4 Strongman Training Workouts from a Champion
If you have been searching the interwebs far and wide for the perfect workout to achieve your strongman potential, look no further!
No, seriously, stop looking for the perfect workout plan; you’re looking for a unicorn.
Even if I am designing an individualized plan just for you, which you can sign up for, that plan is written in pencil (metaphorically).
I can’t account for all the individual variables that would make a perfect program, and things would change even if I could.
Let’s say you stumbled onto this unicorn of a program. What do you do when:
- You had a bad night’s sleep?
- Stress is high?
- Energy is low?
- Your back is tight?
- Or a million other variables that can throw a spanner in the works?
When it comes to the “perfect” program, designing the plan is only half the equation.
The other 50% is knowing how to pivot around life’s circumstances so you can continue training long-term.
Table of Contents
Strongman Training Principles
Train For Your Experience Level
Knowing your experience level pre-decides variables such as:
- Training frequency
- Exercise selection
- Number of exercises
- Number of sets and reps
- etc.
For example, suppose you have never touched a barbell but want to get into Strongman. I’d start you off with three workouts per week, less complex variations of foundational lifts like the deadlift and squat, and fewer exercises per workout.
The less experienced you are, the more general your training can be. As you get more experience, you’ll discover more about your unique needs, strengths, and weaknesses.
Fast forward two years. I’ve been training you, and you begin to hit a plateau on some of your lifts. We can now address specific weaknesses by changing your lifting variations, training intensity, volume, recovery, and more to start moving the needle again.
Exercise Order
This variable is hugely important to getting the most out of your training.
With rare exceptions, your training sessions should always start with your primary lifts. These are the most taxing, multi-joint movements, such as the deadlift, squat, and overhead press.
Primary lifts demand the most out of your nervous system, and since they are often the lifts we are directly trying to improve, they should be done when you are the freshest.
Next, you can add your secondary lifts, also called auxiliary, assistance, supplemental, or accessory lifts.
Secondary lifts are a means to an end, like the bench press.
A powerlifter would make this a primary lift since it is one of their three tested lifts, whereas a strongman rarely, if ever, has bench press in comp. Strongman uses the lift to improve shoulder and tricep strength to help our overhead press.
The best secondary lifts are variations of the primary lifts. They tend to be more difficult or with a modified stance, bar position, tempo, bar type, or resistance type
Here are some examples of secondary lifts to complement your primary lifts:
DEADLIFT | LOG PRESS | SQUATS |
---|---|---|
Snatch-grip deadlift Deficit deadlift Elevated deadlift Paused deadlifts Banded deadlifts Tempo deadlifts Speed deadlifts Romanian deadlifts | Strict barbell press Overhead pin press Speed Press with bands Pause press (at forehead) Overhead dumbbell press Dumbbell push-press Seated overhead press Z press | Front squats Pause squats Tempo squats Box Squats SSB squats Pin squats Banded squats Alternate stance (i.e. Sumo) |
Tertiary lifts are further removed from the primary lift movements. They help improve your primary lifts by strengthening the muscles involved in those movements.
Here are some examples based on muscles we want to get bigger and/or stronger to improve our overall abilities as strength athletes:
QUADS/GLUTES | SHOULDER/CHEST/TRICEP | UPPER BACK |
---|---|---|
Split squats Barbell Dumbbell Bulgarian Front foot elevated Smith machine Hack Squat machine Leg press Sled pull/push Walking lunges Cossack squat Lateral lunge Sumo squats | Incline bench press Barbell Dumbbell Specialty bar High/low angle Close grip bench Flat dumbbell bench Chest press machine Overhead machine | Bent over dumbbell rows Chest supported rows 1-arm dumbbell rows Pendlay rows Seated cable rows Lat pulldowns Pull-ups Machine rear delt flies Dips Dumbbell pullovers Straight arm pushdowns |
Finally, there are single joint movements that mostly isolate one small group of muscles.
That’s right! Strongmen train biceps too!
These lifts include bicep curls, tricep pushdowns, machines, and dozens of variations that would be far too extensive for our purposes today.
These lifts are great for building bigger arms and legs or recovering blood flow.
The most important thing to remember about isolation work is that we train muscles, not the nervous system, as we do with our compound heavy lifts.
We use less weight, more reps, slower tempo, and lower rest times, all intending to get a wicked burn in the target muscle and bring it to exhaustion. Volume, not intensity, is the key.
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Listen to Your Body
Every time I give this advice, I get the “yeah yeah” head nod because everybody has heard this before, but few put it into practice.
Here’s what I mean by listening to your body: Have a plan, but write it in pencil.
The best program in the world can’t account for all of life’s circumstances. Even the program Big Loz sends me isn’t in stone (or iron, for that matter).
I know my body well enough to recognize when it isn’t ready for his program.
My approach, no matter how good or bad I’m feeling, is:
Warm-ups dictate my workout. I take it one exercise at a time.
Days ago, my plan was to deadlift three sets of six reps at 385 lbs for my primary lift. However, I was in a bad mood all day and felt about as strong as a wet noodle.
I started my warm-up sets.
I hit 135 for eight, 225 for six, 315 for four, and 355 for 2. I felt primed and ready for 385 lbs, which felt so easy that I added ten more pounds to my second set.
After smoking 395, I jumped to 405 and did seven reps with lots in the tank!
If I had let my emotions and perceived lack of energy before my warm-ups dictate my workout, I would have skipped them or pre-decided to go lighter than programmed.
Conversely, two weeks ago, I was meant to hit 250lbs on log press for four reps.
I was feeling similarly lethargic.
This time, my warm-ups never got easier, so I decided it would be unsafe to proceed with plan A.
Instead, I decided to do a strict press instead of a push-press with 200lbs.
The vast majority of the injuries I’ve suffered were due to a lack of training structure or adhering so rigidly to the structure that I ignored warning signs.
Strongman Exercises Selection
WARNING! SCIENTIFIC CONTENT!
A seemingly obvious principle in exercise science is the SAID principle or Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands.
What does this mean? Buckle up, gang. Are you ready for this?
Captain Obvious is reporting for duty to say that if you want to get better at bench press, the best exercise to train is bench press. What if you want to get better at deadlift? Good job—it’s the deadlift!
In the strength training world, there is this neverending trend of seeking after the magic accessory lift that’s going to help you blow past your plateau on a lift. Lat training to improve your bench or hamstring training to boost your deadlift.
We include these secondary exercises to aid in our primary lifts. However, nothing, and I mean nothing, will strengthen your primary lifts more than training them.
Deadlifting
The late and legendary Jon Pall Sigmarsson famously said,
“There’s no reason to be alive if you can’t do a deadlift!”
That’s a bit extreme, in my opinion. To his point, if you don’t heavily invest in the deadlift, you won’t make it very far in the sport of strongman.
Additionally, I believe everybody should deadlift regardless of their lifting or fitness goals.
Being able to pick up dead weight off the ground is a foundational movement for long-term health. But don’t limit yourself to the traditional barbell deadlift from the floor. Other variations of deadlift in the sport include:
- Wagon wheel deadlift: larger plates that elevate the bar.
- Axle Deadlift: thicker bar, which is stiffer and harder to break off the floor.
- Farmer’s handle deadlift: Typically a higher starting position, allowing for more leg drive.
Clean and Overhead Pressing
King of the overhead press: Zydrunas Savickas!
As I mentioned in my other blog, real men press standing up!
On a serious note, not only is overhead press included in 99% of strongman competitions, but like the deadlift, it is an essential skill for long-term health and daily function.
What the heck is a clean though?
Well, it’s something you have to do in the vast majority of comps with an overhead press, and it’s simply bringing the implement to the front rack or pressing position.
Learning how to clean, whether it’s an axle, a log, a circus dumbbell, or a variety of other pressing implements, is a fundamental athletic movement that will develop powerful, explosive abilities that will translate to other events.
Carrying/Moving/Loading
My coach and legendary hauler of heavy sh*t, Laurence Shahlaei carrying a 580kg/1280lbs yoke!
Carrying and moving events are perhaps as much of a staple of Strongman as the deadlift.
If you look at the history of the World’s Strongest Man, you would be hard-pressed to find a winner who struggled with moving events. Moving fast with weight is a must!
If you want to dabble with carrying and loading events, you can try the following:
- Sandbags
- Atlas Stones
- Natural Stones
- Circus Dumbbell
- Fire Hydrant
- Steel Box Loaded with Weight
If all you have is sandbags, that is perfectly fine.
Practicing the transition between different objects can set you apart in a comp with a loading race, as most athletes don’t train with weird objects.
Pulling/Dragging/Pushing
Amputee vs. 50,000lbs!
Another favorite event for competition promoters is pulling, pushing, or dragging vehicles or sleds.
When I say vehicles, I mean:
- Semi-trucks (Loris)
- Fire Trucks
- Rhino-transport Planes
- Double-decker Buses
These insane tests of strength are a staple of the sport and are occasionally found at local shows.
I had the pleasure (if you can call it that) of checking a fire truck pull off my bucket list, which was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
If you are fresh out of airplanes or fire trucks, don’t worry. Training for these events doesn’t require much equipment.
There are several types of pulling and pushing events:
- Seated Arm Over Arm Pull (facing the object): Although it doesnt require a truck, you will need a sled, weights, a 30-50 foot long rope, something to push your legs against that won’t move (like a heavy sandbag), and ideally, turf to pull the sled on. You can also do this while standing for an easier set-up.
- Sled pushing. Push the sled with straight arms.
How to Train for Strongman Competitions
Designing a program for an upcoming competition is one of my favorite things to do as a coach. It’s like putting together a puzzle, one lift at a time.
Let’s say you are training for an upcoming competition with the following events:
- Deadlift for max weight
- Yoke carry
- Axle clean and press for max weight
- Arm over-arm truck pull
- Circus dumbbell for reps
- Farmers hold for time
There are many ways to break down a training program based on your strengths and weaknesses, but I’ll assume it’s your first show and you have no frame of reference. Here’s how I would lay out your program.
NOTE: This is an example of a program that could work for the average novice depending on their general lifting experience, fitness level, and equipment availability. Having trained people for almost ten years, I can confidently tell you that this program is potentially horrible if I give it to the wrong person and fantastic for another. Depending on who the client is, this program may look very different.
DAY 1 EXERCISE | SET | REP | REST TIME |
---|---|---|---|
Deadlift | 3 | 5 | 3-5 minutes |
Trap Bar Deadlift | 3 | 8 | 3-5 minutes |
Bent Over Barbell Row | 4 | 8 | 2-3 minutes |
Leg Press | 4 | 12 | 2-3 minutes |
Lat Pulldowns | 3 | 12 | 1-2 minutes |
Backward Sled Pulls | 4 | 50ft down/back | 1-1.5 minutes |
Here is the reasoning behind my choices for these day 1 lifts:
DAY 1 |
---|
Deadlift This is one of the competition lifts and since deadlifts are one of the most demanding of the nervous system, I like programming deadlifts on day 1 when athletes are typically the freshest. |
Trap Bar Deadlift These are a great accessory to the barbell deadlift since they are more leg-dominant and teach good leg engagement that can transfer to the primary deadlift. If the volume is higher and weight is lower, they can easily be performed after the primary deadlift. They also help with grip for the farmers-hold event. |
Bent Over Barbell Row These are one of my favorite accessory lifts. They can absolutely destroy the upper back (in a good way) while demanding that your core stabilizes your spine. |
Leg Press At this point in the workout, your CNS (Central nervous system) is begging for mercy, so the focus needs to be shifted from nervous system training to muscle training. By that, I mean exercises that target fewer muscles, require less stability, and are performed slower, with a focus on feeling a burn in your target muscles. |
Lat Pulldowns Big, strong lats help with almost everything from deadlifts to carries and pulls. Additionally, with all of the pressing required for strongman training, adding pulling movements to maintain healthy shoulder balance is very important. |
Backward Sled Pulls I first started doing these when I started following the “Knees-over-Toes guy,” who prescribes them for knee health. They are great for warming up, rehab work, recovery work, or getting a crazy pump in your quads without contributing too much to your CNS fatigue and muscle soreness. |
DAY 2 EXERCISE | SET | REP | REST TIME |
---|---|---|---|
Strict OHP (Axle) | 4 | 5 | 3-5 minutes |
Close Grip Bench Press | 3 | 8 | 2-3 minutes |
Incline Dumbbell Press | 3 | 10 | 1-2 minutes |
Shoulder External Rotation | 3 | 15 | 1-2 minutes |
Tricep Pushdown | 3 | 12 | 1-2 minutes |
Here is the reasoning behind my choices for these day 2 lifts:
DAY 2 |
---|
Strict Overhead Press (Axle) One of the competition overhead events is the axle clean and press, which allow for any method of pressing overhead such as push press, push-jerk or split jerk, but I like having two overhead pressing days for overhead with one being strict and one being explosive. No matter how explosively you can thrust the bar with your legs, a strong raw press is always needed to continue progressing. |
Close Grip Bench Press A strongman is nothing without strong triceps, and close grip, meaning roughly shoulder width or closer, is one of the greatest tools for achieving this. Yes, bench is better known for hitting your pecs, but by moving your grip closer, you will be emphasizing your triceps while still developing your pecs. |
Incline Dumbbell Press To round out the chest/shoulder work, I selected one of my favorite upper body accessories. It’s important to press at multiple angles for shoulder health and the incline press of any variation transfers strength very nicely to the overhead press. Doing it with dumbbells reduces stress on the shoulder joint and allows for a greater range of motion. Like day one, we are shifting away from CNS training to muscle training, so I like performing these with a slow on the way down, a quick pause at the bottom and faster on the way up. |
Shoulder External Rotation Time to eat your veggies! Yes, these are a very boring exercise, but if you neglect your shoulder health, you will end up doing these to rehab an injury like I did last year. I do them to keep my rotator cuff healthy and injury free. The rotator cuff is simply a group of 4 muscles in the shoulder that provide stability. Three of those muscles also externally rotate the shoulder. |
Tricep Pushdowns Did I mention how important strong triceps are? Well a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle, so high volume tricep pushdowns will help those puppies grow up to be big and strong! |
DAY 3 EXERCISE | SET | REP | REST TIME |
---|---|---|---|
Axle Clean | 4 | 5 | 3-5 minutes |
Front Squat | 3 | 8 | 2-3 minutes |
Split Squats | 3 | 10 each side | 1-2 minutes |
Hamstring Curls | 3 | 12 | 1-2 minutes |
Farmer’s Hold | 4 | 30 seconds | 1-2 minutes |
Here is the reasoning behind my choice for the day 3 lifts:
DAY 3 |
---|
Axle Clean The reason I separated the clean from the press in this program is due to the complexity of each phase of the lift. If you are a newbie, trust me, the clean alone is a fantastic and brutal lift that deserves its own respect. |
Front squat In my opinion, front squats are one of the most underrated lifts in the strength world. They offer development of the quads and glutes, but more importantly, a greater stimulus to the core and upper back than other squat variations. Also, since the load is naturally reduced compared to a back squat, the CNS low compared to other squat variations. |
Split Squats It’s always good to include unilateral (single side) work to help with symmetry and split squats are a great option and there are tons of different variations depending on your skill level and desired effect |
Hamstring Curls At this point in the workout, we are switching from CNS focus to muscle focused training. Single joint isolation work is fantastic for hypertrophy of the muscles if they are done slowly with light weights for higher reps. |
Farmer’s Hold Since this lift is the last one of the competition, it’s not a bad idea to do it last. These are a fantastic way to develop grip strength and mental toughness. |
DAY 4 EXERCISE | SET | REP | REST TIME |
---|---|---|---|
Circus Dumbbell | 4 | 5 | 3-5 minutes |
Yoke | 3 | 8 | 2-3 minutes |
Arm Over Arm Sled Pull | 3 | 10 each side | 1-2 minutes |
Seated Rows | 4 | 12 | 1-2 minutes |
Axle Deadlift for Grip | 3 | 5 | 1-2 minutes |
Here is the reasoning behind my choice for the day 4 lifts:
DAY 4 |
---|
Circus Dumbbell For most Strongman programs, I have one day of the week mainly consisting of strongman events with fewer total exercises. Circus dumbbell is a highly technical event and is best done when athletes are the freshest. |
Arm Over Arm Sled Pull Another high-bang for your buck lift is the arm-over-arm pull. Depending on how you train it, it is great for developing the grip, arms, upper back, lower back, and legs. Additionally, depending on the setup, it can be a very unpredictable event on comp day. Therefore, there are several ways of attacking an event like this, which rewards the athletes who are best at pivoting on the fly. |
Arm Over Arm Sled Pull Another high bang for your buck lift is the arm over arm pull. It is great for developing the grip, arms, upper back, lower back, and legs, depending on how you train it. Additionally, it can be a very unpredictable event on comp day, depending on the setup. Therefore, there are several ways of attacking an event like this which rewards the athletes who are best at pivoting on the fly. |
Seated Rows In the rough draft of this program, I actually hadn’t included the lat pulldowns or the seated rows. However, when I reviewed the program, I realized I had forgotten one of the most important principles for healthy shoulders: Push/Pull Balance. The shoulder is a complex and delicate joint that relies a lot on stability. If you only build up one group of muscles (i.e. pushing muscles like the pecs and deltoids) without developing the antagonist muscles (i.e. mid-traps, rear delts, lats, just to name a few), you could eventually develop a very avoidable injury. |
Axle Deadlift for Grip This is done by deadlifting an axle bar from a very high position out of a rack so the range of motion is small. This allows you to challenge your grip without overtaxing your lower back or CNS. |
Conclusion
As you can see, there are far too many variables and individual differences to develop the perfect program for any competition. However, if you compare yourself only to your past self, listen to your body, never stop learning, and pace yourself, you will enjoy the sport for decades and be rewarded for doing so.
Frequently Asked Questions About Strongman Training
What is Strongman Training?
Strongman training, at its core, is training to be strong and fast under uncomfortable conditions. The goal is to move heavy, awkward objects such as Atlas stones, fire trucks, and more to determine who is the strongest!
Does Strongman Training Build Muscle?
Yes, it does! There is a lot of overlap between strength training and training for muscle size. Typically, in the scope of a year, a strongman should alternate between heavy cycles of strength training and lighter cycles of hypertrophy (muscle-building) training since they complement each other so well.
How Did Old-time Strongmen Train?
Back in the day, athletes couldn’t train using the exact type of equipment under perfect conditions for their competition. They weren’t told very much about the competition until the day of the competition! Training was simply about being as strong and athletic as possible. The main difference between then and now was mindset.
My friend Magnus Ver, who won the World’s Strongest Man title four times in the 1990s, has a gym in Iceland: Magnusses Gym. The motto is, “Na Aumingjar.” The family-friendly translation is “no wimps.”
A phrase you will virtually never hear an Icelandic or old-school strongman say is, “That’s not fair.” You deal with whatever is thrown at you and move on, and as a result, you will become stronger and more resilient.
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