Strongman Training: Events, Equipment, and Incorporating Strongman Movements

# Strongman Training: Events, Equipment, and How to Incorporate Strongman Movements

Strongman is strength sport at its most primitive and primal. Where powerlifting and weightlifting test maximum force through standardized movements, strongman tests strength in unpredictable, real-world-adjacent contexts: moving enormous tires, carrying vehicles, pressing logs overhead, loading heavy stones onto platforms. The events vary by competition, and the implements demand a different kind of strength than a barbell can develop.

You don't need to be training for competition to benefit from strongman training. The events and implements that define the sport produce specific adaptations — grip strength, loaded carry capacity, overhead pressing strength, core stability under odd loads — that complement conventional barbell training remarkably well.

The Classic Strongman Events

Farmer's Walk

The farmer's walk involves picking up two heavy implements (handles, dumbbells, or competition-specific frames) and walking as fast as possible for a set distance. It is simultaneously one of the simplest and most demanding movements in strength sports.

What it trains: grip strength, total body stability under load, trunk rigidity, cardiovascular conditioning, and the posterior chain under an unusual demand. A 2018 study by McGill et al. in the *Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research* documented extremely high trunk muscle activation during the farmer's walk — higher than many traditional core exercises.

For general training: Farmer's carries are an exceptional accessory movement. 3–4 sets of 20–40 meters with heavy dumbbells or trap bar handles provides grip and core development that transfers to all major lifts.

Log Press

The log press uses a cylindrical log-shaped implement with parallel handles inside, pressing it from a rack or the floor to overhead. The log's circumference requires pressing with a neutral grip (palms facing each other), which is more shoulder-friendly than pronated grip pressing, and the large diameter challenges the rack position and cleaning mechanics.

What it trains: overhead pressing strength, shoulder stability, and core bracing under a large, unwieldy implement.

For general training: Log pressing is excellent for shoulder health — the neutral grip reduces rotator cuff stress compared to a barbell overhead press. If you have access to a log, it's a superb variation for heavy pressing cycles.

Tire Flip

Tire flipping involves picking up one edge of a large truck or tractor tire (typically 250–500+ kg) and repeatedly flipping it end over end. The mechanics involve a hybrid of deadlift initiation, transitioning to a push, and driving the tire to vertical before it falls forward.

What it trains: posterior chain power, hip drive, upper back and arm strength in a unique pattern, explosive total body effort.

For general training: The tire flip requires specific equipment (a large tire) that many gyms don't have. When available, it's an excellent conditioning and power tool. 3–5 flips per set, 4–6 sets, is a demanding session.

Atlas Stones

Atlas stones — heavy spherical concrete or stone balls, ranging from 80 to 200+ kg in competition — are loaded onto platforms of increasing height or carried to a platform and released. The technique involves approaching the stone in a wide stance, getting the stone into a lap position, and then using hip extension to drive it to the platform while cradling it against the chest.

What it trains: total body strength in an unconventional pattern, forearm and grip strength, willingness to push through discomfort (atlas stones are not comfortable to hold against the body).

Atlas stones are the most iconic strongman event and require significant equipment. Commercial gyms rarely have them; strongman-specific facilities and outdoor training setups are the typical venues.

Yoke Walk

The yoke is a large inverted U-shaped frame loaded with weight and worn across the upper back (like a barbell squat, but the implement is wider and the center of mass is different). The lifter walks as fast as possible for a set distance.

What it trains: quad and hip strength under load, trunk stability under enormous compressive force, grip (holding the uprights), mental fortitude — a heavy yoke is a uniquely uncomfortable experience.

For general training: The yoke walk is available at many CrossFit and strongman-equipped gyms. It's an excellent variation for upper back and total body stability development. Can also be approximated with a heavy barbell squat with slow, deliberate walking steps.

Axle Bar Work

The axle bar (also called the "fat bar") is a 2-inch diameter bar instead of the standard 28–32mm. The larger diameter significantly increases grip demands on all lifts — presses, deadlifts, rows. Many strongman competitions use an axle for the overhead press or deadlift events.

For general training: Axle or fat-grip training is among the best grip development tools available. Fat Gripz attachments can be applied to any standard dumbbell or barbell, instantly making any exercise more grip-demanding.

Overhead Events (Circus Dumbbell, Keg Press)

Strongman overhead events often involve odd objects: a large, oddly balanced dumbbell (the "circus dumbbell" — typically 40–60+ kg) pressed for maximum reps, or kegs pressed for reps or for distance. These events test overhead strength in conditions where the implement itself is difficult to control.

Loading Events

Race formats involving moving multiple objects — sandbags, kegs, stones, barrels — from one point to another in minimum time. Combine strength with conditioning and mental resilience.

Why Strongman Training Transfers to Conventional Lifting

Loaded carries and grip: Farmer's walks, suitcase carries, and keg carries develop grip strength and trunk stability in ways the barbell cannot replicate. This transfers directly to deadlift and row performance.

Overhead variability: Log pressing and keg work train overhead strength through different ranges and from positions that challenge stability beyond what a barbell replicates. This can address technique gaps and build shoulder resilience.

Hip power in odd positions: Tire flips and atlas stones train hip drive in positions the barbell never reaches — bent over a large circular object, pulling from below the knee with a rounded back (an anti-pattern in barbell lifting, but a useful stimulus in controlled strongman contexts).

Mental toughness and discomfort tolerance: Strongman implements are heavy, unwieldy, and often genuinely painful to hold (atlas stones against the chest, for example). Developing tolerance for this kind of effort transfers to the mental components of all heavy training.

A Sample Strongman Session for General Strength Athletes

For lifters without competition goals who want to incorporate strongman movements:

Warm-up: 5–10 minutes easy aerobic work, shoulder and hip mobility

Main work:

1. Axle bar deadlift (or fat-grip deadlift): 4×5
2. Log press (or fat-grip overhead press): 4×5
3. Farmer's walk: 4 sets of 30–40 meters with as much weight as possible without losing position
4. Tire flip (if available): 4×5 flips

Optional finisher: Suitcase carry or keg carry 3×30 meters

This session can be performed once per week as a supplement to conventional barbell training, providing the specific strongman adaptations while the primary program continues its progressive overload in conventional lifts.

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*This article is for informational and educational purposes only. Strongman training, particularly at heavy loads, should be learned under proper instruction.*