The Chicago Pro bodybuilding show wasn’t the only strength sport event held in Tinley, IL, on July 22, 2023. The America’s Strongest Man U105KG and America’s Strongest Woman U82KG competitions were held together that same day.
2023 America’s Strongest Results
The contest featured 13 men and seven women vying for the title of America’s Strongest. Jeffrey Lee was crowned the U105KG champion 2023 Arnold Amateur winner Erin Murray claimed gold in the U82KG class. The full results are listed below:
Men’s U105KG
- Jeffrey Lee — 57 points
- Zack McCarley — 55 points
- Nick Hein — 43 points
- Brandon Burley — 39 points
- Justin Loy — 39 points
- Alec Soukup — 38 points
- Dan Hughes — 34 points
- Matt Moeller — 32 points
- Kevin Candito — 30 points
- Michael Congdon — 28 points
- Bill Kendall — 26.5 points
- Jon Parker — 26 points
- Johnny Wasiczko — 7.5 points
Women’s U82KG
- Erin Murray — 30 points
- Jessica Mitchell — 26.5 points
- Erin Walklet — 23 points
- Katie Gutwald — 22.5 points
- Cassandra Moore — 18 points
- Rachael Peterson — 13 points
- Jamie Schamma — Five points
[Related: The Ultimate Guide to Strength Training (and How to Get Started)]
Event One — Press Ladder
Both groups began the competition with the Press Ladder. It featured a combination of overhead presses, with each rep heavier than the last up to five total reps.
Competitors had to successfully lock out each weight in the fastest time possible. Jessica Mitchell was the quickest of all competitors, finishing in less than 50 seconds. Zack McCarley completed his set in just under one minute. They were the only athletes to convert all five weights.
Weights
- U105KG: 270, 290, 310, 330, 350 pounds
- U82KG: 170, 185, 200, 215, 230 pounds
Men U105KG
- Zack McCarley — 5 in 59.13 seconds
- Nick Hein — 4 in 32.97 seconds
- Jeffrey Lee — 3 in 21.28 seconds
- Justin Loy — 3 in 23.21 seconds
- Brandon Burley — 3 in 25.9 seconds
- Dan Hughes — 3 in 26.28 seconds
- Alec Soukup — 3 in 27.81 seconds
- Matt Moeller — 3 in 30.09 seconds
- Michael Congdon — 3 in 32.01 seconds
- Kevin Candito — 3 in 38.87 seconds
- Jon Parker — 3 in 48.89 seconds
- Bill Kendall — 1 in 6.09 seconds
- Johnny Wasiczko — 1 in 14.02 seconds
Women’s U82KG
- Jessica Mitchell — 5 in 49.87 seconds
- Erin Murray — 4 in 38.35 seconds
- Cassandra Moore — 4 in 42.44 seconds
- Erin Walklet — 3 in 30.09 seconds
- Rachael Peterson — 1 in 7.4 seconds
- Katie Gutwald — 1 in 8.9 seconds
- Jamie Schamma — 1 in 9.31 seconds
[Related: Should You Deadlift Barefoot? Here’s What the Experts Say]
Event Two — Max Farmer’s Carry
This was similar to a medley event. The athletes carried each implement from lightest to heaviest 30 feet. If an athlete finished all five implements, the time was scored, but no competitor completed the course.
Lee made it to the 430-pound implement. Katie Gutwald topped off the women’s rankings with her heaviest load of 300 pounds.
Weights
- U105KG: 260, 300, 340, 370, 400, 430, 450 pounds
- U82KG: 180, 210, 240, 270, 300, 320, 340 pounds
Men’s U105KG
- Jeffrey Lee — 430 pounds – 26 feet, five inches
- Dan Hughes — 430 pounds– 15 feet, eight inches
- Zack McCarley — 430 pounds– 10 feet
- Kevin Candito — 430 pounds– Seven feet, 11 inches
- Alec Soukup — 400 pounds– 29 feet, four inches
- Brandon Burley — 400 pounds– 21 feet, 10 inches
- Bill Kendall — 400 pounds– 19 feet, eight inches
- Justin Loy — 400 pounds– 18 feet, 11 inches
- Michael Congdon — 400 pounds – Nine feet, eight inches
- Jon Parker — 400 pounds – Six feet
- Matt Moeller — 370 pounds– 30 feet
- Nick Hein — 370 pounds– 11 feet, eight inches
- Johnny Wasiczko — 340 pounds– 18 feet, six inches
Women’s U82KG
- Katie Gutwald — 300 pounds – 30 feet
- Erin Murray — 300 pounds – 16 feet, eight inches
- Cassandra Moore — 300 pounds – seven feet, seven inches
- Erin Walklet — 270 pounds – 30 feet
- Rachael Peterson — 270 pounds – 30 feet
- Jamie Schamma — 270 pounds – 30 feet
- Jessica Mitchell — 270 pounds – 29 feet
[Related: 10 Benefits of Cardio — Better Sleep, Mental Health, Bone Health & More]
[Related: How to Achieve a Calorie Deficit for Weight Loss, Safely]
Event Three — Conan’s Wheel
The Conan’s Wheel is most famous as an event at the Arnold Strongman and Strongwoman Classic contests. The athlete who turned the wheel for the longest distance without dropping wins.
The men worked with 650 pounds, and Justin Loy won by almost six feet. The women’s weight was 400 pounds, and Jessica Mitchell won by over 50 feet, with Murray coming in second.
Weights
- U105KG: 650 pounds
- U82KG: 400 pounds
Men’s U105KG
- Justin Loy — 167.89 feet
- Nick Hein — 161.91 feet
- Michael Congdon — 148.27 feet
- Alec Soukup — 148.17 feet
- Zack McCarley — 138.36 feet
- Jeffrey Lee — 136.54 feet
- Bill Kendall — 133.45 feet
- Matt Moeller — 127.56 feet
- Kevin Candito — 107.94 feet
- Brandon Burley — 104.01 feet
- Dan Hughes — 82.43 feet
- Johnny Wasiczko — 68.69 feet
- Jon Parker — 36.31 feet
Women’s U82KG
- Jessica Mitchell — 254.14 feet
- Erin Murray — 200.18 feet
- Erin Walklet — 177.8 feet
- Katie Gutwald — 165.83 feet
- Cassandra Moore — 125.6 feet
- Rachael Peterson — 96.16 feet
- Jamie Schamma — 12.76 feet
[Related: The 6 Best Hamstring Stretches to Add to Your Routine]
Event Four — Ukrainian Deadlift
The Ukranian Deadlift event requires athletes to start with the bar at a deficit, so they have to pull farther. It also has a shorter handle. Competitors traditionally use a sumo stance instead of a conventional one.
The competitors had to lift one rep with each ascending weight until the fourth and heaviest lift. Once they reached the top weight, they went for max reps. The most reps or heaviest weight lifted determined the winners, which were Lee and Murray.
Weights
- U105KG: 560, 600, 640, 680 pounds for reps
- U82KG: 350, 380, 410, 440 pounds for reps
Men’s U105KG
- Jeffrey Lee — 9 reps
- Zack McCarley — 9 reps
- Jon Parker — 9 reps
- Nick Hein — 7 reps
- Dan Hughes — 6 reps
- Alec Soukup — 5 reps
- Brandon Burley — 4 reps
- Matt Moeller — 4 reps
- Kevin Candito — 4 reps
- Michael Congdon — 3 reps
- Bill Kendall — 2 reps
- Johnny Wasiczko — 2 reps
- Justin Loy — 1 rep
Women’s U82KG
- Erin Murray — 6 reps
- Jessica Mitchell — 5 reps
- Katie Gutwald — 5 reps
- Erin Walklet — 4 reps
- Cassandra Moore — 3 reps
- Rachael Peterson — 2 reps
- Jamie Schamma — 0 reps
[Related: Does Creatine Cause Hair Loss? Here’s What the Science Says]
[Related: This Is the Best Beginner Barbell Workout You Can Do]
Event Five — Atlas Stones
The contenders had to lift all five Atlas Stones onto their respective podiums in the quickest time possible without any of them falling off. They had to go in ascending order from lightest to heaviest.
No competitor on the women’s side managed to get all five stones, but Erin Walklet came the closest with four in under 27 seconds. Murray finished in third place, which was good enough to give her the overall win on points.
Three men were able to complete the final stone, which weighed 400 pounds. Lee was the quickest, with a time of 27.27 seconds to clinch the event win and the overall title.
Weights
- U105KG: 300, 325, 350, 375, 400 pounds
- U82KG: 220, 240, 260, 280, 300 pounds
Men’s U105KG
- Jeffrey Lee — 27.27 seconds
- Brandon Burley — 46.51 seconds
- Matt Moeller — 50.57 seconds
- Zack McCarley — 4 in 24.02 seconds
- Justin Loy — 4 in 33.59 seconds
- Bill Kendall — 4 in 37.02 seconds
- Nick Hein — 4 in 37.83 seconds
- Jon Parker — 4 in 39.58 seconds
- Kevin Candito — 4 in 44.53 seconds
- Alec Soukup — 3 in 21.1 seconds
- Michael Congdon — 3 in 24.85 seconds
- Dan Hughes — 3 in 43.09 seconds
- Johnny Wasiczko — 3 in 46.89 seconds
Women’s U82KG
- Erin Walklet — 4 in 26.51 seconds
- Jessica Mitchell — 4 in 27.53 seconds
- Erin Murray — 4 in 40.33 seconds
- Katie Gutwald — 3 in 37.7 seconds
- Rachael Peterson — 3 in 46.87 seconds
- Cassandra Moore — 2 in 22.88 seconds
- Jamie Schamma — No lift
The next major strongman contest that will feature weight class division competition is the 2023 Shaw Classic, scheduled for Aug. 19-20, 2023, in Loveland, CO.
Featured image: @e.murray_pro.strongwoman on Instagram
