Here’s what to expect in West Virginia this December.
The annual Official Strongman Games (OSG) present an intriguing opportunity for elite and up-and-coming strongmen and strongwomen alike to show out. This year’s contest taking place on December 1-3, 2023, in Charleston, West Virginia, should be no different.
On June 23, 2023, the OSG organizers revealed the schedule and a list of six events for the 2023 OSG over the contest’s Instagram profile. At the time of this writing, the complete roster for the competition has not been revealed. Whoever does officially slot in before early December should prepare for a slate of challenging obstacles.
Below you’ll find the complete official schedule and event details for the 2023 OSG:
Day 1 | Friday, December 1, 2023
The first day of the contest weekend will open with two events centered around upper-body strength and stamina.
Stand or Submit Press Medley
Athletes will have the task of overhead pressing four implements — a barbell with wagon wheels, a circus dumbbell, a curved Yoke, and a block — in the fastest time possible. They will have a 60-second time limit. At the time of this writing, the precise weights of the implements have not been designated. They will be different for each participating weight class.
Stix and Stone Carry
The creative name aside, taken from the manufacturing company providing the competitive equipment, it’s an apt label for an event that will ask athletes to perform two distinct loaded carry variations. First, athletes must carry a timber frame for 15.25 meters (50 feet), then carry a set of stones back the same distance as quickly as possible. Once again, they will have a 60-second time limit.
Day 2 | Saturday, December 2, 2023
Saturday at the 2023 OSG “pulls” out all the stops before leaning back on endurance.
Deadlift Ladder
Any seasoned strongman or strongwoman competitor should probably be well-prepared for the rigors of a Deadlift Ladder. While the weight of each of the five barbells has not yet been determined, they will again have only 60 seconds to work their way through the progressively heavier lineup.
GORUCK Survival Challenge
In this event, competitors will lift a heavy medicine ball and other yet-undisclosed GORUCK implements. They will be adorned with backpacks up to and exceeding 45.4 kilograms (100 pounds) throughout. Depending on the weight class, the time limit for completion will vary from 60 to 90 seconds.
Day 3 | Sunday, December 3, 2023
Only the top 10 competitors will advance to the final day of the 2023 OSG. The contest will close with a familiar refrain for anyone who follows strongman and strongwoman closely.
Sandbag Toss
For all intents and purposes, the Sandbag Toss will be challenging but is potentially more of an appetizer to the main concluding course. Within it, the athletes will have an objective of tossing six progressively heavier sandbags over a 4.6-meter (15-foot) bar for the Men and a four-meter (13-foot) bar for the Women. As usual, they will have 60 seconds to successfully complete as many throws as possible.
Atlas Stone
The famous Atlas Stones — a fixture finisher at countless strongman and strongwoman competitions — will be the final deciding note at the 2023 OSG. The task will be straightforward: Lifting six increasingly heavier Atlas Stones onto their respective platforms. Every weight class for both the Men and Women will have a differently weighted group of Stones matched to their expected strength. For context, the heaviest stone in the event will be the sixth and final stone in the Men’s Open weight division, weighing in at 193 kilograms (425 pounds).
The OSG may not necessarily be in line with contests like the annual World’s Strongest Man (WSM) in terms of prestige. That said, as exemplified by this event list, it remains a noteworthy notch in the belt for the competitors fortunate enough to win it.
Featured image: @officialstrongman on Instagram