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If possible, you should all try strongman lifts

ForgotMuhName

New member
Played with ideas in the past 6 months on how to improve gains for myself and a handful of guys I work with and can proudly say that it’s been a great success. 4 of us are lifting for powerlifting, two for competing on stage and the inclusion of one strongman lifting day weekly has been amazing for all of us.

Overall saw strength gains of 20-90lbs on squats, 10-30lbs on bench (paused benches, not TnG), 20-120lbs on deadlifts.

All of us have been lifting for between 8-12 years, so big 1rm gains for 4 of us are pretty hard to come by while for our BB’ing guys it’s more doable as they don’t necessarily train for peaking at all.

All enhanced, though I would assume a natty lifter could find decent strength gains from this as well.

For aesthetics, it’s hard to say but subjectively speaking we all think it positively affected upper back and trap thickness, rear delt size, forearm size, calves and hamstrings. Being that it’s all subjective, your own results may vary as there isn’t much way to quantify this other than progress photos which aren’t the safest thing to post on a gear forum sadly.

We had no strict plan in mind, more or less just went in every saturday and went at it like kids in a playground. Of course myself and the guys that joined me had researched proper form prior so while none of us are qualified to teach at all I would say our form beat that of an absolute novice who had never seen this equipment before.
Available equipment we had was: Stones, Yoke, Axle bar, Log, Farmers Handles, Sandbags, Kegs, Shields, Tires, Natural Stones, Circus Dumbbells.

All of us did stones weekly as this proved to just be the most fun of all the lifts as well as being basically an iconic strongman thing. Everyone started with a roughly 150lb stone and progressed as desired, with two of us reaching a stone that weighed 300-something (the painted 3 was visible but the other digits were chipped off) to a platform.
Aside from this, it was basically just grab whatever is available and work with it until you can’t keep going heavier or carrying it further.

I personally feel like my overall general physical performing ability has improved; Balance, cardio, efficiency of movement overall feels so much better. Definitely feels like I am moving my own body much easier than before. This thought is echoed by the other guys, too. Pretty sure it made my day job a lot easier as well.

Now I’m not saying go max out and hurt your spine or drop a heavy stone on your foot or something, but look around your area for a gym with some or all of this equipment if you can and give it a try. Find a day you can just go play around with it all and go for it. It’s a new stimulus which means new gains and it’s also incredibly fun; This stuff just feels like you’re a big kid playing around with toys and it actually translates to progress.
 
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I don’t want to downplay the fact you finally found a routine that works for you, but literally every lifter can benefit from periodization. I think in the case of veteran lifters like yourself, it’s easier to get caught into doing what you’ve always done than it is the younger generation that has constant social media influences for this training method or that. I did strong lifts myself when I first started lifting, and it wasn’t really for me, it just didn’t keep me interested. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t make some sick progress if I stuck with it. I prefer a modified 5/3/1, that follows fairly closely to the progression of stronglifts.

A majority of lifters don’t like to think of the term ‘functional fitness’, but in all reality, it just means you’re approaching your lifts looking through a more, scientific lens. Pairing synergistic muscle groups, incorporating proprioceptive core and balance training, and properly paying attention to key stabilizing muscles are (in my opinion) what constitutes ‘functional fitness’. I think too many people get caught up with achieving their immediate goal and forget about their long term goals. I just don’t ever want to be the big guy that can’t do simple shit or has terrible balance, you know ‘that guy’.

I’m addicted to feeling ‘athletic’ while trying to look anything but. LOL. Keep us updated on how your training goes dude, and if/when you finally hit a wall. Stay safe.
 
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One of the more off putting things about the strongman lifts is all the equipment required. You need a BDSM dungeon to get up and running!
 
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dvnhunter

Member
superawesomename" pid='76778' dateline='1576222014:
I don’t want to downplay the fact you finally found a routine that works for you, but literally every lifter can benefit from periodization
People don’t really know how true that statements is. Approaching training with a plan is extremely lacking nowadays.


Also to note I love ending workouts with ‘strongman’ lifts. Farmers walks, sled pulls, tows, holds. Anything that is concentric based loading without an eccentric phase is great burnout work.
 
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