Are you looking to build real life, functional muscle? For many home-gym enthusiasts strongman equipment is the preferred method for smashing through the gates of ordinary resistance training and achieve superman-type strength.

One of the main draws to this style of training is the fact almost anything can be transformed into a piece of gear. And, if you have plenty of backyard space, or garage space, you can get started with build those muscles strong.

(Photo: Terwilliger911)

One of the reasons strongman training is so popular is that it completely wipes away the boredom and limitations traditional weight training. It not only build strong muscle, but also strong character. It makes you mentally and physically tough.

The Stongman Equipment Needed to Get You Started

If you don’t know what strongman training looks like here’s brief introduction:

The Barbell:

This is probably the first piece of gear someone starting out with strongman training will put into practice. And while this is a common piece of workout equipment (I haven’t seen a home gym without one) you can do some pretty impressive exercises that will develop hardcore strength.

Here’s one example that will utilize almost every muscle in the body to complete. From what I can determine after researching the Plow Lift is even a light weight load will really test one’s ability despite how much or often you workout.

A Keg:

A regular beer keg is a genuine piece of strongman equipment. If you don’t happen to have one lying around from your last “intimate get together,” you can probably hit up a local bar or restaurant and see if they could sell one to you. The average cost is around $30, which is considerably cheaper than buying one filled with beer. Or, if you’re lucky, after a few inquiries you might even score one for free. You never know if you don’t ask.

As a formidable piece of training gear you can either choose to fill it up with water, sand or with cement. And a few of the exercises you can attempt are keg carries, keg lifts or the ever impressive keg toss. 

Stones:

I can imagine stones as being the first workout equipment early humans used to get stronger. And they are a staple in almost every strongman competition. Generally Atlas Stones are gear of choice, but if you don’t have access to these, as they are rather expensive, natural stones can easily get you started for build those muscles.

Stones offer similar exercises like their keg counterparts, but what makes training with these so special is there are no handles, no clear grip. And with all the different shapes to work with, it makes the muscles work even harder.

How to Make Your Own Atlas Stone:

Log Lifting:

Along with stone lifting, I can image our early ancestors spending quite a bit of time with moving heavy pieces of wood around (I’m guessing for tools or fire building needs). And this has translated into a serious training style but with a modern twist.

Today, logs are a specially designed strongman equipment that are fashioned out of steel. There isn’t a set or average size for a lifting log—generally are around five to eight feet in total length, and weight anywhere from 60-80 lbs. A few things to look for, however, is it should have Olympic sleeves on each end for loading up with extra resistance, and should the parallel grips should be in a neutral position. This last bit helps to put less strain on the shoulders.

Sled Training:

For specifically targeting your lower body training, especially the posterior chain,  with a sled will turn your twig leg status into a pair Sequoia trunks.

Here’s UK strongman Mark Felix issuing a punishing a sled routine to his legs. This is improvised training with a ladder while pulling a mate along for a total of 250kg (or 551 lbs) worth of resistance. This is serious training!

There are plenty of designs for a sled, but this is a pretty inexpensive solution to get you started.

Tires (and Sledgehammer):

Training with a tire has a universal appeal and applications in strongman training. And, unlike other strongman equipment, you can acquire these for free from a tire company. Since it costs them to discard used tires, they will more than happily agree to let you have one, two, three…or how many else you can take at one time.

The Tire Flip is a pretty standard competition-level exercise. It will task almost every muscle in your body. The name pretty much gives away the description: just lift it on it’s side and push it over. It’s like rinse and repeat after that.

Another good exercise to feature in a routine is to take a sledgehammer and start pounding away at the rubber tire. This works for strength training as well as a cardiovascular exercise too.

Farmer’s Walk:

Performing this one exercise takes your body on a strength training roller coaster. It not only build grip strength, but will deliver quite a blow to the upper back, trapezius and also the obliques.

Generally a set of barbells that are fitted with handles is the basis of this strongman equipment. But instead of going out and purchasing a set right off the bat, novices can get comfortable with this training technique by using a set of heavy dumbbells and pace around. The farther you can carry these is the goal.

A Yoke:

For targeting the quads, the Yoke Walk is an awesome workout to implement when you reach intermediate status. But this is no beginner exercise.

A yoke apparatus is meant to rest over the back of the shoulders. As you take on the load move forward with as many quick steps as you can muster. Make sure to look forward and arch the back slightly when performing this exercise.

Sandbags:

The last bit of strongman equipment I want to discuss is the versatile sandbag. There are tons a different styles on the market, some with plenty of handles to change up your grips, but a standard military-grade dufflebag will do the job just fine.

There really are so many applications to a sangbag workout that are available. Here are a few exercises to get you started:

• Broad Jumps
• Carries
• Clean and Press
• Curls
• Deadlifts
• Shouldering
• Squats

Here’s a few tips for making your own sandbag at home.

Interested in Putting Together a Strongman Home Gym:

Here’s a pretty good setup for anyone looking to piece together a collection of gear that will help them build strongman strength.

For other ideas for revving up your workouts with home fitness exercise equipment I’ve set up a page dedicated to the do-it-yourself enthusiasts. Hopefully what you find there will spark your creativity to construct something pretty amazing. And if you do, I’d love to have you send it my way.

The one thing I want to point out is how almost every exercise in a strongman training routine will engage multiple muscles, if not all your muscle groups, at once. This helps to build your overall ability.

Using strongman equipment will help you take your strength training as far you want.