Strongman Benefits + A Workout

We love strongman work - yokes, sleds, sandbags, carries, etc. The big benefit is that it increases general strength that applies to the real world. While there is a skill set that’s needed in the technique of these movements, it’s not as much as barbell work. The movements look like something you would actually do in real life. 

Strongman incorporates lots of carries and holds that tend to keep people under tension for long periods of time. They are great in getting people to understand how to maintain tension in the body. 

There are several approaches you can take in strongman training: 

1. You could do a strongman-only training phase 

2. You could integrate in into your other strength training and hypertrophy work

3. You could integrate it into your aerobic work. 

We find it best to integrate it into your regular training by mixing it into workouts. 

Here’s an example of how to mix strongman with traditional strength movements:

3 sets - 
A1. 100-foot hand-over-hand rope pull 
A2. 5 barbell each press (heavy) 
Rest 2:00 between sets 

3 sets - 
B1. 100-foot farmer’s carry (as heavy as possible) 
B2. 100-foot sandbag carry (bear hug only) 
Rest 2:00 between sets 

3 sets - 
100-foot Reverse sled (heavy, grinding load) 
12 Dumbbell RDLs
Rest 2:00 between sets 

No, go get STRONG!