Common Strongman Events

This handout provides brief coverage of the material discussed in The Fundamentals of
Strongman Training events section and can help cue proper technique/deter common pitfalls.

Farmer’s Carry:
a.) Technique
 Center Handle
 Back upright, pushing into the ground
 Proud chest
 Watch the overturn
 Accelerate all the way through finish
b.) Alternative technique
 Front or back handle
 Staggered start (optional)
c.) Common mistakes or misinformation
 Deadlifting the farmer’s/frame
 False grip, stacks callous and tears
 Caved chest
 Appropriate stride length
 Bent arm carry or pick – straight arm tension
d.) Accessory lifts
 More farmer’s carries
 Trap bar deadlift
 DB hold for time
 Finger curls
e.) Simulation for the event
 DB, KB, BB, trap bar walk
 Walking in place
 Simulating competition conditions
f.) Training supplies/equipment
 Belt
 Chalk
 Neoprene sleeves
 Wrist wraps
g.) Programming for improvement
 Optimal once per week
 Linear or wave progression
 Both light-long distance and heavy-short distance
  Train your turns

Yoke Walk:
a.) Technique
 Chest up, stack spine (shoulders over hips)
 Hand position, cross bar vs. uprights
 Press down on the ground
 Small steps building into larger steps
 Accelerate all the way through the finish
 Flow with the yoke, don’t fight it
 Don’t be afraid to start slow
b.) Alternative technique (dangerous)
 Staggered stance start
 Whip, catching after a big first step
c.) Common mistakes or misinformation
 Trying to “run out of the gates”
 Nose dive, height selection
 Trying to control a heavy yoke that is out of control
d.) Accessory Lifts
 Heavy squat picks
 Core stabilizing movements (planks, back extensions, Chinese bridge, good mornings)
 More yolk walks
e.) Simulation of the event
 Simulate competition conditions
 Simulate surface
 Time and distance
 IN GYM: chain yoke
f.) Supportive equipment
Belt
Chalk
Neoprene
Wrist wraps
Knee wraps
g.) Programming for improvement
 Beginners: once a week for three weeks
 Once every two weeks thereafter
 One or two working sets
 Heavy
  Work your speed

Axle Clean and Press:

a.) Technique
 Alternate grip
 First pull, extension only at the knees, maintaining angle of torso
 Second pull, saving a small bend in the knee, extend at the hips
 Final pull, triple extension at ankle, knee, and hip
 Pulling high, switch “under hand: in midair over the top
 Row bar into the chest as high as you can catch it with hips under or in front of the bar
 Stack bar over hips over heal with thighs in front
 Drive, bump, extend quad and ankles
 Catch in front rack position with hips back
 Push jerk
b.) Alternative technique
 Cleans
-Double over straight clean
-Double over continental
-Slow flip continental
-Phillipi crook catch
-Carlson over-under straight clean to shoulder midair flip
 Press
-Strict press
-Push press
-Split jerk
c.) Common mistakes or misinformation
 Underhand curl
 Only fat guys can continental
 Deadlifting the bar into lap and stopping at the hips
 Strict pressing in a “for reps” event… unless your name is Robert Oberst
 Time under tension, resting under continental
d.) Accessory lifts
 Olympic clean and press
 High pulls
 Olympic clean pulls
 Break down weak point
 Various overhead lifts
e.) Simulation of the event
  fat grips or tyler grips
f.) Supportive equipment
 Hard or soft belt
 Chalk
 Neoprene
 Wrist wraps
 Olympic shoes
g.) Programming for improvement
 At most, twice a week
 Be patient
 Zack and Pat zeroed their first axle in contest
 Combination of high- and low-rep sets, keeping in mind contest-appropriate weights

Tire Flp:
a.) Technique
 Jumping stance, 4 point stance
 Hands just outside shoulders
 Driving forward and into the tire and then push up about 45°
 Knee the tire as you switch hand to a “push” position
 Push over to land flat and push hard
b.) Alternative technique
 Super wide grip
-Snatching the tire instead of cleaning the tire
 Continental tire flip
 Forearm shiver or shelf
-Best for heavy tires
c.) Common mistakes
 Sumo stance
 Deadlifting
 Bicep curling
 Uneven push over
 Time under tension
d.) Accessory Lifts
 Front squat
 Zercher squat
 Power cleans
 Power snatches
 Lower body triple extension
  Lower body triple extension plyos
e.) Simulation of the event
 Contest conditions
-Ask for a venue surface, tire height/width, and tred
f.) Supportive equipment
 Soft belt or rheband belt
 Neoprene
 Chalk
g.) Programming for improvement
 Train on a variety of tires
 Train with a variety of methods
 High volume, relatively heavy
 Low volume heavy weight within all techniques
 Speed

Stone Load:
a.) Technique
 Stand directly over and straddle the stone
 Reach hands deep with arms, hands, and elbows squeezing
 Hips high
 RDL
 Pull/roll into lap while stepping in, feet together
 Hips high and back
 Arms at 10:00 and 2:00 “swim deep”
 Rock hips back, throw hips in
 Triple extension while pulling stone up
 Look up
 On your toes at the height of extension/apex
b.) Alternative technique
 One motion
 Running load
 Shouldering stone
c.) Common mistakes
 Deadlifting the stone
 Hips down
 Knees in
 Arms underneath
 Squat the stone up… unless you’re Zydrunas
d.) Accessory lifts
 Sandbags
 Zercher squat
 Front squat
 Wide stance RDL
 Good mornings
 Core work
e.) Simulation of the event
 Note the rules of the event and the rule changes in the last year
 Height the stone you’re loading to
 Time limit, stone diameter, and weight
f.) Supportive equipment
 Hard or soft belt or rheband belt
 Neoprene
 Tacky
 Tacky removal
 Olympic weightlifting shoes
 Stone sleeves
g.) Programming for improvement
 Work your weaknesses, pick or load
 Practice loading high
 Train transitions in series loading
 Go heavy