Strongman Training versus Traditional Resistance Training (*study)
Bryan Diaz, 2012 CrossFit Games
Strongman training has become an increasingly popular training modality for athletes in all sports. However, we’ve always felt this to be a misnomer – while Atlas Stones and similar tools are part of strongman training, they represent the skill portion of training for these competitors. In other words, when people talk about strongman training, they’re talking about using competition movements, not training movements. Strongman training, per se, is dominated by traditional barbell work that wouldn’t be out of place in a powerlifter or bodybuilder’s routine.
Lifting Atlas Stones, flipping a tire, or cleaning and pressing a log bar, is a learned skill, not unlike those seen in field events – which obviously require a high level of strength and power, but also technique. When strongmen practice these movements, it’s no different than a weightlifter practicing a clean and jerk – their strength and power is the conduit for the expression of skill. There’s no question as to whether strongman training builds strength, however, what most people are saying when they use this term, is not representitive of how the typical strongman trains.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that a recent study showed differing improvements (abstract below) with traditional resistance training versus “strongman training” (the study was performed on rugby players, and both regimines worked to improve muscular function and performance). Of note was that the strongman group showed slightly better improvements in muscle mass and acceleration performance, and significantly larger improvements in 1 repetition maximum on the bent over row. However, there were small to moderately greater positive changes in 1RM squat and deadlift strength, horizontal jump, turning ability, and sled push performance with the traditional resistance training group.
Overall, greater results were seen with traditional training versus “strongman training,” but we can’t stress enough that simply doing a ton of strongman moves isn’t really how they train. To get the best results from a strongman routine, focus on traditional movements and incorporate heavy strongman-style competition lifts.
Here’s the abstract:
Winwood, PW, Cronin, JB, Posthumus, LR, Finlayson, SJ, Gill, ND, and Keogh, JWL.
Strongman vs. traditional resistance training effects on muscular function and performance.
Currently, no evidence exists as to the effectiveness of strongman training programs for performance enhancement. This study compared the effects of 7 weeks of strongman resistance training vs. traditional resistance training on body composition, strength, power, and speed measures. Thirty experienced resistance-trained rugby players were randomly assigned to one of the 2 groups; strongman (n = 15; mean ± SD: age, 23.4 ± 5.6 years; body mass, 91.2 ± 14.8 kg; height, 180.1 ± 6.8 cm) or traditional (n = 15; mean ± SD: age, 22.5 ± 3.4 years; body mass, 93.7 ± 12.3 kg; height, 181.3 ± 5.9 cm). The strongman and traditional training programs required the participants to train twice a week and contained exercises that were matched for biomechanical similarity with equal loading. Participants were assessed for body composition, strength, power, speed, and change of direction (COD) performance. Within-group analyses indicated that all performance measures improved with training (0.2–7%) in both the strongman and traditional training groups. No significant between-group differences were observed in functional performance measures after 7 weeks of resistance training. Between-group differences indicated small positive effects in muscle mass and acceleration performance and large improvements in 1 repetition maximum (1RM) bent over row strength associated with strongman compared with traditional training. Small to moderate positive changes in 1RM squat and deadlift strength, horizontal jump, COD turning ability, and sled push performance were associated with traditional compared with strongman training. Practitioners now have the first evidence on the efficacy of a strongman training program, and it would seem that short-term strongman training programs are as effective as traditional resistance training programs in improving aspects of body composition, muscular function, and performance.
