General fitness & strength training has become increasingly popular over the last few years. Bodybuilding and powerlifting along with Crossfit and kettlebell classes have become mainstream and an essential activity for many people. There has been a large emphasis placed on “functional training” but Strongman, a sport which is dedicated to improving your ability to pick up, carry and drag heavy objects, is rarely considered by the average person who is looking to get into better shape.
Strongman is yet to break into the public domain, partly due to a lack of adequate coaching and gyms, but when programmed and coached correctly Strongman is undoubtedly one of the best training styles for helping people increase their general fitness and body composition.
3 reasons to train like a strongman
- It’s fun: The most important about your training is that you enjoy it. Too often I hear of people who are frustrated or bored with their training. My personal favourite part of Strongman training is the large variation of events that can be trained. Before I started Strongman style training I was fed up with my training, every time I sat in a leg press or any other machine I was asking myself what’s the f*cking point of doing this. Exercises like farmers carries and log presses are not only more enjoyable to me but also exercises where I can notice a carry-over to my ability to perform everyday exercises.
- It’s well rounded: Sports like Olympic Lifting and Powerlifting focus on developing maximal strength, circuit classes and training for team sports focus more towards physical endurance. Strongman involves a combination of max lift attempts, max reps in a time period, max carry for distance and medley events. For me being good at all of these is a sign of a well rounded athlete.
- It can improve your physique: Strongman training is very demanding on your body, in particular your glutes, back and shoulders. It is also great for improving your metabolic rate. Strongman is best known for it’s 140+ kg competitors but these athletes are only this size because they are competing to be the best in the world. The difference between Strongman training and other styles of training is far less than most people believe.
Check out our Sample Strongman Training Week post if you are curious about how we structure our Strongman training.