3 Ways To Train For Strongman (Even If You Don't Have a Strongman Gym Nearby)
What if you can't find access to strongman implements in your area?
This article is adapted from the Seasons of Strongman book. You can find out more or get the whole book here.
Your run of the mill gym most likely will not have what you need to train the specific strongman events. Figuring out what you’re going to do about this early on when you’re getting into the sport is a good idea. More and more regularly today the implements are being found in gyms and if you’re not sure where your best bet would be a local CrossFit or strength and athletics based gym. Check out liftershome.com to find out what gyms are near you and what strongman friendly equipment they have in the gym. But what happens when your options are limited? What if all you’ve got access to nearby is a Globo Gym?
There are several options here that you may consider:
Travel for Training
• Even if not in town, find out where the closest strongman gym or training group is. Sometimes this might be a several hour drive away. This has been the reality for many a successful strongman or strongwoman in the past, so if you’re determined to improve, it may be your best option and your only hope. The database on Lifter's Home includes a number of private or garage gyms that train specifically for strongman, so you can have a look to see if any private strongman groups near you have added their info to the map.
Dumpster Diving
• Build, salvage, or buy your own equipment. Junkyards are a haven for aspiring strongman and strongwoman athletes. Part of the allure of the sport is lifting odd objects and the weirder they are, often the better they carry over to building strength that can handle any competitive setting. You can find things like tractor tires, propane cylinders, and rocks to incorporate into strongman specific training protocols. A welder can be your friend to help you build your own equipment like logs for overhead pressing as well as welding the handles on propane cylinders or old railway tracks for farmers walk handles. I’ve included some links to articles I’ve written about the equipment I’ve built in the appendix. Buying equipment to make a backyard collection or home garage gym is another option that while costly, might be your best solution if you can’t build it yourself. Commercial sources like Rogue and EliteFTS are good if you're unable to find anyone close to you that builds equipment, but be sure to have a look around for individuals building equipment or selling used equipment online. Strongman equipment doesn't have to look pretty and brand new because it never lasts very long with outdoor or garage training before it is dirty and marred.
What Would MacGuyver Do?
• Harness your eccentricity and MacGuyver skills in the Globo Gym and do training that mimics the strongman lifts as best as possible. This creative aspect has always been one of my favourite parts of training for strongman. In the bonus content included with this book is a guide to training you can do in a commercial gym that closely mimics the strongman lifts. These lifts can get you a lot of the way to success in intermediate level competitions and helped me to become successful before I had access to any strongman gym and implements. Be creative.
Once you have a little practice with strongman under your belt you'll know how the movements feel and what muscles get the stimulus from different lifts and you can create a similar movement pattern at your commercial gym to get more practice. Be sure to check out the additional content on Globo Gym training for more information.
A Globo Gym strongman training guide is included as a bonus with the full Seasons of Strongman ebook package, as well as in the Year 1 - Beginner and Offseason Program if you're just getting started in the sport.
The Seasons of Strongman - Year 1 eBook Package is a completely digital download that will be instantly available to you upon purchase.
Learn more about what's included in the book on the full details page.
Seasons of Strongman - Year 1 book (Chapters 1-13) in both ePub and PDF formats.
All appendices from Seasons of Strongman.
Beginner Training Manual and 12-week Strength Program.
Globo Gym Strongman Training.