Lifting barbells is the number one way to get strong…
There’s no question there however, when the goal isn’t to become purely gym strong sometimes you need a little more than just a evenly loaded barbell sitting on your back to get the job done.
The solution… strongman and odd object training. Now the first thing to acknowledge is that it doesn’t take the place of your barbell work it’s there to complement it.
Using these awkward movements allows us to convert the strength developed under the bar into real world strength and make you and all round weapon of a human.
Now when it comes to strongman training it’s not always the easiest to find the equipment to do a lot of these movements at a normal gym.
Fortunately a lot of gyms are starting to embrace more odd object training with heavy sandbags (not those little 20kg baby ones) and dead balls becoming more and more popular.
If you’re wanting to build true brute strength here are three movements that will help you bridge that gap from the weight room to weapon.
Ground To Shoulder (Sandbag, Deadball, Atlas Stones, Kegs)
The ground to shoulder is a true test of brute strength that will have different challenges depending on your choice of implement. The sandbags and atlas stones will challenge your grip and ability to squeeze the weight together to keep tight whereas the dynamic movement of the load of the keg is a great core strength challenge.
In short, the goal would be to develop the strength and athleticism to do this in a variety of implements available to you. The starting point for most people is to use a dead ball or sandbag given they are the most forgiving of the lot and have the lowest risk of injury.
Start by placing your feet either side or slightly behind the implement. Lift to the knees like a regular deadlift before squatting down slightly and pulling the implement tight to the chest. From there hugging the sandbag or dead ball tight to the chest explosively drive the hips and legs extending the implement upward and toward one shoulder then repositioning the hands to stabilise the weight over the shoulder.
This movement can also be adjusted slightly for over the shoulder reps as well as loading over a bar or onto a box.
These can be done working heavy for fewer reps or as a metabolic challenge of max reps in a 30-60s time frame.
Just remember if you are using stones or anything heavy… Make sure to stay within your limits and have your exit strategy sorted first. You may even need a buddy close by in case to spot you.
Loaded Carries
One of the funnest yet most challenging strongman events are the dynamic carry events.
From heavy yokes to farmers carries and sandbags, carry events will challenge your anaerobic capacity and have you breathing hard whilst being a huge core, upper back and grip strength workout.
The easiest starting point with these for most people would be the dumbbell farmers carry for max distance. Generally pick up the heaviest dumbbells in the gym and carry them for as far as you can until you need to let them down.
If you have access to a set of farmers handles then these will feel amazing comparatively to the dumbbells that bang around on your hips the whole time. These can be loaded up super heavy and an initial target would be bodyweight per hand for 30m.
Some of the other alternatives that also have tremendous value but require a little less common equipment is the yoke carry (a great way to build the upper back and core strength for heavy squatting) and sandbag carry. If you are after a great challenge for your back and core strength though give the zercher carry a crack.
Load a bar up in a rack at lower ribs height. Place the bar in the crook of your elbows and try to hold your chest up as high as possible. This will be pretty challenging at first and probably feel terrible in your elbows, a towel wrapped around the bar will probably come in handy here or better yet grab an axle bar and do it with that. Walk out and around a designated area before returning back to the start.
Axle Bar (Thick Grip Training)
For most people their grip becomes a limiter of their strength as they get stronger. Part of this can come from a reliance on straps and for others it can purely be as closed hand gripping requires a different group of muscle primarily than open hand grip.
Open hand grip like when using an axle bar requires a lot more strength from the muscles of the fingers and also can take the stress away from the elbows and shoulders when pressing.
To start with an axle bar (or at least fat grips if you don’t have an axle handy) some of the best options is just replacing your arms training with it.
Fat Grip Curls will blow up your whole arms leaving them feeling pumped all over from the extra muscle activation required to squeeze the bar.
From there mixing in the axle on some pressing and over time deadlifts can also provide some unique challenges. Just take care to keep that elbow locked out on the axle deads… You don’t want to be another case of the dreaded bicep tear.
The huge benefit of training the axle for deadlifts even with straps is the lack flex in the axle. This makes it harder off the floor and forces you to work harder than normal to overcome the dead weight off the floor.
Building Brute Strength
There’s a few ways to help transition yourself from gym strong to becoming a beast in every way possible in and out of the gym.
Ever since man has been on this earth, we’ve challenged each other with simple tests of who can lift that…
Don’t be the guy or girl that looks the part but suffers as soon as the challenge gets a little unconventional.
If you’re after more strength info make sure to sign up for our weekly newsletter below to keep up to date with all our articles, videos and podcasts.