This is continued from PART ONE
Wtf am I doin m8
So! In the last post we went over what strongman actually was. Now let's get into how I built my conditioning area outdoors! Keep in mind this is generally a gym for conditioning and I use it in addition to a strength training program at an indoor gym! Most of these exercises are full-body and are used to condition for strongman events!
In actuality, I spent very little (estimated around $80-90 for materials) as a lot of the equipment was lying around the house. However, I will try to estimate prices for you!
Location
I wanted an area that I could be on my own in nature when I needed a break. I chose an area with a fork that went in different directions, near a few hills and areas where I could use the stretch of path for carry events.
A view from the start of the woodsy path. This is looking down the stretch used for heavy carries.
Map
Here's a general run-down of the area. So we have 8 stations in all:
- Slam ball platform
- Battle ropes
- Tire and hammer (also can do tire flips)
- Reflex bag
- 50-foot path (useful for carries, farmers walks, etc)
- Hill (useful for sprints, carries, etc)
- Pull-up bar
- Natural stone lift and platform
Along with about a quarter-mile loop from the 50-foot area of path that loops around to the hill near the slam ball area!
Starting from the top!
Here's a quick look at the different exercises!
Slam Ball Platform
I have to say, these are probably one of my favorite exercises to do.
I buried some rock slabs into the ground in order to give a stronger surface for the platform. Currently I use Titan Fitness 20lb ($30) and 40lb ($45) slam balls. The value you get from Titan is second to none - they preach affordable options to other more expensive brands like Rogue Fitness and EliteFTS. You can definitely see a lower quality in some items, but the slam balls are not one of them. They've held up for months of constant pounding!
This exercise is a big power-builder, working on strength, speed, conditioning, and reaction time. With the ball in both hands, you want to bring it overhead, locking out your ankle, knee, and hip (triple extension) before throwing it down with as much force as possible. Slam balls are made for this movement, and hardly bounce while still allowing you room to grab it and go again. I normally do 2-3 sets of 15-20 repetitions with a few minutes of rest in between.
Slams are not the only thing you can do with these! Chest passes are also a great exercise you can perform with a friend that targets the pectorals, triceps, and shoulders. As with slams, try to throw the ball back to your partner with as much force as you can!
Battle Ropes
Battle ropes ($40 for a 1.5", 30' rope at Titan Fitness) have caught steam (steem?) around workout facilities as a great conditioning tool, and a great option for HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training). There are many variations to the same general idea - you want to slam the heavy ropes to cause a wave all the way down to the base that they're looped through.
Gunner uses a side-shuffle, two hand technique
You can use alternating hands, stationary positions, carry the ropes for jumping jacks, wave them side to side- hundreds of different ways to use it!
Tire and Hammer
Many people have seen Worlds Strongest Man athletes flipping tires in competition. Football players also have used tire flips in the past, and with the emergence of Crossfit and the Crossfit games, tire flipping has become somewhat of a more common place in workouts to spice up a routine.
Hehe, butt
A tire can also be used for sledgehammer slams, as the head of the hammer just bounces off of the tire, causing an easy rebound without destroying anything. It's similar to splitting wood with a maul.
The hammer I use has a 20lb metal head, which gives a great conditioning workout!
Large tires can be gotten practically for free at any tire shop, or at a junkyard, farm, or sand and gravel pit. It usually costs a company to dispose of them, so if there's any worn out tires, they'd happily give them away! I believe the sledgehammer was around $50 at a hardware store (I didn't need to purchase it for this, as it's something we had laying around already).
Reflex Bag
This is an old Everlast reflex bag that I had laying around. I had gotten it as a present as a kid, used it sparingly, then it collected dust in the shed. It's held up well even outside in the elements, though I don't really use it that often to be honest. The bag is on a spring, so when you hit it down, it will bounce back at you. The base is filled with water and buried in the ground. I believe the price is around $50 (again, it was something laying around :) )
Farmers Walks, Carries, and Sled Pulls
I use the 50-foot path linked above for carry movements. Either with homemade farmers walk implements, a 100lb heavybag, or a weight sled.
*These are simply chain with pipe nipples (3" diameter to work on grip) with old iron weights (standard hole, not olympic)
The idea behind farmers walks is to carry a heavy object for as long as possible. Farmers walks are a great event done in many competitions that tests your whole body - from grip, to forearms, arms, shoulders, core, trunk, and legs. Courses are generally around 50 feet long - go forward, turn at the end, and come back for time. Using wide pipe nipples challenges the grip that much more!
The main part of this is GOOD FORM
Think "TALL SPINE" while running. You do not want to be hunched over the weight!
Hardware for this cost about $12; the weights were, as the reflex bag and heavy bag before, collecting dust in the garage. With standard 1" weights, .25-.50 per pound is the general price. At least by me, people on Craigslist are selling these all the time for very cheap prices.
Pull-Up Bar
Ah, pull ups. I used to love these in middle and high school, before I was introduced to weights. I was generally a spidermonkey, very thin, and could perform 15-20 of these with ease. As such when I started training seriously and started to gain weight, I never lost the ability to do them. Keeps a strong back!
The gate was old, sitting near the shed. You can easily build one from metal tubing if desired. I dug down about 2 feet on either side, and the gate was put into metal sleeves to help keep it secure. Each side is also reinforced with rocks around the sides.
Natural Stone Lift
Some of you might be aware of those "balls" that strongman athletes lift? The concrete stones that look perfectly round? These are called Atlas Stones, and require specialized molds, as well as A LOT of time to form (days - weeks per stone). Instead of doing that, I used natural stones.
The current stones: 19, 22, 42, 63, 82, 93, 112, 128, 137, 140, 159lbs
The platform is made using two 1/2 inch 24x24 boards glued and screwed together, with four 5 foot posts, and connectors. (everything came out to around $50 at the local hardware store, and took about 2 hours to build and install). The platform stands four feet tall as each post is dug into the ground a foot. It's surprisingly very stationary and has held over 250lbs of load on it.
Quick peek at the camera ~
Each rock was found at a local sand and gravel pit. If you only need a few of them, the pit will likely give them to you free, or very very cheap (I think normal price is like $90 per ton... and these stones are maxed at 159lbs.
One of the pros of having natural stones, as well as having the area outside, is that you don't have to worry getting them off the platform, or the stones themselves breaking. Simply go to the other side, and push them off.
I will go into each movement in detail in subsequent posts, but I just wanted to put up this as an introduction!
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask! I'll answer to the best of my ability ;)
I hope you enjoyed the little look into my fitness adventures!
