Life
Ryan Bennett is an English strongman who has been competing on the domestic circuit for the last 4-5 years. In 2022, Ryan won the English title in Liverpool and is therefore the current England’s Strongest Man. The victory has allowed Ryan to move into international competition, such as Strongman Champions League events and the Arnold UK contest.
Ryan is coached by none other than Laurence Shahlaei, the 2016 Europe’s Strongest Man, and 2-time Britain’s Strongest Man. The pair began working together in 2019 and Ryan attributes much of his recent success to Shahlaei’s support and guidance.
Ryan works full time as a scaffolder. Although it is a physically demanding profession, Bennett feels that with the right nutrition and mindset he is still able to attack his training and make the kind of progress he is looking for.
Career
Beginning weight training at just 13, doing mostly bodybuilding-type routines, over roughly a decade Ryan slowly built up his strength and was eventually spotted by his local gym owner at around the age of 23 and invited to take part in some strongman event training. He teamed up with his training partner, Ollie Clarke, and began entering novice and open competitions, as he progressed.
In 2019 he teamed up with Laurence Shahlaei but then decided to call a halt to his competitive activities throughout the pandemic, not wanting to waste effort on competitions that might not have gone ahead. He returned with a bang in July 2022, winning England’s Strongest Man in Liverpool, and then appearing at both the Arnold UK and the Strongman Champions League contest, in England – both international competitions and a major step-up in class.
Best Title
Bennett’s victory in England’s Strongest Man at Liverpool’s FitXpo Arena is his greatest achievement in the sport to date. Beating Ben Williams and Kane Francis into 2nd and 3rd, respectively, Bennett showed great consistency through the 6 events, which included a 155kg (342lb) Farmer’s Walk for 30m, Deadlift for maximum weight, a 400kg (882lb) Super Yoke and Atlas Stones from 100kg (220lb) to 180kg (397lb). On his way to clinching the title Ryan established a new personal best in the deadlift, successfully lifting 370kg (816lb).
Competition Results
Best Lifts
Competition Lifts
Training Lifts
Present Day
Having won England’s Strongest Man and broken through into international contests, Ryan will be competing at Giants Live’s Britain’s Strongest Man in January 2023. A successful performance in Sheffield could pave the way for more competition invites and help propel Ryan to the next level.
Competing at more Giants Live contests is a major goal for Bennett. Ultimately, he wants to continue to build his strength with a view to qualifying for World’s Strongest Man and mixing it with the strongest guys on the planet.
Media
Ryan’s performance at Britain’s Strongest Man will be aired on UK television via Channel 5 as part of the World’s Strongest Man broadcast, of which the first 5 episodes feature the Giants Live Arena Tour contests. These are shown each year over the Christmas period, leading up to Boxing Day.
Ryan’s main social media platform is Instagram where he can be found as @strongman.bennett. He keeps his 3.5k followers abreast of his training and competing with regular posts.
