Optimal strongman training is performed with specialist strongman equipment in a purpose-built and designed facility, but this may not always be possible or attainable in your area. As such, it is important to consider ways you can train towards your strongman goals using general gym equipment. Commercial gyms can still offer a variety of choices to build strength, explosive power, stamina, and fitness effectively.
N.B. Lots of strongmen train in a commercial gym in the week and make their way to specific facilities at the weekend.
- How Do You Train for Strongman Pressing Events?
- How Do You Train for Strongman Pulling Events?
- How Do You Train for Strongman Deadlifting Events?
- How Do You Train for Strongman Loading Events?
- How Do You Train for Strongman Flipping Events?
- How Do You Train for Strongman Carrying/Moving Events?
- How Do You Train for Strongman Tossing Events?
How Do You Train for Strongman Pressing Events?
Strongman competitions almost always include a pressing event of some variety. This could be floor to overhead for reps (clean and press), max reps pressing from the chest, a max floor to overhead lift, or a medley with multiple different implements to press in sequence. The implements you can expect to see can include logs, axles, barbells, dumbbells, and yokes.
Whilst it is not always possible to train pressing specific objects in a commercial gym, you can increase pressing power, strength and technique using barbells, dumbbells and cable stacks typically found in most gyms. Gyms may also have strongman logs and football bars available.
How Do You Train for Strongman Pulling Events?
Pulling movements are found in multiple events in the strongman world, such as atlas stones, deadlifts, truck pulls, sled drags, cleans, carries and loading. In a commercial gym, training things like barbell rows, lat pulldowns, and single-arm and chest supported rows provide great ways to help build back, bicep and shoulder strength.
In commercial gyms you might have access to a sled and battle ropes. Attaching a battle rope on to the sled and loading it up with weight can provide a great option to train arm-over-arm pulling technique, as seen in events such as truck pulls.
How Do You Train for Strongman Deadlifting Events?
As with pressing events, deadlifts are a staple in the strongman competition landscape. You will find one variety or another in almost every competition out there. In a commercial gym, if you have barbells and plates, you can train this event effectively. Strongman deadlift events can comprise of deadlift for reps, max deadlift, deadlift ladders, or medleys. Implements can include barbells, axles, and even cars.
Some commercial gyms may also have access to Deadlift Barbell such as our Behemoth barbell, which provide more “whip” than a standard bar, making them preferable and over time, more commonly adopted in competition. Getting practise with this type of bar is highly recommended, as the lift mechanics do differ from using a standard power bar. Trap bars provide a great option for strengthening your car deadlifts, and you can also practise deadlifting from height using spotter arms to train rack pulls, or blocks if they are available.
How Do You Train for Strongman Loading Events?
Loading events, such as sandbag or keg carries and loading over yoke, into a sled or onto a surface, are also a common event seen in strongman competitions across all levels. Options for this are a little more limited in most commercial facilities, however you can practise loading over a height using a squat rack, placing a barbell at the required height, and loading objects such as sandbags and slam balls over. If you have a sled track, you can train load and drag events by carrying plates a distance, loading them and dragging the Weight Sled back.
How Do You Train for Strongman Flipping Events?
In strongman, flipping events often refer to the art of flipping a tyre, usually for distance, time, reps, or the heaviest flip possible. If you do have access to this type of equipment in your normal gym, these are trainable. However, not all gyms will have tires or space to flip them. In a commercial setting, we can look to improve our ability to lift objects from a dead stop, with deficit deadlifts being a useful exercise.
Triple extensions are also a key part of the flipping movement, so practising Strongman Sandbag over shoulder or loading can be great options. Strengthening leg drive and the posterior chain with glute bridges, hamstring strengthening and other exercises targeting the upper body such as the biceps and chest will help improve power delivery on this type of event.
How Do You Train for Strongman Carrying/Moving Events?
Carrying events are a staple in competition, and you may expect to see farmers or frame walks, yoke and sandbag carry, shield carries, Zercher carries and random implement moving such as tyres and stones. Distances are usually a set number of metres, often taking a down-and-back or medley approach.
Whilst training these events in a commercial environment can be challenging, if there is ample space, there are opportunities to train the foundations. For example, you can use kettlebells and trap bars to perform farmer and frame carries, and other carries can be trained with fixed weight sandbags, bars and where available, yokes.
How Do You Train for Strongman Tossing Events?
Training tossing events such as keg toss, sandbag toss or kettlebell toss are frequently measured by distance or height, so may not be possible to develop specifically in a general gym setting. If you do indeed have the height within your gym to train a tossing event, you should use drop pads to help prevent damage to the floor or kit. Kettlebells are a readily available option to evaluate your ability and grow it. Other exercises that can help you with your ability to explosively toss objects include power cleans, Zercher and front squats, push presses and triple extension work.
There are a multitude of positive and constructive ways to train strongman specific goals in a commercial gym. Whilst they may not be the exact implements or setups you will see in competition, they can provide progressive ways to improve technique, strength, stamina, and power. If you cannot get into a strongman gym just yet try some of the above options. Also take a look at our range of Strongman Equipment that can be suitable for building a dedicated home gym.
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