Strongman Conditioning "Program"

[Vaereyes]

Greetings citizens!

 

I've identified the Strongman competition I'd like to compete in next year (for the curious it's the Charm City Strongwoman Competition). The kicker is that I have a minimal strength, so right now I'm working on conditioning where I'd like to be focused for 6 months, then I'd like to spend 6 months doing Strongman event work. My "program" is below. Thankfully my gym actually has Strongman equipment in it (yay for The Edge 2.0 at Tyson's Playground), so when I make that 6 month transition I don't have to go far.

 

When I first went to Tyson's Playground I met up with one of the cats there who introduced me to some good Strongman conditioning workouts, and I've been doing them ever since. (A couple months, maybe 6 or 7 times a month, not crazy frequent.)

 

My current workout "program" is below:

 

Tire flips: 270 lbs, 6 reps, 3 sets

Barbell front squat: 65 lbs, 10 reps, 3 sets

Overhead bar press: 45 lbs, 10 reps, 3 sets

Deadlift: 65 lbs, 10 reps, 3 sets

Farmers carry: 80 lbs, 25 m and back, 3 sets

 

This weights include the weight of the bar, which is actually 25 lbs because they're Strongman specific bars instead of traditional weightlifting bars. I'm also going to a gym to get a trainer to help with programming and more importantly form. Any recommendations how I can add to this workout without dedicating my whole world to it? I do Strongman workouts 2 x a week, and cardio (rowing for 30 minutes) 1 x week.

 

 

[Jord]

Our resident strongperson lately is @Brovatar Korra, but I looked and I think you already figured that out lol. She may have some helpful information. 

[Brovatar Korra]

Yay Strongwoman! I am going to come back with a more detailed post later today! Is that competition near you? If so you should go check it out and maybe watch a few events! It will give you a good idea of the flow of a competition, and everyone is usually super friendly you should feel free to ask questions too!

[Vaereyes]

I am not competing this Sunday. I'm going to see a competition for the first time on Sunday. 

[Brovatar Korra]

Ah I am terrible at processing information... this is exciting! I'm glad you are going to check it out and I would love to share my (limited) knowledge and what has worked for me. I will be back tonight!

[Vaereyes]

1 hour ago, Brovatar Korra said:

Ah I am terrible at processing information... this is exciting! I'm glad you are going to check it out and I would love to share my (limited) knowledge and what has worked for me. I will be back tonight!

 

No worries, I wasn't exactly clear in my initial post. I'm stupidly excited to go watch the competition this Sunday, and I look forward to hearing from you later tonight. (I started following your journey since I searched 'strongman' and saw your posts.)

[Brovatar Korra]

Hey I'm back! Okay I'm going to ask you a bunch of questions to get a better understanding of everything you'll be doing in a given week:

 

Are you planning to work with a trainer at the same gym that has the strongman equipment? Is the trainer going to help you develop a program? Do you have an idea of how often you are going to work with them?

 

On 9/14/2017 at 11:42 AM, Vaereyes said:

I do Strongman workouts 2 x a week, and cardio (rowing for 30 minutes) 1 x week.

 

Are you going to be doing trainer sessions in addition to these ^^^ 3 days? OR will the training sessions be in place of those strongman days, and you want to figure out how to distribute the above mentioned movements across a plan that is working out 3x a week? Simpler way of asking this question: how many days total per week do you plan to train?

 

Since you are going to be working with a trainer they might have a specific idea of how to incorporate those movements into a program they create for you (if they do that), so keep that in mind.... but I would be happy to provide you recommendations of how I would lay out a training plan.

 

[Vaereyes]

16 hours ago, Brovatar Korra said:

Are you planning to work with a trainer at the same gym that has the strongman equipment? Is the trainer going to help you develop a program? Do you have an idea of how often you are going to work with them?

 

Unfortunately the trainer is at a completely different gym than the one I attend. To my knowledge, the gym I attend is the only one that has a specific section for strongman training. I'm hoping that the trainer will help me with form, and give me pointers for a program. I'm not entirely sure if the trainer has had experience training a strongman competitor before. I have no clue how often I'm going to work with them. If it's for form, it'll probably be once or twice a week.

 

16 hours ago, Brovatar Korra said:

Are you going to be doing trainer sessions in addition to these ^^^ 3 days? OR will the training sessions be in place of those strongman days, and you want to figure out how to distribute the above mentioned movements across a plan that is working out 3x a week? Simpler way of asking this question: how many days total per week do you plan to train?

 

I haven't entirely figured out whether I'm going to do trainer sessions in addition to 3 days. *shakes magic 8 ball* Signs point to 'maybe'. I plan to train 3 days a week total.  That being said, I would love a suggested layout from someone whose been doing this for a minute!

[Brovatar Korra]

7 hours ago, Vaereyes said:

 

Unfortunately the trainer is at a completely different gym than the one I attend. To my knowledge, the gym I attend is the only one that has a specific section for strongman training. I'm hoping that the trainer will help me with form, and give me pointers for a program. I'm not entirely sure if the trainer has had experience training a strongman competitor before. I have no clue how often I'm going to work with them. If it's for form, it'll probably be once or twice a week.

 

 

I haven't entirely figured out whether I'm going to do trainer sessions in addition to 3 days. *shakes magic 8 ball* Signs point to 'maybe'. I plan to train 3 days a week total.  That being said, I would love a suggested layout from someone whose been doing this for a minute!

 

Thanks for the responses!

I think your best bet, similar to what you said in your original post, is to focus on general strength. You get the most bang for your buck doing basic compound movements (Squat, bench, overhead press, deadlift) and IMO will carry over into 90% of strongman movements very well. You could go in 2 directions with your training plan:

 

1) Do your regular strength routine (2-3x a week) and have an additional epic strongman movement day all on its own

 Pros: Access to all the strongman equipment in one day, simulates a competition day, great conditioning/endurance day

 Cons: Might take several hours, exhausting, can be hard to recover from

 

2) Sprinkle your strongman movements throughout the week as a finisher to each regular workout

 Pros: Less taxing on your body, more variety in each workout

 Cons: You need access to strongman equipment several days a week

 

If access to equipment is not an issue, I would prefer/lean toward option 2. But I think option 1 would work just as well.

 

For just building general overall strength, I would suggest a program such as "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe or "Stronglifts" . If you wanted a complete all-in-one routine that incorporates strength, conditioning, and strongman all in one go I would suggest Juggernaut's "Cube Method for Strongman." Honestly, though, I think Cube Method is a bit complicated/overwhelming as an initial training plan to tackle.

 

That being said, here is an idea of how you could break up the movements you mentioned with an option 2 style plan:

 

Tire flips - could be added to the end of any workout

Barbell front squat - could be it's own squat/leg day

Overhead bar press - could be it's own upper body / overhead day

Deadlifts - this a very fundamental and essential movement - I would definitely make this its own day

Farmers carry - this could be added to the end of any workout 

 

So for example:

Workout 1 - front squats, leg accessories (if any), tire flips

Workout 2 - overhead press, upper body accessories, farmer's carries

Workout 3 - deadlifts

 

I hope this was helpful and makes sense, please let me know if you have any additional questions or need me to clarify!

When I first started training my OHP max was 55#, we all start somewhere I am so excited for you and your journey!

 

[Vaereyes]

I love that photo! I may have to print it out and stick it in my cubicle at work.

 

I met with the folx at Sand & Steel yesterday. The process as they laid it out for me, is that I have 10 sessions with them I can use over the course of 3 months (to the tune of $800 total). They'll focus on form, preventing injuries and the likes. My concern is the price. I know that I prefer to workout 3 times a week (once by myself, once with a trainer, and once Strongman specific on the weekends.) I'm trying to figure out if the $800/investment is worth it. :-/ Thoughts?

 

 

[Brovatar Korra]

8 hours ago, Vaereyes said:

I love that photo! I may have to print it out and stick it in my cubicle at work.

 

I met with the folx at Sand & Steel yesterday. The process as they laid it out for me, is that I have 10 sessions with them I can use over the course of 3 months (to the tune of $800 total). They'll focus on form, preventing injuries and the likes. My concern is the price. I know that I prefer to workout 3 times a week (once by myself, once with a trainer, and once Strongman specific on the weekends.) I'm trying to figure out if the $800/investment is worth it. :-/ Thoughts?

 

 

Hmmm here's a few things to consider:

 

1. Have you worked out with a trainer at Sand & Steel before? Before committing to buying 10 sessions I would ask to do just one first, as a trial, and make sure it actually meets your needs and expectations. If they won't let you pay for one session individually that would make me suspicious.

 

2. What kind of movements specifically do you want help with regarding your form?  I googled them and quickly reviewed their site (sandandsteelfitness in the VA area, right?) and it seems like they have a general approach and cover a wide variety of exercise modalities. This may mean that they don't really specialize in any one niche area, so the advice and feedback you get may be very general as well, and not really specific to your goals. If you are coming from a background with little training experience then a generalized approach may be exactly what you want/need.

 

3. The $800 "is it worth it?" Is this disposable income, will spending it on training impact any other areas of your life? Would parting with this chunk of change impact your ability to by nutritious foods for the next 3 months? Would you have to work overtime and lose out on quality rest/sleep?

 

TL;DR

1. Vet the trainer

2. What is your specific goal?

3. What would you otherwise spend that $ on?