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Yesterday was a tough but fun day. With all the sun here in Calgary my wife and I went for a nice walk along the Elbow river.

Later that day I met up with the Bells of Steel strongman team for a tough strongman event practice day. Boy was I in for a shock! We only did three events, the super yoke walk, the log clean and press, and some sled dragging as a finisher, but I am so sore in my upper back it is unreal! The super yoke was very humbling for me and really made it obvious just how much work I have to do on that movement. Even if you never plan on competing in strongman, there are a lot of benefits to training this way.

Benefits of Strongman training:

• gets you training outside
• training is done with a crew, so it is social and fun (something that is often missing)
• odd implements work your muscles in a new way, forcing adaptation
• carrying heavy loads for time builds strength and what I call strength-endurance, making you fitter but also elevating your metabolism
• your grip will get more work that from barbells and dumbbells
• your abs will get more work as well due to uneven loading and carrying
• everything starts on the ground, just like in real life, so it makes you functionally strong

These are all the benefits I could think of off the top of my head but feel free to add more in the comments section. Here is the actually workout we did on Sunday afternoon:

• super yoke walk
• started with about 250lbs and worked up to about 450lbs for 2 x 30 meter walks
• log clean and press (not sure how heavy this log was)
• 90 seconds to bang out as many full reps as possible
• another quick set later for practice
• sled dragging
• dragged 50 meters then pulled it backwards 50 meters

It doesn't look much on paper but I was a mess after this training session. The super yoke is what did me in. It was really easy for me to squat but very difficult to gain my balance and walk with the weight swinging around. I guess I just need more practice to build my co-ordination.




Looking for a personal trainer in Calgary? I can help you lose weight, get in shape, or build muscle. Whether you are an athlete or just getting started, I can help. Email me at nathan@kettlebellplanet.com to learn more.