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This article is for the strongman competitor that is just starting to compete and really has no clue about how to train, but there may be some things that the advanced athlete may
use to improve his/her game. What you will see in this article is three different approaches to training for strongman. I thought this might be a good idea considering the fact that
most articles are written about one persons training philosophy. Here, you will get three views from three very qualified strongmen. They are Eric Hammer, Bryan Dermody, and
myself. Hammer is an asst. director of Olympic sports performance at The University of Louisville. He also earned his pro status at the Central USA in July. Bryan Dermody is an
assistant football strength and conditioning coach at The University of Louisville. He is one of the top ranked amateur heavyweights in the country and he also writes columns for
Iron Mind. Myself, I am a manager of a fitness center. I also have worked at the collegiate level as an assistant football and assistant strength and conditioning coach. I consider
myself to be one of the top ranked heavyweight amateurs in the country as well. Since there are six questions, I will break this down into two parts because the first two questions
are so long.
Quest 1) During the off-season, when you are not competing, what type of training template do you follow in the weight room, and what, if any, type of event training do you
do?
Hammer: My off season template looks something like this:
I event train once a week and usually alternate three to four events each week working on form and technique. I am a big believer in the Olympic lifts and what they can do for you,
so I tend to train them at least twice per week throughout the off season. I also utilize favorites such as front squats, goodmornings, jerks, any type of deadlifts and plyometrics.
I like to use a conjugated peroidization approach to ensure that I hit all areas of training. This includes max effort, speed and repitition work to build up my weaknesses, add to
my strengths and to generate some general physical preparedness. I don't use percentages on my max effort work because I want to get stronger, but I will use them on my
accessory movements. Each phase of training lasts about 3-4 weeks following a base, load, load, deload weekly progression in volume and intensity.
Dermody: My off season template
King: I have come up with a modified version of training that includes Westside concepts, Olympic lifitng and circuit training. By combining all three I can work on strength,
explosion/speed, and conditioning. I believe in the use of many movements, not in a training day but rather to have at your expense. This will allow you to find any weaknesses
that you may have. As a general rule, I will switch up my ME movement about every three weeks, and my Olympic movements every two to three weeks.
I will train the events on Saturdays. Events change weekly and so does the intensity level. I try to train every event there is so I can get accustomed to the movement. Plus, it
breaks the monotony of training the same movements week in and week out. The only two events that won't change are the 12" log and the atlas stones. If I go for a max on the
log then I will train the stones light and vice versa. I like to put the emphasis on these two movements because you will see them at every show you compete in. Below is a
sample training week:
Quest 2) When you are actively competing, how does gym and event training differ from what you do in the off season?
Hammer: My in season template looks something like this:
My approach to in season training is quality over quantity. I drop my workouts from six days to three to four days per week and my focus is strength and staying healthy. My gym
work depends on the upcoming contest. For example, if there is alot of medley events then my max effort training becomes a ball busting repitition effort training sessions where
I will try and hit a few good sets of 10-15 reps at as much weight as I can push. I still clean and snatch during the week, but it may or may not be for max effort depending on how
my wrists, elbows and shoulders feel. All my events are determined by the contest. I will start planning for a meet about four to six weeks out and devise a plan of progression for
each event allowing for an easier week of the show. Saturdays and Sunday's I will split up the events focusing on form and moving heavy weight.
The week of the meet looks like this:
The week after entails dynamic warm-ups, DB complexes and rehab work. The next training cycle will start the following Saturday.
Dermody: Changes for in season strongman training: 1) One day of max effort gym work ( upper and lower in the same session), 2) Tailor the event training to the specific
events in the upcoming contest. I may do one or two event days, but if I can fit the events into normal gym training (i.e. Log or deadlift), I will typically only have one event day, 3) If I
am doing shows really close to one another (1-3-weeks apart), I will do only max effort squat and speed deadlifts or reverse the two. I may also do only speed deads and speed
squats but do a heavy single afterwards with the use of chains or band tension, 4) My last event will typically be five to seven days from contest, 5) The week of the contest I will
do Olympic lifts, speed squats/deads, and some o-head presses. Three days out I will perform only work capacity stuff and perform dynamic flexibility work, 6) The week after the
show I will take about two days off and may throw out my max effort o-head day from the next weeks training.
King: My in season training is based on how my body feels and what events will be held at the show. I will throw out all Olympic movements because they are hard on my joints.
I rely on speed squats and deads to maintain my explosion. I will have a max effort lower body day on Monday or Tuesday which usually consists of some form of deadlift
movement. This saves my knees and shoulders from getting beat up more then they are. I also throw in more pre-hab work and I frequent a chiropractor or massage therapist.
Event training is usually broken into two days to focus more on the movement and for more consistency. About six weeks out I start to focus on the events of the contest. Usually,
the volume of training starts out high and gradually decreases as the show nears. The last two weeks of training are all about quality. I eliminate alot of warm up sets and focus
on staying healthy and working form and technique hard.
The week of the show I will gym train twice. On Monday, I will do some low rep, low weight squats or deads and some accessory work. Wednesday I will do the same for my
upper body. Tuesday and Thursdays I will do some light ab and low back work and stretch.
The week after the show all depends on how heavy the show was. I base this week on instinct. If I feel good then I will train relatively hard, but if I feel beat down, I will do rehab
work and machine work.
Here is a sample training program for in season: