Strongman Training for Beginners: The Events, the Gear, and How to Start at Home

Photo: Dan Fahey, Gritty Soldier

Strongman is strength with the guardrails taken off. Instead of a barbell that loads the same way every time, you lift stones, logs, kegs, and sandbags, carry heavy things for distance, and race the clock. It rewards the kind of strength that shows up outside the gym: picking up awkward objects, holding onto them, and moving them where they need to go.

You do not need a garage full of atlas stones to start. Most of the qualities strongman tests can be built with a barbell, a sandbag, and a willingness to carry heavy things until your grip gives out.

The Most Common Strongman Events

Every competition picks its own events, but most draw from the same families.

• Atlas stones: Round concrete stones lifted from the floor onto a platform or over a bar. The signature strongman event.
• Log press: A thick log with neutral handles cleaned to the chest and pressed overhead.
• Yoke carry: A loaded frame carried on the upper back for distance.
• Farmers walk: Heavy handles in each hand, carried for distance or time.
• Sandbag events: Sandbag carries, sandbag loads onto a platform, and sandbag throws over a bar.
• Deadlift variations: Axle deadlifts, car deadlifts, and max-rep deadlifts.
• Tire flip and truck pull: Classic events at bigger shows and in many gyms.

What You Can Train at Home With a Sandbag

A heavy sandbag is the most useful strongman tool you can own if you do not have access to a strongman gym. It covers three event families directly and builds the core and grip for the rest.

Sandbag to Shoulder

Lap the bag, stand up explosively, and pop it onto one shoulder. This is the closest home substitute for stone work, because it teaches the same hinge, lap, and extend pattern. Alternate shoulders every rep.

Sandbag Load Over a Bar

Set a bar in a rack or find a sturdy ledge at chest to shoulder height. Lap the sandbag and drive it over or onto the platform. This is the stone-load pattern, almost exactly.

Bear Hug Carry

Crush the sandbag to your chest and walk. Bear hug carries build the upper back, core, and breathing under load that keg carries, stone carries, and yokes demand.

Zercher Holds and Squats

Hold the bag or a barbell in the crook of your elbows and squat or carry. Our Zercher squat guide explains why this awkward position builds so much carryover.

The Gear That Actually Matters

• A lifting belt. Strongman involves heavy deadlifts, carries, and overhead work. A belt gives your core something to brace against. Our guide on choosing a lifting belt covers the options.
• Lifting straps. Many strongman deadlift events allow straps. Check the rules for your competition, and use straps in training on heavy pulls so your grip is not the only thing that gets trained. Here is how to use straps for deadlifts.
• Wrist wraps. Useful for log and axle pressing, where your wrists take a beating.
• Long sleeves or forearm sleeves. Stones and sandbags tear up bare forearms.
• Flat shoes. Stable, flat-soled shoes for lifting. Carries are fine in the same shoes.

A Simple 3-Day Beginner Strongman Plan

Train three days per week on non-consecutive days. Use weights you can move with good form, and add a little each week.

Day 1: Deadlift and Carry

• Deadlift or trap bar deadlift: work up to a heavy set of 5, then 2 x 5 a little lighter
• Farmers walk: 4 x 30 to 40 meters, heavy
• Sandbag bear hug carry: 3 x 40 meters
• Dead hang: 3 x max

Day 2: Overhead and Upper Back

• Log, axle, or barbell clean and press: 5 x 3 to 5
• Push press: 3 x 5
• Bent-over rows: 4 x 8 to 10
• Sandbag over bar: 5 x 3

Day 3: Squat and Stone Pattern

• Front squat or Zercher squat: 4 x 5
• Sandbag to shoulder: 6 x 2 per side
• Yoke or heavy sandbag carry: 4 x 20 to 30 meters
• Event medley finisher: sandbag to shoulder, 20 meter carry, load over bar, repeated 3 times for time

Every fourth week, drop your weights by about 20 percent and focus on technique. When you can move your sandbag easily for every movement, go heavier.

Your First Strongman Competition

Many local shows offer novice divisions and weight classes, so you are not stepping onto the same platform as the pros. Find a show, read the event list as soon as it is posted, and spend the six to eight weeks before it training those specific events. If the show has an event you cannot access, like stones, train the closest pattern you can with a sandbag and try to get time on the real implement at a strongman gym before the competition.

Strongman FAQ

Can I train strongman without strongman equipment?

Yes. A barbell and a heavy sandbag cover deadlifts, presses, carries, and the stone-loading pattern. Get time on specialty implements before a competition if you can.

Is a sandbag a good substitute for atlas stones?

It is the best home substitute. Sandbag to shoulder and sandbag loads over a bar use the same lap and extend pattern as stone loading.

Are lifting straps allowed in strongman?

Many strongman deadlift events allow straps, but rules vary by competition. Always check the event rules.

How often should a beginner train strongman?

Three days per week is plenty for most beginners, with at least one rest day between sessions.