Over recent years, strongman has grown in popularity with huge intensity! Appealing to many as a spectator sport, opportunities have grown across the country to help those of all abilities get into competitive strongman. Social media has only fuelled this further, increasing exposure for the sport, and presenting a unique and fun way of getting strong. Whether you’re lifting awkwardly shaped objects against the clock, for reps, or the heaviest weight you can possibly manage, no two competitions are the same.

Strongman, especially at the elite level, is not just a hobby. It becomes a way of life that requires serious discipline with a strong mindset. Everything from adequate rest, proper hydration, eating enough, training to your goals, and learning new techniques are all vital to your strongman performance.

Many people discovering the sport through social media believe in the following strongman myths. In this article, we aim to de-bunk them with the help of professional strongman, Shane Flowers, and his personal experiences.

Myth #1 - Strongmen Need 10,000 Calories a Day

One of the most prevailing misconceptions in strongman is that because of the size of strongmen on TV, that they must eat an insane amount of food to maintain size and lift big weights (10,000 is a number often raised). According to Shane, “Although strongmen DO have to eat more than the average person, the 10k calories is, for the most part, not true”. With the varying weight categories, this would be unfeasible, with Shane stating “99% of strongmen consume 5000 – 7000 calories a day”. As ever, calories in vs calories out, energy required, training intensity, fatigue and recovery levels and individual goals all determine your caloric needs.

Myth #2 - Strongmen Always Train Heavy

Compared to your average gym-goer, it may seem that strongmen always train heavy. This is not always the case, and according to Shane “the term heavy is relative”, which most athletes can relate to. Quick is relative, heavy is relative, high is relative. But typically, Shane trains “within 70-80%” of his max. It is important for him to train sustainably, as training near maximum all the time increases injury risk, elevates fatigue and can degrade performance over time. Strongmen, like most strength athletes, have peak and a deload phases to promote effective gains and purposeful recovery, especially before a comp or a max lift.

Myth #3 - You Need All the Kit to Train Strongman

Strongman is a very technical sport, and as such, learning optimal technique is key. Whilst you can’t necessarily reach your full potential without the appropriate kit, Shane first started training strongman during the pandemic, without access to a full gym. He told us he “personally made do with not much more than the very basics” and “was training on my driveway through lockdown with nothing more than a barbell, log and farmers handles”. So, in essence, to get yourself on the strongman ladder, you don’t need all the kit, but getting what you can will give you a bit of a head start and some experience ahead of your comp day.

Mirafit stock a huge range of strongman equipment you’d find in a typical competition, including Strongman Sandbags, axle bars, Deadlift Barbells, logs, drop pads, Farmers Handles, yokes and much more!

Myth #4 - Food Quantity > Food Quality

This myth is partly true. As is universally understood, being in a calorific surplus is crucial to building mass, to stop your body using your fat stores as energy, and promote tissue growth whilst maintaining healthy energy levels and mood. However, as Shane states, “so many times I see this rhetoric as an excuse to overindulge in junk food” and he often reminds his clients to “think about eating like an athlete would, NOT a strongman”.

This is to say, yes, you may require more calories than the general population, but that doesn’t mean replace or bulk up your eating habits with cheesecake and crisps every day. Build on the fundamentals. Eat your greens. Get your vitamins. Ensure your protein intake is sufficient for your goals. Energise with clean carbs. If needed, add in supplementation, especially if you struggle to eat enough for your needs. Remember your goals and keep a keen eye on your body composition.

Myth #5 - You Need to Get Angry to Lift Big Weights

You may have seen on social media strength athletes getting themselves fired up, bordering on angry, ahead of a big lift. This isn’t necessary to complete a big lift, and it is more important you are “understanding your nervous system” and “nurturing your arousal levels” (see the inverted-U theory of arousal), to get yourself zoned in, focused, and allow you to complete your lift effectively without becoming over-stimulated. Some use music, some like hype, some close their eyes and picture the lift beforehand. If you find being angry helps you focus, that’s great! But there are more options for people who don’t find that useful.

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Tags: Exercise Type > Strongman