Who leaves Columbus as the best of the best?
By Roger “Rock” Lockridge, Managing Editor
The 2026 Strongman season has already started for many athletes and organizations, but the unofficial real kickoff is the first major title and contest on the sport’s calendar, the Arnold Strongman and Strongwoman Classic.
This year’s edition of this big event will be held in the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, OH on the weekend of March 6th and 7th. Event chairs Jan Todd and Steve Slater have put together a very challenging event that will test the best of the best in the sport while inspiring and entertaining the fans watching in the building and online.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Strongman isn’t only about raw power. It’s also about showcasing skill and athleticism to a degree. Most competitions in the sport focus on six functions; Press, Squat, Pull, Carry, Hinge (Deadlift), and Load. The athlete that is the most consistent with all six is usually the man standing atop the podium.
The 2026 Arnold Strongman and Strongwoman Classic have a reputation for being the heaviest contest on the circuit, and they are offering six tests that will live up to that standard. The events have different weights for women and men, and they occasionally have different names, but the individual events on each day are as follows.
Friday, March 6th
- Elephant Bar Deadlift
- Cyr Dumbbell Challenge (Men), Monster Dumbbell Challenge (Women)
- Stone to Shoulder
Saturday, March 7th
- Stone Drag
- Austrian (Men)/American (Women) Oak and Ramp Rage: A Strongman Bag Race Up Ramps
Athletes already know what the rules and weights are for these events, and they will be explained to the fans before each event. That is what the athletes will be doing. Now, let’s check out who will be doing them.
ARNOLD STRONGWOMAN CLASSIC
Ladies first, and fans that have attended the ASC will confirm that the crowd sometimes gets louder for the women than the men. This lineup will feature 10 of the strongest athletes on the planet, and no current world records are safe this year. But the title will likely come down to a few favorites.
Inez Carrasquillo – Carrasquillo is the defending champion and a pressing master. She serves as a shining example of how consistency can win the day. She only won one event last year but finishing in the top five of all of them is how she claimed gold.
Olga Liashchuk – Liashchuk owned the previous version of this contest, the Arnold Pro Strongwoman in 2019 and 2020 but hasn’t been back up top since. She took second in 2025 and is a threat to place first again.
Andrea Thompson – The official 2025 World’s Strongest Woman is a Masters competitor but has a lot of momentum going into this show. This is one title she has never held and wants it to pair with her WSW win.
Angelica Jardine – Jardine is also a former winner of this contest (2024) and placed third last year. She and Liashchuk will both try to be the first woman to reclaim the title after losing it. The full lineup for this event is below.
Arnold Strongwoman Classic Lineup
- Katie Blunden
- Inez Carrasquillo
- Angelica Jardine
- Olga Liashchuk
- Hannah Linzay
- Jennifer Lyle
- Jackie Osczevski
- Melissa Peacock
- Andrea Thompson
- Lucy Underdown
ARNOLD STRONGMAN CLASSIC
The men’s side of the stage will feature 10 superstars, including two past champions. The experts will confirm there is one clear favorite in this contest, and that is the defending champion.
Mitchell Hooper – “The Moose” has won this title for the last three years and goes into this show as the undisputed man to beat. His attention to technical movement and detail is the key to his success. He can bring the power when needed and provide skill and will to finish strong when it is a “weak” event for him. It has been hard to find cracks in his armor, though, and very few expect him to place below first again.
Martins Licis – Licis is the 2019 World’s Strongest Man and the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic champion. He was actually considered an earlier version of what Hooper is today, a technician and mechanic that can power up when needed. He appears to be in the final stretch of his career and is looking to leave on top, starting with this contest.
Lucas Hatton – Hatton came out of nowhere last year to take silver by less than three points. The main highlight for him was performing a 546-pound jerk from blocks to win the event. With a year to improve, he could be the man that derails Hooper and Licis both.
Arnold Strongman Classic Lineup
- Austin Andrade
- Andrew Burton
- Tom Evans
- Nick Guardione
- Lucas Hatton
- Mitchell Hooper
- Bryce Johnson
- Martins Licis
- Trey Mitchell
HOW TO WATCH AND GET UPDATES
Fans that aren’t going to be in Columbus will still be able to watch all the action live thanks to the free livestreams on the Rogue Fitness YouTube channel. Go there for more information about start times and how to watch.
Muscle Insider will also provide a full recap of what happened and who got to be presented with the trophies by Arnold Schwarzenegger at the end of the weekend. Make sure you follow us on all social media platforms so you can be in the know on what weights were lifted and which athletes were crowned champions.
Muscle Insider’s contest coverage of the 2026 Arnold Strongman and Strongwoman Classic is proudly sponsored by MUTANT. Check out their full lineup of high-performance supplements at mutantnation.com and on Instagram @mutantnation.
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