The final schedule for the Arnold Strongman Classic was just released for the Arnold Pro Strongman World Championships. This year’s Arnold will also host a variety of strongman competitions including pro strongwoman and amateur divisions. In addition, there will be a sanctioned competition for disabled strongman athletes.
Every year some of the top athletes in the sport of professional strongman come together to compete in the epic Arnold Classic showdown. For the full rundown of this year’s athletes to watch, check out our full 2017 preview. The final schedule of the Strongman Classic (Men’s Open Pro) is shared below, along with a quick description and video describing each event.
Friday, March 3rd
Event One – 3:50-4:45: The Bale Tote Yoke
- This event entails an athlete carrying 1,565 lb yoke as fast as possible in the pre-determined length. In 2016, Brian Shaw took first with Zydrunas Savickas (Big Z) came in a close second.
Event Two – 4:45-5:30: The Timber Carry
- For this event athletes grab the 1,140 lb timber square and proceed to carry it up a slanted surface in the quickest amount of time possible.
Saturday, March 4th
Event Three – 1:15-3:15: The Rogue Elephant Bar Deadlift
- 2017 will mark the second year Rogue’s Elephant Bar will be used in competition. Their custom made bar is longer than a regular Olympic bar, sets the height as a regular deadlift, and is made to accommodate up to 12-13 of Rogue’s custom made plates.
Event Four – 3:15-5:30: The Bag Over The Bar
- The bag over bar is new to this year’s competition and could possibly involve Rogue’s new strongman sandbags (they were released in 2016), but that’s only a speculation. For this event competitors work to lift a heavy sandbag over a pre-determined bar height.
Event Five – Starts at 9: The Austrian Oak
- The final grueling event involves competitors cleaning and pressing the 430 lb Austrian Oak for as many reps as possible. In 2016, Big Z and Vytautas Lalas were the only two competitors to hit a rep or more with the 2016 450 lb Austrian Oak.
This year we’ve already seen a handful of competitors sharing videos of their training in prep for the Arnold Classic. Hafthor Bjornsson and Brian Shaw have both shared recent log clean and press bests, while Big Z (last year’s winner) has remained relatively quiet.
2017 is looking to be another epic year for these elite strongman competitors. It’s going to be interesting to watch which athletes prepped for events they didn’t finish as strong in last year.
Feature image screenshot from Rogue Fitness YouTube channel.