Overview
The 2025 Arnold Amateur Strongman World Championship is now the:
Arnold Strongman Pro/Am
and the
Arnold Lightweight and Middleweight Strongman World Championship
The Arnold Strongman Pro/Am is one of the most competitive heavyweight competitions on the planet. The winner of both the men’s and women’s class earns an invite to the Arnold Strongman and Strongwoman Classic.
Arnold Lightweight and Middleweight Strongman World Championship is now a true world championship, bringing the top pros and amateurs to win the title of world champion.
Prize Money
We’re offering a $30,000 prize pool, with plans to grow it even further in future years.
Qualification
All athletes qualify by winning or placing high enough in a recognized national championships or Arnold qualifier conducted by their national federation, or by possessing a pro card recognized by Strongman Corporation. A list of Qualified Athletes is available. Let us know if you should be on the list but aren’t.
If you are a non-US athlete and compete at the pro level, email us at arnold@strongmancorporation.com with a brief summary of your accomplishments for eligibility review. This will be a high bar, most athletes will need to qualify via the existing qualification routes.
Competition
Arnold Strongman Pro/Am and Lightweight and Middleweight World Championship will take place over two days, Saturday, March 1st and Sunday, March 2nd.
Weigh-ins will be Friday, February 28th. All athletes must check in on Friday by 6:30PM local time.
Saturday’s competition will be split up into three sessions, with the two lightest classes in the first session, the next two classes in the second session, and the Heavyweight / Pro/Am athletes in the last session.
Classes will be reordered by overall points after each event.
Top 6 in the Lightweight and Middleweight Championship, and top 8 from the Pro/Am, will qualify for the Sunday events. If two athletes are tied for the last spot, both will qualify for the finals.
The final two events will take place on the Rogue Stage and the Expo Stage.
Scores for the finals will be recalculated with just the finalist’s results, as we first implemented in the Official Strongman Games.
The Legacy
The Arnold Amateur Strongman World Championship Heavyweight Class, now the Arnold Strongman Pro/Am has produced many of the top Strongman athletes in the world. Athletes like Mikhail Shilyakov, Braun Strowman, Hafþór Bjornsson, Mateusz Kieliszkowski, Olexii Novikov, Bobby Thompson, and Thomas Evans got their break with the Arnold Amateur. On the women’s side, Angelica Jardine, Olga Liaschuk, Donna Moore, Andrea Thompson, Inez Carrasquillo, Hannah Linzay, Melissa Peacock, and Samantha Belliveau have all graced the podium of the Arnold Amateur Strongwoman World Championship on their way to competing in the Arnold Pro.
The Arnold Amateur Strongman World Championship in the weight classes, now the Lightweight and Middleweight World Championship, first debuted weight-classed strongman at the Arnold in 2013 with the lightweight women’s class and men’s class, originally under the name “Strongman Fitness.”
By 2015, the 105kg men’s class and 82kg women’s class were introduced. Most recently, in 2023, we expanded further by adding the 57kg and 73kg women’s classes, along with the 90kg and 120kg men’s classes.
2024 World Champions
Women’s 57kg: Courtney Hollihan
Women’s 64kg: Tasha Wolf Whelan
Women’s 73kg: Taylor Woods
Women’s 82kg: Susan Eger
Women’s Open: Jennifer Lyle
Men’s 80kg: Josh Kowalewski
Men’s 90kg: Andrew Hanus
Men’s 105kg: Alec Soukup
Men’s 120kg: Ethen Erickson
Men’s Open: Nicholas Guardione
The Arnold Sports Festival
The Arnold Sports Festival is the largest and most prestigious annual multi-sport event in the world. Nearly 200,000 fans will watch an estimated 22,000 athletes from 80 nations compete in 70 sports. You’re likely to see many of the top strongman athletes, weightlifters, powerlifters, bodybuilders, and strength influencers just by walking the aisles of the Arnold Expo.
The Expo is held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N. High St., Columbus, Ohio 43215. There are numerous hotels available within walking distance or on the Arnold shuttlebus route.
Within the Convention Center is the South Café and Marketplace with numerous dining options. Across N High Street from the convention center is North Market, a vibrant farmer’s market and food hall with dining options from around the globe. And just north on N High Street is the Short North Arts District, a hip, culture-centered area where shops selling records, streetwear, and vintage clothes are interspersed with student-packed coffeehouses, craft-beer bars, and casual eateries.
2025 Arnold Expo Hours:
Friday, February 28: 10:00AM – 7:00PM
Saturday, March 1: 10:00AM – 7:00PM
Sunday, March 2: 10:00AM – 4:00PM
Our events are included with the Expo tickets. Buy your Expo ticket today!