"I'm over the moon with 4th place!" Andrea Thompson wrote back on March 3 after the 2025 Arnold Strongwoman Classic. However, that didn't mean Thompson was done for the year. So with the World's Strongest Woman title in her sights, she ramped up her training.

Fast forward to November, and while Thompson's victory came on the heels of the controversy, the title was hers. However, in a year filled with success, the Strongest Woman in the world also shared glimpses of training that made it possible.

Training under Laurence Shahlaei, Andrea Thompson started sharing her workout videos from the very beginning of 2025.

For her warm-up, Thompson focuses on her hamstrings and glutes during the workout she posted on January 24. Thompson stated, “I can press from the front like 130 kilograms; many people keep saying I need to use my legs, but I can’t figure out how to use them.” 

That's because Thompson's weakness during the overhead press was her leg drive. She started the exercise with the help of an empty bar, then slowly and gradually increased the weight by 10 kg plates, followed by 20 kg on each side.

This focused effort on improving weaknesses is what helped Thompson build up to winning the World's Strongest Woman, and something anyone can apply to their own training. Then came the sled drag.

Her trainer, Shahlaei, focused on a special strategy to train her. First, he asked her to carry him on the shed drag, then he gradually increased the weight by adding two more people. 

The Frame Carry was antoher weakness. She started walking with 121 pounds in each hand, then increased the weight to almost 209 pounds. Then in the third round, the stacked weight reached nearly 297 pounds in each hand.

So, in simple words, Andrea Thompson's workout was all about progressively overloading on weights until she hit failure. And although she didn't win the Arnold Strongman Classic, it's her was this philosophy that ultimately helped her earn the world title in November

Andrea Thompson's World's Strongest Woman journey

The World’s Strongest Woman competition happened in multiple events. The first event was all about the leg press challenge. The competitors were asked to choose a weight and complete reps. Andrea chose the heaviest weight, 250 lb, and attempted four reps. From that moment, all the spotlight was on her.

Timber frame carry was the competition’s event two. This was all about your time and grip. Competitors were asked to carry a specified weight over a specific distance in this event. Andrea had a 550 lbs weight and reached the required destination in 24.89 seconds, finishing second.

The next event was a deadlift ladder. For this activity, competitors had to perform four deadlifts with distinctive weights. Andrea came 1 st in this position. However, in events 4 and 6, she finished in 6th place, and in event 5, Andrea came in 1st place.

So, from targeted warmups to progressive overload, the World's Strongest Woman used techniques you can use in the gym too.

Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi