Best Strongman Training Equipment Reviews 2024

A yoke is a beam that you wear over your shoulders (just like an ox does). The yoke has two posts that come off its ends to support the weight. The yoke is very taxing in terms of balancing the device on your shoulders. And then there’s the weight. For a minor event, you can expect something in the order of 500 pounds of resistance. Your job is to walk with the yoke over the required distance. If that sounds easy, believe me, it’s not!

The log clean and press is pretty self-explanatory. You have a log with built-in handles that you need to press to your shoulder and then power overhead. Pressing with a log is a whole lot different than doing so with a barbell. For one thing, the log is a lot fatter, which makes your balance and control a real challenge. Because you are pushing the center of gravity away from you, you don’t get nearly as much leg drive involvement in the lift, which makes the weight that much heavier.

The axle clean and press is an even nastier version of the classic powerlifting move than the log version. Unlike a barbell, the axle doesn’t spin, which makes it a whole lot harder to position yourself as you are bringing it up into a pressing position. The axle is ridiculously thick, which makes just getting a firm grip a major challenge. Picture the iconic scene of Arnold pushing the Wheel of Pain in the classic Conan the Barbarian movie and you’ll get the idea of this one. You are pushing a ridiculously heavy load that is fixed to some sort of wheel contraption around in circles until your body gives out - good luck!

The tire flip one simply involves flipping a tire over and over as quickly as you possibly can. But we’re not talking any ordinary tire here. You’ll be dealing with something in the order of 600 pounds.

The Truck Pull is something that you may remember from the World’s Strongest Man shows from the ’70s and ’80s. This iconic feat of strength involves strapping yourself into a harness that is attached to a truck. You will probably also have a thick rope in front of you that you use to walk yourself forward. For smaller competitions, you will be asked to pull something like a fire truck. As the contest gets bigger, so does the size of the truck.

Sled Training is a Strongman exercise that also has applications for general fitness training. Sled pulls and sled pushes are popular exercises to improve athletic ability and can be found in CrossFit training as well as on the track. The key difference with Strongman training is, of course, the amount of weight used. Here you are required to drag a heavy sled from one spot to another. The sled may come in any form that the competition organizers can conjure up. It may be a huge anchor with chains attached, or a traditional sled loaded up with weight plates. This event will be especially challenging on your calves, thighs, and back. Sled training has its origins with Scandinavian loggers who developed tremendous strength in their legs and back by harnessing logs to their bodies and pulling them out of the forest. The first commercial sleds appeared on the market in the mid-2000s. Nowadays you will find them being used the world over for everything from fat loss to endurance training. Because of the abundance of training outcomes from sled training, there are a number of different sled designs. However, they all feature the same basic concept: they are a platform to which you add weight that can be dragged, pushed or pulled. They will also have a point at which a harness or towing strap can be added.

The Car Deadlift is an iconic strongman event. You will probably be lifting about 600 pounds and the bar will be set a little higher than if you were deadlifting in the gym. You may find yourself grabbing a straight bar or two parallel handles that require you to take a neutral grip hold. With this event, you are required to perform as many reps as you can in the designated time frame.

In the Farmer’s Walk event, you are positioned between two bars, each one holding a sizeable weight (around 225 pounds for a local event). Your job is to pick them up and get around a prescribed course as fast as you possibly can. It may require you to travel down a straight line or, more trickily, you may have to turn around and come back again.

You will really need to prepare properly for the Strongman events, there's no doubt about that. You really cannot use any of the machines found in conventional gyms, except maybe the ones meant for curls, squatting, and deadlifting. These three exercises will work on the aspects of your fitness that you will need to better in order to compete in the event, but they definitely won't specifically improve the points you need to work on, which is why you should get the products we listed here.

Let's first consider the log. The log is a specific training device that cannot be replicated by lifting traditional weights. The only way to prepare for lifting a log is to lift a log. This is why you must get the specialized steel logs where you can add weights, and you will definitely start to see some improvements in no time. Be prepared though, because it's possible that you won't be able to handle it at first. The axle is also something you really need to have, and these bars are specialized tools as well. You need to train with the wider bar thickness and balance of an axle to be able to handle the challenges of this move. The yoke challenges your balance, speed, and strength, and you really do need one to experience what the real deal will feel like. You need to get your body used to the unique demands of moving under the heavyweight that the yoke imposes upon it. Most of these events will not load you up with even weights, and you will need to learn to deal with balancing uneven weights, which is where sandbags come in handy. Sandbags are great to get your body prepared to carry an uneven load. And of course, fat grips. Fat grips can be placed over a regular barbell or dumbbell to replicate the thickness that you’ll find on the various lifts that you will confront in a Strongman competition, and they will also help you develop your grip strength. The major benefit of sled training is that there is no eccentric loading. That means that you don’t have a negative, or lowering, aspect to the exercise. This conserves a lot of your energy, allowing you to put more power into your push (or pull). Sled training is also a fantastic way to improve your acceleration, build your lower body strength and improve your endurance.

Let's face the facts here - although some of the items we listed here are not so pricey, others go for quite a high price, and they are specialized tools, so it only makes sense to expect that they last a long time. How long your products last will depend on how often you use them, how heavy you are, what they are made out of and how they were made.

The log is usually made out of steel. That steel is coated with various different finishes that keep it from rusting and prevent wear and tear damage. You also have to consider the weight capacity of the log. The better it was constructed, the longer it will last, of course, and the more weight it will be able to handle. The weight capacity is usually somewhere around 300 pounds, which is just enough to give you a real feel of the competition. Make sure to never overload the log and it will not bend or break. The axle is quite similar to the log, and the Olympic barbell as well. It's often made out of steel, and it's coated with various powders that suck up moisture and remove it from the surprisingly delicate steel. Again, mind the weight capacity and do not overload the bar. The yoke has tubular steel construction and powerful welds that keep it together. A yoke is a multi-functional tool, and it has to be hardy in order to survive all of that. Follow the weight limit and keep it safe from moisture, and we promise that it will last a while! Sandbags are super hardy and usually have a leather shell. This shell keeps the innards locked down inside, and lets you have a taste of carrying imbalanced weight. Do not drop or throw the bags around, and they will not burst open and lose their functionality. Fat grips are usually foam, soft and compressive, and they do not have a tendency to fall apart. They might lose their ability to bounce back though and lose their shape over time, so be prepared to change them often!

As we said, some of the items we listed here can chip your budget significantly. But if you want to partake in Strongman activities, you must be willing to prepare like a champ, and you cannot do that if you do not have the tools, no matter how much they cost.

Let's first list the cheaper items, no matter how essential or not they are. Fat grips, wraps, and lifting chalk are really not that pricey, but you will probably go through them fast, and you will have to replace them now and then, so their price may add up. Sandbags, the axle bar, and some lifting belts fall into the mid-range of prices, although lifting belts can be quite pricey sometimes, especially if they are made out of real leather. Anything made out of heavy-duty steel will be mid-range or quite pricey, so do not think that you will be able to go cheap here! You can, but you risk your safety then, and that is simply not worth it.

The Strongman events will take a toll on your body, and you must be prepared to face injuries, at least minor ones. There is simply no way you can go without one! First, you must make sure that you are actually strong enough to face the challenge. If you feel like you get tired after just going around the block, or if you can't lift that much, you must be prepared to train hard and long to even consider going up against other people there! Then again, be prepared for injuries. You will probably roll your ankles, drop things on your legs and feet, pull and strain your muscles, or maybe even tear them, bust your joints, injure tendons, get a bad sunburn and much more. But don't let that scare you, because if you're prepared properly you can avoid most of these.

Now let's what kind of injuries can potentially happen to see if you're truly ready for this. Minor injuries include blisters, corns, or grated skin. These injuries are easy to deal with, although they can be quite uncomfortable, and they can get infected too and cause a whole myriad of problems. Deal with them as soon as you can to avoid infection risks! A little more serious injuries are strained muscles, chipped teeth, or maybe even broken fingers. These sound like a pain to manage, and they are, since you will likely have to take a break from working out once it happens, and it can also be costly! Muscle tears are more serious than that, and they can truly put you out of the game. Sprains and dislocations can do the same thing, and you could end up in therapy for weeks or even months! Do not continue competing after this happens, unless you're about to break some records. Major injuries include torn ligaments and tendons and serious bone fractures. The solution here is to withdraw from the competition completely, no matter how well you were doing. If you seriously want to continue competing, you can, but you must consult the existing doctors there to see whether it's a good idea or not!