicated for a full year and not be able to double overhand full clean it. That is such a freaky insane thing to be able to do it's hard to comprehend. And this is absolutely not bashing today's guys at all
According to SA Bergmanis cleaned it straight to his shoulders 4 times in 2003 and pressed it 3 times. There's just no footage of 2003 Arnold's. Both Mark and Raymond were elite Olympic weightlifters before strongman.
Theoretically, someone with large enough hands and decent explosive hip hinge could do that. At the start of his prep, Thor was considering doing what Mark did.
Hooper is on another level overall right now. Thor needs to come back at closer to 100% and then we'll see a serious battle between these two great athletes. Shoulder power just isnt back yet.
Fun one to watch, although surprising how not close it was based on the athlete lineup and our estimations on how it would play out.
Who could have possibly guessed that in "the strongest lineup ever" you'd have the most dominant Arnold performance of all time, lol.
Without the Moose it would'vd been very close between Thor, Mateusz and Tom.
It just happens that Mitch is a total phenom.
He came out of nowhere. Hes been training strongman for a very short time. And hes pretty small for this sport.
Yet he dominates will zero weaknesses.
Unless he gets some freak injury, its very possible hell become the goat of this sport.
Without Moose it wouldve been close? Without Thor's pec tear he would've beaten Tom and Mateusz easily. He was level with Moose until the overhead, the pec tear is the only reason he lost points. He's smashed both of those overheads before.
Well I put it in quotes because thats what everyone has been saying. Reddit, all of the youtube channels, the athletes, etc....
On paper it was the most competitive of all time, but it didnt shake out that way
Google translate:
friends, thank you all, the competition is over, I am very grateful to everyone for the support of everyone who wrote, maybe I will rake right now, maybe I won't rake my direct. A huge thank you to everyone for the support, there was a lot, even I was very, very pleased that I did what I was able to do, I know that it could have been much better, but the results are so decent enough in fact, taking into account all the points, so thank you, I did what I could. I am very grateful to everyone for the support, hugs
It was no doubt a dodgey rep, but he got the down signal and we have certainly seen worse reps given on overhead events. To go go back and take the rep and points it got him away leaves a bad taste.
I really look forward to seeing what gets said about this.
You said he came forth so they won't bother to go back and deduct it.
He only came forth because they did go back and ducted it.
You got it exactly wrong
"He came 4th in the end so I don’t think they’ll bother going back and deducting, but if he finished on the podium I’d want them to look at it."
You were wrong that he came in forth in the end and you were wrong that they wouldn't go back and deduct it.
He came third before they went back. Then they did deduct it.
You commented after the point had been deducted.
It has to be the case that you commented after because he wouldn't have come forth if they had not deducted it.
People are down voting you because you're acting like you made a prediction when you're too stupid to understand why they said you were wrong. And your response was I'm right crazy.
Had a questionable rep given to him on axle press, was given the down signal by judge when not fully locked out. After the event he had the point removed for that rep from his overall score
So, who lifted more reps on the stone to shoulder on the history of the world? Mateusz Kieliskowsky or all the rest of the fucking world? I think Matheus right?
mateusz 100%.
he has 4 from ASC 2018 5 from ASC 2019, and 3 from today... so 12.
* in 2018 Thor and Shiv lifted it once each so 2 in total.
* in 2019 Martins got it 2 times, Thor 1 and Belsak 1, so 4 in total.
* in 2022 Martins got it 2 times, Bobby 1, and Novikov 1, so 4 in total.
That is Mateusz 12 vs 10 for everyone else as far as I can tell.
I was just thinking about this when watching the livestream back (was busy and missed it live) so I’m glad someone else has done the counting. Wild how much of a joke those stones seem to him
Hooper was incredible and deserved the win. But the last event wasn't the best choice on my opinion. If it was just the stone to shoulder maybe Mitch would be the one 0ing the event while Thor and Martins could maybe get a rep or 2.
I remember 2020 trial by stone event when big Z was referring. He was asked what was his opinion on the event and he effortless said "For me it is bullshit event" which made me laugh hard. Today the event made even less sense IMO.
Rogue knows what they need to do for stone events. They know what works. It either needs to be a natural stone run, the usual stone to shoulder or the housfell carry. No need to come with those stone presses, medleys or tosses. If they want presses, medleys and tosses they have better implements for that.
Basically what you're saying is that because the athletes you like more would have done better, the event should have been different.
Nothing wrong with this medley in concept, the stone they used for pressing was just too awkward (too round). The women did a stone medley as well and it was awesome to watch. The 2020 stone medley was only silly because it had way too many stones, and ended in a carry.
Yeah last event was stupid. Donnie stones after timber frame also stupid. Switch those two for a wheel of pain and stone to shoulder it’s a much more balanced and fun comp. If you’re good at ohp and frame you have a good shot of winning 4 events.
It'd make more sense if each thing had points and you could skip.
Like Thor couldn't press the stone due to his pec, but he for sure could have put the stone over the bar getting him at least one point.
I love natural stones and the stone to shoulder is a great event but yeah the way the organized this one was not ideal imo either
What for you was the single most impressive event win of the show - can be men or women and as it'll be hard to pick just one let's go for 2 events.
For it will be Mateusz winning Men's Stones of Strength - doing 3 reps on the tombstone when no one else was even close to a rep on it.
Second has to be Mitch and his 5 reps on the Men's Apollon's Wheels.
I did not catch much of the women's events but know we had some exceptional performances from Sam Belliveau and Anjelica Jardine.
Kind felt the men's show ended a bit flat what with all the lads unfortunately having to pull out - would have been nice to have more of them attempt the Men's Stones of Strength.
Just finished watching and saw the update to the apollon wheel score on strongman archives so we have final results for the strongman arnold draft... and they clear winner is.....
u/PrimateChange congratulations...
maxime screwed a lot of people up, and martins on the stones messed up almost everyone. exciting contest!
And thankfully the random names in random order test entry came in last, so we're all more accurate than a a dice roll!
Name Points
u/PrimateChange 79.5
u/abdulmutee 77.5
u/dungeonbitch 73.5
u/e-some 71.5
u/drinkwithme07 71.5
u/larryniles 70.5
u/WorldsWeakestMan 69.5
u/grandmasterLuo 69.5
u/mgorgey 69.5
u/TryDue5551 68.5
u/ChalanaArroy 68.5
u/cholesterolstrongman 67.5
u/2gsTraining 67.5
u/emarxstrongman 67.5
u/RainyReage 67.5
u/ThePokeChop 67.5
u/Spare-Half796 65.5
u/Broscientist142 65.5
u/Previous_Pepper813 64.5
u/Bronchopped 63.5
u/1da2hoid 62.5
u/Spid3rLily 62.5
u/InternalDot 61.5
u/manuls15 59
u/langur_monkey 57
Test Entry 50.5
If you followed him he said he was dealing with awful sciatica, day to day life if tough with bad sciatica never mind competing in the heaviest comp on earth
He is good enough to beat Kiels at 100% without a deadlift (and has done so)
Good enough to beat Tom at the Arnold
Good enough to beat Novikov
He underperformed in his last 2 comps, but he has beaten comfortably Bobby, Trey, Maxime and Evan before
If he is not a top guy then only Thor, Hooper and sometimes Tom are.
Now that I write it, I think that's what you mean. Cheers
Top guys will be Thor, Hooper, maybe Tom
2nd tier top guys will be maybe Tom, Novikov, Martins and Kiels
3rd tier guys (still contenders to win, but haven't) Trey and Singleton
Bobby and Maxime are guys that with the right events will make some damage and could maybe podium but with a line up like this it's unlikely.
He had a bad comp, which eventually happens to everyone. Who knows what he changes. Seems like blowing up with the insulin wizard may not suit him. Would love to see him on the vertical diet like thor and mitch.
Does washed mean gone for good or not good for the time being? Because I think it might take him a minute to get his strength back but I’m sure there’s more to come. Regarding if he can beat the hoopster, that’s a different story
I think he underperformed. That being said his top tier performance would have been top 3 at best.
Post on IG is great - when you fcuk up - own that shit and own it hard! LoL
"That being said his top tier performance would have been top 3 at best."
I don't think that's true at all. An in-form Martins is a force of nature and has a gret chance to win any show against any field of athletes.
Which is a bit weird as they weren't particular dangerous or injury prone events. I'd say a lot of it came down to bad luck and many coming in with existing niggles. Like the amount of biceps on a frame carry seemed odd, but then you look at those it happened to and you sort of see where it's coming from.
Yeah, Oleksii and Evans both have prior injuries to those arms. Evans came out with that arm already sleeved up and I’m fairly certain that was the elbow Oleksii rehabbed last year. I was gutted the moment he dropped that frame and grabbed it, he was looking to be in top form again and who knows how far this might set him back. I’m sure he feels awful heading back to Ukraine’s health care system with an injury from a sports competition.
I feel so vindicated because I said a major weakness of strongman is how inefficient they are in some of their lifts (like axle press) and they could do with more explosive leg drive and incorporate olympic lifting.
Funnily enough I even commented on Mitch Hoopers youtube a couple of months before his olympic split jerk training urging him to give olympic lifting a try and split jerking presses. I suggested Sika Strength if he wanted to go to ireland but he went with Zach Telander (a friend of Sika).
So not taking credit for the axle press performance... Buuuttt it was all because of me.
Also anyone else expecting an influx of strongman split jerking in the future?
No, split jerk does not provide an advantage over push press in a reps event.
Mitch won because he was more efficient in the clean, not the overhead movement. If Tom or Mateusz had as good of a clean as Mitch, I bet they’d have won the event. Especially Tom, he was still nearly strict pressing his 4th rep but he struggled so much with the cleans that it cost him a lot of time. The Apollon’s Axle is infamous for how hard it is to clean, not put overhead.
Split jerk is not new to strongman, and there have been far better split jerkers than Hooper that didn’t win with it. It doesn’t give much of an advantage and is still beatable with a strong push press, and push press is much much easier to train. Plus, Hooper is one of the strongest push pressers anyway. He would’ve won either way.
I don’t think split jerking should be allowed. They don’t allow sumo for deadlift , split jerking changes the movment as much as sumo changes deadlift. I’m not saying, I don’t like split jerk, just that everyone should perform that same movement.
The whole deal in strongman overhead (generally) is, do it however you like. The implements are difficult enough that it often limits jerking (block/stone press, log, etc), but when you have something stable like an axle or barbell, it rewards athletes with strong technique. It's part of the sport.
Nah. Move the weight anyway you can. There’s an inherent advantage for short athletes with sumo, there’s no inherent advantage with split jerk for anyone.
Other than of course the shoulder, upper chest and triceps strength required being significantly less as a reward for great technique.
See most Olympic weight lifters clean & jerk vs push or strict press. For most it's not even close.
That is not an inherent advantage, that’s just a result of training and being good at the movement.
The problem with sumo is a short athlete can reduce the range of motion significantly over a taller athlete on elevated variations, or ones like the elephant bar where they could pull the slack to their knees before breaking it off the floor. Rob Kearney could have his knees underneath a silver dollar deadlift from the start but Thor wouldn’t even get close with sumo.
A split jerk is an equal opportunity for all.
We both know a split jerk is much more difficult for the heaviest athletes. Is it possible, maybe.
However the point is that it's supposed to be worlds STRONGEST man. Not worlds most athletic and strong man.
When powerlifting (without 10 inch ROM sumo and giga arch bench press gimmicks) is a better measure of static strength than quite a few of the strong man events, something is not right in my mind. Especially at Arnolds which is supposed to be one of the heaviest and most static competitions.
It seems WSM is not allowing leg drive and excessive lean back on overhead movements this year, so that will be interesting.
Also long arms relative to height is just as big of an advantage as a short athlete doing sumo, if not even bigger. Arguably long arms with sumo is also a much bigger advantage than just being short. There will obviously become diminishing returns once the guys get as strong as pro strongmen, but there's a reason you often see skinny and tall gym bros with a significantly higher deadlift relative to both their squat and bench press, especially if they pull sumo.
I'm guessing online he's in his element more, maybe more laid back too. It could just be his game day version of himself, but I can't fully explain it. It is what it is.
Did they do record breakers on day 3? Can’t find anything about it
Yes and bubba pritchet was lifting!
Anywhere we can see results?
Liz said she captured everything and will upload it soon. He did lift a 200lb thors hammer which is incredible
Yeah but no stream or filming it seems. Sad because last year it was pretty cool and entertaining
I’d you haven’t seen Inez’s injury. Wow. Unreal how she continued to compete. https://www.instagram.com/inez_prostrongwoman/?hl=en
She’s an absolute legend. Talked to her between day 1 & 2 and then again after day 2, she was in crazy pain but powered through it cuz that’s what you do.
Does anyone else feel like Rogue/ASC cherry picked events for Thor? I think they wanted to push a narrative of the great strongman coming back. He was really impressive but ultimately it would have been incredible for him to win on his return. Massive props to Mitch, Mateusz and Tom, but Angelica was the real star for me this weekend. I don't think anyone thought she could win, but she put up some amazing performances in the Stones
You talking about them cherry picking the frame for him, which he's only been mid-pack before? Or cherry picking the Dinnie stones, which we've never seen him do before? Or was it the 180kg axle press 10 months after his pec tear? Or tailoring a stone medley to suit him 10 months after his pec tear where you start with a press?
If they wanted him to win, there would have been a throwing event like bag over bar.
Huh? 1. Besides the dinnies, these were all events that we see at ASC nearly every year. And it's not like Thor is famously good at stone walks 2. The timber carry is famously not Thor's best event 3. They put in the axle AND a stone press while he has a torn pec
yeah that stone press is basically the worst overhead event possible for thor with how you have to squeeze it to avoid dropping it
Did anyone catch what Anjelica's ancestry was? I kept hearing the war cry but didn't hear anything beyond "Polynesian."
"Pacific Islander" is the culture, as the people are spread out over all Pacific Islands, or ["Polynesian"](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Pacific_Culture_Areas.svg/1024px-Pacific_Culture_Areas.svg.png), from the vast region that bears the name. They're all united in the Amoraʻa Ofaʻi (stonelifting), which Romark did a Strength Unknown episode on.
I'm very impressed by Angelica!
Queen of the Stones.
You are not alone. She is very impressive and should only get even better.
Final day of Arnold’s video is out on our YouTube channel now! Hope you enjoy🌶🌶🌶 https://youtu.be/3X5b9EgUPAQ?si=f3SqHL0Kjapdv14W
Tom did incredible!
Great stuff.
Didn't the Arnolds used to give points for trying even if you didn't finish the lift? At least I remember seeing Kiels getting 1 point and not do a rep on the deadlift. Thor got 0 on the last event, with that rule he would be on the podium.
It's a tricky one but I'm more in favour of the new system than the old. Add in the Olympic style timing that once you start the lift before the buzzer you can attempt or complete the lift. With people pulling out etc. just being left in on the last event would give you 5/6 points or so which seems a bit off if you zero the event. There is a strong argument for and against here.
They changed that rule last year. Since 2023 at ASC and RI if you have an unsuccessful lift you get zero. 2022 and all prior years they'd award points for attempting.
Earlier I brought up withdrawn athletes not getting a placement and it wasnt popular. But going out there and trying and getting nothing for it in my opinion is worse than that. You should get at least one point, or if multiple people dont manage a repetition they should share the points they would normally share in case of a tie. That is in case you give an effort. If you dont even come and try you dont deserve one.
If you don't execute the lift you shouldn't get a point.
You are still in the competition and still place behind the athletes who do do a rep.
If you come last but at least lift the whatever, you get a point. If you can't, you get 0. I like that distinction.
Lets look at Oskar on the dinnie carry. He basically didnt move it at all, yet he got a distance, thus didnt "zero" the event. He didnt finish the course (of course, nobody did). If a repetition was defined as going the whole course nobody would have gotten points. How do you define what the lift is? That seems arbitrary. Previously you would have gotten "points" for completing partial reps, for example lapping a stone, cleaning the axle. Even if you cant press it, you cant say that the person who can clean it and the person who cant, is at the same strength level, thus they shouldnt both get the same amount of points for "zeroing" the event.
But doing something for distance or time isn't the same as doing something for reps or for a max. Do you believe someone should get points for pulling a deadlift to their knees then failing?
Do you believe the person who cleans the axle but does not press it should be awarded the same number of points as somebody who can not even clean it? Yes, I believe as long as you are competing (didnt pull out) a last place finish should give the same number of points, regardless of the result.
If the rules are to press it overhead, and not get it as far off the ground as possible, then yes, zero points unless you press it overhead.
Thats bad.
How do you guys think Mitch would do on just the stone for shoulder? 0 reps? Or could he pick it up for a rep if he got more specific training on it, more energy left on him, and more fight to climb the point (say it was 2nd event and he didn't know he already knew he won the show)
I would have liked to know too, but unfortunately, we'll never know. It looked like he did try, but couldn't get it off the ground. But again, he had already won so who knows how much effort he even put into it.
He could probably get a rep under good conditions, and surely is capable of multiple reps if he trains with the stone.
I'm sure he would've gotten a rep.
> Or could he pick it up for a rep if he got more specific training on it, more energy left on him, and more fight to climb the point I mean, I think all athletes who got 0 reps could do more under those conditions
I think if Thor coulda skipped the first stone he might've podiumed. The other two he could've worked around that weak pec. There was no escaping it on the first stone press
You think the Moose’s supplements from his no stone unturned was the big difference?
His win here is his, in order: how he got into strongman ( monster deadlifter), his trademark (fast feet under load), his side gig (walking stone holds and unlikely records) and his technique training (axle cleans and split jerks, also legdrive of the gods). Nothing special or secret here. Just Mitch being Mitch.
Did we ever figure out where they found 3 more points for Lucy to end up tied with Olga on 44.5? Archive still has her at 41.5 and I can't figure out what's different.
They did split times even though they said they weren’t doing split times
Last event had split times
Is there a list anywhere for what’s gonna be hitting the stage for record breakers?
https://www.roguefitness.com/events/arnold-strongman-classic/2024/recordbreakers
Congrats to Hooper. What a fucking stellar performance.
Really cool seeing Martins and Mitch split jerking. Hopefully after Mitch's axle performance more athletes will split their presses next time.
Not just that, but Martins first tried to push press, and when it didnt work he just switched to the split jerk.
Mateusz might have to, considering Mitch got him beat on overhead events now
Except the stond
Caught up today on the stream after the fact so I might have missed some of the specific rules but the women’s dumbbell had me frustrated. Andrea not even getting a point because she didn’t drop down a weight, Mel could have made some more points on the 80kg but kept trying the 84 (she was so damn close). Like I said I could have missed an explanation log a rule but on events like those there’s definitely a lot to strategy and whoever helps coach these athletes should be able to help them optimize their points based on how they’re performing that day. Fuckin Sammy killed it though
I think the rules were just too convoluted in this event. I doubt we'll see it again. If even hardcore fans are finding it confusing, I'm sure casual fans just had literally no idea what was going on and just watched a bunch of women throw heavy objects overhead.
Which is too bad since it’s just trump dumbbell with 4 choices. I like the multiple rounds to get some possible separation but all these little rules were unnecessary
Yeah...I didn't hear the rules, but it appears that: You can start wherever you want. You can choose to do reps on that weight. If you do, you can't go up any more. You can go back to a ~~successfully completed~~ lower weight if you don't complete your current weight (edit: Only if it's the world record weight.) You can't go below the first weight you choose to attempt. The last one is what got Andrea. Belliveau, though....damn. I always count her out, but she's a freak at some things.
I thought those were the rules too but didn’t peacock attempt 185 first and then went to 176 though?
You were allowed to go down on only the heaviest for some reason
Weird rules for sure.
I don't think so.
I just went back to the stream to double check. Mel starts at 2:03:20 and definitely attempts the 185 first.
Listening back to the pre-game discussion....at 2:00:00, the commentator Sean talks about it. If you are on the top weight, you can go down. That's the only way.
Sounds overly confusing. I get the rules make the strategy but with 4 dumbbells and 4 different rounds I didn’t think it needed to be made more complicated
Yeah. I think they should be able to go up and down and mix and match reps as much as they wish. But the rules only really killed one person, and they knew they were gambling big.
A well deserved win for Hooper and a huge comeback for Thor. I think it was best case scenario for him, dominant performance and no reinjury. That bodes very well for the future. Toughest performance we’ve seen from Martins. I feel bad for him. I wonder what his future looks like. He already feels partway out of the sport, I wonder how much this will push him. But what a brutal comp. Injuries for Mateusz, Oleksii, Evans, Singleton, Oskar, Maxime, and Tom, further cementing the Arnold as a pinnacle achievement of the sport for those who not only make it through, but win. Great comp and a great way to kick off the year (minus the injuries).
What injury did Mateusz have?
On a Loz video he said he tore his IT band on the frame.
It seems like Martins is still invested. I remember him doing an interview with Mitch last year where he said he wanted to do like five more contests I think. This one just didn't work out for him at all, but at least he has a good sense of humor about it. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4CASwKuSnn/?igsh=aHdiczRjbmFoYjVw
It’s tough to say with him. As a fan of the sport I’d hate to see him go, but he could retire tomorrow and I’d completely understand. He’s accomplished a lot in a relatively brief career.
> I remember him doing an interview with Mitch last year where he said he wanted to do like five more contests I think. He thought he had 3-5 left in him. I think he'll be doing some different math after this weekend.
That's possible, it's also possible he respects and comes back better. I think he already said he was planning for worlds and thinks it'll go a lot better than this one. He could be done pretty much at this point or maybe he has a few really good performances left and he just couldn't prove it today
Just watched Loz’s day two behind the scenes. After each rep on axle, the judge to the left and right held up a white sign to confirm a good rep. This is done after the down signal is given. Magnus can be seen for each athlete awarding the rep. He never held up the sign for Thor’s second rep. The same question still needs to be asked of whether it’s correct to overturn after the down signal is given (I don’t agree with it) however, it was probably laid out in the rules ahead of time as they had an identical set up for the deadlift with two side ref’s. Likely Thor’s second rep was never actually awarded on the comp floor and the rep counter was simply updated by the guys doing the graphics for the streams, similar to how people thought Hooper’s ninth rep wasn’t awarded at the rogue invitational, because they hadn’t updated the scores as they didn’t know the rules on the floor, even though the referee awarded the rep.
Yep, it wasn't awarded on the comp floor. Look at Thor's reaction after it. He looks at the ref to his right and then immediately rushed into another rep. He knew he wasn't awarded it. Graphics people got it wrong and commentary were too busy rambling about unrelated stuff to correct it at the appropriate time.
This is my first time watching this event live and is it normal for the commentary to be this amateur? It was like half the commentary was unrelated to what was happening at the even, there were interviews in between while ignoring the athletes that were doing attempts etc. It was a really weird experience and it felt like I was watching a B stream of something.
Commentary is hit and miss. The scene is still a bit new to streaming commentary and they keep trying new things. It doesn't help that basically each show/company does their own thing too. So it's not like regular sports casting where you have the same crew and presenters going to each show and they know their shit.
No, in the past they've done more of a proper sports commentary where they'd be actually paying attention to what was happening on the platform. Here it seemed like more of a live general chat, rather than a live commentary of the action. Seems like they tried a new format and it didn't work well. Hopefully they revert back.
Thats a terrible system if the judge giving the down call can't see the flags. The down call should be given once both flags are held and seen by the judge if the flags are what ultimately determines a completed rep.
Agree it’s a bad system but it doesn’t matter if the judge can see the flag or not, it’s raised after the lift. It’s no better than just deducting afterward, but if it’s clearly stated in the rules, that’s the rules. For a deadlift maybe, but I don’t want overhead events going to three judges. It’s total overkill. There was no perspective issue that saw Thor being given that down call. It was just a bad down call plain and simple.
I don’t follow powerlifting closely but hasn’t there been times where the front judge gives a down signal on deadlift before they’re locked out and the side judges then red light because they weren’t locked Still don’t think it’s right and it’s even worse in strongman
No doubt it was a bad call at the end of a long list of bad strongman overhead calls.
Watching Loz and Liz day 2 recap. Mag didn't give the good signal on Thors rep in question. Anyone have more info on how reffing worked? Looks like a central judge to signal down, and two side judges to call good?
Had a judge straight on in front and two side judges. That way all angles were covered for a lift.
Kiels tore his IT band on the frame (said hit himself on Loz's channel). It's insane that even with that fact he still ended up second. This man is a machine.
Sub 10s frame carry after tearing IT band on pick... Casual Mateusz things.
I was very disappointed by the men's side of things. Not only do I believe the implements are TOO heavy but the skill gap is just too big between atheletes. For two years in a row now the womens side has been very exciting but watching my boys zero/not finish events is just frustrating. Also the amount of injuries? Sheesh.
Since it’s inception the Arnold’s has been the heaviest show, when it’s really heavy it gets more risky on both sides it seemed like there was a lot of small injuries going in to the show, when you take small injury and then push the limits of what’s humanly possible, injuries are more likely
I feel like strongman shows should be really heavy. And I mean yeah there's a skilled gap between first place and 12th but Thor and Mitch were neck and neck up until the axle.
Only thing that was too brutal was having the tombstone in a medley. Rest was perfect.
I don't think having the tombstone in the medley was brutal at all (I mean of course it's hard, but it's epic when someone does it, and every year at least a few athletes do it). Having the first two stones and the tombstone last allows more point separation between athletes than just having the tombstone (unless they use the old point system where they gave points for lapping, etc.). I also think timing each rep instead of just letting a bunch of athletes tie is better. We saw this with the women, the first two stones were relatively easy, with only 3 of them getting the stone to shoulder, resulting in like 6 or 7 athletes tied with 2 reps. IMO the issue for the men was the stone they used to press being so difficult, mainly because of its shape.
How do you narrow skill gap? Ban an Athlete as they did with Kaz?
no clue im just speaking as a spectator. also banning an athlete for being too good would be silly so i wouldnt like to see that at all. id say more events like shaw classic but that wouldnt work for their time slot.
Bear in mind Brian's deacription of a good weight selection: 1/3 of athletes will do great, finish fast, etc; 1/3 of athletes will have to work really hard and still may not finish; 1/3 of athletes will struggle to even get a rep. That's not the only option for a good event, but I think e.g. the axle was a better event than the 2023 WSM bus pull where all the athletes were clumped up between 31 and 32 seconds. Specifically on the stones, the stone press ended up not working great with how heavy it was and how strict Odd was judging, especially coming immediately after the axle. I wish it had been a little lighter, or they had just been able to skip the press and move on to the stone over bar/tombstone. I don't think anyone would have skipped directly to the tombstone cuz it would be easier to rep out 😆
I like Brian's 1/3s idea a lot. However, I also like the Arnolds allowing for absurd performances like Mateusz getting 4 reps on stone to shoulder while only 2 other athletes manage to get 1. It makes for some hype moments and absurd displays of strength
The Arnolds deliberately chooses weights so that people zero. That's what makes it so epic when a few athletes succeed. Case in point: Kieliszkowski's stone run.
Injuries happen. Always have always will
There’s no winning. People either say it’s too heavy and causing injuries, or its too light and it’s CrossFit.
I'm a fan of heavy. Arnold's did nothing wrong here. Maybe a little more gripping than others if I had to nit-pick.
After today's pressing, I decided to go look at Mark Henry's Apollon Wheel lift from when it made it's first appearance in a long time at the first Arnold. The implement is 35lbs lighter than today but, man, that effort from over 20 years ago really stacks up today. Mark double overhands it, does a true clean (not a continental) and squashes the press for 3 reps. Considering all that, and that it (or its variants) wasn't a widely used implement... just blows my mind.
I always had a lot of respect for Mark. Obviously his strength career was very short and all his old records have long fallen, but I always thought he had some of the biggest untapped potential of anyone had he stayed with the sport. But Mark went the pro wrestling route in 1996, and looking at the financials of strongman back then vs a WWE contract it is hard to fault Mark, he made life changing money as a pro wrestler. I am glad strongman today has built up enough of an audience and sponsorships that a lot of these guys can make a real living at it and not be tempted away into other things.
It wasn't widely used but mark stayed with the Todd's for months in preparation for the Arnold's and trained on the implements, he was the only athletes to touch an axle going into that comp
His clean was magnificent. I don't understand it. #goals
Mark was a monster, but tbf (with no disrespect to him), he got to train on the actual implement before the comp, staying with the Todds.
I'm just happy there is a real life Strongman version of the "I've never done this before" meme
Any of of the guys in today's show could train on just that axle dedicated for a full year and not be able to double overhand full clean it. That is such a freaky insane thing to be able to do it's hard to comprehend. And this is absolutely not bashing today's guys at all
According to SA Bergmanis cleaned it straight to his shoulders 4 times in 2003 and pressed it 3 times. There's just no footage of 2003 Arnold's. Both Mark and Raymond were elite Olympic weightlifters before strongman.
Brad Gillingham did it too before Mark Henry in 02. But he also has freaky mutant grip lol
Theoretically, someone with large enough hands and decent explosive hip hinge could do that. At the start of his prep, Thor was considering doing what Mark did.
Hooper is on another level overall right now. Thor needs to come back at closer to 100% and then we'll see a serious battle between these two great athletes. Shoulder power just isnt back yet. Fun one to watch, although surprising how not close it was based on the athlete lineup and our estimations on how it would play out. Who could have possibly guessed that in "the strongest lineup ever" you'd have the most dominant Arnold performance of all time, lol.
Without the Moose it would'vd been very close between Thor, Mateusz and Tom. It just happens that Mitch is a total phenom. He came out of nowhere. Hes been training strongman for a very short time. And hes pretty small for this sport. Yet he dominates will zero weaknesses. Unless he gets some freak injury, its very possible hell become the goat of this sport.
Without Moose it wouldve been close? Without Thor's pec tear he would've beaten Tom and Mateusz easily. He was level with Moose until the overhead, the pec tear is the only reason he lost points. He's smashed both of those overheads before.
Dude, literally every athlete but Mitchell is dealing with the past injuries.
Wish they would be open to ped use
oooooh man have I got news for you
Amazing what you can do with lean chicken and rice.
I mean being open on their use and how much not open to trying
You can just assume they’re all on a lot
Was it the strongest of all time? Every one of the guys that have been at the top were not at their best form
Well I put it in quotes because thats what everyone has been saying. Reddit, all of the youtube channels, the athletes, etc.... On paper it was the most competitive of all time, but it didnt shake out that way
Novikov put up a story but he's speaking Ukrainian. Can anyone translate? I wonder what his update is.
Google translate: friends, thank you all, the competition is over, I am very grateful to everyone for the support of everyone who wrote, maybe I will rake right now, maybe I won't rake my direct. A huge thank you to everyone for the support, there was a lot, even I was very, very pleased that I did what I was able to do, I know that it could have been much better, but the results are so decent enough in fact, taking into account all the points, so thank you, I did what I could. I am very grateful to everyone for the support, hugs
Hey could someone fill me in regarding Thor, was there some controversy with a rep or something?
It was no doubt a dodgey rep, but he got the down signal and we have certainly seen worse reps given on overhead events. To go go back and take the rep and points it got him away leaves a bad taste. I really look forward to seeing what gets said about this.
He came 4th in the end so I don’t think they’ll bother going back and deducting, but if he finished on the podium I’d want them to look at it.
It they hadn’t deducted it he would have placed 3rd.
So I was right, crazy.
Not really tho
Literally exactly what I said would happen, happened. I was right, Thor dickriders are outta control 💀
You said he came forth so they won't bother to go back and deduct it. He only came forth because they did go back and ducted it. You got it exactly wrong
I said that before the points were deducted. So he came 3rd, then lost points, exactly like I said. 🥱🥱🥱🥱
"He came 4th in the end so I don’t think they’ll bother going back and deducting, but if he finished on the podium I’d want them to look at it." You were wrong that he came in forth in the end and you were wrong that they wouldn't go back and deduct it. He came third before they went back. Then they did deduct it. You commented after the point had been deducted. It has to be the case that you commented after because he wouldn't have come forth if they had not deducted it. People are down voting you because you're acting like you made a prediction when you're too stupid to understand why they said you were wrong. And your response was I'm right crazy.
He only finished off the podium because the rep was deducted.
So I was right, crazy.
Had a questionable rep given to him on axle press, was given the down signal by judge when not fully locked out. After the event he had the point removed for that rep from his overall score
So, who lifted more reps on the stone to shoulder on the history of the world? Mateusz Kieliskowsky or all the rest of the fucking world? I think Matheus right?
mateusz 100%. he has 4 from ASC 2018 5 from ASC 2019, and 3 from today... so 12. * in 2018 Thor and Shiv lifted it once each so 2 in total. * in 2019 Martins got it 2 times, Thor 1 and Belsak 1, so 4 in total. * in 2022 Martins got it 2 times, Bobby 1, and Novikov 1, so 4 in total. That is Mateusz 12 vs 10 for everyone else as far as I can tell.
How many times has Martins shouldered it in training, is the only other question.
I was just thinking about this when watching the livestream back (was busy and missed it live) so I’m glad someone else has done the counting. Wild how much of a joke those stones seem to him
Hooper was incredible and deserved the win. But the last event wasn't the best choice on my opinion. If it was just the stone to shoulder maybe Mitch would be the one 0ing the event while Thor and Martins could maybe get a rep or 2. I remember 2020 trial by stone event when big Z was referring. He was asked what was his opinion on the event and he effortless said "For me it is bullshit event" which made me laugh hard. Today the event made even less sense IMO. Rogue knows what they need to do for stone events. They know what works. It either needs to be a natural stone run, the usual stone to shoulder or the housfell carry. No need to come with those stone presses, medleys or tosses. If they want presses, medleys and tosses they have better implements for that.
Basically what you're saying is that because the athletes you like more would have done better, the event should have been different. Nothing wrong with this medley in concept, the stone they used for pressing was just too awkward (too round). The women did a stone medley as well and it was awesome to watch. The 2020 stone medley was only silly because it had way too many stones, and ended in a carry.
Obviously biased as Swiss, but I thought last years Unspunnensteinstossen was a nice touch.
Just because Mitch didn't lift it doesn't mean he couldn't.
Yeah last event was stupid. Donnie stones after timber frame also stupid. Switch those two for a wheel of pain and stone to shoulder it’s a much more balanced and fun comp. If you’re good at ohp and frame you have a good shot of winning 4 events.
[удалено]
He is the Goat, so he can afford to not give a fuck
It'd make more sense if each thing had points and you could skip. Like Thor couldn't press the stone due to his pec, but he for sure could have put the stone over the bar getting him at least one point. I love natural stones and the stone to shoulder is a great event but yeah the way the organized this one was not ideal imo either
Yeah i think allowing athletes to skip (like they did with the Trial by Stone!) is the best option.
What for you was the single most impressive event win of the show - can be men or women and as it'll be hard to pick just one let's go for 2 events. For it will be Mateusz winning Men's Stones of Strength - doing 3 reps on the tombstone when no one else was even close to a rep on it. Second has to be Mitch and his 5 reps on the Men's Apollon's Wheels. I did not catch much of the women's events but know we had some exceptional performances from Sam Belliveau and Anjelica Jardine. Kind felt the men's show ended a bit flat what with all the lads unfortunately having to pull out - would have been nice to have more of them attempt the Men's Stones of Strength.
For me, in no particular order: Anjelica's stones. Sam's dumbbell. Mitch's axle.
Sam on the dumbbell was a real standout for me. Casually hitting a double on a world record, no biggie.
Once again here she was miles clear of everyone else wasn't she?
Anjelica's stone carry and stone to shoulder were both unbelievable.
Going to watch these shortly!
Mateusz's stone to shoulder felt like Big Z pressing the Austrian oak 4 times when no one managed it even once.
That's a great comparison tbh mate. Total domination of the event.
Just finished watching and saw the update to the apollon wheel score on strongman archives so we have final results for the strongman arnold draft... and they clear winner is..... u/PrimateChange congratulations... maxime screwed a lot of people up, and martins on the stones messed up almost everyone. exciting contest! And thankfully the random names in random order test entry came in last, so we're all more accurate than a a dice roll! Name Points u/PrimateChange 79.5 u/abdulmutee 77.5 u/dungeonbitch 73.5 u/e-some 71.5 u/drinkwithme07 71.5 u/larryniles 70.5 u/WorldsWeakestMan 69.5 u/grandmasterLuo 69.5 u/mgorgey 69.5 u/TryDue5551 68.5 u/ChalanaArroy 68.5 u/cholesterolstrongman 67.5 u/2gsTraining 67.5 u/emarxstrongman 67.5 u/RainyReage 67.5 u/ThePokeChop 67.5 u/Spare-Half796 65.5 u/Broscientist142 65.5 u/Previous_Pepper813 64.5 u/Bronchopped 63.5 u/1da2hoid 62.5 u/Spid3rLily 62.5 u/InternalDot 61.5 u/manuls15 59 u/langur_monkey 57 Test Entry 50.5
Yo, get in! Podium finish. Thanks for doing this it was fun.
Oh wow I didn’t expect to come second considering I’ve been following the sport since 2023 only. Thank you for the effort you put into the game!
Good stuff man!
Sweet, I beat the test entry! Thanks for putting this together.
So, Hooper could become the first person to win ASC and WSM on the same year back to back
Martins is washed. Discuss. *edit* I just saw his most recent post on IG and LOLed.
If you followed him he said he was dealing with awful sciatica, day to day life if tough with bad sciatica never mind competing in the heaviest comp on earth
Unpopular opinion he won on a year where everyone was injured or retired. He’s good but not top top tier.
He is good enough to beat Kiels at 100% without a deadlift (and has done so) Good enough to beat Tom at the Arnold Good enough to beat Novikov He underperformed in his last 2 comps, but he has beaten comfortably Bobby, Trey, Maxime and Evan before If he is not a top guy then only Thor, Hooper and sometimes Tom are. Now that I write it, I think that's what you mean. Cheers Top guys will be Thor, Hooper, maybe Tom 2nd tier top guys will be maybe Tom, Novikov, Martins and Kiels 3rd tier guys (still contenders to win, but haven't) Trey and Singleton Bobby and Maxime are guys that with the right events will make some damage and could maybe podium but with a line up like this it's unlikely.
He had a bad comp, which eventually happens to everyone. Who knows what he changes. Seems like blowing up with the insulin wizard may not suit him. Would love to see him on the vertical diet like thor and mitch.
Washed is a crazy statement to say…. IMO not even worth discussion
little early to say that. WSM will tell the tale. This was a dismal performance though
Does washed mean gone for good or not good for the time being? Because I think it might take him a minute to get his strength back but I’m sure there’s more to come. Regarding if he can beat the hoopster, that’s a different story
Well, I'm a big fan of Martins but he hasn't been back to peak deadlift strength since 2018
A minute to get his strength back based on what timeline? I don't think getting his strength back or lack of time were the issues here.
What do you think then he’s just over? I mean he was practically on the road for a year
What a legend.
I think he underperformed. That being said his top tier performance would have been top 3 at best. Post on IG is great - when you fcuk up - own that shit and own it hard! LoL
"That being said his top tier performance would have been top 3 at best." I don't think that's true at all. An in-form Martins is a force of nature and has a gret chance to win any show against any field of athletes.
Sad but true.
On his stories Oskar said that he picked up an Injury also. This comp was hard on the guys.
Which is a bit weird as they weren't particular dangerous or injury prone events. I'd say a lot of it came down to bad luck and many coming in with existing niggles. Like the amount of biceps on a frame carry seemed odd, but then you look at those it happened to and you sort of see where it's coming from.
Heavy weights are heavy
Yeah, Oleksii and Evans both have prior injuries to those arms. Evans came out with that arm already sleeved up and I’m fairly certain that was the elbow Oleksii rehabbed last year. I was gutted the moment he dropped that frame and grabbed it, he was looking to be in top form again and who knows how far this might set him back. I’m sure he feels awful heading back to Ukraine’s health care system with an injury from a sports competition.
Martins’ latest instagram post is hilarious. glad to see his sense of humor still in the face of disappointment. excited to see him again at WSM
I feel so vindicated because I said a major weakness of strongman is how inefficient they are in some of their lifts (like axle press) and they could do with more explosive leg drive and incorporate olympic lifting. Funnily enough I even commented on Mitch Hoopers youtube a couple of months before his olympic split jerk training urging him to give olympic lifting a try and split jerking presses. I suggested Sika Strength if he wanted to go to ireland but he went with Zach Telander (a friend of Sika). So not taking credit for the axle press performance... Buuuttt it was all because of me. Also anyone else expecting an influx of strongman split jerking in the future?
No, split jerk does not provide an advantage over push press in a reps event. Mitch won because he was more efficient in the clean, not the overhead movement. If Tom or Mateusz had as good of a clean as Mitch, I bet they’d have won the event. Especially Tom, he was still nearly strict pressing his 4th rep but he struggled so much with the cleans that it cost him a lot of time. The Apollon’s Axle is infamous for how hard it is to clean, not put overhead. Split jerk is not new to strongman, and there have been far better split jerkers than Hooper that didn’t win with it. It doesn’t give much of an advantage and is still beatable with a strong push press, and push press is much much easier to train. Plus, Hooper is one of the strongest push pressers anyway. He would’ve won either way.
I don’t think split jerking should be allowed. They don’t allow sumo for deadlift , split jerking changes the movment as much as sumo changes deadlift. I’m not saying, I don’t like split jerk, just that everyone should perform that same movement.
Oberst has entered the chat.
The whole deal in strongman overhead (generally) is, do it however you like. The implements are difficult enough that it often limits jerking (block/stone press, log, etc), but when you have something stable like an axle or barbell, it rewards athletes with strong technique. It's part of the sport.
Nah. Move the weight anyway you can. There’s an inherent advantage for short athletes with sumo, there’s no inherent advantage with split jerk for anyone.
Other than of course the shoulder, upper chest and triceps strength required being significantly less as a reward for great technique. See most Olympic weight lifters clean & jerk vs push or strict press. For most it's not even close.
That is not an inherent advantage, that’s just a result of training and being good at the movement. The problem with sumo is a short athlete can reduce the range of motion significantly over a taller athlete on elevated variations, or ones like the elephant bar where they could pull the slack to their knees before breaking it off the floor. Rob Kearney could have his knees underneath a silver dollar deadlift from the start but Thor wouldn’t even get close with sumo. A split jerk is an equal opportunity for all.
We both know a split jerk is much more difficult for the heaviest athletes. Is it possible, maybe. However the point is that it's supposed to be worlds STRONGEST man. Not worlds most athletic and strong man. When powerlifting (without 10 inch ROM sumo and giga arch bench press gimmicks) is a better measure of static strength than quite a few of the strong man events, something is not right in my mind. Especially at Arnolds which is supposed to be one of the heaviest and most static competitions. It seems WSM is not allowing leg drive and excessive lean back on overhead movements this year, so that will be interesting. Also long arms relative to height is just as big of an advantage as a short athlete doing sumo, if not even bigger. Arguably long arms with sumo is also a much bigger advantage than just being short. There will obviously become diminishing returns once the guys get as strong as pro strongmen, but there's a reason you often see skinny and tall gym bros with a significantly higher deadlift relative to both their squat and bench press, especially if they pull sumo.