As a follow up from last weeks article I thought I’d get more into depth about my own experiences when it comes to strongman training. I’m still pretty new at this, but I think that other beginners (hopefully a big chunk of them women) can get some inspiration and motivation from me!
I think that almost everyone associates strongman with super-hulk-like-caveman, the people you see on TV and in magazines (same with bodybuilding) are often the extreme. It’s not necessarily like that, and it would be great if the world understood that strongman training is F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S training for everyone, depending on what kind of weight you put on of course.
It’s a little bit difficult being smaller than everyone else, at least now in the beginning. Most of the equipment we use is pretty heavy for me, which makes my warm-up suffer a little bit, and I often need to put in max effort very early on during the sessions. But it feels good when it’s easy and I get to put on MORE.
On my first try I tried tire flips and yoke. The small tire weighs about 175kg/385lbs, so it’s pretty good to start out with. I’m glad it’s light enough for me to work on technique, rather than killing myself for every flip. I think it takes a little while to work out what technique is right for you, no matter how strong you are. With good technique you can always perform better (at least not snap your spine). I really feel that all those squats and deadlifts are paying off here, since you initiate the flip quite low. But it s also important to remember that a tire flip is NOT a deadlift, it is to be pushed, not lifted. I struggled a little bit with technique at first, but I managed to get a good 5x5 out of it feeling very proud.
The yoke is slightly more difficult I think, when I first tried I almost stood in the position where you are before squatting. So I lifted it with a neutral spine, but a little bit bent over, at least enough to feel it in my lower back. Suddenly it felt like I was about to do a super heavy good morning instead of taking the yoke for a walk. It was easy to feel when my technique improved. Suddenly I got my hips under and walked taller. I found that putting the yoke pretty low on my back feels better, and it is easier for me to keep my posture through the walk. Last time I went up to 100kg/220lbs, and hopefully I will be able to take even more next time.
I have been doing a lot of Farmer’s Walks, Suitcase Carries and Waiter Walks the last couple of months, so when I was introduced to their Farmer’s it wasn’t THAT bad. It was just bad enough to break my hands and chafe the skin off my calves. Concrete is a biatch! But the handles are good and it is a huge difference when the weight is close to the ground, rather than a kettlebell for example, which is what I’m used to. The lightest ones weigh 55kg/120lbs each, which is about 15kg/33lbs heavier than I’ve been walking with at the gym. First time I could walk 3m-2m-2m, and last Tuesday I walked 6m-4m-5m-5m, which is a huge improvement!
Struggling to keep tall
When I started doing strongman training I knew that I would, at some point, have learn how to log press. I started preparing myself with equipment I could find at the gym, because I wanted to get everything right and controlled before moving on to the “real” thing. I did two different exercises to complement each other since you really need a log to actually get the right grip and feel for it. I used an Olympic bar for pressing with a wide grip. This also allowed me to really practise my hang cleans. Oh I love hang cleans. I also hate them. A lot. My relationship to them is rather complicated, but let’s just say that it took me almost two months to get them to look even remotely good, and to get rid of that horrible knee valgus I was suffering from. That is behind me now. Anyway, to get a feel for the kind of grip I would use on the log, I used a triceps bar. This really felt completely different, but better the more I did it. It felt like it somehow engaged my core more, and core is GREAT.
Last Tuesday was the first time I was actually going to try it for real, I had only just felt the weight of it before. I worked my ass off. The log weighs 35kg/77lbs empty, which is about ten kilo more than I had been pressing before at the gym. I pretty much had the log right where I wanted it on my first try. Picked it up, sat down, rolled it up on my chest (I swear hang cleans are awesome, and because I know how to do them I save energy that I can use while pressing instead). I also got great advice from the big guys, and I think that the whole atmosphere that comes with working out with awesome people makes all the difference! The pressing part was more difficult, I had a little bit of help up (just enough), and then I balanced it for a few seconds and lowered it myself. I did a few sets of three, I was surprised and really proud that I managed to do that much. Had pretty bad DOMS over the next few days though! So my advice to any newbie; be careful and don’t over-do it…
These are the exercises I’m doing at the moment, but hopefully I will be able to do more soon. I just need to man up a little. I still haven’t managed to conquer the stones, the heaviest one is 80kg, and I think my deadlift would be heavier than 90kg if I could pull that one off! I’m going to make a smaller one though, weighing about 50kg so I can start working from there.
From Monday on, I’m switching up a level or two. I have signed up for a competition and I can’t wait to get there! I do have some work to finish, it will be very heavy, but I think I can do it. July 2nd is when the party starts. I shall keep you posted. And start a fan club on facebook.
By: Isa Olsson
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