IFSA STRONGMAN AND UNITED STRONGMAN SERIES SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT.
IFSA Strongman and United Strongman Series (USS) are pleased to announce that they have signed a cooperation and athlete alliance agreement that will allow one another's athletes to compete in their respective calendar of 2006 events.
President of IFSA Strongman, Christian Fennell, said; "We have watched the United Strongman Series and they have staged very good events over the past year and as such, felt that it would be only beneficial to both parties to open the door to one another's 2006 events. As a whole, there is too much fragmentation in strongman, so when you see an outfit like United Strongman Series starting to execute good events and being so successful, IFSA Strongman is then only too happy to allow our world class athletes to compete in these events and to provide two official IFSA referees for each event. It is also encouraging for the sport as a whole when the United Strongman Series, as a result of our cooperation, will also apply the IFSA Strongman Health and Safety rules.
On a last note, Fennell said, "We look forward to USS athletes coming into our events and challenging our guys for the title of the ‘Strongest Man in the World’".
Recent Sponsorship research commissioned by IFSA Strongman has shown that the Strongman sport is one of the most viewed sports currently available to TV viewers on a global basis.
President of United Strongman Federation, Lucky Schmidtleitner, stated; “It is our policy to hold world class events and to work on our vision of a united strongman sport. Athletes from all over the world will be competing against each other and we are proud to announce that the winner of the USS 2006 tour will have a quaranteed place in the IFSA ‘Strongest Man in the World’ Championships – the 2nd place finisher, will have a guaranteed place in the qualifier for IFSA ‘Strongest Man in the World’ Championships.
Vice-President and CEO of the United Strongman Federation, Othmar Valzacchi mentioned that “we are proud that, IFSA Strongman and the United Strongman Series, the two strongest federations, have reached a reasonable long-term cooperation agreement for the benefits of both parties.”
Both IFSA Strongman and United Strongman Series wish all their athletes a very successful and healthy 2006 competition year. Be strong!
Links:
http://www.ifsastrongman.com
http://www.unitedstrongman.org
For further information please contact Marcel Mostert (Director IFSA) on marcel.mostert@ifsastrongman.com or Othmar Valzacchi (Vice-President USS) on ov@unitedstrongman.org
ARNOLD CLASSIC 2006 - IFSA World Headquarters -
February 21, 2006
IFSA Strongman would like to confirm that it will not be participating in the 2006 Arnold Classic strongman event, as an event sponsor. As stated by Douglas Edmunds earlier this week on Ironmind, IFSA Strongman and the organizers of the Arnold Classic could not agree on the initial line up events.
Regarding the initial events, IFSA had two main concerns; the health and safety of the IFSA athletes scheduled to participate and the impact of the proposed events on the quality of television that IFSA has set as the new benchmark for all strongman television coverage world wide.
IFSA recognizes that this years prize money at the Arnold Classic is significantly less without IFSA’s participation, however, IFSA felt that its concerns over the initial events were of a greater priority.
Finally, due to the recent change in the final event line up (as now published by the Arnold Classic ororganizers IFSA has paved the way for all of its athletes scheduled to attend to participate.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL IFSA ATHLETES AT THE 2006 ARNOLD CLASSIC!
Christian Fennell
President,
IFSA Strongman Ltd.
KOKLYAEV CHAMPION ONCE MORE! - Russia -
February 20, 2006
Mikhail Koklyaev had IFSA officials beaming with pride after he won the Super Heavy Weight Class at the Russian Nationals over the weekend.
Koklyaev won the competition after powering up a 205kg snatch and 240kg Clean and Jerk. He also narrowly missed on an attempt of 255kg in the Clean and Jerk.
Although only a rookie last year on the IFSA circuit, Koklyaev had a podium finish
(3rd Place) in the 2005 IFSA World Championships behind only former World Champion Vasyl Virastyuk of Ukraine and Current World Champion Zydrunas Savickas of Lithuania.He has shown himself to be a world class strongman and all an around World class athlete. As he proved at the Russian Nationals.
With premiere talents like Kokylaev, Savickas and Virastyuk, this should be a IFSA season of unparalleled competition.
IFSA PRO, ORTMAYER TAKES THE CROWN AT FIT EXPO - Pasadena, Cailfornia -
February 18 2006
One of IFSA's fastest rising stars Houston Texas' Travis Ortmayer won two of the final three events beating Jesse Marunde of Sequim, Washington 106-104 at the Fit Expo Pro Strongman Challenge in Pasadena, California.
Ortmayer who finished in 10 place at the IFSA World Championships September, proved he is a force to be reckoned with on the world strongman stage knocking off highly touted Jesse Marunde who is coming off a second place finish at the 2005 TWI World Strongest Man.
Ortmayer won four of the eight grueling events, finished second in two and placed third in two others. A consistent and dominating effort from the only IFSA athlete entered in the event.
As has been the case all season long, Ortmayer riped through the Atlas Stones in near record time to help secure his placing.
Ortmayer seems to get better with each outing on the strongman circuit, a tribute to his training and mental focus. It seems only a matter of time before he finishes on the podium at the IFSA world championships.
Order of finish:
1. Travis Ortmayer
2. Jesse Marunde
3. David Ostlund
4. Mark Philippi
5. Odd Haugen
6. Josh Thigpen
7. Kevin Nee
8. Steve MacDonald
9. Jason Bergman
10. Reggie Barton
11. Grant Higa
12. Brian Hocker
13. Matt Metheney
14. Ryan Brown
>> Results
Real Strongmen can Shoulder the Load -
January 22, 2006
The following article is IFSA Strongman.com's 4th in a series of training tips and hidden secrets from some of the worlds greatest strongmen, past, present and future.
Stick with the gameplan, committ to the workout and stay intensely focused, and we may see you as the next IFSA Strongest Man in the World!
Shoulder strength is a major factor in strongman and an athlete with pressing power often out-lifts a good Olympic weight-lifter. This is mainly because most of the awkward objects like logs, barrels or stones don’t allow an Olympic lifter to exercise his technique, they must depend on pure power.
One thing is that is required for overhead lifting is strong muscles to keep the body stable and able to execute the press, this can only be developed by pressing in the standing position along with a strong trunk that has been built by a comprehensive power/strength building programme, hence the saying “you can't shoot a cannon out of a canoe”.
Some of the best exercises for building shoulder strength are the stood press either with a barbell by using a push press (involving legs) or a strict press (with straight legs) this can be done also with a log or a stone and also by using dumb-bells in the stood position with palms facing each other (same as the log).
The best rep range found to achieve this was by building a strong base of 3 sets of 8 then coming down to 5s and 3s as the competition got closer.
If you do have access to a log or a stone, It would advisable to use the implements once every 2 weeks, It is also valuable to use the dumb-bells in a stood position every week, switch the log and barbell as the main-stay of your workout each week and supplement this with some front lateral raises with either a barbell or dumb-bells.
An excellent exercise to complement these workouts is the narrow grip bench press for the triceps as this is probably the best strength building exercise for the triceps and will give you a strong lock-out when pressing overhead.
Remember, shoulder strength is a strongman's calling card, it can turn good athletes into champions.
GET A PERSONAL BEST DEADLIFT, IN JUST 7 WEEKS! -
January 18, 2006
Ask any strongman which exercise builds up constructive strength towards strongman training, Nine out of Ten will tell you it is the Dead Lift. Not only is it an exercise that is a compound movement, (using many different muscles), it also demands discipline and a good work ethic to keep pounding away workout after workout. Aggression and determination are needed to keep attacking the bar with positive thoughts.
Here is a Dead lift routine for an Intermediate or Novice lifter who is stuck in a rut or needs a kick to regain their confidence. This lift, which in most strength fanatics eyes, determines “pure strength". Take your maximum Dead Lift and add on 2.5% of the total weight, so if your max lift was 200kg (441 lbs) your new projected max is 205kg (451lbs)
Follow this schedule and we will see you break through with a Personal Best Lift.
Week 1 - 75% = 152.5kg for 4 sets of 5 reps.
Week 2 – 80% = 165kg for 3 sets of 5 reps.
Week 3 – 85% = 175kg for 3 sets of 3 reps.
Week 4 – 90% = 185 kg for 3 sets of 2 reps.
Week 5 – 92.5% = 190kg for 2 sets of 2 reps.
Week 6 – 95% = 195kg for 1 set of 2 reps.
Week 7 - warm up to around 85-90% all in singles and then 3 attempts,
1st Lift - 190KG
2nd Lift - 197.5KG
3rd Lift - 205KG....A new Personal Best.
Having a plan is an effective tool in building strength, it helps with discipline and focus in workouts.
Look for some more "Tips from the Pros" on strength training right here on www.ifsastrongman.com
Train Like an IFSA Pro! -
Once again, Thanks to Former World Champion Jamie Reeves, ifsastrongman.com is able to bring you the training schedule that has made one of USA's best strongmen a world class athlete. Jon Anderson is one of the most muscular strongmen in the world today his physique is made up of rock hard muscle and a body weight of over 300 lbs (137kg).
Below is Jon's training routine, its not for the light hearted, the volume of the routine along with some Olympic lifting training makes the work load of the programme very intense, which will explain the mass of protein that make up Jons diet. So if you wondered how Jon built his incredible physique... his secret lies here.
Jon Andersen's Diet and Training
Diet:
8:00am: Protein Shake
10:00am: ¾LB Grassland Grass-fed Beef
12:00pm: Protein Shake
1:00pm: ¾LB Grassland Grass-fed Beef
3:00pm: Protein Shake
6:00pm: ¾LB Grassland Grass-fed Beef
8:00pm Protein Shake
10:00 pm :¾LB Grassland Grass-fed Beef
Training:
Monday: OFF
Tuesday: Lower Body
4 sets heavy squats (alternating from back to front week to week) Repetitions range from 10-4 reps
4 sets deadlift Repetitions range from 10-4
3 sets of 15 repetitions Hyperextensions
3 sets leg extensions 10-15 reps
3 sets leg curls 10-15
Occasionally Jon will do 3 sets of 10 repetitions per leg of walking lunges instead of the extensions and the curls depending on how heavy of squat workout.
Wednesday: Upper Body
3 sets of body weight pull-ups 15-20 reps
4 sets of standing presses- 10-1 max repetitions
4 sets of narrow grip bench press 5-10 reps
3 sets of bent-over rows 5-10 reps
3 sets of incline presses 5-10 reps
3 sets of body weight dips 15-20 reps
Thursday: Olympic lifting
Jon trains 2 hours with a coach doing cleans and snatches. The purpose is to work on hip power and speed.
Friday: If needed, this is an off day. Otherwise this is an agility/conditioning day, running stairs or event training for conditioning.
An example is 10 sets of sled drags for 50’
Saturday: OFF
Sunday: Event training with 5 to 6 events simulating contests
Tuuri To Host Finnish Nationals in June -
January 16, 2006
The Finnish Federation of IFSA has announced dates for their upcoming,"Finlands Strongest Man" and "Finland's Strongest Woman"
Set for June 16th and 17th in Tuuri, Finland.
Timetable:
Friday:
Women's qualifier
Men's qualifier.
Women's final.
Saturday:
Men's final
The popular event will be televised by YLE Sport.
Applications to compete should be sent before April 30,2006
To: Suomen Vahvin Mies r.y, Naarilantie 301, 25160 Tuohittu, or by email: suomen.vahvinmies@dnainternet.net
Please include the following information.
Full Contact info
Height
Weight
Best Performances.
*Please note this competition is open to Finnish Citizens only. Events will be determined prior to March 1st, 2006
THE STRONGESTMAN'S TRAINING SECRETS!!! -
JANUARY, 2006
OUR THANKS TO FORMER WORLD CHAMPION JAMIE REEVES FOR PROVIDING THE FOLLOWING STORY AND TO CURRENT WORLD CHAMPION ZYDRUNAS SAVICKAS FOR SHARING HIS SECRET TO HIS GREAT SUCCESS.
THE FOLLOWING IS THE TRAINING REGIMINE OF ZYDRUNAS SAVICKAS, 3 TIME WINNER OF THE ARNOLD CLASSIC STRONGMAN COMPETITION AS HE STARTS THE BUILD UP TO DEFEND HIS CROWN. ZYDRUNAS HAS COMPETED IN AND WON ALL 15 COMPETITIONS HE ENTERED IN 2005!
Monday;
1) BACK SQUAT – 1 SET OF 12 REPS, 1 SET OF 8, 1 SET OF 6, 1 SET OF 4, 2 SETS OF 3 WITH WEIGHT INCREASE EVERY WEEK.
2) FRONT SQUAT – 1 SET OF 8 REPS, 1 SET OF 6, 2 SETS OF 4.
3) CALFS – 4 SETS OF 15 REPS.
Tuesday;
1) BENCH PRESS - 1 SET OF 12, 1 SET OF 8, 1 SET OF 6, 2 SETS OF 4, 1 SET OF 2.
2) INCLINE BENCH PRESS - 1 SET OF 8, 1 SET OF 6, 2 SETS OF 4.
3) CLOSE GRIP BENCH PRESS – 4 SETS OF 5.
4) TRICEP PUSH DOWNS – 4 SETS OF 8.
Wednesday;
1) DEAD/LIFT – 1 SET OF 10, 1 SET OF 8, 1 SET OF 6, 3 SETS OF 3 GETTING HEAVIER EACH WEEK.
2) GOOD MORNINGS – 3 SETS OF 6.
3) MACHINE PULLDOWNS AND ROWS.
Thursday;
1) APOLLONS AXLE – 1 SET OF 10, 1 SET OF 8, 3 SETS OF 6.
2) SEATED PRESS – 4 SETS OF 5.
3) TRAPS – 4 SETS OF 6.
Friday;
1) MEDICINE BALL THROW FOR HEIGHT - 10 TO 15 THROWS.
2) CARDIO TRAINING FOR 30 MINS ON A EXERCISE BIKE OR CROSS TRAINER.
Saturday;
1) FARMERS WALK – 150KG EACH HAND FOR 40M, 2 RUNS.
Sunday;
REST DAY.
THEWORLD OF STRONGMAN MOURNS - Ukraine,
January 6 2006
Given the tragic news regarding the passing of Svetlana Virastyuk 28, everyone at IFSA Strongman would like to express their condolences’ and prayer’s to Vasyl and all of Svetlana’s and Vasyl’s friends and family.
IFSA Strongman
IRAN TO HOST IFSA'S FIRST GRAND PRIX OF 2006 - Iran,
December 2005
In latest IFSA news, 4 Iranians have been selected from the the recently completed Iranian National Championships to compete in the IRAN Grand Prix set to take place on the 18th, 19th, and 20th of February 2006. This will be the first IFSA Grand Prix of the year. Iran's number one strongman Reza Gharaei will compete along with the top four competitiors selected from a strong field of thirteen Iranian athletes at the Nationals in December, they will now test their mettle against some of the IFSA's finest strongmen in February.
The top five finishers of the Iranian Nationals were as follows:
1 Farzad Mosakhani
2 Karim Taleshi
3 Hamid Gharaei
3 Aidin Khataei
4 Ali Esmaeili
5 Mahmod Gharachorlo
5 Siavash Barfan
Head Referee: Omid Amiri
Referees: Mr. Reza Saey tabar
Mr. Shahram Akbari
EUROPE ROLLS TO WORLD TEAM TITLE - St.Maarten
December 17,2005
Story by: Doug Anderson
Team Europe proved to be a dominate force in the world of strongman, bouncing Team Pan-America in the final 3-2 in events and 45-35 in points, winning The IFSA World Team Championships on the sandy beaches of the Divi Little Bay Resort in St.Maarten. Team Europe made their way to the final with an easy win over Team Scandanavia,
3-2 in events and 40-35 in points. Although, in their defense Team Scandanavia was competing with only three members as Denmark's Rene Minkwitz, was a unable to make the competition. The final score was not indicative of the action as Team Europe fine tuned their gameplan for the finale with Team Pan-America, who edged out Team World Open to get the the final. After suffering an injury to the bicep of Iceland's Magnus Magnusson, in the "Three man Pole Push". Team Scandanavia showed tremendous grit and determination as the Finish duo of Tomi Lotta and Juha Pekka Aitilla marched on to certain defeat at the hands of Team Europe.
The Grand Finale:
Team Pan America looked to put the pressure squarely on the shoulders of Team Europe in the opening event, The Island Stones, IFSA rookie sensation Travis Ortmayer(USA) Rattled off the first 4 stones, before faultering on number 5 at 170k/375lb. Jon Andersen(USA) stepped in on a moments notice to put up the fifth stone , leaving the big daddy sixth stone at 180k/396lbs to big Van Hatfield(USA). Hatfield did not disappoint,in the final tenth of a second he placed the massive sixth stone before time expired. Team Europe with the task at hand needed to complete all six Island Stones in under 90 seconds to record the victory in event 1. Estonia's Andrus Murumets began the run with a fabulous effort, racking up four stones, before tagging off to the Latvian Legend Raimonds Bergmanis who made short work of the final two stones stopping the clock at 69.23 seconds and earning the 10 points awarded to each event winner. Strongman wrestling was next on tap, Murumets(Estonia) and America's Van Hatfield clashed in a spectacular battle in the sand. The event was a 2 point total win scenario, with 1/2 points awarded to athletes who pushed their opponent out of the ring and a full point awarded to athletes who tossed their opponent from the ring. The first team to reach 2 points wins the event. America's Strongest man Van Hatfield was pitted against the Estonian super cop in Andrus Murumets. Althought each team was able to swap out wrestlers at will, both stuck with their big guns and hoped for the best, Hatfield won the opening round with a smooth flip of Murumets, garnering a full point. Murumets came on in round two , determined to extend the match. Hatfield was pushed from the ring as Murumets showed tremendous skill and agility, Murumets though would only puck up a 1/2 point and trail Hatfield. In the third battle, Hatfield and Murumets locked horns for what seemed an eternity, before Hatfield was able to slip under the attack of Murumets and toss his opponent from the ring evening the Final at 1 event / 15-15pts. The Teams came into event # 3, The Three Man Log Lift for Reps, ready for bear. Team Pan-America had already ripped off 11 reps with the huge 300k/661lb log, in their semi-final with Team World Open. The World Record sitting at 13 reps, set by three teams,(Ukraine,Canada,USA) , was under attack. Team Europe set a mark of 9 reps with the log, Team Pan-America united to pump out 13 reps and tie the World Record, but more importantly , a win in event 3. Team Pan- America's gameplan was coming together, just the way Team Captain Geoff Dolan(Canada) envisioned, untill tragedy struck Team Pan-America in event# 4, the IFSA Stone Carry. Needing one more event win to claim the World Team Championship Title, Team Pan-America watched as Team Europe set a new benchmark distance of 132.6M /435 ft ,carrying the 175k/375lbs the IFSA stone would prove to be the turning point for Team Europe. Geoff Dolan set a mark at the midway point on the course with team member Travis Ortmayer following up, on the final 20 meters of the course Ortmayer stepped put of bounds with his left foot and head referee Dr.Douglas Edmunds immediately blew the action dead, Team Europe wins event # 4, setting the stage for a fabulous finish.
The fifth and final event on the sands of St.Maarten, was the 3 Man Pole Push. Team Europe was outstanding winning the best of three rounds 2-0, Thanks to superior effort from both Heinz Ollesch(Germany) and current World Champion Zydrunas Savickas of Lithuania. The combined power and stamina of Team Europe was both draining and taxing for Team Pan-America, Team Europe was the better of the two teams on this day and as such are crowned IFSA World Team Champions. Team Europe is Raimonds Bergmanis(Latvia), Heinz Ollesch(Germany), Zydrunas Savickas(Lithuania), and Andrus Murumets(Estonia).
PAN-AMERICA CRUISES TO THE IFSA TEAM FINAL - IFSA World Team Championships - St.Maarten
December 13, 2005
Day one of the IFSA World Team Championships saw Team Pan-America soundly defeat Team World Open 4 events to 1, and score a convincing win to move into the World Team Championship Final versus the winner of the Team Scandanavia / Team Europe semi-final.
Lead by America's Strongest Man Van Hatfield, Team Pan-America came together right from the start and pounded out 11 big reps in the 661lb/ 300k, 3 man log lift for reps.Rookie Travis Ortmayer jumped in to replace Canada's Geoff Dolan as Team Pan-America ripped off two more reps before time expired finishing with 11. Unable to get in sync,Team World Open struggled out of the gate and finished two reps shy at 9.
Event 2 was Strongman Wrestling, USA's Van Hatfield and Russia's Mikhail Koklyaev
squared off. Although teams were allowed substitutions both teams left the two heavy weights to battle it out in a best of three scenario. IFSA's fastest rising star Koklyaev stunned Hatfield winning 2 of 3 rounds evening the overall score at one event each.
Lead by a stellar anchor man performance from USA's Jon Andersen, Team Pan-America began to gel. Team World Open and Team Pan-America went head to head in event 3, as the Pole Push proved to be a signature moment for Team Pan America. Winning the best of three rounds in easy fashion 2-0. Team Pan- America worked together to overpower the counterparts and take a 2-1 lead in the best of five events.
Event 4, the IFSA Stone Carry for distance, saw Team Pan-America continue to dominate.
The combination of Canada's Geoff Dolan and USA's Jon Andersen proved too much for the Team World duo of Mikhail Koklyaev of Russia and Hungary's Adam Darasz.
Team Pan-America finished the with a distance of 385 ft 2in, compared with Team World Open who finished at the 365ft 8in mark. Although both Dolan and Andersen appeared to be able to go further in the IFSA Stone Carry, both will take the event win and conserve energy for the future.
One of the best events on the beach at the Divi Little Bay Resort in St. Maarten is the Island Stones. Similar to the Atlas Stones, the Island Stones ar set up as a test of endurance and power. Teams have a 75 second time limit to power up 6 stones, varying in size and shape and ranging in weight from 130k(286lbs) to 180K(400lbs).
The pride of Houston,Texas, Travis Ortmayer proved why he is becoming the most feared stone man in strongman. ripping through 5 of the first 6 stones in an amazing 38.80 seconds to capture the 5th and final event of the day. Neither team was able to mount the sixth stone weighing a whopping 400lbs(180k). Team Pan-America completed their opening day victory with a 4-1 event win and a final score of 45-30
Day 2 should prove to be another great one as Team Scandanavia features Finlands Tomi Lotta and Team Europe with current World Champion Zydrunas Savickas of Lithuania leading the way. The winners of each day meet on the beach in the finale.
Winner: Team Pan-America 4-1/ 45pts -30pts
Story by: DOUG ANDERSON
FANTASTIC FIN FIT FOR ANOTHER CROWN! - IFSA 105K WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - CHINA
NOVEMBER 30, 2005
Janne Hartikainen of Finland has won his second consecutive crown at the 105K IFSA World Championships in China. Darren Sadler proved to be tough competition, but the reigning champion pulled through with a narrow margin of victory. Going into the final event of the competition, Hartikainen held a 2 point lead over Sadler, it would all come down to the Yoke race, and what a better way to finish this extraordinary event held before a most appreciative crowd in China.
Sadler would have to finish the Yoke race three places higher than the ever present Fin, in order to edge his way into top spot. Alas, it was not to be for the feisty Englishman as Maris Rozentals of Latvia and Amir Gharaei of Iran posted spectacular times(14.72 secs, and 17.82 secs. respectively) that made any movement on the leaderboard next to impossible for Sadler to climb.
Top 5 at the 105K IFSA Worlds Championships
1st - Janne Hatikainen ( Finland)
2nd- Darren Sadler ( England)
3rd- Alvidas Brazdzius (Lithuania)
4th- Maris Rozenrals ( Latvia)
5th- Amir Gharaei ( Iran)
105K EVENT A HUGE SUCCESS IN CHINA! - China, 105K Weight Class
Tuesday November 29, 2005
Over 70,000 spectators took in IFSA's 105K weight class event in China, making it one of the most successful in the history of strongman.
Today’s events started with the Farmer’s Walk where athletes faced a 50meter course carrying 120kilos in each hand. While the weights were too much for some, others seemingly sprinted to the finish line.
1st-Kevin Nowack-USA (22.84 sec)
2nd- Alvidas Brazdzius-Lithuania (22.45 sec)
3rd- Aleksandrov Zanev- Bulgaria (22.47 sec)
The “Chime Long” Truck Pull.
This event got off to a great start. Mistakes were kept to a minimum, so any errors would prove costly in the standings. Kevin Nowack(USA) had a good start and was making a good time until he slipped right before the finish line losing valuable seconds and dropping out of the lead for the event.
1st - Janne Hartikanene (Finland)
2nd - Stefan Weiermann (Austria)
3rd - Maris Rozentals (Latvia)
Overall Leaders
1st- Janne Hartikainen (Finland)
2nd -Darren Sadler (England)
3rd - Alvidas Brazdzius(Lithuania)
The point totals are so close going into the Yoke race that expections are the leaderboard will see changes as each man tries to out do the one before him.
Darren Sadler puts on a great show for the fans in China - 105k weight class, China
November 2005
The reception from the Chinese people was amazing, Including a spectacular opening ceremony for the athletes, featuring various Chinese cultural performances.
With crowds estimated to be over three thousand, the athletes competed in Guangzhou, China. The first event of the day was the "Chang Lian Metal Material Cup" Atlas Stones. The top placings were:
1st Janne Hartikainen of Finland,
2nd Alvidas Brazdzius of Lithuania,
3rd Darren Sadler from England.
The 2nd event of the day was the "Yue Xin Shipbuilding Cup" Rescuing the Beauty Ladder lift. Although Englands Darren Sadler remained consistent it was Iran's Amir Gharaei who walked away with the first place points following a solid effort.
1st Amir Gharaei : Iran
2nd Darren Sadler :England
3rd Maris Rozentals: Poland
The third event of the day was the "Da Gang Cup" Dead lift. Darren Sadler posted a performance that could not be matched ripping off 15 big reps. Sweden's Danny Anderson picked up some crucial second place points by squeezing out his 11th rep, which separated him from a pack of 3 other competitors with 10 reps.
1st Darrens Sadler (15 reps)
2nd Danny Anderson (Sweden 11 reps)
3rd 3 tied with 10 reps
Christiano Souza (Brazil), Czegeny Csaba(Hungary), Maris Rozentals(Poland).
Finishing atop the leaderboard were:
1st place: Darren Sadler (England)
2nd Place:Janne Hartikainen (Finland)
3rd Place: Christiano Souza (Brazil) tied with Alvidas Brazdzius(Lithuania)
Zydrunas Savickas - The Strongest Man in the World in 2005 - Quebec, Canada
25 September 2005
Even if Savickas thrashed three world records en route, it still came down to a nail-biting finale in the MHP Stones of Strength before the 2005 IFSA Strongman World Champion could be named. Mathematically, any of the top five before the last event could have clinched the most coveted title in the 2005 Strongman calendar (Savickas, Virastyuk, Koklyaev, Murumets and Bergmanis). Savickas, however, was in no mo
A capacity crowd In Varssveld, Holland watched Lithuania's Zydrunas Savickas dominate the competition once again, finishing the contest nearly 10 points ahead of the second place winner, Andrus Murumets of Estonia ! Travis Ortmeyer for the USA, Serbia's Ervin Katona and Holland's own Jarno Hams took the next three places. For full results click 
ZYDRUNAS SAVICKAS wins the IFSA Strongman Serbia Grand Prix with hometown competitor ERVIN KATONA taking 2nd! Full results 
Zydrunas Savickas takes his 6th straight Arnold Classic win this past weekend. With IFSA athletes taking the top 5 places, it was once again another year of IFSA proving its dominance in the world of strongman! Unfortunately, Vasyl Virastyuk of the Ukraine was unable to finish the competition due to an injury, otherwise it would have been a sweep of the first 6 places for IFSA strongman athletes. For the full results, please 
IFSA STRONGMAN PRESENTS a new episode in Strongman: 
Former World's Strongest Man and famous Icelander, Magnus Ver Magnusson, has appeared in a Jason Jones parody of the TV hit show "24" in this week's "Daily Show"
The 2007 IFSA 105K World Championships are being held from December 13-December 21, 2007 in Panyu, Guangzhou, China. 
Team Lithuania wins the IFSA Strongman World 2-Man Team Championships with a score of 31.0 points followed by Team Russia with 25.5 points and Team USA with 24.0 points. For the full results, please see 
The IFSA Strongman World 2-Man Championships are all set to go on October 7th in Vilnius, Lithuania, where the following teams will be competing:
With a strong performance on both days of the finals, Vasyl Virastyuk won the event with 57.5 points. 
The final results of the 2007 IFSA Strongman World Championship semi-final heats are in, with the following 12 competitors qualifying for the finals starting September 14, 2007:
In a great competition today in Geumsan, South Korea, Travis Ortmayer won the 2007 IFSA Strongman World Open Championships with a score of 41 points.
Andrus Murumets wins Finland's Oulu Grand Prix !
Team Ukraine wins the 2007 IFSA World Team Championships edging out Team USA by just 2.5 points. Please see full results 
With the IFSA Strongman 2007 World Championships rapidly approaching, Big Z showed his winning form at the IFSA Lithuania Grand Prix last weekend.
IFSA Strongman was pleased to have their 2007 European Championships included in the first ever European Sports Games which saw athletes from 46 nations competing over 15 non-Olympic sports. 
Day 1 – Qualifiers:
The following 24 strongest men in Europe will compete in the 2007 European Championships qualifying round July 21 with the top 12 moving on to the finals July 22. However, it is not just the title of Europe’s Strongest Man that these 24 competitors will be battling for, as the top 12 will also qualify for the 2007 IFSA World Championships in South Korea September 11 – 16.
Results:
With a fantastic sunny atmosphere and over 4000 spectators on the tribunes , Jarno Hams won the 2007 IFSA GRAND PRIX HOLLAND event!300.png)
In 2004 Derek Poundstone won his pro card in Boston and then...didn’t compete again until a Florida show in late 2005. Well, he was a little busy going through the Connecticut police academy. After the show in Florida NAS president Willie told Derek that he looked a little rusty.
Derek Poundstone continued his roll through the "America's Strongest Man" championship winning three of the final four events to clinch the title by a record 30 points. 
Steve MacDonald defends his title of America’s Strongest Man this weekend at the Food Lion 600 Festival in Uptown Charlotte. The top 6 competitors will move on to the IFSA World Championships.
Everything is all set to go for the first ever Highlander Challenge May 26, 2007 at Blair Castle, Scotland. The Games will make up 2 x ½ hour episodes of the IFSA Strongman 26 x ½ hour 2007 television series.
Heinz Ollesh and IFSA Strongman are staging the first ever strongman show at Europe’s largest exhibition – FIBO – April 19-22. An expected 50,000 people will be in attendance 
Van Hatfield burst on to the American Strongman scene in 2004 winning both his Pro Card and the Pro National Championship. Since then Van has been a fan favorite here in America and abroad. During the 2005 season Hatfield competed tirelessly in the US and internationally despite a nagging and ever worsening knee injury. He was sidelined in early 2006 with surgery and rehab. He started competing again in May 2006 against medical advice in an International show in Okalahoma. He later finished a disappointing 9th America’s Strongest Man in July. A dedicated and consummate professional athlete Van went back to the drawing board first focusing on completing his rehab and then re-capturing the form that earned him International stardom just two years earlier.
In front of a packed venue of over 8,000 strongman fans, Andrus Murumets of Estonia came out to prove his strong performance at the recent Arnold Classic event was no fluke by winning the first main IFSA Strongman GP event of the year with 65 points! Vasyl Virastyuk of the Ukraine was 2nd with 55.5 points and Vidas Blekaitis of Lithuania was 3rd with 55 points. For the full standings from the GP Latvia event, please go to the "Complete IFSA Results" link at the bottom of the IFSA home page
… coming this weekend, the Grand Prix Latvia to be held in the all new Arena Riga.
With 52 points, Zydrunas Savickas, strongest man in the world, takes home his 5th straight Arnold Classic title. 
Zydrunas Savickas leads after 3 events (Timber Carry, Wheels Overhead for Reps, Deadlift) with 25 points, setting a new world record on the Hummer Deadlift with an incredible lift of 1016lbs! 
Andrus Murumets will replace the injured Benedikt Magnusson at the 2007 Arnold’s.
Looking back at the results of the 2006 Arnold Classic Strongman event; IFSA athletes took 1st through 5th place! With IFSA athletes increasing for the 2007 event from 6 to 7 (out of a field of just 10) IFSA is expecting no less stunning results than last year! 
IFSA Strongman is pleased to announce that, with international broadcast sales still on-going, the IFSA Strongman 2006 12 x ½ hour broadcast series has broken through to an incredible international reach of over ½ billion TV households per episode. The series will be seen in 186 territories, translated into 15 languages and carried on 24 international networks.
In day 2 of the IFSA Strongman 2006 World Championship Finals, it all came down to the final event as Zydrunas Savickas and Mikhail Koklyaev were tied coming into the Atlas Stones event with 68.5 points each. It took nothing less than a new world record on the Atlas Stones to clinch the 2006 IFSA Strongman World Championship title as Zydrunas Savickas set an incredible time of 25.65 to re-claim his title as the IFSA Strongman World Champion and the Strongest Man in the World. Vasyl Virastyuk took 3rd place. 
FSA STRONGMAN is pleased to announce the 24 competitors heading to Iceland to compete in the 2006 IFSA STRONGMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS to determine who is the STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD!
12 athletes will compete for the European title in the 105Kg Championships to be staged in Poland on 4th and 5th November 2006.
Three wins in seven events put Zydrunas Savickas well on his way to yet another tournament victory.
Among the wild naturalistic setting of Iceland's West Coast, the 14th annual IFSA Iceland's Strongest Viking was held.
In front of 4000 enthusiastic onlookers, Jarno Hams won the 2006 IFSA Holland's Strongest Man by 13 points over the second place finisher Sjaak Ruuska.
The Pride of Houston Texas, Travis Ortmayer, showed once again that to be crowned "America's Strongest Man", you will need the heart of a lion.
American Strongman makes its final stop on the 2006 American Qualifying Tour right back where it started! With the last qualifier to be held this weekend in Philly the field of competitors for Nationals will be set. 16 of America’s strongest, most determined athletes will descend on Columbia, SC for what is sure to be one for the ages. “It is an honor to host a contest of this magnitude,” said Mike Johnston, “ The 2006 Qualifying Tour Started here in Columbia at St.Pat’s and it will end here with one man standing; America’s Strongest Man!”
Ervin Katona won the first two events of the competition to edge out Geoff Dolan by 3.5pts to win the IFSA/USS Grand Prix of Serbia.
With the top two IFSA athlete unable to compete due to injury, Jani Illikainen edged out Juha Matti Rasenen to win Finlands Strongest Man.
IFSA Strongman (OTCBB:ISMN.OB), the exclusive manager of the top strongman athletes, rights and title events worldwide, announced today that it has entered into a landmark contract that will allow IFSA Strongman to dramatically increase its worldwide broadcast coverage.
He came, He saw, He conquered.
By all accounts the setting of the competition was perfect in Eger, Hungary.
The 2006 IFSA Grand Prix season continues with the next stop in Eger, Hungary. What a lineup the competition has put forth.
The GP of Cypus was the first co-operational event between IFSA Strongman and the United Strongman Series.
World Strongman Challenge
Despite a solid performance from Canadian powerhouse Geoff Dolan, Lithuania's Zydrunas Savickas remains the Champion of Champions, after winning IFSA's first GP event of the season.
The stage has been set, the athletes are ready, willing and more than capable of putting on the greatest Show on Earth!
It was a complete repeat of the IFSA World Championships in Quebec.
After day one of competition at the Arnold Classic in Columbus, IFSA athletes own the top two spots. Zydrunas Savickas and Vasyl Virastyuk proved they are on top of the world of strongman. Super Series, "Worlds Strongest man", 
