On Friday March 2
nd and Saturday March 3
rd, the world saw the largest show of strength this year at the Arnold Strongman Classic and if it didn't make you want to go lift then you need to get your life together. If you’re reading this blog you probably already know that Hafthor Bjornsson, or as he’s better know the Mountain, took 1
st place so I’m not going to write about the rankings or the points structure. Instead I’m just going to recap some of my favorite moments of the contest.
Mikhail Shivlaykov’s blood spurting deadlift.
This may have been the most impressive deadlift during the Elephant Bar Deadlift Event. Even
though Hafthor did said a new world record at 473k (1041 lbs.) he had a few more kilo’s in the tank. Mikhail’s lift however was definitely a max effort lift. When he reached the bar to the knee his face literally exploded with blood all over the stage. I’ve even heard of some people in the front row getting wet as if it was a Gallagher concert.
Jerry Pritchett’s Timber Sprint
Good God that was fast. After setting the Elephant Bar Deadlift record a few years ago and winning this event last time it appeared I expected big things from Pritchett and damn did he deliver. Without straps he managed to carry a whopping 406kg (893 lbs.) frame uphill for 10.7 meters in only 9.58 seconds!! Shaw almost caught him, but Thor bottomed out on the way up. Had he been a little more careful it would’ve been interesting to see what he could’ve done.
Hafthor’s showmanship in the Apollon Wheel's
Although I thought the order of march here was kind of messed up it was still a great show. Hafthor was the last athlete to take his turn and all he needed was to clean and press the Apollon Axel once and then clean it again to beat Shaw. Instead he continued to press the implement for a total of 3 reps and almost completed a 4
th but didn’t control the lockout. Magnus Ver Magnuson was the head judge of this event and he bounced out of his chair like he was made of rubber to avoid being hit but 400lbs of steel.
Mateusz Shivlyakov’s stone to shoulder event
This was by far my favorite moment of the competition. Imagine a 410 lbs. stone. None of the sides are uniform as with an Atlas Stone so there isn’t any way to train for this event short of flying to Odd Haugen’s gym and practicing on the stone itself, which is exactly what Brian Shaw did and he still couldn’t get it to his shoulder. Thor managed to shoulder it once. Mateusz however managed to shoulder this awkward ass rock four times!!!! That’s not the craziest part though. He was the youngest competitor on the stage. I’m expecting very big things from him!
All in all, it was an amazing show and I can’t wait to see how Hafthor does at Worlds Strongest Man later this year. As always if you liked what you read then please share this to your Facebook. Also, you can follow our Facebook here and our Instagram here. If you have any questions about anything feel free to email me at cameron@atlasstrengthshop.com
Until Next Time.
Cameron Ray
