1st Annual Southwest Virginia's Strongest Man and Woman

Follow us on Instagram!! @swvastrongest

This event is long overdue and it is time to shine the light on all the strong folk in Southwest Virginia. 

Thank you to Nathan Kilgore and his awesome staff at "The Yard Strength and Training" for hosting the meet and offering the venue for this awesome competition. 

Weigh-Ins will be on Friday, December 5th from 9-11am and 4-6pm at "The Yard Strength and Training" gym at 123 Warehouse St, Weber City, VA 24290. 

Weigh-ins will be conducted in KILOGRAMS and there is NO "allowance" for clothing. For example, an athlete in the 64kg class must weigh in at 64.0kg or less. Athletes must weigh in wearing (minimally) a bra and underwear.

Athlete must have valid Strongman Corporation card at time of weigh-ins. 

Link to Strongman Corporation Membership:

https://strongmancorporation.com/memberships/

Tell all your friends and peers about this competition. Strongman is a very accepting and encouraging community. There is a spot in this sport for athletes from beginner level all the way to advanced lifter/pro athlete. 

Unsportsmanlike behavior will not be tolerated in this event.

Let's work hard to make this a very memorable day for everyone. 

Competition T-shirt will be furnished as part of the competition fee. 

***Weights for Events are subject to change at Promotor Discretion***

Classes are subject to combining/expanding if more/less participation occurs (Athletes will be made aware of such changes)

State and National Records are on the line!!!

See Max Axle Clean and Press for more information.

This event is a Strongman Corporation Nationals 2026 Qualifier. 

• 1 athlete in a class: the promoter may merge the class with another class; if the athlete competes alone they will earn an invite by completing (i.e. not “zeroing”) at least 4 of the 5 events to the standards originally set forth by the promoter.
• 2-4 athletes in a class: 1st place qualifies for Nationals
• 5-9 athletes in a class: 1st and 2nd place qualify for Nationals
• 10+ athletes in a class: 1st-3rd place qualify for Nationals

Masters Athletes qualify for America's Strongest Master by placing in the top 3 of a Masters class *or* in the top 5 of an Open class.

Teens qualify for America's Strongest Teen by participating in a Teen, Novice, or Open division.

More information will be given soon regarding prizes, awards, hotel discount information, sponsorships, etc... will be given when available. 

Any questions in the meantime, feel free to text or call 276-275-3119 or email peytonstallard111192@ymail.com. 

Events:

Battle Ready's Max Axle Clean and Press for State and National Records 

We are blessed and thankful to be using the well-crafted, well-designed, highly favored Battle Ready Gear Power Axle Bar for this event! Check out Battle Ready Gear for high quality powerlifting/strongman equipment!

Rules:

 60 second time limit per attempt. Athlete will have 3 attempts to reach their highest weight. Wessel's Rule will be in effect; bar weight will go in ascending order. Weight jumps will be 20lbs for men and 10lbs for women. If a record break is less than increment jumps then next bar weight will be loaded to desired weight set by athlete. The Axle will start from the floor (or crash pads) and must be cleaned to the shoulders, then pressed, push pressed, push jerked or split jerked overhead to a locked out position. The athlete may clean or continental the bar to the shoulders however NO resting of the bar on the belt or similar object will be allowed. The Athlete must wait for the “good” down signal before lowering the Axle. “Good ” signal: Axle locked out overhead with arms straight, head thru, legs and feet parallel and stationary. The athlete must lower the Axle under control. No deliberate dropping of the axle will be tolerated. The athlete may forfeit his attempt in doing so. 

STATE RECORDS ARE CURRENTLY BEING RESEARCHED WITH SC REPRESENTATIVES
 

Link to Strongman corps national records:
 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TiOf4R7mJ7dL1XYsZxnRvgKjESCqwq2DSCnCK0ebvCY/edit?tab=t.0

TOP MALE AND FEMALE PERFORMERS ON AXLE CLEAN & PRESS WILL RECEIVE A PERFORMANCE BACKPACK FURNISHED BY WOLFPAK AMONGST OTHER AWARDS THAT ARE NOT CURRENTLY BEING DISCLOSED

Allowed: 

 Chalk, belt, wrist wraps, elbow sleeves, Knee sleeves or wraps. Grip shirts, grip shorts.

Not Allowed:
 

Any item placed within the belt to provide a “shelf”, back of belt built up more than 8”, tacky, elbow wraps. Any and all anatomical limitations preventing a lockout as described above must be demonstrated to the judges prior to the start of the event. This solely the responsibility of the athlete. Any attempt to press off of head will be counted as a "no rep" and athlete must restart the attempt from the crash pads.

Cerberus Strength's Standard 9" deadlift 

Athletes will be using the Cerberus Strength Deadlift bar. Cerberus Strength will be the official sponsor for the deadlift event; we are very thrilled to have them on board as a sponsor!

Rules:

Athlete will get themselves set on the bar, strapped in and set to pull. Athlete will signal their ready to judge. Once this is signaled, the athlete will have one minute from the time the first pull is made, the judge will start the timer. Athlete must have hips, knees, shoulders, and legs in the "lock out" position before a down signal will be granted. There will be no "up" command. Athlete will be permitted to "touch and go". Most reps of set weight will win the event.

 

Allowed: 

Hard Belt, Soft Belt, Briefs, Elbow Sleeves, Knee Sleeves, Wrist Wraps, wrist straps including figure 6 and figure 8's.  Chalk, deadlift briefs, deadlift suits. Hitching will be allowed. 

Not Allowed:

Slamming the weight on the ground in between each rep will not be permitted. One warning will be given at the discretion of the judge. No hook grips. Athlete must have at 4 fingers on the bar at all times during lift. 

Freedom Strength’s Sandbag to Shoulder Ladder 

Rules:

Athlete will be in with both hands placed on the initial Freedom Strength sandbag. Athlete will signal their ready to the judge. Judge will announce, ready, set, LIFT. At that point, athlete will have 60 seconds to pick, lap, clean and shoulder each sandbag. Athlete must maintain firm control of sandbag on shoulder. Feet must be stationary, knees, hips, feet must be in a stationary "locked out" manner. One hand must be off of the sandbag before judge gives the "down signal". Split times will be taken if all four reps are not completed. Sandbags must be shoulder in ascending order. Quickest time wins. 

 

Allowed: 

Hard Belt, Soft Belt, Briefs, Elbow Sleeves, Knee Sleeves, Wrist Wraps, Chalk, Grip Shirt,  grip shorts.

Not Allowed:

Tacky

Dynabody’s Yoke Run

Rules:

 Athlete will run the brand new, high quality, Dynabody Yoke implement 50ft down and 50ft back as fast as you can within 60 seconds All athletes must report their yoke pick heights during weigh-ins. Please make sure you pick your yoke heights accordingly. On the "go" command, athletes will attempt to stand with the yoke and walk it the designated distance. Once the front of the yoke passes the line for distance, the athlete will then set the yoke down, turn around, pick the yoke up, and return it the starting line. Time will stop when the front of the yoke passes the finish line. If the athlete finishes, time will be recorded If the athlete does not complete the course, distance will be recorded. The athlete may start under the yoke. You will have unlimited drops to finish the course or until time expires, meaning you will not be penalized by the number of times you drop the yoke. Fastest Time Wins.  

Sliding the yoke will result in a 5 second penalty. The yoke must leave the ground completely to move.

Allowed: Hard Belt, Soft Belt, Briefs, Elbow Sleeves, Knee Sleeves, Wrist Wraps, Chalk, Grip Shirts

Not Allowed: Sliding, pushing, dragging yoke.  Tacky, Any Adhesive Substance, Suits  

Head to Head Stone over Bar 

Rules:

Two athletes in class will line up against each other on either side of bar. Athlete when signaled, will pick, lap, clean, and load stone over bar. Men's height is 52" and women's is 48". There is no time limit and whoever loads the stone over the bar the most times win. Once other athlete loads stone over the bar, athlete will have modest amount of time that is determined by judge for the athlete to reset the stone off of crash pad and onto lifting position. Once time is started, athlete will have a total of 20 seconds to lap the stone. If stone is not lapped in the allotted 20 seconds, that is the end of the event and your score will be the total number of times you loaded the stone. Stone can be cleaned and loaded after the 20 second allotment; however, if the athlete drops the stone after that time frame, their event is over and they will not be allowed to re-pick.  Most reps wins.  

Just because you win the head-to-head, doesn't mean you win event. Just means you beat the athlete in front of you. Total number of loads will win event. Yes, there will be more than likely be ties in this event.

Allowed: 

Hard Belt, Soft Belt, Briefs, Elbow Sleeves, Knee Sleeves, Wrist Wraps, Chalk, Grip Shirts, tacky, tacky towel, tape, forearm sleeves, stone sleeves.

Not Allowed:

Athlete will not load the stone over bar using the bar with their hands and hips thrusting the stone over the bar. Athlete must maintain both hands on the stone until atlas stone crests over the top of the bar. Athlete also will not be permitted to use the implement to assist them in picking the stone. This will be explained better in person. Any attempt to intentionally throw the other athlete off, in terms of unsportsmanlike conduct, tossing the stone across the bar in an obvious malicious way, or any other egregious act in this event will not be tolerated.