Got in another solid Strongman/GPP workout this weekend. A lot better than last weeks effort. Wasn't sucking any where near the same amount of air as last week. Felt good and strong through the whole workout.
I do this sort of workout to help build in a bit of overall fitness as well as providing a certain amount of training for bodyparts in a different way. Also this is for this cycle as when I go into the next cycle I will change a couple of the exercises. Hammer Hits and Tyre Flips will always stay in the cycle. Just need a bigger hammer. At the moment I am using a 6lb hammer but would like to take that to a 12lb.
The Hammer Hits I use for dare I say it my core section especially my abdominals. I do a lot of work for my obliques in the gym during the week so don't tend to put them in here.
Tyre flips I use for building explosive power and speed in my squats and deadlifts in the gym. Here I can work on that by doing something out of the ordinary. I am activating my glutes real hard and fast as I go to drive the tyre up. If I am doing it right I can power the tyre over in one movement. The tyre in these videos is what I call the baby tyre as it weighs somewhere around 170kg, My big MONGREL weighs in at 225kg. A word of caution for you though if you can feel your biceps while or after you have done this exercise you are doing it wrong. You should be driving with your legs, calves, glutes and hams, NOT lifting with your biceps. Do this wrong to many times and you will eventually rip your biceps.
I like the log press as it gives me another way of doing some shoulders without the weight being excessive. My log is light (only about 55kg). In this case I try to lift it like the real strongmen do in that I do not stop on my upper chest and then jerk the weight.
Tyre pulls allow me to work a number of upper body muscle groups at the same time. Back, Biceps, Forearms, Shoulders to name a few. The tyre itself weighs 55kg and the rope is 25 mtrs long and weighs about 1kg/mtr. The added friction from the ground makes this a lot harder than it appears. Because this takes a little longer to do it helps with the GPP side of the workout.
I do tyre drags because I am cheap and did not want to buy a sled when I got a tyre for free. A couple of galvanized eyes put though the tread area and a couple of carabiners, some rope and a belt and you have a homemade sled. This works your calves, hams and glutes real well. My reasoning for doing tyre drags is that it helps build strength and power though my legs as well as some good GPP fitness.
Hammer hits went a lot better today and I felt like I had a lot more power when hitting the tyre. It might not seem like it but if you really give it your all this is a great exercise. I don't have access to 1 million trees that need splitting so this is a good trade off.
Hammer Hits
Tyre flips with the baby tyre went a lot better than expected. Plenty of drive through my lower body and getting the tyre flipped pretty quickly. Was a little worried about this last week as in the next cycle I want to start using the MONGREL full time and the first week was pretty awful.
Tyre Flips Baby tyre
Log presses again went well with a lot of power to lockout. I feel I get a bit of strength here for my shoulders and a good hit of GPP with touch and go reps.
Log Press
Did you think I was pulling the car, If you do this right it is real good for your upper body. When doing these I try and keep a consistent pace. The friction from the ground really makes this exercise. Add to that the 35+ seconds and you get a real good hit of GPP. The tyre that I use weighs 55kg.
Tyre Pull
By the end of all this tyre drags becomes a real tough exercise. Again it is the same tyre as above and you are pulling 55kg. Trying to stay reasonably upright and driving through my lower body makes this tough work. By the time you get back your legs are starting to wobble and you are sucking some big air. Great exercise and I will keep rotating it in and out of the cycle. The driveway is about 40mtrs there and 40mtrs back.
Tyre Drags
On week one of the cycle I will do 3 sets of everything, On week two I will do 4 set of everything and on week 3 I will do 5 sets of everything. Reps are
Hammer Hits 10
Tyre Flips 5
Log Press 5
Tyre Pulls 1
Tyre Drags 1 there and back
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