The Benefits of Strong Man Training

When I talk about strongman training I am basically referring to pushing, dragging, and carrying heavy things. We do this with sleds, prowlers, farmers walks, and sandbags. Strongman training can be used for many things and has many benefits including fat loss, muscle gain, rehab, and recovery.

Fat loss - Strongman training is great for fat loss because it creates an enormous amount of lactic acid in the muscles which leads to a higher output of growth hormone. Growth hormone is one of your most potent fat burners. Anyone who has done prowler pushes or sled drags will tell you how much it makes your legs burn. The high levels of lactic acid are great for fat loss.

Muscle Gain - Adding strongman training is a great way to increase hypertrophy because it allows you to add more volume to your routines without compromising your ability to lift heavy again the next day. Strongman training has almost no eccentric component and the eccentric component is usually what makes you sore. The eccentric component also takes longer to recover from. Since strongman training consists mostly of concentric contractions it allows you to perform a higher volume of work on a daily basis without inhibiting your ability to recover. Actually we use strongman training many times as a recovery method because it enhances blood flow.

Rehab - Often times many people do not have the ability to do squats or deadlifts because of injuries. In these cases the best way I have found to work the legs is with the sled and the prowler. These methods allow you to build up a signifigant amount of work and conditioning while improving the way that your muscles function. Also, since their is no eccentric component it can be done often and is less stressful on the body.

Recovery - Using the sled or prowler is a great way to enhance recovery because it enhances blood flow without stressing the body. The increased blood fow and core temperature allows you to recover faster from your workouts. Often times we will have clients perform 20-30 minutes of sled work later in the day after their weight lifting or on off days in order to enhance recovery.

Strongman training can be a great addition to your training or it can serve as the bulk of your training. It is not easy but the results are worth it.