you [Music] when 2018 hyewon album classic and columns Ohio Europe Strongest Man Isis honest man the world famous man and the world's ultimate from one last year was good yeah for sure [Music] how did my fourth Arnold title is I would have to say the most important thing to me right now it's really good bodies feeling strong and healthy and that's half of the battle in the waterways so if I can walk in there like this hit my peak right he's got something that's bugging you you know damn shrink back lats or beat up from Saturday this is why we do this day in and day out from training the way we do and make the sacrifice as we do is to make those giant works on stage deadlift is is big this year Rogue has thrown out a challenge for anybody that can lift over 500 kilos which is eleven hundred and three pounds roughly rogue is offering fifty thousand dollars which is huge so I think of some like a lot of guys with focus on the Deathlands in the next couple months we'll do about four different variations with ever between the rags regular floor to me to the elephant bar it's a different animal it reacts in different ways you know so that'll be the thing is what's it gonna do it 11 pounds I don't let a thousand pounds of changes you know from what it is it nine hundred pounds that's acid mr. guy still got the blood on it from lush I think it's a good bar to train for the elephant bar deadlift obviously I would love to have the elephant bars to duplicate it even closer but I think it's a good way to Train it's a huge mark to raise the establish record by sixty pounds but there's a few of set of crazy enough to go after it there's a big prize on it if you can get it but it's a big risk as well yeah you risk putting yourself out of the rest of the show and maybe out the rest of the year there are at least four guys going to the Arnold that can pull more than a thousand pounds myself Hawthorne Jerry Prichard and Jeff thrown and I think out of those four one of us is getting out the best opportunity to actually lift that weight Gerry protect I believe if he comes in a good shape in those days in juvie you know he set the record at a thousand thirty one he lifted that weight really well you could have more than that in the team and potentially give a really good run at the 11 and then of course for a short the way that I'm training the way that I'm preparing mentally getting ready is to give that my best attack my biggest you know and the world record breaker 501 kilo deadlift challenge I think Hoffler I think he's gonna do well obviously he's coming off a big poll last year where he felt really good and you know it was a great lift at a thousand forty one set the new record with that way thanks that was going in this year we'll be looking at beaten ha floors record it to 10:41 it going 1045 1050 1060 but now we're looking 60 pounds past that which is huge you wouldn't hear somebody want a race track see yeah you're gonna knock you know five seconds off the track record tonight you know they laugh at you they tell us are you gonna try to put 60 pounds on the current record put a 50 grand on it okay we'll try it it's our well-paid event guys so kind of seriously go for it it's almost as much as the first-place winner so you know guys will go for it you know for sure you know you're able to make history with this one lift that's maybe even more important than than just winning the prize money by each year if you're on Terry Todd started that by raising the mark you know every year through the years you know whether you open from a thousand pounds of work this weight over 1500 or log has worked his way to 450 or whatever it's been the bar has already been risen 2019 Arnold strongman classic will definitely be one for recognition one of the best qualities you can have as a competitor strongman is to bring your best performance on the day you know and so when it matters you step up and you can do stuff that maybe you couldn't do in training I want my best lift to come on the day in the contest when it matters the level of store money is going the guys are getting stronger that's all right I honestly believe that I will have a good chance [Applause] how about a round of applause for news remember you got to be bullies all right the Arnold sports festival for the next three days it will be the focus of the fitness world as fans from around the globe have descended on Columbus Ohio to watch the best in bodybuilding weight lifting arm wrestling and even fencing but we are here to answer one big question and that is who is the strongest man on earth welcome inside the Greater Columbus Convention Center everybody I'm Sean woodland alongside dr. bill Crawford the most powerful athletes on the planet are here to compete in five unique events over the next two days for the right to be called the 2019 Arnold strongman Classic champion the Arnold strongman classic is that is a defining event of the strongman calorie cheers the most prestigious event it's also the heaviest event and this is the event that also defines strongman each year every man wants to win this event there are 10 of them from 8 different countries here today and they are all chasing the mountain the man from Iceland half Thor of yours and he is your defending champion and he definitely has what it takes to repeat here again in 2019 yes he's the 2018 Aros from a classics champion the 2018 TWI grouse Strongest Man champion and he also has the Elephant Bar deadlift record with 1041 and he's here to reclaim his title the man who may prevent that is the man from the United States who has finished first or second seven of the last eight years here and that's Brian Shaw yes Brian is the four-time world Strongest Man he's also a three-time RL strongman Classic champion he's a consummate professional and always comes prepared those are your two favorites but there is a man here who may be a factor in this competition and he is someone we got to see compete firsthand in Santa Monica that's Marty's Lisa's Martines is the future of strongman martine says de 2018 Arnold strongman classic European champion and also had a very dramatic win at the 2019 Arnold strongman classic Santa Monica if the athletes are not the only attraction here at the Arnold strongman Classic the implements themselves are a big part of the show up first the rogue elephant bar it was made specifically for our first events the deadlift the deadlift all other lives is considered to be the best of determinants of who is the strongest man [Music] most all of our events in the past we've used a specially configured set of Hummer tires actually and a so become sort of famous the bars almost 14 feet long it makes even these big men look small we decided to try something different this year I said I want to borrow that that really bends when it's lifted we're gonna use a bar that's it's like a normal Olympic bar except a little more than a foot longer on a gym my name is ah mcjones I'm the the director of product development for rogue fitness each year Terry Todd and Steve Slater come to us with new ideas for the competition Terry came to us and said that it would be really neat to do the same event but with a long more conventional bar so in order to do that we needed to make a bar with particularly long sleeves in order to get up to the thousand plus pounds that these guys are gonna deadlift at the event there's quite a bit of research and development sourcing of materials finding the right kind of steel our normal bars have a little area of around 16 inches whereas these have around 27 inches that introduces a whole bunch of challenges because a whole lot more force on a bar that's 10 feet long versus a normal bar that's 7 feet long [Music] [Applause] so today we're going to be testing multiple prototypes made from different types of seal at various diameters we're gonna load each spar up to around a thousand fifty five pounds and drop it 50 times we're expecting the competitors to get up over a thousand pounds in their deadlift we want to make sure that the bar can handle far more than what they're gonna throw at it we could have used slender steel plates they don't take nearly as much space but it wouldn't look as heavy it would not allow you to lift quite as much weight for all these reasons I said let's use old style the old two inch wide deep-dish plates similar to what was used 3040 years ago we wanted to make something that was really unique and so we added the silhouette of Arnold onto the plates similar to what you would get with a cast plate but instead of casting it were machining them from solid chunks of Steel the plate is a slug it's about a hundred and seventy pounds and after it's done the finished product it's within ounce of the 45 well for the past four weeks we've been working on 12-hour shifts nine to nine each of us worked night shift we're lucky to get one done a ship but we were probably about three-quarters of a plate done proud to be a part of it you get to see your work and you see everybody else's reaction to it as well as it's pretty phenomenal they're about two inches wide at the top they're striking to look at and we have an image of Arnold himself not exactly the Vitruvian Man but a little bit the same kind of thing but this new bar that we're using we're trying to think about what we might call it it's gonna be the rogue elephant bar that's what it's called from now on it will be known as the rogue elephant [Music] these rogue implements certainly have an artistic quality to them but if you've ever used a bar like this it is much different than a barbell that you would find in an everyday gym yes this barbell is made specifically for the deadlift it's longer about nine feet long and this let this length also means that there's more flexible barbell and that that proposes this this format can actually lift more weight but actually also they have to control that that flex in the barbell and overcoming that weight and the end with their brute strength a thorough bjornsen did that last year as he lifted 1041 pounds to set the record on this deadlift bar there are five men who have lifted more than a thousand pounds and four of them are here in this field Brian Shaw Gerry Pritchett jean francois peron and half Thor bjornsen the deadlift is the opening event the first of five events that will be contested here at the Arnold strongman classic each athlete will have 3 attempts and there is a little bit of a chess match that goes into this yes there is a test for the chess match but still you have to lift the weights is you select it's patience off of the floor to control flex that's the number one thing that you've got to do because if you pull the bar quickly from the floor and you can't control that flex then it can get away from you and the second one once you get we got the bar to your knees is to overcome that weight with just brute strength it still is about it's still about lifting that barbell the deadlift certainly does look like a simple movement and as you just heard dr. Crawford talk about it is a very complex movement lot of things you have to keep in mind in order to be successful let's take a look at the past champions here and Brian Shaw's name shows up a lot he has won three Arnold a strongman Championships the most reason coming in 2017 half Thorbjorn Singh who is also here he won last year and he is the defending champion and a lot of money is on the line here in this competition the first place competitor will win $72,000 second place takes home 22,000 and we way down to 10th place every man here will take home some sort of prize money and there's also some big money on the line here in this event we'll talk about that more in just a little bit but we mentioned haftorah bjornsen and Bryan Shaw at the top of the show they are definitely favorites not only in this competition but also in this event but there are also two other men in the field here who could do very well in this event what is a little bit of a mystery the other though a sure thing the first is Gerry Pritchett this guy knows how to deadlift yes Gerry's of prodigious deadlift er he's got a world record and powerlifting and and he deadlift at 9:50 at the Santa Monica carnal strongman classic which showed a lot of showed a lot of potential for a much heavier deadlift Gerry is a an athlete who always comes from pared but the deadlift is his specialty Gerry Pritchett really knows this implement now one man we're keeping an eye on not because he's proficient with this but because he has struggled and that was the youngster Mateos Kalish kospi from Poland Mateos is a very dynamic athlete he does a lot of things that are that are unbelievable the stone lift last year was something that shocked the strongman world but also the athletes that figure out the static events later in their career the ones that become most successful Matteo's Kellis Koski making his fifth appearance here at the Arnold strongman classic he has never finished better than third last year he was fourth one the stone to shoulder with a world record performance with the two men who will be getting most of the attention here to begin with talked about them at the top of the show you're defending champion Hathor bjornsen and Brian Shaw they've been here a total of 18 times won the Arnold strongman Classic a total of four Jordan s'en much younger than Shaw shot 37 and 1/2 Thor at 30 years old and half their bjornsen like you talked about it at the top bill he has really rounded out his game over the recent years yes he has he's figured out the static events that being the deadlift and the overhead press he was always great with endurance events and also great with with power events such as tossing weight over a bar or anything that had any kind of dynamic component to it he's a complete strongman now and that's showing because he sits atop the strongman world the two will square off in the opening event it's the first of five events that will be contested over the next two days and it is a packed house here at the Greater Columbus Convention Center as these people have gathered to watch some big weight go up and possibly some record-breaking weight to go up bill you've competed what's it like to lift in front of a crowd like this well this is the faithful these are the people that know this sport and they've come here to watch something they know what they're looking at so these are the people that want to see the red meat of strongman which is going to be the heaviest lifts and the most unbelievable performances and we have the 10 best athletes to show those off and we are starting off with really kind of a home run derby of this competition and that is the deadlift and I've heard you talk about it before that the deadlift is really a lifted if you want to know how strong somebody is you make them do it that way yes the deadlift is not just an event which is which shows someone's power we talk about power all the time which is force times distance and how fast you can do it but really what it is it's how it's held you can just move away being able to overcome a weight completely and however long it takes and that's what the deadlift defines typically it's the strongest man that can actually do the biggest deadlift but there are some there are some components to it that have to be mastered and honestly I always thought about deadlift as an event I had to practice because you have to get these fine balance points in the Santa Monica so I was able to talk with Brian Shaw during the event and we both agreed that you've got to have just that right place to pull the bar and if you don't get that place you can either have the bar in front of you or you can pull back a bit too much so let's talk about how this event event is actually going to go down they have three lifts last night they had to pick their opening lifts and we will go from lightest to heaviest and this is where the chess match kind of comes in because you got to know not only what you're capable of but you got to make sure that you're keeping your opponents in mind while you're picking what you're gonna lift yes it's so there are several ways this could go down this could turn into where the athletes just want to sort out the competition they're gonna pick weights that they feel that they're confident with and they can get to a weight that's close to the the record-breakers weight of 1041 1041 pounds and then go for the big big 1,100 pound or the 500 kilogram lifts later but inside of that there might be strategies which play themselves out where athletes want to save points or they actually want to just look at the competition itself and not go after the bigger lift which would be at the end of this or it could be at the end of this the top three men the bottom of that graphic the top three men in this event will qualify for the rogue record breakers that is not part of the competition as far as points are concerned but the three top man will have a chance to beat the world deadlift record of 1100 pounds if they do that they will win $50,000 if they beat Thor bernsen's record last year that was set on the Elephant Bar of 1041 pounds they will win $5,000 so right off the bat here we are giving away some pretty big prize money and points are great in this event but there are some men who are really going to be gunning for that 50 grand here absolutely and I love them how audacious this is because we're not just looking for an improvement in the world's record we're actually looking to go up by over 50 pounds which is unbelievable let's meet the 10 men who will be competing in the 2019 Arnold strongman classic [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] we're gonna fight over the next two days to crown one champion two men on this stage right now we're going to start with this one the Elephant Bar and Mark this is going to be a test of wills [Music] this bar and I think there's have to be success and winning the whole time and what's special it's thanks to one of our major host growth witness there is money on the line in this event now you break the third record in this event on 1041 grounds held by a partner's Pearson you get $5,000 on the spot but if you can lift 501 kilos you get $15,000 our next event the Moussa Phelps told Gary and this is a strongman essential [Music] - I walk around as cheap in and meeting as and drive as many as avails so we get to see who stands up to competition absolutely and then tomorrow we have two incredible events both inspired by the namesake of this event Arnold Schwarzenegger himself if you haven't seen it tomorrow your money will be gone by our third event the wheel of pain [Applause] [Music] it's 40 feet tall 20,000 pounds after that they will be tested by the Austrian of the law press which you know that is a beast of the challenge great shape yeah and then we're gonna finish it out on the main stage tomorrow night and we will crown a champion with the final event the stone his shoulder and last year that event you were there that was unbelievable seeing it earlier the competition we're going to be competing morning blood sweat tears for your entertainment are you ready to meet them mark you said we sport thrives on energy are you ready to meet your athletes then ladies and gentlemen let's introduce the team happenes who will be vying for the title of 2019 Arnold Spohr classic worried Strongest Man first up out of Slovenia 26 year old years old six feet tall 330 pounds twice media Strongest Man Monte OSH [Applause] [Music] [Applause] last year let's see if he can win another one this is here and following him out of Canada a man who was of course in this particular event 35 years old 6 feet 2 inches tall 353 pounds seven times Canada Strongest Man and makes the stage from Estonia Rollo heininger one of the better guys that we've seen in years past performance a little mass here I gotta say looking at these athletes we have some guys have some experience in this contest some guys really Sugarfoot threat and this guy last year was explode to be with the revelation 25 years old six feet body just roll 330 pounds the Polish [Applause] I know we said stove the shoulder where this guy was a revelation mark he was and makes mistakes mark trained his father was a train so we get to see this guys come to the stage and show everybody [Applause] and next up he won the amateur last year to earn a spot on this stage here 23 years of age let's see you know any letter you've seen before but now I need you to see him again lady to dinner one first aid from the United States of America and now coming to the stage [Music] [Applause] interests recall in Mesa but everybody else knows him as a Siberian forest me kind of silly macaque [Applause] as [Music] [Music] these their instruments who hoped the strongman record for the regular deadly bar at 500 kilos ladies and gentlemen please welcome to the stage [Applause] [Music] [Applause] so first of all I'm gonna say you-you-you open market launch party in the open bar but when you lifted 500 kilos back in 2016 it look like a leak in my way what if I would appeal over something that honestly the most wrong is right I have bought one new to beat subscribe for 2500 peeling off the floor was the hardest Bend of everything I'm alive and as you saw you know I basically passed out got backstage I lost my sight you know it's a very very dangerous time I can appreciate what it takes to move this gonna went off the hole so if anyone does it today I will bow down I wish I well got to settle the name like the bTW ring you ever thought about making the transition I have the TV shows coming up recently well you know you got a lot of fanfare over the last few years documentaries and different this that you what are you is the time indicators in my opinion [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] I feel as though if I got a few books training and I think it would have been very similar for end of the day it's it's a deadly it's a hell of a ball and shakes it pull it it's going to be really excited to see what somebody things on this today well I know if someone can match a mark on the cell phone for one unit on the traditional bar they're going to get $50,000 but we were talking about this this is the first event there are five events tell us whatever 2016 pulled their record how did you do in the rest of the competition the warm Strongest Man competition because it's such a huge me too [Music] go ahead do you think that if you were to make them until that was under the world record we do take that extra attempt even if you had it back because [Music] gods it's a really tough one I mean to get into this in my opinion you want to be doing this and his least lips as possible so I would 500 I did by the pool lips and at 3:18 for 2465 500 and I think Nepal it was the minimum in my opinion [Music] so so here's the thing and Mark you made this one and any I want you to tell every single person who's in here when you were doing that lift how important was it to hear the support honestly [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] one of you three lips we've also faced their first wave I don't know what the other athletes are going to do when they come out here I want you guys to support them this is interactive you can determine how these athletes - so are you ready to see some strongman lifting I wanna hear this Matt Iseman Mark Henry and Eddie Hagen the crowd fired up and this is your Walker for revenge number one the first and five events the bow shock will open with a lift of 700 six pounds and every athlete after him will be lifting more weight again we go from the lightest lift to the heavier we will never come off the bar yes and this is going to be a chess match because all the time they know that they just got so many attempts and they can pull on the bar they get three attempts every every attempt matters bell shock will open to 796 as well last year if he can have a decent performance here he is also a threat to possibly win visible yes he is and deadlift is something that takes time to develop because it takes not only just the ability to get stronger you have to find that balance inside the bar you'll be able to get your leverage points that takes time yes Magnus is four-time world Strongest Man and has done many many strength athlete events such as Highland Games as well here's how the event will be scored so you get 10 points for first 9 per second you work your way all the way down to 10 receives one point the athlete who has the most points after two days and five events strongman classic champion we are set to get things started as the man from Slovenia Josh Bell shock get set for his first lift 796 pounds on that rogue elephant bar yes I don't know if he's had a chance to train on a bar this business this flexible as we said you've got to pull the bar be patient from the bottom pushing your feet down and really getting to where you get to your knees and then you can pull back on the horse up but it also wants to pull you forward that flex actually works to pull you forward using the straps the strap is a very different lift in some ways than the unstrap deadlift you're gonna see the athlete get us hips down all shot goes a minute to make is attempt 796 pounds and that will be no problem Melo shocks first attempt is good plenty of time he just wants to get an event in make sure that he's had a chance to fill the bar coming off the bottom you see how the bar does flex the end of those plates come off the come off last and that's what it gives that flex and that pulls you forward he has been dealing with somewhat of a hip issue as well as we saw in Santa Monica it looks like it's better didn't see any favoring of one side of the other up next match is Keller's Koski from Poland another man who looks to be the future of strongman trying to improve on his fourth place finish from last year's Arnold strongman classic he is also opening and 796 pounds applying the straps there are different types of straps or shorter ones our ones but mostly athletes kind of stick with longer at longer straps notice how he just wraps one time so he could get his hands on 796 four notches killers cost me [Music] 796 looks great 4k Laskowski is his first lift is successful he's got to be relieved that that went very smooth notice is wearing knee bands sometimes that can hold you up a little bit as the bar clears your knees that knurling can actually catch it but he did a very good job you can see which one's more confident when the deadlift that is Alexi Novikov the man who won the 2018 arnold strongman amateur competition at the ukraine hundred young athlete gets this chance on this stage with these other athletes I'm sure that some of these like some of these athletes and he sees like jf that he's talking to their or Brian Shaw he's he's been a fan of and now he's competing against them Novikov was here last year but he was not on this main stage and I have to see how he handles the crowd here now he's talking to one of the officials yes that's Deon Wessels notice how many of the athletes are coming out and sock feet or a very very low shoes what that does is it decreases the length of how far you have to pull the bar they have a higher she won't like a running shoe that's another inch after pole and with these kind of weights 802 for Alexi Novikov as he was just confirming his weight with the judge the athletes had to declare their weight last night they did have one chance to change it after warm-ups today yes looks like he's making a fashion statement is just getting getting his straps ready there you know two for Alexi no Manaus pardon me 28 20 is good for the youngster yes we have gone three for three so far yes Novikov looked Novikov looks a little relieved that he got that weight up going pulling a little bit of Shake in that that means as hamstrings were really struggling to get the bar up was opposed to your chain of busses he also has a very narrow foot stance and that that narrow foot stance maidan say he's gonna have to pull that bar further that works many times for deadlifts that you see in powerlifting competitions but in the last several years there have been many of the strongmen athletes are now having a wider foot stance and the straps allow the strongman to sit back more you see he started to roll the bar with the bar with this much flex that really doesn't help you that much with a stiffer bar like in powerlifting or a shorter bar rolling the bar back actually keeps that keeps the end of the hips active it actually makes it sort of a dynamic lift a little bit more off the bottom and I can tell if you time it correctly it makes the weight field a little bit lighter coming off the first six inches of the floor that is jean-francois corona out of Canada he's the 2018 Arnold Classic Africa champion that's how we qualified this year and he is stepping up to nine hundred four pounds I'm making a big jump from Alexi Novikov 820 he's in the thousand pound Club also wearing socks and korone drops 904 me he grabs his right hamstring there and gingerly walking back to the bench ojf korone talking to Brian Shawn it looks like her own grab for his right hamstring after this attempt drops his hip starts to pull and immediately stop as soon as the weight cleared the floor so the end of those plates as soon as those came off it looked like it was going to start very well something's happened to his hamstring we will have to see if that's something that will affect him the rest of the way but jf korone right now looking at a tenth place finish in this event unfortunately if he doesn't if he's not able to come out hill he will get last place points for this the other piece of this if he does actually declare another weight and it's got to be pretty close to that one because you just want to get an attempt in we call it bombing out if you don't get it if you don't get a valid attempt in and he cannot go lighter because again weight cannot come off the bar he has to attempt more than his last lift yes that's a very traditional way to perform any strength competition once you put weight on you can't take it off that is Ron ojala out of Estonia the 2018 arnold classic australia champion making his second appearance here at the Arnold strongman Classic in Columbus Ohio is eighth in 2018 and he will be up next very good deadlift I really like his style as he setting up getting the straps on what you're going to see as he sets his hips very firmly take the slack out of the bar and pushes his feet down into the floor very hard I think it's a very smooth start first attempt to run a Highline and that will count will get the weight on the bar for you but the most important thing for Heine is that his first attempt is good pushes very quickly very dynamic lift yes I used the Flex the bar a little bit differently and that he actually pushes his feet down as we talked about gets the bar to his knees pretty quickly it didn't look like it pulled him forward I'll bet he's been practicing with a bar with some flex in it I was very impressed by his deadlifting strongman classic take a second to do some bar maintenance a little bit of blood on the bar and as you mentioned bill that knurling that you see that rough the spot opposite of that smooth middle do a good job of scraping up your legs yes it does so deadlift bars are known for that anymore with flex in it and what happens is that bar comes off the floor and goes right into your shin you notice that he actually had the bar at an inch or so above in front of his shin when he started so when he pulled back it does get it hits you right in the shin Ezra Ezra coming that's why really one of the things you want to focus on is being patient at the bottom of this lived with this kind of our and trying to get just a little bit more just a little bit more time to push from the bottom here's where we stand so far we are through five athletes in Toronto Hilah has the heaviest list 1903 but we are just in the first round and we still have five more athletes to lift that's not surprising rau know is it's a very good deadlift er as we as we talked about he placed third in the deadlift World Championships in 2016 there's Martines li sees with his first attempt he won the arnold classic europe competition also won the Arnold Classic USA competition that was held a couple months ago in Santa Monica right there on the pier 420 kilos for leases and that is no problem yes he was very patient so our head judge Magnus ver Magnusson give the down signal sitting way back to pull the bar back back back back and that's exactly what the straps allow you to do and a little bit wider foot stance you can really focus on pulling back what that does is it allows you to have your shins more upright it allows you to then use your levers to pull back on the bar one of the one of the major mistakes that people make when they when they deadlift if they can't find that spot they end up getting at getting their shoulders in front of the bar and there are their knees in front of the bar and when that happens it's very difficult to pull back it's not like a clean where you need your shoulders in front of the bar and then you can or snatch for you need your shoulders in front of the bar to allow your your posterior chain levers to get the bar accelerated with the deadlift you want to sit back again this isn't just power this is strength the Siberian forest makalah schifflet cough is up next [Music] 950 pounds for his first attempt 431 kilos [Music] this is quite a start for him but we've seen in the past he has a heart of a lion the winner the Zhukov medal [Music] no problem for Shimla cough 950 in the books for him in his opening lift one more look at that one so notice how he dips his hips and that gives him some dynamic gives him a little bit of dynamic force instead of pulling on allowing the bar to roll back on to him with this much flex you really can't do that so he puts some dynamic opening movement on it by flexing his hips down half-door does the same thing I can tell you personally when you do that when you sit down on the bar you can feel your posterior chain particularly your hamstrings tighten up just a little bit it gives you a little bit of spring now we couldn't we we're good we're in opening attempts so what happens these guys are very calmly coming out trying to make sure that they can have a good attempt and then move forward we'll talk a little bit more about what happens when when there's more weight on the bar and what the crowd does for you and one of what an athlete's mental aspect does for you that is Bryan Shaw he has finished first or second here at the Arnold strongman classic seven of the last eight years he the second last year after Loeb Norton and his opening left will also be 950 pounds and this is a man we expect to see in the top three and may be making a run at that 500 kilo record after all abuse and still awaiting his turn shot get himself psyched up his first attempt nine hundred fifty pounds on the bar was a crowd favorite here in Columbus Brian with that very wide foot placement he tells me likes to wear somewhat of a shoot see a very flat shoe as the other athletes like to wear socks but he said for him he likes to really be able to push out on his feet 950 pounds for Brian Shaw [Applause] and that goes up easily very easily done so he uses two he's applying two of those principles he's actually rolling the bar back once I roll the bar back flex his hips down and stands up very very easily that was a very commanding lift he's been practicing on a longer bar as I said he always comes prepared Bryan Shaw with 950 pounds impressive lifts for his first attempt and now you're defending champion authority or tson and the record holder in this event and 1041 pounds his opening attempt five more pounds in Bryan Shaw he's going to go for 955 so that Stephan sold me Peterson his coach Stephan soul he is a world-class strong man in his own right place as high as fourth at the TWI Ross Wong's man after we're setting up he's had terrific training might even follow that on the on the Internet he also has those very wide foot stances just like Brian Shaw goes to the taller athletes with similar setups after Lorenson attempt number one 955 pounds [Applause] gravity is not a problem for that man with 955 pounds of that goes up just like Brian Shaw is opening list lifts so now the battle is started between Shaw and fjords and one more look at Jordans opening left they both do the same thing they roll the bar back they've commanded that flexed I've been practicing with flecked with that bar with a longer bar with flex in it the other thing too is they do that little hip dip and that activates her posterior chain that looks like a formality that was really a warm-up on stage just to get the field after bjornsen another man we expect to see in that rogue record-breakers event immediately following this event the first of five events that these men will be competing in over the next two days these more weight being added for Gerry Pritchett who will go after 974 pounds okay so we're starting to see some of the some of the gamesmanship play itself out why 974 so Gerry's really playing inside of having confessed placement possible and it looks like he's going to take a big leap at the end to strike he wants to get that top three to strike at that 500 kilos as he is it it's a great deadlift we saw him pull 9:50 at Santa Monica and it looked easier than a 700 pound ploy I think it would agree with that Shawn he looked great in Santa Monica we have Brian Shawn to booth while he was lifting and if you watch Gerry Pritchett what makes him I think so good is that the fact that it looks the same regardless of the weight of the bar and he has the same form this is open the attempt at 974 pounds putting his straps on he to use a wide foot placement he pulls a little bit like Andy Bolton and I would encourage you to look at the look at the Andy Bolton style where he does he uses the his lever of his hips and his back pritchett right to work in 974 goes up [Music] Gerry Pritchett is looking to be the third man to possibly get himself into that rogue record-breakers segment you look at this live good to happen yes a little bit of a hip dip doesn't roll the bar back but notice how he kind of looks down as he starts his pull and what that allows him to do is just pull back back back he uses really levers not necessarily that that dynamic hip flexion round one is done we had ten athletes go nine of them had a successful lifts and Gerry Pritchett had the heaviest lifts at 974 pounds followed by half to a bjornsen Brian Shaw and McHale Sibley cough he a multi-species both lifting 926 now the athletes will enter their second weights and again we will go from lightest up to heaviest and there's a good bet that Gerry Pritchard will be one of the man the man who was in that heaviest category more Maness being done on the bar around 2:00 so Shawn just to put this in perspective the world Scot the world record for strongman deadlift for the straps in 2011 was set by his rudeness of biscuits around 970 and here comes Jerry Bridget and an opening attempt and made it look 14 and that would have been the world record just a few years ago and strongmen Jerry actually pulled the world's record in the in powerlifting a couple of years a couple of years ago and it was on a second attempt because he had to rush off and catch a plane because the meat was running late he didn't even get his third attempt and he pulled a deadlift world record in parallel which means no strap across hand pole mikhail sholokhov who successfully lifted 950 pounds he was one of 10 men to go in the first round jf Peron who was the only man who didn't have a successful lift injured himself on this attempt at 904 pounds and he will be out for the rest of the deadlift of it but we do not know whether or not he will stay in the competition a hamstring injury a hip injury that's that's sort of like having a knee injury for a running back or a shoulder injury for for a baseball pitcher that's really hard to overcome because that that hip flexion is dependent on those hamstrings as Jerry Bridget the man who is right now everybody's boots on pounds of it also yes everyone's been talking about half Thor and in Brian's preparation for the deadlift but really I don't want to be too emphatic about this Jerry is right in that hunt Jerry Pritchett didn't have the best overall result last year but he is a great deadlift or these are your top two men from last year after appearance and on the left of Brian Shaw on the right Pritchett finished sixth in 2018 but we're starting off with an event that is definitely his strength yes now they're starting to get a little more serious you can see their their faces are a little more a little more concentrated than a little more concentration in their face so when you're pulling a heavy deadlift there when you get to the higher weights there's the way that the deadlift looks and the way that the deadlift feels this is Pritchett opening lifted 974 pounds and that look that looked easy and it probably felt pretty good for him too so if you could get your first lift and that creates a lot of a lot of confidence for the athletes you can't effect yourself with attempts look at his first lived in 974 pounds I don't think people understand how difficult that is and Jerry perch it makes that look easy yes notice he uses his hips but he used them in a different way he really uses his hips to to keep him to keep his low back in that position and he gets he gets the bar up to his up to his knees and then his back is in a great position just to just to pull back that his lower back he keeps a very flat back position even if he looks down at the initial part of the lift that's not negotiable you have to keep that lower back in mid back flat some of the more experienced editors also sort of let their their upper shoulders our upper back slump forward a bit and that's something that requires a lot of practice a lot of upper back strength we get into these heavier weights we found the 1980s that there was actually it is a packed crowd here at the Greater Columbus Convention Center this was first-come first-served for a lot of the seating and these people were showing up early in the morning to be able to watch these 10 strongest men in the world by for the title of our old strongman Classic champion this is round two matches Keller's Koski great lift for Calais Cosby it seems to be limping just a bit one more look see if we can see where you might run into trouble you really had the double hits that just a little bit that might have been one got Apple so notice how his feet are also closer together he's also got a more narrow hand stance on the bar as well I think with this height he would be better served by having a wider foot stance that will cut down the distance also would help him uses his levers a little bit better man of that fight has that's terrific leaders Mateos killer scoffs keys weakness is the deadlift if he wants to stay alive for one of the top three spots he's got to have a good performance in this event not three spots over all that is Alexei Novikov will be up next he is the rookie 840 pounds for Novikov it takes some time to develop your man muscles so these younger athletes are learning that lesson firsthand Novikov certainly has the most colorful Sokcho end of the athletes and help him with his first attempt at a twenty and now twenty pound leap to 840 pounds his second three lifts [Music] [Music] Novikov will get the lift so two for two for the youngster from Ukraine also with a very narrow foot stance and if you'll if you'll notice their foot stance a little hip flexion look where his thumb is his thumb is actually both of his thumbs are in front of the bar so he's using the strap completely to hold that bar teaming for two for Alexi Novikov 840 pounds good on his second attempt not Josh Bell shock will be up next he did 796 on his opening attempt and now he is making the jump to 860 pounds war is loaded you do have to admire this apparatus I'm in this implement these plates are just beautiful this this is this is unbelievable look at those plates there they've got the wide well the white well dish just like the old York plates did the manufacturer back in the 40s and 50s when they didn't have bumper plates so that made a little less shock on the plates but each and every one is handcrafted with the Austrian oak himself right inside the plate those are beautiful absolutely beautiful that's Martines Lisa's who hit 950 pounds on his first attempt here's my Josh Bell checkout of Slovenia watch out 260 pounds macho's told me he was born strong grew up in a family of cooking enthusiasts his parents owned a restaurant in Slovenia where he sometimes works as an apprentice chef and probably hauls a lot of big objects around that restaurant that's 860 that goes up easily little bit of hip flex very smoothly done so any kind of hip issue you had previously it looks like that's been solved I think he's going to take a big leap because he had two very good attempts he solved a little bit of the problem with the Flex in the bar he's probably gonna take a pretty big jump meaning he's gonna look at billing them up to probably close to 900 pounds Raoh hi Ella from Estonia will be up next 950 pounds he was eighth overall last year at the 2018 arnold strongman classic six-time estonia's Strongest Man yes Estonia the home of George Hackenschmidt beautiful documentary that was done by rogue I'd encourage everyone to look at that again it's pretty amazing that men from countries that have traditions and strength find themselves on the high altar of strength which is the carnal strongman classic state just as jf korone he himself also is from Quebec just like Louis Cyr so this tradition lives amongst these strong men that come from countries that have tradition and strong men some of the some of the athletes choose to the thinner straps something like the thicker straps serranos right forearm that is a tattoo that reads you want it then fight for it six years ago we tore his right Achilles tendon doctors told him he would just have to recover from it he had some surgeries six to be exact says it's still injury he feels from time to time but here he is competing in the 2019 our old straw man classic and trying to deadlift nine hundred fifty pounds for his second of three attempts I love the way solidly locks his hips his before he stars [Music] righto Hilah hits 950 pounds it's very happy I don't know if that's a personal best for him but he's very happy with that so far that sets him up to get a bigger lift so he's he's setting his hands he used this he uses a fairly narrow hand and hip placement and foot placement he gets his feet gets his feet together I just loved the way again how he walks his hips into this lift it really does that lift that lifting style pushing his feet down and looking down when he starts to live excellent live so he's looking down till he gets the bar to his knees and then he just looks up and that's a style of many power lifters use chrono Heinlein nine hundred fifty pounds we go through four athletes here in the second of three rounds so commanding that flex allows him to pull more weight because I believe he got just nine with only 900 pounds but at the Santa Monica show without this longer bar blending off the bar again making sure everyone's safe getting a little bit of blood and these guys have seen each other's blood before they compete all the time they train together or gather over climbing these competitions here about five is real through four athletes in the second round Gerry Bridget still your leader at night 9:50 and here's Marty's theses his second attempt 970 pounds four pounds less than frigid lifted and round one and 970 is good for the dragon that is a personal best for him every point counts and he's moving himself up there are four more events after this you're indeed correct every point counts and Marty's leads he's trying to get as many as he can and does himself a favor with this was a lot of hip flexion notice how he bounces that bar heavily into his shins but he's got those he's got those knee wraps that cover them to offset that that really a violent pullback at least he says certainly one of the more animated athletes in the field he does not hold back after that lift and now mikhail sholokhov second attempt for him 974 pounds looking to tie Gerry Pritchett for the lead but Pritchett has yet to lift in this second round his first lift look really really good so this should be a solid lift for me but again there's a way that lifts look and then the way the lifts feel so it's hard to tell what's going through an athlete's head when they're getting into their second and third attempts served in the Russian Navy as a marine sailor that's why he where's that beret third overall last year on the 28 teen Arnold strongman classic in just his second career appearance I think one of the things would always jump out about me with this athlete is he really commits himself he is committed to making this live let's lift the tie Jerry Bridget for the lead at 974 pounds [Music] [Applause] and Sibley coughed with the blood running from his nose that is common for him he has that problem a lot he is okay but that lift will count nine hundred seventy four pounds solid off the off the bottom controls that flex gets it to his knees and has to shake it a little bit to get it back and then the blood coming out of his nose he did that last year like I said he really commits he done that doesn't bother him now flick off making sure that the maintenance crew stays busy they are cleaning the barbell once again and the floor we few we happy few we band her brothers for he who bleeds with me today shall be my brother and these guys are really close you can see them on the side talking to each other saying you know good lifts or you know maybe do this or that Brian shops is up next and we're moving into the thousand pound club now 1021 pounds on the barbell just 40 pounds less than half Thor's top dark mark that he put up last year of 1041 pounds and now things getting serious for Brian Shawn round two setting up the big wide foot placement Shaw locked in and ready to go 1021 pounds on the ball [Music] and Brian Shaw stands up 1021 pounds and on his a personal best for him on the elephant bar and here we go bill yes that was just a second attempt so he's going to put another big attempt on his third attempt in the competition I don't think he's even thinking about the 500 kilos right now he's thinking about competition points pushes off the floor gets it to his knees efficiently pulls back no wasted movement Gerry Pritchett gets to follow that and Gerry frigate is adding weight to the bar 1030 pounds where Jerry Pritchard is Brian Shaw now has one flip remaining Bridget came into this round as your leader his last lift round number one 974 pounds up into wreaths claimed the lead now as he is currently behind Brian Shaw I believe this will be a personal best for him as well on the elephant bar so now we're getting into the big prey locking into these big deadlifts ten-thirty ones actually his personal best so not quite as personal best but this is still just the second attempt here comes Bridget approaching the Elephant Bar 1030 pounds look at all the cameras coming out in the crowd this is a big moment here early in this competition not using a really long strap getting right to work and Bridget comes up limping so 1030 does not go up for Gerry Pritchett that's unfortunate a little a little bit of a pull level one more look 1030 pounds there was a lot of Shake in the bar at the beginning I think he just didn't have the spot so that bar pulled him forward and I think that's that's what's happening to the athletes that he did pull the bar a little bit more quickly than normally so usually a little more patient and that's the that's that's the that's the issue with this bar is that you've got to control that shake the other thing is that that you've got to overcome what your body's telling it which is stop pulling after abuse and up next he has the record on this implement at 1041 pounds he is looking to change that with only his second lift 1045 pounds on the bar for the mountain this would be a new world record on the Elephant Bar this is only as a sect the second attempt this shows that he is ready getting some Icelandic Viking Berserker going lowering all inhibitions 1045 pounds and a new elephant bar world record at stake right now for the man they call them out half Thor bjornsen and only the second round he has one lift remaining after this [Music] Wow give me a break how easy is that in a new world record 1045 pounds from the mountain I mean come on bill that is ridiculous that was very very impressive that was very very impressive I've I actually have almost speechless by that he pulled he pulled that bar from the bottom and there was almost no doubt as soon as he started the pole I mean this is a new world record he beats his mark from last year and look how easy this is absolutely he's got that pull back he dips his hips posterior chains activated he's looking down gets it to his knees pulls back he's got all those components down he is your new leader your new world-record holder and we have one round to go as Bernsen will get some well-deserved rest as we get set for round three here are your standings after buren sin' Brian Shaw second Gerry Pritchett could not get 1030 pounds but is still in third place overall Mikhail shabluka from our team's bc's rounding out the top five with Ronald hyelin's lifts of 950 pounds good enough for sixth place right now Brian's 1021 looks good but it wasn't that easy we've been here that easy anyway as we expected the battle between the two favorites starting early as Brian Shaw is going to try to chase down after buren s'en in round number three everybody else is basically going for positioning and points in this event as we get ready for round three and Brian Shawn looks on let's take one more look at this world record lift it takes it takes a long pull back on the bar perfect timing pulls back he just got all the components right he just got all the components right that was perfect after reports and has just fired up after that the record is the big record 500 kilos 1100 pounds and given what you have seen so far today bill and you think that record is in danger yes he told me last year that he was shooting for the 500 kilogram market and I said that's great but it looks like he's set up himself pretty pretty well to at least make a very strong run and he went ahead in the competition so now it's going to be interesting to see what Brian does for his next attempt does he get just a bit more than this and and understands that half the work and try to make too big of a jump because have to or go right after the next big attempt being the 500 kilograms or is he playing for the points now we're waiting for weight selections we are through two of three rounds is the opening event of the 2019 Arnold strongman in classic the first of five events that will be contested over the next two days this is the most prestigious and the heaviest strongman event throughout the year and that man Brian Shaw looking to reclaim his title last year second overall to half their appearance in Brian's favorite saying to people is you don't always have to be the strongest but you do have to be the smartest strong man and he always proves that here's what these two athletes have done over their careers 18 total appearances here at the Arnold strongman classic between the two of them shot got started a little bit earlier than bjornsen they've won four times between the two of them Shaw old Erdem shortened at 37 years old what half Thor last year really established himself as the man to beat and Brian Shaw really wants to reclaim his title as we are set for round three in matches Kailas Koski is up first interestingly he's put his feet out a little bit 871 pounds on the bar for caylor's Cosmo this would be a best live for him [Music] and caylor's Koski will get it now although he is not in contention for the win in this event that has got to be a big confidence builder for this absolutely it's another step forward it's another step forward so you got a you got a personal best he did put his feet out look his feet are just a little bit further than they were previously he had a good push off the floor and he had to pitch it back but it's a good lift and he gets some applause on the left of your screen for Brian Shaw who said he would love to have Kalish Koski at his gym and help train him in the deadlift yes and again that shows that that there is a Brotherhood this is rarefied air that these men are trying to be as strong as possible and redefine how strong how strong people can be really and in that quest they had only this only strong men understand that that's about Josh Bell shock looking on as he mentally prepares himself for his third and final lift Alexey Novikov will be up next 884 pounds another very talented youngster making his first appearance here at the Arnold strongman classic he was your ammeter champion last year that's how he earned his way into this competition going for over 400 kilograms is a must for any strongman they used to be a really a watermark but now it's just sort of the lift that gets you into the upper echelon so being able to deadlift the strongmen but four kilos is a watermark especially for a 23 year old athlete Novikov using those smelly cells to get himself fired up that lowers your inhibitions lowering your inhibitions allows your nervous system to cut loose any sort of control that says stop doing this it allows you to throw yourself forward into it another old trick was to drink a shot of whiskey before a big deadlift whatever makes that weight go up and this I've seen in this competition whatever you need to do I've seen it before Brad Cash in 1983 [Music] lexi Novica 884 pounds [Music] just cannot get it to his knees and then overcome the weight and he will bow out but a good opening performance for the rookie Alexey Novikov his best lift 840 pounds one more look at the failed attempt he has very narrow foot placement and with the narrow foot placement he's got his feet pointing forward so if he even pointed his toes outward a lot of great power lifting dead lifters have they can have that closed foot placement but they point their toes outward that allows you to activate your quadriceps more from the bottom it's actually a pretty good quad exercise to put your heels close together and point your toes out it's called a duck deadly but with your feet straight and your and your your knees pointing forward like that it just turns into all hamstringing back he's not using other other muscle groups really more like this quadriceps you know [Music] who knows over 40 with carefully selected weight because he's looking for point placement and unlike many of the other athletes he has been a strong man his entire career athletically [Music] here's a 91 for bail shock and that will count not judge Bell shocked out of Slovenia perfect three for three and the Elephant Bar deadlift beautiful live beautiful live we talked about anything it takes punching himself in the forehead to get himself fired up there we go then gets his focus going lowers his inhibitions he commits he really gets that far past his knees quickly I think he had more in the tank unquestionably Ron Ohio will be up next his Bell shock takes a break as his event is over 979 79 pounds with a man from Estonia I mean again it's kind of ridiculous that we're little laissez-faire about the fact that he's pulling close to a thousand pounds this is a fantastic deadlift and like you mentioned this was a mark net not very long ago was seen as possibly unreachable yes it was the world's record just a few years ago the strongman world's record notice he's got those dick wraps against us on the shins so he's going to pull that bar pretty strongly against his shins he's just using that extra protection sometimes that that actually causes a little more friction as the knurling of the bar can catch that and slow the bar down just like me raps sometimes we'll do the same thing so it's some of these things or trade offs they fill it that extra that extra bit that they get from that particular be wrapped around the shins are helpful even if it slows the bar down for them this is the way that they feel like final lift for Ron oh hi ela 979 [Music] you'll get that solid hip placement and get this lift moving hila won't get it to go thanks to crowd and you will go to for three and his opening events great effort it pulls back he had his knees just in front of the bar when he started the lift even though he corrects that pulls back his knee the front of his knees are just a little in front of that bar if he can correct that and get those knees more solidly placed think that start to get over to the thousand-pound club we found Shiva cough is up next get you the wave once that's confirmed but he has hit 950 in 974 that means there's one lift remaining at Marty's species will be up next because schifflet cough has changed his weight they do have the option to do that in this final round they can make one change yes I really like the sequence of events because lifting natural stones and dead lifting are great complementary exercises these guys are pulling big deadlifts they've all been training with carrying slabs and shouldering a stone that stone limping has really sent their their debt these deadlifts are higher level I know training heavier with the deadlift and focusing on them but I think they're very complimentary Marty's lease is up next and this is a huge lift for him 1001 pounds trying to give himself into that exclusive 1,000 pound group the man they call the dragon moved to California when he was 20 years old Norwegian strongman legend those bodies took DC's under his wing and he is here as a result of that tutelage 1,001 pounds looking to become a sixth man to lift four digits leases will not get it to go and the club stays at five members well gets his hips down guess the bar started fairly broken off the ground another day more deadlift training he's still a very young athlete and in terms of top level competition and he still has a mark under his belt which is his best he did pulled over 900 pounds a couple of years ago with the Arnold here with their own strongman classic now because Shiva cough will come up next 1000 5 pounds for Shiva cough he's looking to finish inside the top three in this opening event incentive so loves nicely for the rest of the competition total commitment [Music] you will continue to fall so there's nothing left and Shiva cough can I get 1005 to go the Siberian forest hang in the crowd that's showing how that mythic 1000 pound Club that number has got to get in their hat to once you put four digits did you know that as a competitor that's got to get inside your brain he had to get a good he had a good start on that he did he didn't over pull the bar he started a little bit quick more quickly than he's been he wasn't his patient on that he was trying to get a little more gas going on it yes the the Europeans are aware of the thousand-pound Club even though they just they mostly work with kilograms because the the big events that happened in the US this will be a Rick this should be a record for Brian Shaw with the Elephant Bar 1049 pounds after bjornsen just set the Newmarket 1045 that was in round two and he has yet to lift so he could train records here Brian Shaw looking to set the new world record on the elephant bar but remember half-door bjornsen has yet to go he's visualizing his lifts he's thinking he's looking up he's saying okay I've got it he's got a checklist in his head I'm certain he's got a checklist in his head in other words he says he's going to get his feet a certain spot hands in a certain spot he's gonna feel a leverage point he's gonna push down with his feet he's just gonna focus on getting that part of his knees we're coming away from the top he's checking off his head what has to happen [Music] Brian Shaw looking to jump after abort search for first place in this event and set a new elephant bar world record in the process yeah he really wants this will we see another record 1040 five pounds for Bryan Shaw getting himself getting himself set up he's had all year to think about last year when he had a chance for the third deadlift to take the lead [Music] here we go and Shah falling forward over the bar on that attempt it will not go for him and that means that half Torbjorn Singh is the winner of this event with one lift remaining so every one more look at Bryan Shaw as the crowd salutes him everybody's got their phones up trying to record history a little bit of flex in the bar and again when those leverage points are so hard to find that bar pulled him forward notice he pulled back as he started to pull back the bar got caught against his shin and the park bar gets caught against her shin I can make your hips go forward a little bit so half Thor bjornsen is your next man and he is going to go for that magic number eleven hundred pounds five hundred kilos is the Marquis needs to be this is a fifty thousand dollar lift he is getting ready to make he already has the Elephant Bar world record he set that on his last lift at 1045 pounds he can set another one with his third and final lift and take home 50 grand in the process this is absolutely historic absolutely a story okay they're going to go through their ritual to get him mentally ready to start this bull all this training all this thinking about his goal of lifting over 500 kilograms and setting the all-time world record not just the elephant bar deadlift record but the all-time world record in the deadlift from from the ground so we've eclipsed the thousand pound mark now we're in the 1100 middle after bjornsen staring at history and 1000 105 pounds getting the crowd behind him as he lines up for his third and final attempt $50,000 on the line here for half their bjornsen [Applause] for all the marbles here it is at the knees if your chin cannot get blood coming from his forehead that's how intense that effort was he sets the Elephant Bar death deadlift record he wins the event but the mountain cannot best the Beast and the record remains in Eddy halls possession for the time yes it does but what you did good but what he did get was an important win for points there's one more look at what it would it would have been history his hips came up just a little more quickly than they have on the other lips patient off the floor his hips came up a little more quickly after appearance and looks like it strike himself from the forehead to sort of get himself psyched up and then when he started the lift to start the bleed a little bit Jordison wins the event 1045 pounds and a new elephant bar world record Brian John will finish second Gerry Pritchett despite the fact that he didn't make a third lift will tie for third with mid Kyle schifflet cough markings Lisa's rounding out the top five one record is set and it was half through bjornsen and this was the lift that did it 1045 pounds notice how his hip place was just a little bit lower with that left Hathor bjornsen on just his second left best the mark that he sent last year by four pounds and earns ten points in the process Brian Shaw will get nine Pritchett and shabluka seven-and-a-half each that's the third and fourth place added together and then split that's why at seven point five in Marty's Lisa's finishes in fifth one event down and one record has already fallen here at the Arnold strongman Classic and it belongs to that man after appearance and Jerry Bridget with a strong showing as the Kyle shimla cop did well or events for me though and the mountain has the lead stay with us here the Husa fell stone carry event - is up next at the 2019 Arnold strongman classic [Music] you you the 2019 Arnold strongman classic continues here at the Greater Columbus Civic Center in Columbus Ohio a jam-packed crowd taking at all things fitness I'm Sean whooping alongside dr. bill Crawford we are through Glenn event for events remain just one event remains for this evening here is where we stand after the deadlift that man Jerry Pritchett is currently tied for third he was able to make his opening lift and 974 pounds but then in round two he went for 1030 pounds and was unable to complete it sort of hobbled off the stage he is still in the competition Brian Shaw takes second place he made 1021 pounds on his second lift and then trying to set a new record at one thousand forty nine thousand Brian Shaw just did not have enough half for yarns set the record in this event last year in 2019 1041 pounds in 2018 1045 today to win the event then he went after the big one 500 kilos 1000 105 pounds indoors and almost had it and was that close to $50,000 but does get the event win and earns 10 points Brian Shaw one point bacterial frigate miles to the top tied for third shall they take the points and the dragon Martine fleeces rounding out the top five the second of five events the Husa fell stone carry and we will be using a replica of one of the most famous strongmen implements in the world and this is a test that has been around bill for hundreds of years yes the legend of the Husa fell stone courses through the veins of every strongman there are two points of success that I want to talk about one is having an efficient lift off like off the floor that means getting your hips down standing the stone up getting it up into your lap and starting to carry the second the second thing to look for is breathing you've got to be able to breathe the supply oxygen to the lungs and to the into the body so that you can continue to carry when this test was first administered men would carry it around a sheep pen that measured about 101 feet around we don't have a sheet pan here obviously so we will use the stage and this is the order of the competitors we go from last to first in the prior event jf korone was the only man who did not have a successful lift he bowed out of the deadlift without lifting any weight he will start he would be followed by a Lexy Novikov then we'll end with haftorah bjornsen who finished first the prior event but Alexey Novikov will actually be up first so this is a natural stone and natural stones aren't made to be lifted in other words they're gonna have to read the stone and lift it most men that carat that do the who Sibel stone carry I want to stand the stone up and then swing it up under there under their lap and then start the walk some might actually just want to reach down and pick it up so they do they are allowed some time to look at the stone this is called reading the stone the stone knows more about a natural stone knows more about how to how to lift itself than we do so you have to be able to listen to it in other words build a balance in your hands is there an area that feels like there's a little more purchase on it with your fingers you've seen the actual who Savelle stone you've written books on this stuff I've carried that jewelry proce home this would you said is pretty close this is very close they actually took 3d pictures and rogue made a justo fell stone but importantly this is stone that when this was a stone that was brought from Iceland and then constructed into the actual rim of this inclusive else home they have to go around all of those stones jf korone we showed you him as the man who is going to need this thing obviously know before the competition you want to keep moving your feet moving your feet as you move your feet best distance and you only have so much time to carry the stone it looks like he's rhythmically breathing you can see in and out in and out he's digging his fingers into the stone slowing down just a little bit [Music] impressive so far from the youngster his attempt ends once he drops it got to complete laps Stone goes down they'll mark that impressive effort from Alexi Nova copying his first appearance in the Arnold traum Bank classic he was your ammeter champion in 2018 and you talked about breathing quick feet he did both of those very well on this attempt yes he did see how he's see it look at his face in-out in-out taking deep breaths in other words he's an arrhythmia of breathing make sure he fills his lungs with oxygen and that's very important too with this look the stone is on his chest and it's hard to do that some men will actually turn the stone instead of straight up they like that's an indication of how heavy this thing is for and I'd say rather large men having to harness that thing up and drag it back to the start this is an epic event it's over 400 pounds just lifts itself of this stone is a fantastic lift and I'm sure these guys appreciate Novikov dropping it's so close to start they only had to drag it about ten feet back yes I think someone's gonna probably drop it on the other side at some point we are waiting for the official distance on no Vikas attempt it's shocking how close that is the actual Musa fells some men will actually try to turn the stone 90 degrees and lift it a little more widely and that puts the stone further down and off your chest so that you can breathe some but most actually stand it up because you can get your arms around just a little bit more easily with that that that taller stance Magnus ver Magnusson legendary strongman here the head judge Te'o scalars Koski he's on the right of your screen in that black rogues shirt the youngster out of Poland his worst event is now behind him and we know what this kid can do with stones yes polish athletes are traditionally great with these strength endurance events mariusz pudzianowski I've seen I've seen him compete also Sebastian winter another great strongman from Poland and they were both very very good with strength endurance events still waiting on the official distance from Alexi Novikov countless Koski has 60 seconds to get that thing lifted very efficient lifts as we said but very high what's up on his chest no vikas distance was 211 feet 6 inches as Kalish cos he gets to work constantly going around and around that's much harder than straight ahead when they use it the world Strongest Man competition in the early 90s in Iceland that was a straight-ahead take this is much harder going around and around these turns in each lab is 101 feet that is the same diameter of that original sheet pen that the Moussa fell stone was carried and now kilos cos he is struggling a bit remember his attempt ends once he drops it now it's just trying to get as much distance as he can before that thing slips through his grip and the stone is down a little surprising I thought he probably was going to go a little farther so that really shows the the terrific first attempt by Novikov and Kant Laskowski taking a second before he stood up and grabbed his groin muscles a little bit and doesn't look like he's too happy with that attempt he gets he gets a great pick on the stone called a pic but he does put the stone quite high on his chest these are all things he's gonna learn as he goes as he gets further in his competitive life he moves his feet quickly which covers distance but then that stones high up on his chest and it didn't look like he was doing that rhythmic breathing so his muscles don't get the oxygen he starts to get lightheaded you lose your grip and the whole thing falls apart quickly Kailas Coski 112 feet one inch Alexei Novikov we are early we're only through two athletes but he has the top mark of 211 feet six inches in matches Bell shock will be the third man to hoist the Husa fell stone notice they allow them to have those little towels that have some some pine pitch on the but not not tacky there's not they're not allowing them to tacky up that would take away from the event and traditionally you don't want to use tacky terry Todd's vision for this event was to have historic events and do them in historic way just as the natural stone lifts that they'll do tomorrow night to the shoulder will not allow tacky to be directly applied but just the towels that they provide that the officials provide to them once again he has 60 seconds to lift that thing if he can't lift it they don't get to actually make an attempt so you have to get that stone up and lift it now right now he's struggling he's struggling because he's got his heels behind the stone if he had his heels closer to the front of that tip of the stone it would be a little easier and that was the first thing you talked about efficient lifting Bell Shaq hasn't up when I'll start his journey around that 101 foot circuit so we can see his face and see if he's actually looks like he is he's he's pushing air and in and out of his lungs pretty well there you go see him he's got that rhythmic breathing going that rhythmic breathing's allowing oxygen to get into his muscles and keep him from getting lightheaded because that stones high up on his chest he's doing a great job though Bell shock to his knees and that'll do it when it starts to fall apart that's it because your grip goes that's another piece of this whole thing you're digging your fingertips into the stone that's smooth and it wasn't made to be lifted barbells were made to be lifted they've gotten Earling they're balanced now when you throw enough 45 pound plates on it that really doesn't that really doesn't play it play all the way out that well so notice he he has the stone right in front of his foot and then he's able to swing the stone up when he gets it when he swings it back a little bit the weight of the stone is over 400 pounds it's a 186 kilogram stone weighs 409 pounds I believe the Husa fell stone that's that's roughly what the Husa fell stone weighs he's breathing rhythmically but watch his grip starts to go he replaces the stone higher up on his chest but all that pressure on their chest it's hard to take a deep breath and your grip starts to go and you get lightheaded and the stone goes down it happens pretty quickly what it does happen Bell shock was two feet shy less than two feet shy of Kalish Koski Bell shock 110 feet 8 inches Alexi Novikov still your leader 211 feet 6 inches as now Ron oh hey Neela will step up to the who'sa fell stone so that young man Novikov really put himself in a great position he was he was starting the event it looked like well are we gonna see a lot of guys do two to two and a half to 3 laps and he was towards the bottom of the pack in that first event and with just five events you can't afford to have can't afford really to have one bad event but he has got to start digging himself out of a hole if he wants to really move up the standings here now Ron oh hey Neela starts to read the stone he's looking at it [Music] so if you miss read this stone what can happen is you can you not get the good purchase on the stone you have an inefficient lift he just overpowered the stone very strong dead lifter everybody's going with that style with his stones really high up he's locking his fingers into it so having the snow more more straight up and down will actually make it higher up on your chest and you see he's got his really does have his fingers wrapped in and the stone that's more of this more of his wrist so having having to keep his feet moving he's breathing rhythmically it appears that he did get past the other two athletes Rana Hina looking to move into second place is Alexi Novikov still half the top mark after that attempt but Hine look like you said just overpowered this thing and then was able to keep a pretty solid grip for most of his trip yes he really didn't read this down that much he just really reached down and picked it up because of such a strong man see his fingers are really having difficulty they're sliding backwards he's trying to get some get some air into his lunge but the stones so high up he starts to slow down the grip starts to go and he almost did the crew a favor and put it right back in the starting square so they have to move that thing a couple of feet before the next athlete comes up yes now imagine going to Musa fell where it's cold it's outside and that ground is broken up it's up and down it might be snowing it might be raining so these guys have a nice rubber mat and an indoor track to run on so that does give some advantage and for people who don't know about this stone in Iceland the actual Husa fell stone is it's akin to a National Monument yes it is there's actually a monument there now that that has an explanation about the stone and Iceland again in English and it's illegal to deface or remove the stone from the site so they know it's a national treasure and the Icelanders are very proud I thought talking to Honduras Goodman sin2 Peter Goodman señal so two healthy artists and they're very proud and Magnus Magnusson Magnussen that this stone is here and this carry is being done in the strongman we're waiting on a score update from all the athletes as they make sure everything is being calculated correctly and that's Martines VC's he's the fifth athlete to take on the who sub L stone and he is off to a very fast start yes they're all doing the same way straight up and down we're thinking that taller purchase on the stone Lee sees with one lap down that's 101 feet good foot movement look at his mouth he's moving air in and out of his lungs I called that myself a steam engine when I was carrying stones breathing like the train and VC's and that's been about the mark where most of the athletes have started to see their grip slip other than Alexi Novikov now notice very good lift so watch how he's pulling breath in pushing breath out he's not just passively breathing he's forcing air into his lungs and out of his lungs into his lungs and out of his lungs even though that stones pressing against his chest and then this stone starts to slide down notice his fingertips and your whole your whole being is just your fingertips in that stone and trying to go one more step in one more step Luke I love schifflet cough is up next looking to move up the overall leaderboard that's a that's just a little bit of pine tar on that towel it's not pine tar directly applied really it's more of a drying agent it just gives that smooth stone some a little bit of a little bit of stick to the forearm and somewhat to the hands I'll be interested to see how he picks this stone again no one's actually turned that sideways that 90 degrees sideways worked wider and that keeps the stone further down on their chest and that actually allows you to breathe instead of having a stone straight up and down schifflet cough is up next we will have all the scores at the end of the event as it is taking time for them to calculate everything exactly they're sorting every inch matters in this event he stands a stone up very efficient lift very nicely done locking the fingers that's another approach simple acabas off on his first lap 101 feet every trip around this track moving his feet quickly hopefully hang onto his fingers he is breathing well he's got one lap down he's slowing and the grip goes right there look off cannot catch the other man that we saw go before him it's just so tempting to want to pick that stone up and lock your fingers you would think that that would give him a better grip and it seemed that his grip failed more quickly than the other athletes I would agree Shawn now watch he's notice how he had had it right between his feet swung the stone back and it shot right into his lap very efficient now he locks his fingers and what that does it puts the stone even higher up on his chest see his hands are starting to turn his hands are starting to slip he is breathing well but his feet slow down it stones up on his chest there you go now he doesn't have he doesn't have an option once his fingers slip apart and your fingers will stick to the stone more effectively then they'll stick to each other unless they're locked but even that doesn't always play itself out [Music] Gerry Pritchett will be up next currently tied for third place overall with schifflet cough I really agree with having to start with this stone flat on the ground for years they were doing stone carries and different implements where they would start off with a barrel so the athlete didn't have to actually stay in the stone up remember the Africa stone that was used at Moustakas man he's gonna have a good start to this stone right up [Music] there goes Gerry Pritchett this look like he's breathing to rhythmically this grips already starting to slip he's slowing down he's swinging out so he getting around that corner so many athletes right in that little pack he just needs a few more feet to make a lap I think this is his bowl most gets there and that was his goal and he is upset at himself and came up sort of favoring his right leg a little but not putting a whole lot of weight on that thing and they were working on that leg after the deadlift what a warrior but look straight up and down swings it back gets a good lift very efficient and when you have a banged up hamstring in this event how does that have affect you carrying that stone well it starts to tighten up and then it starts to affect your lower back and then wants to fall forward see he's falling forward because his hamstrings tight plus it's a plus it's a 400 pound slick slab of stone but he's trying to carry not quite one total laugh of 101 feet for Gerry Pritchett so I would raise the end holding that right leg aloft and not putting a whole lot of pressure on it Gerry Pritchard has broken the stage okay these men looked at make that Moosa fell stone look light but again it is 400 plus pounds and he dropped its sharp edge down and you see the impact and it definitely made quite the dent yes all that focused energy right in one spot I'm sure they'll come up with a solution the road crews always very they could step over it they could just continue the event and say this is just part of what's happening now but also safety is also a concern the surface where you carried in Iceland it's not actually a smooth surface either a completely flat surface either we have just two athletes remaining as seven have gone the field is now down to 9 as jf korone withdrew from the competition after what looked like a hamstring injury in the elephant bar deadlift and this is where we stand coming into this event with haftorah bjornsen locking up those 10 points for the win and event number one Brian Shaw in second all by himself with an Gerry Pritchett and mikhail sholokhov splitting the points for third and fourth they add those points together and they divide by two that's how they figure out the seven point five and really this is this is no surprise until we're through just one event we're in event number two but no surprise that that man Brian Shaw and half the rope yards and are on top of the overall leaderboard yes I would agree and these are both giant athletes so an event like this where they have longer arms they can get it maybe let the stone right a little bit lower they have they have prolific back strength and leg strength to carry the stone this is such a fantastic event for a strongman competition what it is is this primal Renshaw who has been at the Arnold strongman Classic every year since 2010 he has finished first or second seven of the last eight years and he has won this competition three times a great champion for sure he also holds the world's record then the largest Atlas don't ever lift it so he knows a little bit about stone lifting but this is again a natural stone the Shah is one of those athletes who didn't start as a strongman he actually was a basketball player he attended Black Hills State University on a full basketball scholarship and during his time there he said he was hooked on the weight and that path kind of led him to strongman said he has always possessed what he calls brute strength and that will be on display in this event yes he's quite good with odd objects and just trying to mentally get a place where he can step around that and not actually step on that that area of the stage where it's a little bit soft here's the thing too Brian Shaw was warmed up ready to go then we had a delay how does that affect these athletes mentally it can't affect them some they put a piece of plywood under to shore up that that floor but he's a professional he'll just he'll that he lets get himself ready and keep moving forward it's really not something that's in his control to get upset about so now we just focus on what he can actually do to do his best for this event so going to full laps will put him in very good placing would make him the leader if you can get all the way around and comes from some distance down the straightaway here after two laps Alexey Novikov was the first man out and so far unofficially he carried that thing the farthest Brian Shaw the key from him is not necessarily beating Novikov it's beating the man who's going to come up next and that's how Florence a very nice Pig and he's actually tall enough to lock his fingers [Music] see if that strategy works now his fingers come apart he still has his hands on the stone moving his feet his breathing look he's good good breathing pattern rhythmically breathing in and out in and out he's done a lot of carrying events Shaw looking like he's starting to slip a little bit he'll get through one lap and then drop that 400-plus pounds stone now now we understand why the Moussa fell stone carries such an epic test of strength to carry that stone completely around the sheep's pin and lost in all this right now is the fact that Alexi Novikov a rookie so far has carried this thing the farthest and he was first out yes very very efficient live for Bryan locked his fingers good luck his fingers like that he does have the option if his finger slip apart let slip apart he can he can still get his fingers on that the fingertips on the stone he's looking for his placements it starts to slide down fighting for every point the raster bjornsen is the last man remaining and all he does need to do in order to basically hang on to the overall lead is complete a lap yes and this is a strategy does he go for the event win and put a couple of points ahead or as he conserve energy and just be one more point ahead of Brian and that's his choice he'll he'll understand that when he picks it up it feels like it's going well that he can carry it more than two laps being that he's from Iceland does that make this event mean more to him certainly and he's been that he's been to the Musa fell stone and carried it so he this is an event that he would be able to have some insight into that's for sure here are your official top three Alexi Novikov the youngster from Ukraine with a carry of 211 feet 6 inches Ronald Heimlich his second followed by Marty's DC's Novikov the worst he can do right now a second place and that will help move him up the overall standings that's fantastic so the reason they used that Snorri the farmer used this and at the sheep pen that we always talk about is because he didn't have wood to make a gate for when he sheared his sheep so he took this slab and put it up against the opening of the sheep's pen and he started carrying it and lifting it up onto the stone wall and that was called stirring he was strong if he lifts it egor half stirrer if you could actually lift it up onto the taller part of the wall full stoker full strength if you could pick it up and carry completely around without putting it down after appearance in the overall leader after the first event the last man to carry the stone and trying to beat the rookies mark Alexei Novikov 211 feet six inches [Music] bjornsen mulling that stone to his chest and he is off on his first lap very quick foot movement getting some rhythmic breathing going coming to the first very long strides one lap down for bjornsen and looking like he's gonna stay in the overall lead with three events remaining now can he tracked down the rookie Alexi Novikov yes he's vying for that first-place finish he's making a statement here he comes all the way around this one's gonna be close as the stone is down for half through bjornsen and one thing is for sure though he will be your overall leader after two events maintaining national pride the first time I went to Iceland a six year old woman at the hotel that I was going to stay in asked me why I was there and I told her the stone she didn't ask what's known and she gave me directions they know what this stone means over there the stone is nice no stone also no ins cria headland which means the pin slab in Icelandic and it looks like half Thorbjorn s'en may have edged out Alexi Novikov but that is unofficial if that is the case bjornsen will go two for two when the both opening events and after twenty total points heading into the second and final day very effective pick super super efficient it knows exactly where he needs to put his hands so not only digging your fingertips in you're locking it in with your chest so what you want is a silent upper body and locking it in with your upper body and moving your legs quickly keys to success and that was it we are waiting on the final results of this event but better news for Hathor bjornsen is that because of that performance he has put some significant distance between himself and Brian Shaw on the overall leaderboard we just don't know how much yet but bjornsen looking like he has gone two for two on day one and just edging out the rookie Alexey Novikov but we are waiting on the official results is half for bjornsen who won the Arnold strongman Classic for the first time in 2018 making a statement on day one very much so if you can understand if you can understand what this means to pick up this stone and be able to carry it and here he is first competition Musa fell stone he's from the Ukraine is not from Iceland but notice how he got his hands a little bit lower on the stone and he breathed really rhythmically he practiced this he's moving his feet because every footstep his distance impressive from Alexi no bakov who will take second place in this event and even more impressive that the man he finished behind was half Thor Jorn s'en the defending champion huge confidence boost for Alexi Novikov as we wrap up the first day of competition at the 2019 Arnold strongman classic just one of the many attractions here at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus Ohio has fans from around the globe gather here once a year and basically make this place the epicenter of fitness for a weekend one more day of competition remains there are three events that can certainly shake up this leaderboard and I know we're all looking forward to seeing the opening event of day number two that will be the wheel of pain the most unbelievable and epic implement that's ever been made for strongman here are your final results as half Thor bjornsen wins his second straight event beating Alexey Novikov by more than seven feet Brian Shaw who was in second place overall finishes an eighth and Jerry Bridget is in ninth that makes a very commanding lead that's a big shake-up Brian Shaw will have his work cut out for him on day number two if he wants to catch the mountain here are your overall standings now after two of five events haftorah bjornsen a perfect 20 points Ron oh hi Ella and Marty's leases are closest to him but they are seven points back Brian Shaw goes from first all the way down to fourth and Pritchett sliding down the leaderboard as well he goes from tied for third with mikhail sholokhov down to seventh but day number one of the arnold strongman classic belongs to half thor bjornsen he sets a world record and the Elephant Bar deadlift 1045 1045 pounds he world record and then he wins the Husa fell stones dairy action continues tomorrow here at the Greater Columbus Convention Center at 1:00 p.m. Eastern and we open it up with the wheel of pain thanks for joining us today everybody's board dr. bill Crawford I'm Sean woodland and we will see you on Saturday
