Hey folks, Coach Shane here! Today, we're diving into the world of strongman training – a unique and exciting approach to building strength, endurance, and overall fitness. Whether you're an elite athlete, a weekend warrior, or someone just looking to break free from the mundane gym routine, strongman training offers something for everyone. Let’s explore what makes this training so powerful and how you can incorporate it into your own fitness journey.
What is Strongman Training?
Strongman is not your typical strength sport. Unlike traditional Olympic weightlifting or powerlifting, strongman competitions involve a variety of unconventional lifts using diverse equipment, often in outdoor settings. Imagine pulling trucks, carrying sandbags, deadlifting odd objects, and pressing giant logs overhead. These feats require a comprehensive fitness and strength base, making strongman training a holistic workout regimen. Plus, who wouldn't want to feel like He-Man for a day?
The Essence of Strongman Training
The beauty of strongman training lies in its versatility and real-world applicability. It's all about building raw, brute strength through varied and functional movements. Whether you're pulling trucks or carrying heavy weights, strongman exercises can significantly enhance your fitness, confidence, and overall strength. But what makes it so special? Let's break it down.
Developing Functional Strength
Functional strength is about moving heavy or awkward objects, similar to tasks you might encounter in everyday life. Think carrying groceries, lifting heavy boxes, or pushing a broken-down car. Strongman exercises, such as carrying, pulling, pushing, and throwing, mimic these movements, building practical strength that’s incredibly useful in real-world situations. It's like leveling up your real-life RPG stats!
Improving Trunk and Grip Strength
Strongman events heavily engage the stabilizing muscles of the trunk, enhancing core stability. Exercises like farmers’ carries require strong grip strength, which can be developed using various grip types with different objects. This variety helps build phenomenal grip strength and overall stability, making everyday tasks easier. Ever wanted to open a stubborn pickle jar like a superhero? Strongman training has you covered.
Increasing Muscle Mass and Bone Density
Strongman exercises often involve high repetitions and prolonged tension, which are excellent for building muscle mass. Activities like sled pulls and carries keep muscles under tension for extended periods, promoting hypertrophy. Additionally, resistance training positively impacts bone density, making it particularly beneficial for older adults at risk of osteoporosis. Basically, you'll be turning your skeleton into adamantium – or as close as we mere mortals can get.
Overcoming Training Plateaus
Training plateaus happen when your body adapts to repetitive exercises. Strongman lifts introduce new stimuli, challenging your muscles in unfamiliar ways and sparking new levels of adaptation. This variety can help you break through plateaus and continue progressing. Think of it as giving your muscles a plot twist they never saw coming.
Boosting Cardiovascular Fitness
Strongman training can significantly improve cardiovascular fitness. High-intensity exercises like sled pulls elevate the heart rate and challenge the cardiovascular system. For instance, dragging a sled over a distance demands continuous effort from the heart and lungs, boosting overall endurance. It's like a HIIT workout but with more "I can lift that car" vibes.
Making Fitness Fun
One of the most underappreciated aspects of strongman training is the element of fun. Incorporating unconventional movements like throwing sandbags or dragging sleds keeps workouts interesting and enjoyable. This variety helps maintain motivation and consistency, leading to long-term success in fitness goals. Because, let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to feel like a Viking preparing for battle?
Top 3 Strongman Exercises for Everyday Athletes
Now, let’s talk about how you can bring strongman training into your own routine. Here are three strongman exercises commonly used with clients to build strength, fitness, and mental toughness.
1. Farmers Carry
How to Do It:
Set up weights outside your feet.
Perform a hybrid squat-hinge to grip the handles.
Brace your trunk, set your back tight, and stand up with the weights.
Walk forward with a neutral spine, even shoulders, and a steady gaze.
Programming:
Strength: Heavy carries up to 20 meters, 3-5 sets.
Fitness: 25-50% of best carry for 50-200 meters, repeated 10 times with 30-second rests.
Mental Grit: 25-30% of best carry for maximum distance, fewest drops possible.
Nerdy Fact: The farmers carry is essentially a real-life version of the video game trope where your character can carry an entire inventory without breaking a sweat. Only here, you get to feel every bit of that weight – and the power that comes with it!
2. Sled Drags
How to Do It:
Load the sled with the desired weight.
Grasp handles or use a belt for reverse drags.
Brace your core and lean into the walk.
Keep shoulders set and drive your feet into the ground.
Programming:
Strength: Heavy drags over 20 meters, 4-6 sets with 2-5 minutes rest.
Fitness: 50% load, 30 meters every minute for 15 minutes.
Mental Grit: Drag the sled for one mile with a 30-60% load.
Nerdy Fact: Think of sled drags as your very own Hoth training session. Channel your inner Luke Skywalker and imagine dragging that sled through the snow to build the strength to topple an AT-AT.
3. Atlas Stone or Sandbag Lifts
How to Do It:
Crouch down and balance the stone with hands around the center.
Squeeze the stone and deadlift it past your knees.
Adjust grip to over the top and drive hips forward to lift onto a platform or shoulder.
Programming:
Strength: 3 sets of 3 reps to a platform 2/3 your height, 75-90% weight.
Fitness: Lighter bag/stone AMRAP in 60 seconds, repeated 5 times.
Mental Grit: Carry the stone for 250-500 meters with minimal drops.
Nerdy Fact: Lifting Atlas stones is akin to lifting the world itself – a true Herculean feat. Just imagine you're participating in the ancient Greek games, proving your mettle to the gods themselves.
Incorporating Strongman into Your Routine
The great thing about strongman training is its adaptability. Farmers carries and sled drags can be easily added to any fitness regimen, regardless of current fitness levels. Atlas stone lifts require good mobility and access to equipment but are excellent for advanced trainees.
Starting with simple strongman movements can reinvigorate your training and help you achieve new fitness milestones. By integrating these strongman exercises into your workouts, you'll build functional strength, break through plateaus, increase muscle mass, improve cardiovascular fitness, and most importantly, have fun while doing it.
Conclusion
Strongman training is more than just lifting heavy things; it's about building a resilient body capable of handling real-world tasks with confidence. Whether you're looking to boost your fitness, overcome training plateaus, or simply make your workouts more enjoyable, strongman exercises offer a dynamic and effective solution. So, why not give it a try? Unleash your inner He-Man, embrace the power of unconventional lifting, and discover a stronger, more resilient you.
Comments