The Unit Classic

Big. New. Heavy. 😎 That’s the only way to describe the Unit Classic, a brand new competition coming this September at the Unit in Colchester. A group of 10 incredible athletes have accepted invites to take on some of the heaviest events in the strongman world and will be in with a chance to take home a share of the HUGE £3000 podium prize money! Not only that, 2 wildcard entries will be coming from the top finishers at Britains U120 podium to shake things up a bit! We can’t wait for this show. A livestream and limited in person tickets will be available and information for them will be released in the coming months. Keep an eye on our page for more details on this! 📆 19th September 2026 📍 The Unit, Notley Enterprise Park, Colchester @paul_smith_94 @rhinoengland @tomtheowens @zack_hill1 @joe_the_animal_oliver @alexferi17 @coach_ollieclarke @shane__nye @the__conqueror1 @bigtp123

Here are the events for the Unit Classic! 😎 Our athletes will be shifting some serious weight if they want to get their hands on the prize money 😮‍💨 From huge log presses to massive atlas stones and not to mention the mammoth 1000lb yoke carry the Classic is going to a showstopper of a competition! 💪🏼 The Unit Classic will be on the 19th September at the Unit in Colchester. Details of spectators tickets and livestream will be announced in the coming months! LFG 🔥

Our main showreel for just how f*cking awesome Essex Strongest was and how our competitions look. Great quality shows come from passion and drive for the sport. It’s not about how much a show makes it’s about the wow factor for both athletes and spectators. That’s how this sport grows. We can’t wait for the next one 😎💪🏼

Can you believe it’s been over 2 weeks since Essex Strongest?! What a day it was 😎 some great athletes pushing limits and showing us what they’re made off. Got some great reels coming from the event and we’ll be posting them soon 💪🏼 Spot yourself or someone you know? Tag them in the comments 👇🏼 Big thank you again to our event sponsors: @shilajittea @lift_official_ltd_ @madeofmetl @vxsgymwear @resonanceenergywear

Paddy pulled 300KG at 8 months into his training 👀 it’s also fun to find out what strongmen make @paddy_strongman star struck. A new seminar is on the horizon who will it be?

📸 shots from Essex strongest Intermediate 2026 🥇 @dyersdarkroom #strongman #logpress #deadlift #competition #essexstrongest

This was a great day and Paddy was such a nice guy and everyone enjoyed him being there! We also enjoy putting on events at The Unit so stay tuned for more 😉

We’re buzzing to have one and only @mkcoaching___ stepping into the Unit Classic to complete our 10 invite line up! Matt has been one of the most dominant u105 athletes in the world with multiple titles under his belt. Not only that but his deadlift is another level, he holds the u105 world record at a massive 413kg! 😳 With his plans to step further into the opens the Classic is a great opportunity to showcase what he can do. We can’t wait to see him in action! 💪🏼 The Unit Classic is on the 19th September at the Unit Colchester. Spectators tickets and livestream details will be released soon. Watch this space!

As some of you may have seen, @rhinoengland has announced his retirement from strongman due to injury and that sadly means we are losing him from the Unit Classic lineup in September. We all wish Ryan the best in his retirement from the sport and hope he’ll come to our events and support as a spectator instead! We already have a replacement confirmed and it’s a good one! We will announce that later on but in the meantime, are there any guesses who it might be? 👀

We sent out feedback forms after to comp to find out from competitors what we did right and more importantly, what we did wrong so we can improve on it next time! There is space on there for a testimonial and these are just some of the lovely comments we’ve had back about Essex Strongest. We are so serious when we say we want to make our comps the best and we will be taking your feedback in and doing what we can to make sure it’s even better next time. The strongman community is unmatched and this just shows why 🫶🏼❤️ Essex Athletes, if you haven’t filled in your feedback form yet please do! The more we get back the better we can make our next one! 💪🏼

We are for sure doing our best to make our events the best they can be for the athletes. Some words of wisdom from @paddy_strongman Also to all the athletes who competed on the weekend please check your emails and fill out our feedback form it would be much appreciated. We just want to make sure we can do the most for the athletes who compete with us and we are upping the levels majorly for next years Essex Strongest 💪🏻

The Full Comp Breakdown 💪 Considering 12 months ago, I almost quit the gym after hurting my back again, to getting to this point, I’m unbelievably proud. With 2 event wins, top 3 placings all day & my body not feeling like a total train wreck after, this was my fave comp that I’ve ever done & @unitclassic team went above & beyond to make it special. @andreathompson_strongwoman you were a fab ref & it was class meeting you. Thank you for being such a passionate voice in the sport. Thank you to @huntingthetrail @strongerwithscarlett who picked me up off the floor last year & got me flying again & @dan_winningstrength for getting my head wobbled back into place on my deadlift. I’m very grateful for you both. Thank you to our amazing @marksgym.winkleigh squad @tobiquinnstrongman @archievwcooper @emilycooper_strongwoman @fatmatt_uk & the Essex cheerleaders @hammer_hamblet_u80 @court_8289 @xbrontemae for shouting, filming & picking me up when I needed it. Unbelievably grateful to have such energy around me. @strongmanbigben for tacky, cheesy chips, vibes, tacky - whatever I need of a day, you’re there. Thank you 🫶 My epic strong girl club & clients for cheering me on virtually all day 📱💕 Finally, shout out to my resident strongman @mrblobby_strongman who screamed so loudly for me at every opportunity & put on such a show despite gluing his body together for this. So proud of you ♥️ Onwards & upwards… I’m buzzing for more 🤩 ✨Belt @9for9.co.uk 👕 Grip Top @goforyoke DISCOUNTS (in bio) 🎀 @scrunchiko 💪 @freyjafituk 🧁 @theproteinqueenofficial #strongwithjem #girlswholift #strongwomen #strongwoman