Eddy Ellwood (born 30 March 1964) is a British world champion

bodybuilder Bodybuilding is the practice of progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's muscles via hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. It is primarily undertaken for aesthetic ...

and professional

Strongman Strongman is a competitive strength sport which tests athletes' physical strength and endurance through a variety of heavy lifts and events. Strongman competitions are known for their intensity, pushing athletes to their physical and mental limit ...

competitor. Ellwood is best known for being a 5-time winner of the NABBA Mr Universe (pro) contest. He is also a 4-time winner of the

England's Strongest Man 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. The ancient heritage of the sport in the United Kingdom and Ireland lies in a numbe ...

title, including the IFSA version.

Early years/Bodybuilding

As a teenager, Eddy Ellwood was a

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

but found a lack of local opposition in the light-heavyweight division. He stepped up a division to heavyweight and this required more hours in the weight room. This resulted in the 19-year-old Ellwood entering a junior bodybuilding contest which he won. Eddy went on to win Mr. Britain, and was a five time Professional Mr Universe.

Strongman

In 2002, Eddy began competing in

strongman Strongman is a competitive strength sport which tests athletes' physical strength and endurance through a variety of heavy lifts and events. Strongman competitions are known for their intensity, pushing athletes to their physical and mental limit ...

, his first major contest was the 2002

Britain's Strongest Man Britain's Strongest Man is an annual strongman event held in the United Kingdom. Competitors qualify for the final through regional heats and the winner is awarded the title of "Britain's Strongest Man". The competition is produced by TWI and ...

contest. Eddy was winning his qualifying heat but suffered a severe

biceps The biceps or biceps brachii (, "two-headed muscle of the arm") is a large muscle that lies on the front of the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow. Both heads of the muscle arise on the scapula and join to form a single muscle bel ...

tear during the atlas stone event and was forced to withdraw from the competition. Ellwood returned the next year and finished 4th at the 2003

, which earned him an invitation to the

2003 World's Strongest Man The 2003 World's Strongest Man was the 26th edition of World's Strongest Man and was won by Mariusz Pudzianowski from Poland. It was his second title, and Pudzianowski's record-setting score of 66 points in the Final eclipsed the previous record o ...

contest in

Victoria Falls Victoria Falls (Lozi language, Lozi: ''Mosi-oa-Tunya'', "Thundering Smoke/Smoke that Rises"; Tonga language (Zambia and Zimbabwe), Tonga: ''Shungu Namutitima'', "Boiling Water") is a waterfall on the Zambezi River, located on the border betwe ...

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

. Eddy finished 4th again at the 2004

, and 7th in 2008. Eddy also won the

title three consecutive times from 2003 to 2005, as well as the IFSA version of

in 2005.

Lockdown fine

In 2022, Ellwood was ordered to pay over £55,000 in fines and costs when found guilty of four breaches of COVID-19 lockdown laws. He had allowed people to use his gym in 2021 when gatherings of that kind were illegal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellwood, Eddy English male bodybuilders English strength athletes 1964 births Living people People from Blackhall Colliery Sportspeople from County Durham