Oleksii Novikov is training for the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic in a big way.
Oleksii Novikov is one of the top strongman competitions in the world so it was not surprising to see him receive an invitation to the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic. Now that the holidays are over, the 2020 World’s Strongest Man is back in the gym training for his next event.
Novikov shared a video on his YouTube channel detailing his first day back in preparation. The Ukrainian strongman podiumed in each event he participated in following the 2021 World’s Strongest Man competition. He is one of 10 strongmen who received invitation to the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic and this means he will have to train harder than ever.
Oleksii Novikov took to his garage-style gym to get in a huge workout. It began on the squat rack where Novikov began with 440-pound lifts and wanted to increase to 551 pounds. No official list has been released on which events will be at the Arnold Strongman Classic but Novikov believes that squats will be there. Novikov’s personal record squat is 771.6 pounds.
Again, the official list has not been revealed but Novikov spoke further on which events he expects to see there. He listed max squat, timber carry (400kg, 881.9lb), heavy dumbbell for reps (124kg, 273.4lb), max log lift, and stone to shoulder (186kg, 410.1lb).
After his squats, Oleksii Novikov began log lifts. He pulled out gym mats and began with his lifts. He began with 176.4-pound lifts with the intention of bumping it up to 286.6 pounds. Novikov expressed that this was one of his weaknesses and that he has never locked out 440.1 pounds. This is his goal heading into 2022. Novikov took some time off for the holiday and it seemed to pay off. He showed great form and fluidity when performing log lifts. He was able to lock out three reps of 319.7 pounds on his second-to-last set followed by five reps on his last set.
The roster for the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic is elite. Novikov is one of three World’s Strongest Man winners, along with Tom Stoltman and Martins Licis. The 2021 Europe World’s Strongest Man Luke Stoltman will be present along with two-time WSM runner-up Mateusz Kieliszkowski.
Oleksii Novikov will enter the competition as one of the favorites to win as his strength seems to be on par. . There is still plenty of time to bump some numbers up and that is what Novikov plans to do in the upcoming weeks.
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