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July 23, 2024

Strongman Training: Embrace the Power of Unconventional Lifting with a Nashville Personal Trainer

Benefits of Strongman Training

Strongman is a strength sport that challenges competitors with extraordinary feats of power and endurance. Unlike traditional Olympic weightlifting or powerlifting, strongman competitions involve a variety of unconventional lifts using diverse equipment, often in outdoor settings. Athletes pull trucks, carry sandbags, deadlift odd objects, and press giant logs overhead, requiring comprehensive physical fitness and strength.

The Essence of Strongman Training

Strongman training is unique and highly beneficial, offering numerous advantages for athletes and fitness enthusiasts. As a Nashville personal trainer, I’ve seen firsthand how these varied and functional workouts simulate real-world movements, building raw, brute strength. Whether you're pulling trucks or carrying heavy weights, strongman exercises can enhance your fitness, confidence, and overall strength.

Who Can Benefit from Strongman Training?

Answer: Everyone!

The beauty of strongman training lies in its versatility. It’s not just for elite athletes; people of all ages and fitness levels can benefit. For example, elderly clients can use exercises like farmers’ carries to develop grip strength and improve their ability to carry items independently. High-level athletes can gain an edge over their competitors by incorporating strongman practices into their routines. The key is to tailor the load and exercises to fit individual needs and capabilities.

The Massive Benefits of Strongman Training

1. Developing Functional Strength

Functional strength is the ability to move heavy or awkward objects as you might in everyday life. Strongman exercises, such as carrying, pulling, pushing, and throwing, mimic these movements, building practical strength. Additionally, incorporating conditioning into your strength routine ensures you’re not only strong but also fit, making you more capable in real-world situations.

2. Improving Trunk and Grip Strength

Strongman events heavily engage the stabilizing muscles of the trunk, enhancing core stability. Exercises like farmers’ carries require strong grip strength, which can be developed using various grip types with different objects. This variety helps build phenomenal grip strength and overall stability.

3. Increasing Muscle Mass and Bone Density

Strongman exercises often involve high repetitions and prolonged tension, which are excellent for building muscle mass. Activities like sled pulls and carries keep muscles under tension for extended periods, promoting hypertrophy. Additionally, resistance training positively impacts bone density, making it particularly beneficial for older adults at risk of osteoporosis.

4. Overcoming Training Plateaus

Training plateaus are common when the body adapts to repetitive exercises. Strongman lifts introduce new stimuli, challenging your muscles in unfamiliar ways and sparking new levels of adaptation. This variety can help you break through plateaus and continue progressing.

5. Boosting Cardiovascular Fitness

Strongman training can significantly improve cardiovascular fitness. High-intensity exercises like sled pulls elevate the heart rate and challenge the cardiovascular system. For instance, dragging a sled over a distance demands continuous effort from the heart and lungs, boosting overall endurance.

6. Making Fitness Fun

One of the most underappreciated aspects of strongman training is the element of fun. Incorporating unconventional movements like throwing sandbags or dragging sleds keeps workouts interesting and enjoyable. This variety helps maintain motivation and consistency, leading to long-term success in fitness goals.

Top 3 Strongman Exercises for Everyday Athletes

Here are three strongman exercises commonly used with clients, designed to build strength, fitness, and mental toughness.

1. Farmers Carry

How to Do It:

- Set up weights outside your feet.

- Perform a hybrid squat-hinge to grip the handles.

- Brace your trunk, set your back tight, and stand up with the weights.

- Walk forward with a neutral spine, even shoulders, and a steady gaze.

Programming:

- Strength: Heavy carries up to 20 meters, 3-5 sets.

- Fitness: 25-50% of best carry for 50-200 meters, repeated 10 times with 30-second rests.

- Mental Grit: 25-30% of best carry for maximum distance, fewest drops possible.

2. Sled Drags

How to Do It:

- Load the sled with the desired weight.

- Grasp handles or use a belt for reverse drags.

- Brace your core and lean into the walk.

- Keep shoulders set and drive your feet into the ground.

Programming:

- Strength: Heavy drags over 20 meters, 4-6 sets with 2-5 minutes rest.

- Fitness: 50% load, 30 meters every minute for 15 minutes.

- Mental Grit: Drag the sled for one mile with a 30-60% load.

3. Atlas Stone or Sandbag Lifts

How to Do It:

- Crouch down and balance the stone with hands around the center.

- Squeeze the stone and deadlift it past your knees.

- Adjust grip to over the top and drive hips forward to lift onto a platform or shoulder.

Programming:

- Strength: 3 sets of 3 reps to a platform 2/3 your height, 75-90% weight.

- Fitness: Lighter bag/stone, AMRAP in 60 seconds, repeated 5 times.

- Mental Grit: Carry the stone for 250-500 meters with minimal drops.

Incorporating Strongman into Your Routine

Farmer's carries and sled drags can be easily added to any fitness regimen, regardless of current fitness levels. Atlas stone lifts require good mobility and access to equipment but are excellent for advanced trainees.

Starting with simple strongman movements can reinvigorate your training and help you achieve new fitness milestones. As a Nashville personal trainer, I recommend these exercises for their incredible benefits in building functional strength, breaking through plateaus, increasing muscle mass, improving cardiovascular fitness, and, most importantly, making fitness fun.

By integrating these strongman exercises into your workouts, you'll build functional strength, break through plateaus, increase muscle mass, improve cardiovascular fitness, and, most importantly, have fun while doing it.

For personalized guidance and to explore more fitness strategies, consider working with a Nashville personal trainer. Whether you’re looking for personal training in Nashville or need advice on your fitness journey, expert support can make all the difference in achieving your goals.

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Machines vs. Free Weights: A Comprehensive Look at Strength Training

February 10, 2025

The debate over the superiority of machines versus free weights in strength training has persisted for decades. If you’re searching for a personal trainer in Nashville to help you navigate your fitness journey, understanding the roles of both training methods is essential. Rather than viewing them as competing approaches, it's crucial to recognize how they complement each other in an effective workout program. Machines: A Controlled Environment Machines offer a structured and guided approach to resistance training, making them a staple in almost every gym. Their defining characteristic is the fixed path of motion, which stabilizes the weight and controls movement. This design simplifies strength training, making it accessible to a broad audience, including beginners and those recovering from injuries. For individuals new to personal training in Nashville TN, machines can provide a safe introduction to resistance training. They help users focus on primary muscle engagement without worrying about balance and stabilization. For example, performing a chest press on a machine allows users to isolate the pectorals and triceps without the additional challenge of stabilizing a free weight. However, the structured nature of machines can also be a limitation. Since they guide the user along a predetermined path, they may not accommodate natural joint movement, potentially leading to discomfort or reinforcing imbalances over time. Additionally, machines often bypass stabilizing muscles, which are crucial for functional strength and overall balance. Machines shine in rehabilitation settings, allowing targeted muscle engagement without overloading injured areas. They are also highly beneficial for bodybuilders focusing on muscle isolation. By eliminating the need for stabilization, machines enable lifters to apply greater intensity to specific muscle groups without compromising form. Free Weights: Freedom and Functionality Free weights—including barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells—offer unrestricted movement in multiple planes, making them highly effective for building functional strength. This versatility makes them an excellent choice for athletes and individuals seeking fitness training in Nashville that translates to real-world activities. Unlike machines, free weights demand more from the user, engaging a broader range of muscles with every exercise. For example, a barbell squat not only strengthens the quadriceps and glutes but also recruits the core, back, and smaller stabilizing muscles to maintain proper posture and control. Free weights allow for greater flexibility in workout design, with countless variations of exercises that can be tailored to specific goals. However, this freedom comes with a steeper learning curve. Without proper guidance, improper technique can lead to injury. This is where working with personal trainers in Nashville TN can be invaluable. Free weights are particularly effective for compound lifts such as squats, deadlifts, and presses, which work multiple muscle groups simultaneously. However, they can be intimidating for beginners who struggle with form or balance. This is where combining machines and free weights strategically can be beneficial. The False Dichotomy The debate between machines and free weights often presents them as opposing choices, but the truth is they serve different purposes and can coexist within a well-rounded training program. The best approach isn’t about choosing one over the other, but about utilizing both based on individual goals, experience level, and training context. For beginners, machines build confidence and establish foundational strength. As they progress, incorporating free weights enhances balance, coordination, and functional strength. For advanced lifters, machines provide a means to isolate specific muscles after heavy compound lifts. For example, a well-structured leg workout might include barbell squats to develop overall strength and coordination, followed by machine-based leg presses to target the quadriceps with greater intensity once stabilizing muscles are fatigued. Beyond the Gym The discussion also extends beyond gym settings. Many proponents of functional fitness argue that free weights better prepare the body for everyday movements like lifting, carrying, and climbing stairs. These activities require the integration of multiple muscle groups, similar to free-weight exercises. But one thing I am steadfast in saying is that “a strong body is a functional body.” So, any form of training that has a progressive strength element to it should be viewed as “functional,” whether it be machine or free weights. Yet, not everyone trains with functional fitness as their primary goal. For bodybuilders focusing on muscle hypertrophy, machines provide an efficient way to target specific muscles without exhausting stabilizers. This makes them particularly useful for individuals working with personal trainers in Nashville who specialize in body recomposition and aesthetics. Conclusion The choice between machines and free weights isn’t about right or wrong—it’s about how each fits into a well-designed training program. Machines provide safety and simplicity, making them ideal for beginners and focused isolation work. Free weights offer versatility and what is viewed as a more functional strength development, challenging the body in ways that extend beyond the gym. Instead of viewing them as competing options, think of machines and free weights as complementary tools. A personal trainer in Nashville TN can help you develop a program that strategically integrates both, ensuring optimal results based on your fitness level, goals, and needs. By leveraging the strengths of each method, you’ll maximize muscle growth, minimize limitations, and create a sustainable training regimen for long-term success. If you’re looking for expert guidance on incorporating machines and free weights into your workout routine, consider working with personal training in Nashville TN. Contact me today to take the next step in your fitness journey !