Oleksii Novikov Profile & Stats

The biography, life, and accomplishments of Oleksii Novikov

The 2023 World’s Strongest Man has wrapped, and we got to see some extraordinary athletes compete at that event. Amongst the top finishers, right behind Mitchell Hooper and former champ Tom Stoltman, was another previous champion, Oleksii Novikov.

Below is a complete breakdown of Oleksii Novikov’s profile, stats, biography, training and diet regimens.

Oleksii Novikov Biography

Standing at 6’1″ tall is the professional strongman who is from Kyiv, Ukraine. Born in 1996, the strongman is still young in the game, and within less than a decade of being in strongman, he has risen to be one of the top athletes in the sport. He has a pretty modest stature for strongman, standing at just around 300 lbs, but still has competed in and won some serious titles, including the World’s Strongest Man and Europe’s Strongest Man.

Oleksii is also a member of the Kyiv Police Special Forces, and is known for his intense competitiveness and how good he is when it comes to being consistent in events that require speed and athleticism.

Not to mention, he won the World’s Strongest Man competition at just 24 years old.

Competition History

Despite being in strongman for less than a decade, Oleksii Novikov has a very extensive and impressive competition history. When he was only 20 years old, Oleksii was winning Ukraine’s Strongest Man titles. He burst onto the international scene back in 2018, winning the Arnold Amateur World Title, talk about a fast career.

Capitalizing on his success in the sport, Oleksii continued on with the competitions and took two Arnold World Series titles in Africa and South America the following year.

It does not stop there, let’s take a look at the rest of Oleksii’s competitions.

Training

Strongman training is no joke, there is a lot that goes into it. You have your basic lifts that are incorporated into training regimens, but strongmen also have to hone in on different things. Here are some strongman specific training pieces that Oleksii Novikov focuses on.

1. Dumbbell Training

Novikov is one of the best in business in the heavy dumbbell for reps contest. He has completed 11 repetitions in 75 seconds with a 100-kilogram (220-pound) dumbbell at the WUS “Feats of Strength” series. 

Since the 2021 “Strength Island” heavy dumbbell event utilized the Cyr dumbbell, Oleksii begins his workouts with dumbbell training. 

Novikov uses a rotation technique to drop the dumbbell, rotating his arm outwards while he is dropping it so it does not roll away. The heavy dumbbell event is usually scored based on the highest reps within a specific time limit rather than the maximum weight, so the dumbbell rolling away could cost him. 

Fun Fact: The Cyr dumbbell is also known as the “circus dumbbell” for its appearance. It is named after the French-Canadian strongman, Louis Cyr, and has two spheres at each end of the handle.

2. Loading Medley 

Since the loading medley is one of the most common events at elite strongman contests, the Oleksii makes sure to incorporate the lift in his training regimen.

The medley event could involve lifting and carrying different awkwardly-shaped heavy objects for a given distance before loading them onto a platform, which tests a competitor’s strength, agility, endurance, and stamina. It is one of Oleksii Novikov’s strong suits, thanks to his heavy focus on it during training.

The strongman’s medley training includes carrying the following objects down a track and tossing them over a high bar:

• Sandbag: 120 kilograms (264 pounds)
• Heavy shield: 110 kilograms (242 pounds)
• Atlas stone: 120 kilograms (264 pounds)

Oleksii Novikov PRs

• Max. Deadlift: 453.5-kilogram (1,000-pound)
• Max. 18-inch Deadlift: 537.5-kilogram (1,185-pound)
• Max. Hummer Tire Deadlift: 472-kilogram (1,041-pound)
• Max. Log Lift: 191-kilogram (421-pound)
• Max. Axle Press: 190-kilogram (419-pound)
• Max. Squat: 411-kilogram (906-pound)

Nutrition

Being a professional strongman involves a lot of eating! Building that size and strength, let alone maintaining it, is not an easy task. While the diet is not as restrictive as bodybuilding, it still requires massive amounts of healthy food to improve performance.

Let’s take a look at what Oleksii’s meals throughout the day look like.

1. First Breakfast — 6 a.m.

• Protein Oats
• Avocado
• Protein shake

After downing his breakfast, the strongman goes right back to sleep for another 3-4 hours for recovery. Remember, recovery is where growth happens! 

2. Second Breakfast — 10 a.m. 

• Seven eggs (three egg whites, four whole eggs)
• 150 grams of buckwheat 
• Fried pepper

3. Pre-Lunch

• A dish of lettuce, tomatoes, grilled peppers
• Salmon filters
• Yeast-free bread

4. Lunch

• Chicken/turkey shashlik (kebabs)
• Grilled veggie skewers

5. Dinner — 8 p.m.

• Burgers
• Yeast-free bread
• Cheese slices

6. Post-Dinner — 11 p.m.

• Protein shake

Oleksii Novikov wraps up his eating day by downing a casein protein shake. The slow-digesting protein ensures that his muscles receive the required amount of protein for optimal recovery. A slow releasing protein also can help keep you full for longer periods of time.

Although it may look like too much food, Oleksii Novikov consumes a healthy dose of carbs, protein, and fats through every meal. While following a diet program, you should ensure that you aren’t overly reliant on one macronutrient. You also have to remember how active Oleksii is, so he needs the calories to really continue building strength.

Oleksii Novikov Wrap Up

Overall, Oleksii Novikov is a very decorated strongman and is still young. He has a accomplished a lot in his time in the sport, and with his 3rd place finish at the 2023 World’s Strongest Man, there are no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Do you think Oleksii Novikov will win another World’s Strongest Man title?