The last article about this got a lot of chatter and a few comments.
I’ve had some emails and requests from people in the gym about what a program would look like for an off-season Powerlifter adding in some strongman. I’ve also had questions the opposite way.
A strongman adding in a powerlifting template is pretty easy.
I can cover that in another article.
A powerlifter adding in some strongman is a little different.
Why?
Well, powerlifters will be adding in strongman as assistance/accessory work, that’s easy.
Strongmen (and strongwomen) will only be adding in Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift, and they are not accessory work, but could be assistance. Again, another article.
I can go on with more things but the last two really sum it up. Increasing GPP through events will carry over to the 3 lifts. Building strength in different areas should not really need an explanation.
BUT:
when we build up areas that we don’t normally use we get stronger and more resistant to injury overall. You are only as strong as your weakest link and strongman will find your weakest link pretty quick.
For example, we use our hips a lot in powerlifting right?
You also use them a lot in strongman, only differently. Tossing a few hundred pounds on a Yoke or a pair of Farmers handles will work your hips in a totally different way then squats and deadlifts.
When we do different movements we strengthen different areas. We also reduce risk of injury in the future by getting the whole body stronger overall.
Strong breaks slower than weak.
Here are a few weeks of the current training block my girls are in now.
You’ll see we have stuck to a solid powerlifting foundation with events added in.
What do we expect from this?
Well, the addition of the Yoke and Farmers obviously build ankle/knee and hip strength as well as strength in the entire torso and upper back. The Farmers builds grip strength too. They both improve GPP and general badassery.
The Log work carries over to the bench. When you press more, you bench more.
Atlas stones squats are an awesome, miserable and effective front squat replacement from time to time.
We do a lot of front squats and the girls hate them, mainly because they are paused and front squats suck; but they are effective assistance for the squat and more so, the deadlift.
The stone front squats are fun in an S&M kind of way and they break up the monotony while improving strength in slightly different areas than a barbell front squat.
This is two weeks’ worth of ideas on how to add some strongman into your off-season training.
Use your noggin and make up your own.
Don’t just do some spaghetti programming.
Put some thought into it.
WTF is spaghetti programming?
You throw it against a wall and see how much sticks. Great way to see if your pasta is al-dente, but not so great for your training.
With some thought and some creativity, you can come up with tons of stuff to do.
Lastly, don’t do this before a meet. Instead, do it after a meet when you have a few months to get back in the swing of meet prep. I’d be willing to bet your total goes up.
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