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 - Belgium
- Marie Sirois - Quebec, Canada
- Minerva - New Jersey, USA
- Vulcana - Abergavenny, Wales
- Miss Apollina - Belgium
- Charmion - California, USA
- Macarte Sisters - Great Britain Julia, Adelaide and Cecilia
- Marina Lurs - Estonia
- Anette Busch - Estonia
- Katie Sandwina - Vienna, Austria
- Marie Ford - New York, USA
- Ivy Russell - Croydon, England
- Luisita Leers - Germany
- Mildred Burke - Coffeyville, Kansas, USA
- Abbye "Pudgy" Stockton - Santa Monica, California, USA
- Joan Rhodes - London, England
- Reba Rakshit - Kolkata, India
- Jan Todd - Pennsylvania, USA
- Bev Francis - Australia
- Charmaine Childs - Australia
- Becca Swanson - Papillion, Nebraska, USA
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.
| # | Name | Country | Active | Competitions | Wins | Win % |
| 1 | Olga Liashchuk |  Percentage | 8 | 22 | 2 |pad=yesTrainingWomen who compete in Strongman 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 is important as the technique used for the different implements are nuanced and are not readily available at commercial gyms.CompetitionsInternational Championships:
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