In Part 1 of this series on Strongman Training for Athletes, I argue that Strongman Training can be a great option for building strong, explosive athletes and a viable substitute for Olympic Lifting.
Here I will discuss some of my favorite Strongman exercises to make your athletes super fast and mad!
flip tires
This drill is a staple in Strong Man and a big part of the soccer strength programs I design for my athletes. If there’s ever been a full-body workout since “The Rooter To The Tooter,” it’s flipping tires.
Getting a 300, 400 or 700 pound tire is a lot easier than most people think. Plus, the best part of this kit is that it’s FREE! All you need to do is look in your phone book for a tire company in your city. They have tons of this stuff and they need to get rid of it, and it costs them money. They’re happy as hell when someone calls and says they’re willing to take one of their hands off for free. The biggest problem will be finding a way to transport it to your facility. Many times the tire yard will leave it for you; Be sure to tip the delivery person well.
car push
It’s as simple as it sounds: push a car. That is all. But make no mistake, this exercise is not only fun and brutal, it’s actually very useful. When pushing a car it is essential that you lean forward which creates a “positive knee angle”. This develops the quads, which are the dominant muscles activated during short sprints and changes of direction.
This is probably the most practical exercise to perform, from a team point of view. All you need is a car, the bigger the better. I heard stories about Mike Alstott and how he used to push his Jeep around campus in college to get in shape to play football. If Mike Alstott does it, he has to be good!
The farmers carry
I’m often asked, “What are the best overall exercises for strength and conditioning?” My answer without hesitation is always: Farmers Carries. There is NOTHING this exercise won’t do. In addition to a killer conditioner, farmers take to training your arms, legs, core, shoulders, neck, grip, eyelids, brows, and earlobes like nothing you’ve ever discovered.
What makes this exercise even more amazing is that anyone can do it, anywhere, with little to no equipment. Everything from the Torpedoes you see those beasts carry on ESPN2; milking jugs full of sand will get you strong and crazy fast.
sandbag transportation
This is another exercise that is easy to put together. In fact, when I started training athletes at a local park, this was all I had to use. I just went to the Home Depot (there may be one in your town) bought some 80 pound bags of gravel, threw them in the contractor’s bag and taped them shut. After a while I realized we needed heavier bags so I bought some large army duffel bags and tossed the smaller bags inside. I now have bags from 40 pounds to almost 300!
This exercise is as simple as: pick it up and go! But make no mistake, it is NOT easy. This workout is also on my list of best overall body conditioners.
Cleaning barrel and press
We have all used or taught someone to use the famous Olympic lifts, in particular the power clean and press. And for good reason, they train the entire body and produce faster, stronger athletes. But I make them a little different.
When you use a half-full barrel for cleaning and pressing, you’re playing a whole new game. First off, the neutral grip is more specific to football, especially if you’re a lineman. Second, the water (or beer) you’ve used to fill your keg will spill out into there, making this exercise a true core conditioner.
If you want to get brutally strong and fast, you need to add this super strong man workout to your routine.
sled drag
This is a staple in all of my training programs and I use this exercise for a number of different reasons.
First, the upright forward sled drag is a great posterior chain builder. Nothing gets those lazy glutes in tip top shape like sled drags. Second, the backward drag of the sled does for the quads what the forward drag does for the glutes…it fries them! Third, when performed for distances greater than 50 yards or with short rest intervals, this is one of my favorite work capacity/conditioning exercises. Finally, because your legs always move concentrically, the pain associated with this exercise is minimal. You can drag today and squat with maximum effort tomorrow.
barrel transport
A thick, strong, and powerful upper back is critical to building lasting upper body strength. Everything from a higher bench press to a lower risk of shoulder injury is associated with having a strong set of traps, rhomboids, and rear delts.
Nothing builds a strong upper back along with leg strength and agility like barrel runs. Taking care of barrels weighing between 50 and 300 pounds for short distances is one of my favorite ways to train generally weak and unathletic athletes to build endurance, strength, and mental toughness.
I have a video on Strongman Training on a great example of how to set up a “barrel race”. You can train multiple athletes at the same time with a setup like this.
Loading barrels or sandbags
Do you want to increase speed and jumping ability?
Loading barrels, sandbags, or rocks takes even the flattest ass and turns it into a J-Lo. And we all know that a strong glute set is the same as explosive hip extension and speed.
