In the end, only six competitors—the top two in the lightweight, middleweight, and heavyweight classes—made the final cut at the contest and earned their spots in the women’s pro show at the Arnold Strongman Classic. There were also cash prizes on the line. First place earned $2,000, second got $1,000, and third earned $500.
Below, we give you an event-by-event breakdown of the day.
The first and most technically difficult event was the keg press medley. Competitors were tasked with cleaning three increasingly heavy kegs up to their chests and then pressing them overhead. The first keg had to be cleaned and pressed three times, the second twice, and the last only once. None of the women were able to get the final keg up, so they were ranked based on who completed the first two the quickest.
There’s no one way to execute the move, but women who deadlifted the keg to their laps, rolled it up their stomachs and chests, and then continued that momentum to an overhead lockout saw the most success. This technique is also called a viper press, and can be used for the log press as well.
Lightweights had to lift 130-pound, 150-pound, and 170-pound kegs. Middleweight women attempted to lift 150, 170, and 190 pounds, and the heavyweights attempted to move 170, 190, and 210 pounds.
Next, the women shifted from brute strength to brutal conditioning as they pushed a 6,700-pound van and then pulled a weighted sled for time. Although heavy, the truck push proved easier for the women once they gained momentum.
The sled pull, however, proved to be a challenge. The women had to grab a D-handle, like the one you use while performing a cable row, and walk backward to drag an Alaskan dog sled. The LW women dragged 300 pounds, the MW 350 pounds, and the HW women dragged 400 pounds.
It was heavyweight Jessica Fithen who had the fastest time of all competitors, with a 28.56 second run.
This event was simple: Competitors had to deadlift a set weight—380 pounds for LW, 420 for MW, and 460 for HW—for as many reps as possible in 60 seconds using an axle bar. Compared to a standard barbell, an axle bar is 2 inches thick, making it a challenge to grip it.
At this point, the women were pretty beat, and their form was starting to deteriorate. Many of the competitors figured out how many reps they needed to do to get ahead on the leaderboard and stuck with that number—a smart strategy to help avoid injury.
The salmon toss, which is unique to Alaska, forced competitors to tussle with a 50-pound silicone salmon. They had to clean it to their chest, then toss it forward using both hands. The women who could throw it the furthest in each weight class won. Sounds easy enough, right?
For many of the women, this was their first time holding the salmon. They had to figure out, on the spot, the best way to throw it. While some decided to stand still and use brute strength, most of the women adopted a step-step-throw technique. This method proved to work best.
Middleweight Danielle Vagi threw it the furthest of anyone with a 15’4″ toss. It was a world record, and enough to earn her first place before the next event even started.
The final event was undoubtedly the toughest. Competitors had 60 seconds to run a keg 50 feet to a 42-inch pallet, load it onto the pallet upright and then repeat four more times. Like the press medley, each keg got heavier. Maybe too heavy.
While the weight is actually on the lighter side for the women, the conditioning aspect of the event hurt their ability to load the keg, and almost no women in any weight class were able to get past the third keg.
Going into the event, 2019 Strongest Woman in the World winner Jessica Fithen had such a drastic lead that she only needed to load one keg. But seeing as none of the heavyweights could load the 210-pounder, Fithen decided to put on a show. With 25 seconds left, she managed to walk the keg to the pallet and use her knee to drive it up. The crowd exploded as Fifthen reminded us why she’s top dog.
