Strong Men Details

In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength (before strength sports
were codified into weightlifting, powerlifting etc., becoming actual athletic competitions) or circus
performers of similar ilk who displayed feats of strength.

Contents
1 Description
2 Training
3 Events
4 Incorrect usage
5 Some famous strongmen
5.1 Traditional
5.2 Modern strongman athletes
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

Description
Strongmen would perform various feats of strength such as the bent press (not to be confused with
the bench press, which did not exist at the time), supporting large amounts of weight held overhead
at arm's length, steel bending, chain breaking, etc. Large amounts of wrist, hand, and tendon
strength were required for these feats, as well as prodigious oblique strength.
In the late 20th century the term strongman changed to describe one who competes in strength
athletics a more modern eclectic strength competition in which competitors lift rocks, tote
refrigerators, pull trains, walk while towing an eighteen wheel truck behind them, etc. The most
famous competition of this type is World's Strongest Man and the "World's Strongest Man Super
Series", however many countries hold national-level competitions.
In recent years, interest in the sport at the grassroots level has skyrocketed, leading to the
spontaneous formation of local clubs, loosely affiliated with provincial/state and national
associations.
Many sports-specific training facilities have begun to incorporate movements associated with
strongman competitions into their general training schemes, albeit with lighter weights used; e.g.
tire flips, sled drags, object loading or carrying, log pressing, farmer's walks and so on.

Training
Training for strongman involves building overall strength in the gym, and training with competition
implements to gain familiarity. In the gym it is necessary to train the entire body for strength,
especially with variants of the squat, deadlift, and overhead press. Also important is explosive

power, developed by weightlifting-style lifts, and cardiovascular conditioning. Grip strength must
also be developed. Like any sport, it is necessary to train using the equipment one encounters in the
sport. In the case of strongman, these include logs, tires, yokes, farmer's walk implements, etc.;
building strength in the gym alone is insufficient.

Events
Though competitive strongman events are ever changing, there are a number of staples that
frequently appear on the international stage,[1] including:

Atlas Stones
Axle Press
Car Flip
Deadlift
Dumbbell Press
Fingal's Fingers
Frame Carry
Keg Toss
Conan's Circle
Deadlift hold
Hercules hold
Vehicle pull
Log Clean and Press
Squat
Tire Flip
Yoke Carry
Farmers Walk
Husafell Stone
Sand Bag Carry
Power stairs

Incorrect usage
Strongman is often incorrectly used to describe a person who does weightlifting or bodybuilding.
This is not exactly true, as neither existed at the time. Due to the circus and entertainment
background, nineteenth century bodybuilders were expected to mingle with the crowd during
intermission and perform strength feats like card tearing, nail bending, etc. to demonstrate strength
as well as symmetry and size. Also, many strongmen sold photos of themselves nude or near-nude,
flexing and posing. (although what they considered the epitome of male beauty was different from
modern ideals particularly the very low emphasis on chest size, and great emphasis on oblique
size, and symmetry.)[citation needed]