How To Get Started In Strongman

YOU’LL KNOW YOURSELF PRETTY QUICKLY WHETHER THE IDEA OF STRONGMAN IS FOR YOU. IT’S JUST A FEELING YOU’LL HAVE.

- Glenn Ross

When you start to question whether you want that narrow focus on your current speciality, be that powerlifting or bodybuilding, or whether you feel that deep down, the raw need to compete and show that you are the strongest out there, an all around super-strength athlete.

In reality that’s what being a Strongman is – the ability to consistently show that you can lift more, push more, hold more or throw more than others and not just in the gym but out there in the real world with equipment with roots in everyday objects. It does what it says on the tin, it’s about being consistently the best over a wide range of tests of strength.

Strongman activities go as far back as the recorded history of athletics. The Greeks, the Romans, the Celts and the Vikings all celebrated feats of strength and even immortalised them in myth and legend, so when you take your first steps into Strongman, remember that the modern day disciplines of weightlifting, gym work and bodybuilding have sprung from Strongman, not the other way around. You will be taking your first steps into a sport with a deep and rich past.

The good news is that unlike when I started Strongman and had to have my own kit specially made for me, the benefits of strength training have been embraced across a number of mainstream sports like rugby and CrossFit, which means access to equipment and knowledge is far greater than it used to be. There really won’t be a gym or sports centre in the nation that won’t be able to accommodate your burgeoning desire to be a Strongman.

So, what do you need to do when you take your first tentative steps in Strongman?