Strength athletics in the United States

Strength athletics in the United States refers to the various strongman competitions organized throughout United States and North America with the elements of all of strength athletics taken into account. United States has held a preeminent position as a nation due to the enormous success of its competitors on the international stage, who between Bruce Wilhelm, Don Reinhoudt, Bill Kazmaier, Mark Henry, Phil Pfister, Derek Poundstone, Brian Shaw, Mike Jenkins and Martins Licis have won twelve World's Strongest Man titles, eight Arnold Strongman Classic titles, in addition to numerous other international strongman competitions won by various different athletes. United States has both amateur and professional sanctioning bodies in the sport.

American Strongman Corporation ("ASC") is the sole sanctioning body for all professional American strength athletes and organizes the annual America's Strongest Man contest,^[1] as well as the NAS US Amateur National Championships, the winner of which receives their pro card to compete in professional contests.^[2] North American Strongman ("NASM") organizes the majority of the amateur contests in the United States, and holds pro qualifier events and national championship events throughout the year with men's, woman's, teen's and master's divisions as well as lightweight and heavyweight classes similar to ASC.

United States Strongman ^[3] is a relatively new organization.

America's Strongest Man is an annual strongman competition held in the United States and featuring only American athletes. It is the most prestigious of the national titles. The contest was established in 1997 in Primm, Nevada, with Mark Philippi winning the inaugural contest. It has been held twenty-six times in eighteen locations across the United States and has produced twenty champions.^[4]

Derek Poundstone holds the record for the highest number of wins with three, while Brian Shaw, Dimitar Savatinov, Lucas Hatton, Steve Kirit and Brian Schoonveld share two wins each.

America's Strongest Woman was initiated in 2021 and features both American and foreign athletes residing and training in the United States. 18 athletes have participated in the competition over the past four years.^[24]

A competition started in 2005 which was initially reserved for American athletes but was later opened for international athletes too.

North America's Strongest Man is an annual strongman competition consisting of athletes from both United States and Canada. The event was established in 1992^[4] with Gary Mitchell of the United States winning the inaugural competition.

Despite the three hiatus periods (1994-1997, 2004-2006 and 2015-2022), the competition has been held seventeen times. Canada has produced five champions who shared ten titles among them while United States has produced seven champions with a title each for a total of seven.

The contest has been always held in Quebec.

• Results courtesy of David Horne's World of Grip: http://www.davidhorne-gripmaster.com/strongmanresults.html

The Amateur US Nationals were created in 1997 and are held annually in various locations throughout the United States, with the winner of each weight class earning their pro card to compete professionally. Traditionally, the winner of the men's heavyweight class will go on to compete in major national and international strongman contests such as the World's Strongest Man and the Arnold Strongman Classic.^[2]

• Rainier Classic
• Santa Monica Classic
• Vice Grip Viking
• Olympia Strongman Challenge
• Clash of the Titans
• Wrath of the Strongest
• North Dakota's Strongest Man
• Georgia's Strongest Man
• Tennessee's Strongest
• Orlando's Strongest
• Strongest on the Coast
• PA Dutch Strong
• Cerberus USA Mid-South Regional