Hey what stats in the gym lifts do you recommend getting in order to have a good base for a beginning strongman?
for example, overhead press/jerk, deadlift, bench press, squat, bent over row or any lift that is important?
If you mean in order to start practicing with the implements and equipment only a base level of strength is needed. Honestly most implements are close to a 100ish pounds when empty so if you can pick up and press 100lbs you could most likely practice on the implements.
If your talking about numbers in order to compete. I would say and these are bare minimums to not get stapled to the ground.
500 deadlift raw. This is usually around a weight used for reps.
400 Squat
250 Push Press or Jerk. This is usually around the weight used for reps.
Bench Press: this is kinda a what ever lift I have seen guys with 400 benches not press a 250 log before but a guy like me who barely bench 270 does reps with 250.
Also these numbers are if your a light weight if your heavy weight you need to add a minimum of 100lbs to each of those numbers to be even competitive… not to win just to get the weigths off the ground.
You can see upcoming competitions here:
A lot of the entry forms list weights. Take a look and you can get an idea of what is out there. Many of the competitions also have a novice class where the weights are lighter.
Most novice shows don’t actually require any number to any extent really. You can deadlift sub 400lbs and give a competition a run for it’s money. As the shows get more intermediate (within the confines of amateur) the numbers are gonna want to be around the ballpark Reed stated.
While having acute static strength is quite important, don’t let it define your training. The numbers in the gym varying from competitor to competitor can and are vastly different but in many situations do not define the athletes proficiency within events. Zack McCarley is one of the best LW strongman I know of, and he has a log here on this site. His gym numbers are very impressive, but compared to the fellow top dogs of the LW sector, they’re nothing more than average/subpar. Just goes to show that you should not fret over how strong you are in the gym as much as you should with your strongman performance. Focus on a strong base and spend more time on technique and functionality for what REALLY counts.
Thanks for the responses, i wanted to know what i should work towards. I watch strongman(world strongest man competition) and i am impressed by the lifts that they perform and the intensity, if there is something i want to compete in it is defiantly this.
I live in a small town in Norway and the only gym i have available doesn’t offer strongman equipment, it used to( atlas stones and yoke) but had to get ride of it since it blocked the fire exit in the building. but who knows maybe in the future i get access to it, so still i’d like to work toward it by building up a good strength base in the gym first.
I would go for 300 Pounds Bench Press 5x6 Barbell Squat 400 Pound for 5x6 and a deadlift of 500 Pounds for 5x6 and doing event training every week that’s my 2 cents worth i’m training for my first novice event down here in Australia too brother good luck
well, most logs unloaded are about 85# or more , yokes unloaded are 160# or more, axles are 30# or more, circus dumbbells are 80# or more, farmers handles can be 10# each unloaded depending on what you have.
basically, i’d make sure you have a really strong back before doing serious strongman weights. but, as i’ve illustrated, you can start really light on some strongman stuff.
Your best bet is to go to a gym that actually has the equipment and begin practicing it. Loading stones, carrying yokes, farmers walks, kegs and pressing axles and logs are something you only get good at by doing them.