Page 19 - Men’s Health - USA (December 2019)

BODY

notice, including the NFL. John says sev-
eral teams inquired about using strong- TRAIN LIKE A STRONGMAN
man techniques in their practice sessions.
Most gyms don’t have Atlas stones, and you’re not deadlifting
Since then, strongman moves have your car. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get in on the strongman
infi ltrated your gym as “functional” game. Start integrating these exercises into your workouts.
exercises that let you lift from awkward
positions. The tire fl ip, a mainstay in
Spartan races, was a ’90s strongman
LOG CLEAN AND PRESS
move. The farmer’s walk, a strongman
This seems like a power clean
classic, is now a CrossFit staple. and jerk, but a log is thicker than
Odell Beckham Jr. pulling trucks? a barbell, so you can’t just lift it
Strongmen do that with buses. “We do to your shoulders. Set up in
things everyone can,” says Licis, “with deadlift position, row the log up
your legs, then inhale deeply
a whole lot of weight.”
and roll it to your chest. Press it
He smiles, then goes over to his iPad upward. Do 3 sets of 4.
and turns up the Rammstein in the gym.
After taking a sniff of smelling salts, he NO LOG? TRY . . .
heads to a pullup bar. Next up are max The continental clean, which
reps of pullups, but he wanted a boost can be done with a barbell.
Using a mixed grip, clean the
fi rst. He got these smelling salts from a
bar to your chest. As the bar
YouTube tough guy named Jujimufu. He approaches chest height, flip
gives them to me. I get a whiff , and it fi lls the underhand hand over. Use
my nasal cavities so far back that my eyes a light weight; do 3 sets of 6.
tear for two full minutes. Licis only grins
wider and grasps the bar. He busts out 21
pullups. At 355 pounds. ATLAS STONE LIFTS
This teaches you to lift ungainly
loads. Squat and grab the stone
from the bottom. Lift it to your
thighs. Sit back, letting your back
round. Grip the stone tightly with
your arms. Stand and roll it up
your chest to your shoulder.
That’s 1 rep; do 3 sets of 3.

NO STONE? TRY . . .
The Zercher squat. Stand with
a loaded barbell in the crooks
of your elbows. Bend at the
knees and push your butt back
until your thighs are parallel to
the floor. Press back up. That’s
1 rep; do 3 sets of 4 to 6.

HEAVY FARMER’S WALK TO
FARMER’S HOLD
You’ve done farmer’s walks
before, but this time, load
2 farmer’s handles with heavy
weights. Stand with the
weights, squeezing your
shoulder blades. Walk about
20 feet, then stop. Hold for
20 seconds. Do 3 sets.

NO FARMER’S HANDLES? TRY . . .
Doing the farmer’s walk with bar-
Name Tktktk Tktktk and harder to balance.
bells. They’re just as unstable—

MEN’S HEALTH / December 2019 17