"Probably the worst thing you could do for darts" - From darts to arm wrestling: Simon Whitlock finds an unusual way to earn extra money

Simon Whitlock’s career may have featured fewer highlights on the big PDC stage in recent years, but “The Wizard” has hardly been idle. The Australian has found a striking side gig outside darts: arm wrestling — and by his own account, it earns him a tidy little sum.

Whitlock, a former European Champion, lost his PDC Tour Card in early 2025 but stayed active on international circuits. He even won the ANZ Premier League. These days, though, he also draws income from a very different arena.

"I win a bit of money arm wrestling. £10, I think, maybe £20. Depends how big their arms are!" Whitlock told the Double Tops Podcast.

According to his son Mason, who even bought him a dedicated arm-wrestling table, those amounts can rise considerably. “I’ve seen him do 50 quid arm wrestles before. I’ve seen it. He does do it.”

Remarkably, Whitlock is well aware that his new hobby runs counter to his sport. "“I love arm wrestling and I’ll challenge any of the dart players out there. It’s probably the worst thing you could do for darts. I wouldn’t suggest doing it.

Whitlock is taking his new passion seriously and has even developed specific exercises to get stronger at the table. "I actually do a few certain training exercises for arm wrestling. I mean, I do a lot of curls, but then I stand my curl bar up on its end and put my hands under the weights and lift up, which strengthens this.

"So, you’ve got your curl bar, you stand it up, so the weights are at the top and the bottom. And then you put your hands under the weights and lift up and down like that. Yeah, and that does wrists, forearms, shoulders.”

He cites Arron Monk as one of the toughest opponents. "Probably the strongest of arm wrestlers. I have sort of challenged [Gerwyn Price] and we haven’t got there yet.” A showdown with Gerwyn Price has also been on the cards for a while, although it hasn’t yet materialized.

Recently, Whitlock faced Lukas Wenig — with success. “Yeah, I did last weekend, and I won. I won easy, actually. He’s a power lifter, but he’s got weak wrists.”