Strength athletics in the United Kingdom and Ireland has a long history going back many centuries before the televisation of strongman competitions in the 1970s.
[2] Other notable names in this genre were Bert Assirati, Launceston Elliot, Edward Aston, and William Pullum.
Household names, such as Geoff Capes, Jamie Reeves and Gary Taylor dominated, with these three in particular going on to win World's Strongest Man titles.
The modern era has seen this trend continue with Terry Hollands, Mark Felix and Laurence Shahlaei being regular faces at World's Strongest Man and its associated Super Series.
Featured events in these contests have been tailored to emphasize a more well-rounded athlete, to reflect that viewpoint on strongman as a whole, and in the interests of increased popularity and marketability among the masses.
Alternative organizations have formed in recent years, comprising a new wave of influence in the field, with the United Kingdom Strength Council (UKSC) founded by Britain's Strongest Man multi-year champion Glenn Ross setting up events separate from BSM, as has the IFSA.
Across the UK and Ireland there are and have been many competitions testing individuals strength, ranging from local to regional to national to pan-British Isles.
[4] For this reason, the UKSC results since they took over the running of the competition are presented below simply as a continuation of the former year's official event.