Strongman Loading & Carry Events: Sandbag, Husafell & More
How loading and carrying events work in strongman, from the sandbag and Husafell stone to the Conan wheel and power stairs.
Loading and carrying events are the heart of strongman's "moving" challenges. Rather than a single barbell lift, the athlete picks up an awkward, heavy object and moves it, then often repeats with the next implement. This category covers the sandbag, the Husafell stone, the keg, the Conan wheel, the sled drag and the power stairs, among others.
What unites them is that the implement is built to be hard to hold. A sandbag shifts and slumps, a keg sloshes, a stone has no handles. Carrying these objects rewards a strong core, a good grip and the conditioning to keep moving when the body is screaming to stop.
Carry & Loading World Records & Top Performances
7 recorded| Event | Athlete | Country | Record | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frame Carry (300-319 kg) | Martin Wildauer |
Austria
|
2.68 m/s(300 kg, 40 m, 14.91 s) | 2014 SCL Hungary | Aug 29, 2014 |
| Frame Carry (320-339 kg) | Aivars Šmaukstelis |
Latvia
|
3.22 m/s(320 kg, 30 m, 9.31 s) | 2019 SCL Russia | Jul 20, 2019 |
| Frame Carry (340-359 kg) | Terry Hollands |
United Kingdom
|
2.20 m/s(340 kg, 40 m, 18.21 s) | 2013 SCL Portugal | Jul 27, 2013 |
| Frame Carry (360-379 kg) | Jerry Pritchett |
United States
|
2.00 m/s(365 kg, 30 m, 15.02 s) | 2016 Giants Live North American Open | Jun 26, 2016 |
| Frame Carry (400-419 kg) | Oleksii Novikov |
Ukraine
|
2.45 m/s(400 kg, 18 m, 7.35 s) | 2021 Arnold UK | Oct 3, 2021 |
| Keg for Height (15 kg) | Hafthór Júlíus Björnsson |
Iceland
|
7.77 m | 2024 Strongest Man on Earth | Aug 17, 2024 |
The main loading and carry implements
Each implement asks a slightly different question. The sandbag is carried in a bear hug and then loaded over a bar or onto a platform. The Husafell stone, modelled on a famous Icelandic lifting stone, is carried against the chest for distance. The Conan wheel has the athlete hold a heavy arm and walk it in a circle for as far as possible.
- Sandbag carry / load: a soft, shifting bag carried in a bear hug and loaded high.
- Husafell stone: a flat-backed stone carried against the chest for distance.
- Conan wheel: a pivoting arm held to the chest and walked in a circle.
- Power stairs: heavy implements lifted up a set of giant steps.
- Sled drag / pull: a weighted sled hauled across the floor.
How these events are scored
Carry events are scored on distance, time or implements loaded. A distance carry measures how far the athlete moves the object before dropping it. A loading medley times how fast a series of implements is loaded. The common thread is that grip and core endurance, not just maximal strength, decide the winner.
Every Distance Carry Event in Competition
Every contest instance that has featured a distance carry event, sorted by date. Filter by year or division to study how the event has been programmed over time.
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