It had the impact of a bombshell in the strongman world yesterday when IronMind® reported that Arild “The Emperor of Stones” would be competing in Giants Live–Poland in a bid to gain an invitation to World’s Strongest Man 2010.
Arild Haugen is ramping up his heavy training in a bid to compete at this year’s World’s Strongest Man contest and by all early indications, his re-entry into the strongman world should be accompanied by a fair warning to the other competitors: Look who’s coming to get you! IronMind® | Photo courtesy of Arild Haugen.
“Yes sir, it’s true that I really want to go to WSM this year,” Arild Haugen confirmed for IronMind®. “And therefore I will have to qualify through the Giants Live competition in Poland.
“I did a competition in [the] beginning of June in London. I had trained only for 3 - 4 weeks and did a couple of good lifts and enjoyed the competition and the meetings with all the other strongmen. But after being away from the strongman events and the heavy weights I felt that I still had some power left, and after doing 12 reps in deadlift with 310 kg I started thinking about how good I could be if I trained some months more.
“So right now I am increasing the weights every week but still I haven't started the heaviest part. The competition in Poland is heavy and not my favorite events, so it has made me train on my weaknesses :) After Poland I know a little bit more and if I get an invitation I will be ready and rested for a real work up until the World's Strongest Man. I know all the other guys are getting stronger and bigger every year, but I have improved a lot on other stages when I have been gone, so hopefully I will show you a new reborn HULK. And my goal is definitely to keep the title Emperor of the Stones. And I hear rumors that there maybe will be some new and shocking events at the worlds [World’s Strongest Man contest] this year.
“A friend of me told me once, ‘If you're good at something, you should stick with it.’ And I guess I`m a better strongman then a boxer. But I am also an idealist. I`m on my way, but I don`t know where I am going. The worlds is a competition that fits me well.
“My current stats are: 150 kg with better endurance then ever. I feel like I am weighing 125 kg and I am doing a lot of cardio and events training. I will try to get better on my weakness and keep my best events like they were :) LET'S GET NASTY!!!!
“If I get invitations for the Worlds, The Viking [Svend Karlsen] will train me until I eat chains and s*** chains he told me :) .”
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