Released to IronMind, the Fortissimus 2009 events are designed so that the contest "will leave no doubt as to who will be the Strongest Man on Earth," Fortissimus president Paul Ohl told IronMind®.


Fortissimus 2009 takes up where Fortissimus 2008 left off and the ground is already shaking. IronMind® | Artwork courtesy of Paul Ohl.


Its menu is not merely a decathlon spread over two days: it is a series of events testing both static and explosive strength, with close ties to strongman history, and load levels that are designed to expose weaknesses and give strength a chance to shine. Here is a summary of the officially-released events for Fortissimus 2009.

Day 1

1. Power Stairs: 205 kg, 227 kg, and 239 kg; 5 steps
2. Super Yoke: 420.5 kg, 30 meters
3. Sigmarrson Wheels Deadlift: 400 kg, for reps, with straps
4. IronMind® Overhead World Challenge (Part 1): 1980 log (157.7 kg), 1892 Apollon's Axle (166.5 kg), 1988 Kazmaier True Log (170.5 kg), IronMind® Axle (177 kg); 2004 Z Log (189 kg)
5. Slater King of Stones World Challenge (Part 1): six atlas stones (136.5 kg, 148 kg, 159 kg, 170.5 kg, 182 kg, 193 kg)

Day 2

6. Inukshuk/Husafell Medley Challenge: 4 medium barrels (102, 114, 125 and 136 kg); 2 large barrels (182, 193 kg); Husafell replica (182 kg); Inukshuk replica (193 kg)
7. Hip and Thigh Backlift: starting weight is 909 kg; last man standing
8. Louis Cyr Dumbbell Power Walk: 615.5 kg
9. IronMind® Overhead World Challenge (final): one-arm dumbbell clean and press (68 kg right and left hand, then just one arm: 80, 89, 93 98 and 103 kg)
10. Slater King of Stones Challenge (final): four natural stones (159 kg, 182 kg, 205 kg, 235 kg)

"Determining 10 events that would be conclusive with regards to the title at issue (Strongest Man on Earth) was our greatest challenge," Fortissimus president Paul told IronMind®. "We did take into account the comments of last year's participants and observers. We added advice coming from experts from Europe, USA and Canada.

"We knew firsthand that the decathlon of strength formula was unique in itself. We also wanted to remain linked to the roots and the history of strongman. Next, we sensed that anchoring the 2009 competition with both Overhead and Stone's challenges would prove the contest to reach the highest level.

"We then increased the poundage and the distances based on the comments. In the case of the poundages, the overhead events and the stone lifting were increased by 20% and 40%, respectively. Deadlift by 9% and Yoke by 5%. The distances by 7.5%. Overall, the 2009 contest is now at 16,434 lb. (7,470 kg), up by 17% over 2008.

"With static strength events and explosive power events almost at level, we feel that Fortissimus 2009 has peaked towards the strongman contest that will leave no doubt as to who will be the Strongest Man on Earth," Ohl concluded.

For full details on the events, please visit the official Fortissimus website.