It’s not the only one, but there’s a sport out there filled with athletes who pour decades of time, money, and effort into becoming great with little to no recognition. It’s a world, at least at the highest level, with world-class capacity and no credit for it. It’s a world of unsung heroes putting in big league work and performances often without sponsorships, fans, or a paycheck. It’s called strongman, and though this isn’t a pity party for the community of strongman competitors out there, it is a time for a break through.
What if I told you that the sport of strongman could still be heavy and epic and niche, but also scale to touch the rest of the general population?![Strongman for Fitness]()
I’m a 231-pound lightweight strongman competitor (and I’m using that term very liberally) that is a virtual rookie on the competition scene. I’m not a threat to win anything substantial in the sport, but I’ve found myself in a precarious place as someone that understands movement and has a passion for teaching strongman to people that don’t care about being a “strongman.” I’m blessed to teach strongman to countless people all over the world from the Strongman 101 and Strongman 202 programs at my gym, DEUCE Gym, in Venice Beach to seminars from Small Town, USA to France and back.
With one foot in what I’d call the strongman-specific world and one foot in the functional fitness world, I’ve think I’ve observed enough to say that it’s time that both sides shake hands. Most people in the functional fitness space, including CrossFitters, find strongman interesting but too fringe to concern their time with it. “If my best deadlift is 245lbs, why would I concern myself with 400 pound men that are pulling fire trucks for a workout? Conversely, strongman advocates could care less about people that think “kipping” is a thing let alone let these people dip their toes into their world with their implements, their movements, and their contests.
Not only do I think it’s possible to influence massive positive change in people with strongman movements and implements, I think it’s possible for strongmen to still pursue their sport vigorously and believe in an inclusive expression of stones and tires and yokes at the same time. I also think this is possible without selling out or being soft.
Furthermore, I firmly believe that every single goddamn man, woman, and child should flip, push, pull, drag, and load their way to a more capable version of themselves. Most importantly, I believe they can do this without caring about the results of the World’s Strongest Man.
It’s time for the general population to simplify and look at the potent training stimulus of strongman movements and implements as not just a viable option but potentially the first, best place to look. I’d argue that these practices make load and intensity available to people of all fitness levels fastest. Surely it does so faster than gymnastics, weightlifting, and, in my opinion, powerlifting.
Carries, object loading, flipping, and dragging movements allow even the most novice athletes to load and intensity in minutes whereas most populations aren’t savvy enough to get such a stimulus from complex barbell lifts for weeks, months, or even years. In addition, the movements most common in fitness that don’t demand as much skill also don’t allow them to move heavy enough loads. No one’s gotten strong on machines with a seatbelt and a towel over their shoulder.
It’s not just the people outside of the strongman community that can benefit from this handshake, either. It’s a two way street. It’s time for the strongman community to settle into the strength and prowess they’ve earned without building walls of separation between them as the “weaklings” of other training modalities. Much of our community, in my opinion, can look across the way towards the functional fitness space to build a bigger base of capacity, movement quality, and longevity. It’s a big world out there, guys.
Let’s meet in the middle and get cozy. Usually these things take compromise, and in this case there isn’t really one. Both sides just get fitter.
To follow Logan check out how Strongman can power your fitness, head over to Strongman 202 and see what it’s all about.
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