Citing their firm conviction that IFSA Strongman's Blueprint for the sport represents a substantial step forward, many of the world's top professional strongmen say that they see the new organization as a vehicle for professionalizing what began as a grassroots activity, and the just announced IFSA-Arnold partnership is being greeted with open arms in the upper echelons of the international strongman community.

A recent split had carved the strongman world into two groups: IFSA Strongman on one side and the WSM Super Series on the other. Four-time World's Strongest Man winner and a leading name in the sport, Magnus Ver Magnusson had told IronMind® earlier this week that he felt the split was detrimental to the advancement of strongman, since such division would only weaken the sport.

Strength sports enthusiasts frequently cite the fragmentation within powerlifting as a key factor limiting both the growth and the credibility of the sport, and then draw parallels to the strongman world.

The newly minted partnership brings together IFSA Strongman, which is described as "the world governing body, sports marketer and pro-athlete manager of the Strongman sport," and the Arnold Fitness Weekend - the world's largest fitness expo and an event that has been called, "the greatest show on earth" and "the Woodstock of weightlifting," drawing six-figure crowds over its three days of world-class events.

IFSA Strongman CEO Jussi Laurimaa explained the benefits of the two-year agreement between his group and Classic Productions, which puts on the The Arnold Fitness Weekend, in no uncertain terms.

"The contract now signed maintains the status of Arnolds as the U.S. Open of Strongman contests: independent, irreplaceable, and excitingly different. At the same time, the contract elevates The Arnold Classic into the official IFSA Strongman pro-competition calendar, thus further increasing its attractiveness to the athletes and sponsors," Laurimaa said.

The Arnold Fitness Weekend is March 4 - 6 in Columbus, Ohio. For full contest and ticket information please see the Arnold's website.