Strong men and women have been admired in many cultures for thousands of years, with the lifting and carrying of stones being particularly revered.

Immensely strong people have a long history in the circus and the legendary performances of Paul Anderson, Louis Cyr, Minerva and Katie Sandwina are still discussed and debated today.

The current sport of strongman evolved from the 1977 television show “World’s Strongest Man,” in which some of the biggest and strongest male athletes from weightlifting, powerlifting, bodybuilding, American football and track and field competed against each other to find out who was truly the strongest.

The most popular disciplines of this sport include truck pulling (in which athletes pull a truck as fast as possible over a distance of 20 to 30 meters) and Atlas Stones (in which athletes try to lift concrete blocks, often the size of exercise balls, from the ground and place them on raised platforms at about chest height).

Recently, Sandra Bradley became the first woman to lift the 154 kg Fullsterkur stone in Dritvik, Iceland.

Some people think of training for strongman or strongwoman as more of a spectacle than a sport. However, strongman and strongwoman are now a more diverse and inclusive sport that includes athletes with disabilities and women who want to build strength after having a child.

There are now competitions at all levels from beginner to elite, with a range of bodyweight classes for teenagers, masters, women and people with disabilities.

It is not only strong men, now

Strength training has traditionally been considered a male-dominated sport, but in recent years that has changed. As a competitor in strongwoman competitions, I, Zyoa, have witnessed this growth first hand.

While in 2015 it was rare to see more than three women in the strongman gym, today there are sometimes more women than men.

The benefits of strength training for women include improved strength and a lower risk of chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

In addition to the health benefits, strength training has also been shown to improve body satisfaction and body image in women.

A study of women ages 35 to 55 found that regular strength training improved body appreciation and acceptance because participants focused on strength and performance goals rather than body weight and size.

A more recent study found that female powerlifters had improved body image, reduced self-objectification, and increased mental well-being.

The results of this study can certainly be transferred to strongwoman training, since strongwoman athletes, just like the study participants, undergo similar training in which the focus is on maximizing strength.

What is the difference to “normal” strength training?

Strongman training typically involves some modified gymnastic exercises, such as deadlifts, squats and overhead presses.

What sets strongman apart from sports like weightlifting and powerlifting, however, is the use of bulky equipment that better replicates “real-world” strength.

These competitions include historical feats of strength such as stone lifting, but also “dynamic competitions” such as vehicle pulling, tire flips, farmer’s walks and yoke walks, in which the athlete who completes a course in the shortest time wins.

Not everyone trains to be elite in a sport – few people will ever come close to the ability to deadlift 500kg like the legendary Eddie Hall did in 2016. However, strongman training can be much more effective than traditional strength training when it comes to things like manual tasks at work or around the house.

For example, is it a challenge for you to carry groceries or a suitcase? If so, practicing the farmer’s walk (which can be easily done with dumbbells) will make this chore much easier.

Likewise, lifting and/or carrying rocks, barrels, or sandbags would make any task that requires you to pick up heavy objects from the ground and carry them a certain distance a “piece of cake.”

What are the benefits and risks?

Many athletes of different ages, genders, and abilities now perform some variation of the strongman lift in their training, and organizations such as the United States National Academy of Sports Medicine now advocate the evidence-based use of some of these exercises, such as lifting heavy sleds.

In Australia, young female rugby players perform tire flips and pushes, and one of Australia’s top athletes, Tia-Clair Toomey (six-time CrossFit world champion), regularly performs strongman exercises such as the yoke walk and sled drag.

Research is beginning to support why many strength and conditioning coaches incorporate strongman exercises into their athletes’ training programs.

A 2015 training study of 30 junior rugby players found that traditional resistance and strongman training resulted in similar improvements in muscle mass, strength, and sprinting and jumping performance after seven weeks of training.

A more recent 2023 study of young Australian rules football players found that heavy sled sprints significantly improved sprint performance as well as various lower body strength and power measures.

A caveat to these benefits is that it is important to learn proper technique from experienced trainers and to initially use weights that are comfortable with your abilities and slowly increase them over time.

How would a beginner start?

As always, it is important to consult a doctor for the all-clear before starting any new exercise program.

The next step is to find a strongman gym that has equipment like atlas stones, yokes, and farmer’s handles so you can get a feel for the equipment.

Many of these gyms offer introductory courses, which can be a good starting point for newbies.

If there is no gym nearby, there are many online trainers who specialize in strongman/woman training. There are also many Facebook groups that are a good place to start when looking for a trainer.

A trainer can also help you by creating a personalized training plan that will help you slowly build strength, teach you proper technique, and help you progress safely.