Since being back in the UK and I’ve been training out of Athlon Fitness in Hertfordshire. The gym has everything I need and more, including lots of strongman specific training equipment such as heavy yokes, tons of different barbells, and other heavy lifting objects like stones and logs. A friend of mine (Chris) has been training for amateur strongman competitions for the past coup[le of years and so we decided to swap workouts and see how the different styles of training could possibly benefit each other. We first did a Crossfit style functional fitness workout on a Tuesday morning from my program and then on the following day Chris lead me through a strongman session.
We started the Strongman session with a quick warm up to get avoid injury and then moved to our first exercise, deadlifts. I deadlift regularly and so was confident I’d find this and easy start, I was wrong. After a few warm up lifts Chris told me we’d be going for 5x5 of heavy lifts with the chains. The difference between normal deadlifts and chain deadlifts is crazy. With a normal deadlift once the weight is off the floor it stays consistent until you reach the top point of the lift, when you add chains the weight increases the higher the bar comes off the floor as more chain weight is added. My first few attempts were terrible, I kept putting the bar down on the chains and losing my rhythm and grip. I eventually got the hang of it (kind of) and managed to string a few reps together but it was definitely not a consistent 5x5. Chris on the other hand added extra plates and pushed through his sits with a lot more dignity.
After deadlifts we moved to another movement I felt pretty comfortable with and was again caught out by. Chris told me we’d be doing clean and presses for 5x5, a movement pattern I do 2-3 times a week in my own training, but I hadn’t realised we’d be using the axle bar which is much thicker than a regular barbell. The extra challenge on grip made this way tougher than I expected and I struggled with the 55kg load for 3 sets, having finally got the changes down by set 4 and feeling good I decided to go up to my usual 5x5 weight of 60kg. These were hard but doable (even if I did have to put the bar down and shake my arms out after 3) and added a great new dynamic to the lift. The benefits of the additional strain on grip from the unusual sized bar has great carry over to OCR and Crossfit training.
After the Axle bar clean & press we were set to take on my first completely new lift, the yoke carry. Having zero experience of this movement Chris spent some time explaining to me how to get into position and how to adjust my feet and walk safely. For my first few rounds I picked up the empty yoke and walked it up and down the training space, practicing getting into the right position and making sure the load was equal. I did a few attempts at 160kg which felt good and then attempted 180. This was a slower walk and took a lot out of me but I was stoked I’d made it and it felt like I’d learnt a new skill. I’m not sure the direct movement of a Yoke carry will benefit OCR but travelling with a heavy weight, moving on tired legs and the ability to build different strength and CV stresses all felt pretty useful.
By this point we were over an hour into the session and all the heavy, new exercises were starting to add up (as you can see at the end of the Yoke video) and so we decided to do one last movement, the one i’d really been looking forward to, the Atlas stones. This movement has the most direct carry over to OCR and Spartan Race specifically as we often do an atlas carry during the race. We again spent some time with Chris explaining how to lift the stone safely as it’s an 80kg load and we’d be lifting it to above shoulder height onto the stand and the bringing it back down to the floor. We did 5 lifts of the stone working on technique and by my final lift I was pretty happy with my lift and (even if it’s a little timid) the quick movement and push to get the stone onto its platform. At this point we were going to move up to the heavier stones but a slight misstep during his first lift of the heavy stone caused Chris to hurt his arm (this turned out to be a full distal bicep tear) so we called it a day.
The obvious benefits for varied training especially for multi-faceted sports such as OCR are endless. Moving in different patterns and stressing your body in different ways builds areas often neglected in specific training programs. Using different stabiliser muscles, building time under tension, forcing high heart rate in short bursts and obstructed or varied patterns of basic movements create opportunities for growth and improvement in physical fitness while also making training sessions fun. It should go without saying that if you want to be a Strongman, train like one, and if you want to compete in OCR train for the unique challenges the sport provides for 90%+ of your sessions. But that 5-10% should challenge you in new ways and allow you to help your body adapt to different training styles.
I won’t be taking a day a week to lift like a strongman but I have incorporated more deadlifts into my training since this session, I’ll be lifting a lot more stones during the winter and will even start incorporating yoke walks every now and again. The biggest change I’ve taken from a day of strongman training is the use of the axle bar and how it’s able to challenge grip strength and build muscles in the forearms while doing standard movements. I now use the bar for some of my overhead press and bench press work as well as in accessory work such as bent over rows or reverse grip curls.