True Strength and Power Training?

[Swole_2112]

The other day I was in the gym and I ran into a friend of mine. After speaking to him for a few minutes about power lifting, he proceeded to tell me about some kind of natural power training. He was talking about doing movements such as swinging sledgehammers and similar things. He further added that exercises such as that could be done at certain speeds and at certain angles for the purpose of developing stength, power, and mass in every muscle of the body. Does anybody here know about training like this? If so, how would one get started?

 

[riverrock]

Really, what your friend may be talking indirectly about is here is Strongman events. I know the events, but very little about strongman training itself (PowerLifting is my game) I would recommend that you do some research on how the strongmen plan out their training.

I did a few of the events (not in competition, but guest training with a competitor) that strongmen do and they are amazing exercises. I did the "Farmers Walk" and I pulled a Truck once as well. Never realised that strongman also needs a decent cardio ability. I wanted to collapse after the Farmers Walk!!!

So, have a look at their training and see what you can take from it.

 

[DaPit26]

swinging sledgehamers and shit, huh? You'll end up looking like a viking. Choppin wood works your shoulders and back good. like riverrock said, sounds like strongman style stuff. That's awesome shit

 

[araiber]

Sounds like core training. Its an integrated exercise of strength, breathing and agility. Its basically the fundamentals of every-day true strength tests- not just weights on a perfectly balanced, non-rotating bar.

I love the feeling of actually being sore- as well as being out of breathe, and having your whole body ache after lifting some weights in a very unfamiliar angle, or way. It is amazing. Core strengthening is the single-most advantageous training that you can do to improve your lifts in my opinion.

 

[Kane Fan]

look into GPP
General Physical Preparedness
that should help you a lot
sled drags
sledgehammering an old tire
carrying rocks (tho I prefer sandbags cus you can adjust the weight as you like easily)
wheelbarrel walks etc
I don't check the pl forum very often but if you have any other questions you can pm me and I'll help as best I can

 

[donsj]

My brother and I were talking about "farmer strong" like them boys get from shoveling, throwing bales of hay around, etc. etc. gotta be great for like somebody said "core strength."

 

[ghettostudmuffin]

I feel I can contribute to this.

I work in excavation and landscaping and do ALOT of shoveling and picking up rocks and concrete blocks and you do indeed get strong from it alone. It's great for the obliques, lowerback and hamstrings. Forearms and biceps get worked quite abit too.

I consider my job GPP.

The best things I have found to help overall strength is seriously training your core muscles hard, working the hell out of your hamstrings, and getting really strong in squats and deads/cleans.

 

[|3ossman]

I know a lumberjack from my gym, he is hardcore, so hard infact that he has a husqvarna chainsaw tattoed on his arm lol. The guy is as fuckin rugged as they come, he's like 225 6'3", no legs, but all upper body from the beating he takes every day at work. Youd think the guy has juiced for 10 years. He has got to have 20"+ ripped arms, delts like bowling balls. He was at a PL meet I did and he blew his shoulder out pressing 385 raw BB style, no form whatsoever lol.

 

[|3ossman]

no but he Doesnt really lift at all, it was just raw strength. Its not really that impressive, but if you looked at the guy youd think he could rep 405, he's just built from swinging an axe and using a saw all day.

by no form i meant most people do PL style bench with an arch, elbows tucked, bla bla, he just layed on the bench flat on his back, and muscled it up.