This weekend was the 2019 Arnold Strongman Classic. The event ids put on annually by Rogue Fitness and consists of five tests of strength. This year they are the Elephant Deadlift, Husafell stone carry, the wheel of pain, the Austrian Oak, and Stone to Shoulder.
The Elephant Deadlift uses a specially constructed bar longer than the standard Olympic bar that I use. This allows much more weight to be added. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTeWkzd4vwE
The Husafell Stone Carry comes from Iceland. The story was told in the Rogue Fitness documentary on Icelandic stone lifting, Fullsterkur. The Husafell stone is the gate to a stone sheep pen. According to the documentary an Icelandic sheep farmer built the pen and his wife carried the stone gate around the pen twice. The Husafell stone has been designated an Icelandic cultural treasure. In the competition the athletes will attempt to carry the stone around a course the size of the sheep pen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTeWkzd4vwE
The wheel of pain was inspired by the film Conan the barbarian. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5KYZ74OAak In this competition the athletes have to rotate the 10 ton device as far as they can in 2 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yF-74QBdMo
The name ‘Austrian Oak’ was Arnold Schwarzenegger ‘s nickname. The device is a 430 lb. oak log built by Steve Slater. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COu44mtgMhM The athletes are given 90 seconds to lift the log over their heads as many times as they can.
The final event is the stone to shoulder. As the name implies the athlete must lift a 405 lb stone from the ground to his shoulder as many times as possible in 2 minutes. Lifting stones to one’s shoulder is a traditional feat of strength in many cultures. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_1ArkPn4Rc
I hope that you have enjoyed watching these guys perform some real heavy lifts. I’ll not be challenging them, but from being under the bar I can appreciate the real power they display.