Top 5 M.E. Movements for Strongman

Top 5 Max Effort Lifts for Strongman—Lower Body
By CJ Murphy, MFS
For www.EliteFTS.com

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This is the first in a two-part series on our favorite max effort exercises for strongman. This article will focus on those lifts for the lower body while the second one will focus on the upper body.

One thing to keep in mind is that strongman requires different types of strength so vary your reps. Sometimes you will keep them low, 1–3, and sometimes they will be higher, 3–5. You might also want to pick a weight and do a maximum amount of reps for a predetermined amount of time (60–75 seconds). These choices will be made by you and based on your weaknesses and any upcoming contests. For example, if you have a contest coming up with a Viking Squat for max reps, doing box squats for a 1 RM might not be the most beneficial exercise to choose.

Here are our top five in no particular order:

Safety bar box squats


As a reader of this site, the benefits of this exercise should be well known. Safety squat bar box squats are a top choice for all athletes.

Zercher squats


The Zercher squat has a tremendous carryover to many strongman events, especially things like the Conan’s Wheel and Husafeld Stones.

One-arm farmer’s walk deadlift (suitcase deadlift)

This exercise not only works grip and the posterior chain but also your torso like almost nothing else. For a real treat, try a 2-inch farmer’s walk handle.



Rack pull


Many strongman events incorporate some sort of pull from the ground so the rack pull (pin pull) fits the bill. Vary the height that you will pull from as you will pull from different heights at contests. You might see an 18” deadlift or an axle deadlift with big tires on the axle. Try to mimic your events in training.

Suspended good mornings


Bill Starr once said, “Nothing makes you strong like good mornings.” Or something to that effect and I agree. The suspended good mornings build raw strength from a dead stop. The fact that you are starting at the bottom of the lift makes it much harder than a traditional good morning. Hang those chains from your power rack and get strong!



There are many other max effort exercises to choose from, but we feel these are the best. Find out what works for you.

Train hard, lift heavy stuff, and get strong!

CJ Murphy

Total Performance Sports©

www.totalperformancesports.com