Strongwoman

A strongwoman is a woman who performs feats of strength in a show or circus, or a woman who competes in strength athletics. Traditionally, strongwomen have had a special appeal, as women involved in demonstrated feats of strength were exceptions. Modern day strongwoman competitions test athletes physical strength and endurance through a variety of heavy lifts and events.

Traditional strongwomen

Traditionally, strongwomen were featured as performers in a circus, or in vaudeville, music halls, or other venues, and engaged in feats of strength such as barbell lifting and human juggling.

Some famous traditional strongwomen include:

Miss Athléta (Athleta Van Huffelen) - Belgium (1865 – 1927)
Marie Sirois - Quebec, Canada (1865 – 1920)
Minerva (Josephine Blatt née Wohlford) - New Jersey, USA (1869 – 1923)
Vulcana (Miriam Kate Williams aka Kate Roberts) - Abergavenny, Wales (1874 – 1946)
Miss Apollina (Elise Gillaine Herbigneaux) - Belgium (1874 – Unknown)
Charmion (Laverie Vallee née Cooper) - California, USA (1875 – 1949)
Macarte Sisters - Great Britain Julia (1878–1958), Adelaide (1879–1908) and Cecilia (1881–1939)
Marina Lurs (Maria Loorberg) - Estonia (1881 – 1922)
Anette Busch - Estonia (1882 – 1969)
Katie Sandwina - Vienna, Austria (1884 – 1952)
Marie Ford - New York, USA (1900 – Unknown)
Ivy Russell - Croydon, England (1907 – Unknown)
Luisita Leers (Martha Luise Krökel) - Germany (1909 – 1997)
Mildred Burke - Coffeyville, Kansas, USA (1915 – 1989)
Abbye "Pudgy" Stockton - Santa Monica, California, USA (1917 – 2006)
Joan Rhodes - London, England (1920 – 2010)
Jan Todd - Pennsylvania, USA (1952 – )
Bev Francis - Australia (1955 – )
Charmaine Childs (aka Betty Brawn) - Australia (1965 – )
Becca Swanson - Papillion, Nebraska, USA (1973 – )

Modern-day strongwomen

In recent years, the term strongwoman has come to refer to the women who compete in events such as the annual World's Strongest Woman and Arnold Strongwoman Classic competitions. Strongwomen compete in the sport of Strongman and the sport has become popular with female strength athletes over the past decade that there are several state and nationally sanctioned competitions that prepare amateur female athletes for national competitions that allow for the opportunity to compete as professionals. In all these contests, the participants compete in similar types of events that can be found in a Strongman competition. Such events include, but are not limited to:

Some notable modern strongwomen:

International Accolades

The table below summarizes the most decorated strongwomen in modern history with the most number of international wins in their careers (1st places only/ open weight and age categories only).

Active Retired

Additionally, the following 18 strongwomen have won 1 international competition (open category) each:

Nina Geria, Michelle Sørensen, Edith Pongratz & Angéline Berva (1 from 1 each); Annina Saine & Shayna Wirihana (1 from 2 each); Annabelle Chapman & Liefia Ingalls (1 from 3 each); Erin Murray (1 from 4); Kati Luoto, Angelica Jardine & Hannah Linzay (1 from 6 each); Britteny Cornelius & Melissa Peacock (1 from 9 each); Anna Harjapää (1 from 10); Heini Koivuniemi & Brooke Sousa (1 from 11 each); Andrea Thompson (1 from 18)

- As of 1 March 2025

Training

Women who compete in Strongman (strongwomen) must be well versed in the styles and techniques that are demonstrated in both powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting as the types of lifts that are performed in both sports are fundamental in strength sports and carry over into the techniques that have been developed for the events that make up a Strongman competition. In addition to developing the proper technique for the foundation lifts, strongwomen must also develop endurance through cardiovascular conditioning training. Being able to adapt to implements (straight barbells versus axle barbells, axle barbells versus logs, etc.) is important as the technique used for the different implements are nuanced and are not readily available at commercial gyms.