Who is the world's strongest man? Savikas? Pudz?

[bmacsys]

I love catching the strongman stuff on ESPN2. I am only a casual observer but isn't there two top competing organizations? Are the best guys in one federation or is it pretty mixed? What guy would win heads up? Who is strongest pound for pound?Seems like with two organizations that there will always be speculation on who is the strongest. Ain't supposed to be that way. Thanks in advance.

[Hedgehog]

I love catching the strongman stuff on ESPN2. I am only a casual observer but isn't there two top competing organizations? Are the best guys in one federation or is it pretty mixed? What guy would win heads up? Who is strongest pound for pound?Seems like with two organizations that there will always be speculation on who is the strongest. Ain't supposed to be that way. Thanks in advance.

IFSA has the best guy in the world, Zydrunas Savickas. If you ever get the chance, see a replay of this years Arnold Strongman contest. It will blow your mind.

He's won the competition I consider to be the real World Championships now that the federations have split, Arnold Classic.

And he's won it for several years.

The unique thing with Arnold Classic, is that it's not all about stamina, it really awards raw, brute, strength coupled with athletisism.

During the WSM, a lot of great strongmen competed, but the greatest one was missing.

A few others, that are now with IFSA were also not there:

        1       Zydrunas Saviskas              - Lithuania
        2       Michail Kokylaev                  - Russia
        3       Andrus Muremets                - Estonia
        4       Vasyl Virastyuk                    - Ukraine
        5       Raimunds Bergmanis          - Latvia
        6       Travis Ortmayer                   - USA
        7       Geoff Dolan                           - Canada
        8       Igor Pedan                            - Russia
        9       Vidas Blekaitas                    - Lithuania
        10     Robert Schepanski              - Poland
        11     Tomi Lotta                            - Finland
        12     Jarno Hams                          - Holland
        13     Ervin Katona                        - Serbia
        14     Jon Anderson                      - USA
        15     Oli Thompson                      - Great Britain
        16     Benedict Magnusson         - Iceland


YIP
Zack

[bmacsys]

IFSA has the best guy in the world, Zydrunas Savickas. If you ever get the chance, see a replay of this years Arnold Strongman contest. It will blow your mind.

He's won the competition I consider to be the real World Championships now that the federations have split, Arnold Classic.

And he's won it for several years.

The unique thing with Arnold Classic, is that it's not all about stamina, it really awards raw, brute, strength coupled with athletisism.

During the WSM, a lot of great strongmen competed, but the greatest one was missing.

A few others, that are now with IFSA were also not there:

        1       Zydrunas Saviskas              - Lithuania
        2       Michail Kokylaev                  - Russia
        3       Andrus Muremets                - Estonia
        4       Vasyl Virastyuk                    - Ukraine
        5       Raimunds Bergmanis          - Latvia
        6       Travis Ortmayer                   - USA
        7       Geoff Dolan                           - Canada
        8       Igor Pedan                            - Russia
        9       Vidas Blekaitas                    - Lithuania
        10     Robert Schepanski              - Poland
        11     Tomi Lotta                            - Finland
        12     Jarno Hams                          - Holland
        13     Ervin Katona                        - Serbia
        14     Jon Anderson                      - USA
        15     Oli Thompson                      - Great Britain
        16     Benedict Magnusson         - Iceland


YIP
Zack

Hedge, how come this sport is so dominated by Eastern Europeans?

[Hedgehog]

Hedge, how come this sport is so dominated by Eastern Europeans?

IMO, traditions.

The Olympic Lifting culture is widespread in the Eastern countries, also, strength sports are highly regarded.

USA is world leading in baseball, and several other sports, such as boxing, because those are the sports that have a solid foundation in the US culture.

Some countries regards sports extremely high in general as well.

I would point out Poland and the Baltic states as examples, and Lithuania as the extreme.

Lithuania has approx 5 million citizens. Less than half of what live in New York.

Yet they manage to repeatedly beat USA in basketball, lead the world in discus throw, and also, of course, Savickas is Lithuanian.

Incredible sport nation IMO.

YIP
Zack

[LASTREP72]

IMO, traditions.

The Olympic Lifting culture is widespread in the Eastern countries, also, strength sports are highly regarded.

USA is world leading in baseball, and several other sports, such as boxing, because those are the sports that have a solid foundation in the US culture.

Some countries regards sports extremely high in general as well.

I would point out Poland and the Baltic states as examples, and Lithuania as the extreme.

Lithuania has approx 5 million citizens. Less than half of what live in New York.

Yet they manage to repeatedly beat USA in basketball, lead the world in discus throw, and also, of course, Savickas is Lithuanian.

Incredible sport nation IMO.

YIP
Zack

True and I think allot of the younger very strong Americans also get pushed into sports like football - with so much money and scholoarships being offered. I was an OG in high school and college and benched 370X1 and squat 420X10 by the age of 18 coming outta high school with only serious lifting being done 7 months outta each year (and I was natural at that time). There were some guys who came into my college (which was DII also) that push 405 close to 10 reps - now just think about if their energy was pushed in the direction of strength sports.

[rccs]

Marius Pudzy is defitnetly the strongest and the fittest!!! It is a fantastic athlete!

[rccs]

IMO, traditions.

The Olympic Lifting culture is widespread in the Eastern countries, also, strength sports are highly regarded.

USA is world leading in baseball, and several other sports, such as boxing, because those are the sports that have a solid foundation in the US culture.

Some countries regards sports extremely high in general as well.

I would point out Poland and the Baltic states as examples, and Lithuania as the extreme.

Lithuania has approx 5 million citizens. Less than half of what live in New York.

Yet they manage to repeatedly beat USA in basketball, lead the world in discus throw, and also, of course, Savickas is Lithuanian.

Incredible sport nation IMO.

YIP
Zack

GENETICS, training, mentality!!!! Superior athletes! And don't start talking about shitty sports like Basket, or marathons, whatever! Strogman has it all: strength, resistance, stamina, speed, etc!!!

[bmacsys]

I have to think the NFL has some guys who would be very, very good at WSM competitions if they did some serious training for it.

[Hedgehog]

I have to think the NFL has some guys who would be very, very good at WSM competitions if they did some serious training for it.

IMO, USA would absolutely dominate the strongman scene if the elite athletes in the USA would all go into strongman.

It will never happen, because what Savickas makes in a year, the best Linebackers makes in two or three weeks.

YIP
Zack

[LASTREP72]

IMO, USA would absolutely dominate the strongman scene if the elite athletes in the USA would all go into strongman.

It will never happen, because what Savickas makes in a year, the best Linebackers makes in two or three weeks.

YIP
Zack

That's it in a nut shell - I see guys all the in the gym over here in Norway all the time who are big and strong as hell, pissed cause they can't play soccer
just lifting heavy ass weight  - just to be lifting. Most of these guys would have prolly played high school or even college ball if they were in the states.

[scubaculture]

Strongest: Savickas
Better athlete? Marius

[nasht5]

ANDY BOLTON - 1003LBS DEADLIFT

[JasonH]

ANDY BOLTON - 1003LBS DEADLIFT

Nah - Andy Bolton's a one-trick pony with the deadlift - it's all he can do.

Savickas is the strongest, Marius is the best all-rounder.

[Lord Humungous]

Pfister- well this year anyway   

[bmacsys]

Pfister- well this year anyway   

Pfister is strong as hell. In some events he makes other guys look weak. Yet supposedly he isn't a gym lifter. I guess he has what we functional strength.

[pobrecito]

Pudzianowski is the best athlete in the world.

[Scimowser]

for stationary strength then Savickas dominates him. For athletic performance with weight then theres no contest at all. However i put both of them behing a 100% Glenn Ross for pure power

[Lord Humungous]

Pfister is strong as hell. In some events he makes other guys look weak. Yet supposedly he isn't a gym lifter. I guess he has what we functional strength.

His grip strengh is wicked, as good as Samuleson if not better.

[bmacsys]

His grip strengh is wicked, as good as Samuleson if not better.

Did you see him lift the 4 stones overhead when even Pudz and the rest only got two?