Strongman Training Part 2

Training to improve your physical health is not rocket science or nuclear physics. It’s simple, effective and to the point. In the last 70 years the old time strongmen ruled the game and performed feats of strength that are mere impossible to match by modern day strength standards. 

Modern day strength athletes believe that a stronger muscle is a bigger muscle and begin training to put on mass, in belief that it would lead to unbelievable strength gains. However no one got the strength game better than the old time strongmen. 

The old time strongmen knew full well that strength is not a destination that they should aim for. Instead it’s a skill that needs to be constantly updated. They also knew it’s not about the destination it’s about the process. 

Old time strongmen kept their workouts short and to the point. They didn’t employ any gimmicks of any kind. They employed training concepts known as “Heavy singles” and “Static Contractions”, which placed the foundation for what was to follow. Apart from the physical strength there is another important element that gave them their superhuman physical abilities, which was physical conditioning.

This was uniquely achieved with a special blend of heavy weight training and further lifting odd objects. These are some of the sole elements that made their physical program. Digging further into their training programs the length of a workout was approximately an hour to an hour and a half, which was conducted 2 - 3 days  a week. 

A true strength athlete knows that in order for a routine to be truly effective it must be kept to a bare minimum, so here  are some of the lifts that they used 

• Deadlift
• Squat
• Bench Press
• Olympic Lifts (Clean and Press, Jerk etc. 

Other equipment used in training sessions are

• Kettlebell
• Sandbag 
• Ring Training 

Weight training was not the only element that they used in there sessions. Other forms of training involve intense bodyweight exercises like Pushups, Pull-ups, bodyweight squats, Dips etc.

The last element of their training programs were the rep range they used. Given the intense training sessions and the load of the exercises the workout contained about 20 exercises, with no more than 3-4 sets per exercise. Obviously there are other factors that vary strength levels like diet, genetics etc. 

But in a nutshell this is what gave them such superhuman abilities.