2019 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Martins Licis stepped back from strongman competitions in 2024 due to injury. During his recovery, Licis explores the strength world, immersing himself in the strength traditions of different cultures.
Recently, Licis visited the Dungeon Strength RX gym in Tacoma, WA, to observe four pro strongman athletes train for the 2025 Arnold Strongman Classic. His experience brought to mind fascinating moments in strongman history.
“We’ll see team competition and meet some of the strongest people on the planet,” Licis disclosed. “There are over four international competitors from this gym and the Pacific Northwest. I have to figure out what they’re putting in the water because these people are strong and keep producing strength.”
Strongman Competition History
Licis highlighted the influence of his mentor, Odd Haugen, and other strength trailblazers who competed in the Beauty and the Beast strongman show from 1998 to 2003. One standout athlete who had an outsized impact on the strength world at large was Grant Higa.
Licis shared how a chance encounter changed everything. If Higa hadn’t attended a random powerlifting event to cross paths with Haugen, the landscape of strength sports might look quite different today.
Higa blended powerlifting expertise with strongman training to establish a small but influential gym. What began as a modest space in a Seattle factory warehouse grew into something far greater, leaving a lasting mark on the strength community.
Higa’s passion and knowledge drew talent in like a supercharged magnet; legendary strength culture sprouted.
—Martins Licis
Higa, renowned for training elite athletes like Jesse Marunde and Zack McCarley, has long been a draw for top-tier strength competitors. Dungeon Strength RX, a premier gym in Washington’s Pacific Northwest, exemplifies Higa’s legacy as he remains one of the gym’s trainers.
The gym hosts four pro strongman athletes training for the 2025 Arnold Strongman Classic, “known as the heaviest show in the world,” Licis shared knowingly as the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic champion.
Among these athletes are two-time America’s Strongest Man Lucas Hatton, reigning 2023 America’s Strongest Woman Angelica Jardine, first multi-weight class world champion Erin Murray, and seven-time world record holder Gabi Dixson.
Dungeon Strength RX Strongman Competition
During Licis’s initial visit to the gym, a local competition was underway to showcase why the gym is so well-known.
Hatton explained the format: four teams compete, featuring individuals from any weight class. Each division had specific weights tailored to their class, and teams could consist of any combination of members. The competition followed standard scoring, with events focused on total reps, overall time, and distance covered.
Licis observed multiple teams battle intense challenges in a lively, upbeat atmosphere rife with camaraderie, encouragement, and community.
This is the perfect concoction to grow a strong community.
—Martins Licis
Training at Dungeon Strength RX
Dungeon Strength RX has a wide variety of strongman gear. “The amount of old-school IFA stuff here is bringing out the nerd in me,” Licis grinned. “A lot of this IFA equipment belonged to Odd Haugen — incredible how it’s come such a long distance.”
The athletes warmed up with seated hip flexor liftovers, pilates clamshells with a resistance band, and behind-the-neck barbell presses.
Licis assisted Hatton with behind-the-neck press training. After Hatton completed his first set, Licis acknowledged Hatton’s shoulder mobility. Hatton was amidst a deload, gradually working up to 70% of his maximum capacity. He focused on perfecting form and positioning.
Licis prefers to warm up with a cobra activation stretch before tackling stone-to-shoulders. Cobra stretches prep the body to hold the stone under spinal extension.
Keep the abs engaged while they are fully elongated. That is a unique demand of a stone lift, especially a stone-to-shoulder.
—Martins Licis
Licis demonstrated a smooth technique for lifting the stone from the floor to the upper chest and securing it before transitioning it to the shoulders. Using a two-handed under-support grip at the upper chest provides stability. “That’s the heaviest thing I’ve lifted in a while, and it felt really good,” Licis said.
“To think so much of this growing, incredible talent is concentrated in such a small piece of the USA all traced back to one moment where my mentor Odd Haugen met with Grant Higa,” Licis reminisced.
Featured image: @martinslicis on Instagram
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