

Written by Kalle Beck Atlas Stone are the event most synonymous with strongman. Lifting, carrying, throwing and loading stones are the original tests of strength. There are challenge stones all throughout countries such as Iceland and Scotland that date back thousands of years. They are the original strongman event and arguably the most important since there will be some type of stone load in almost every strongman competition and it is traditionally the last event. You cannot be a good strongman if you are not a good stone loader. Nothing is more exciting in strongman than a close competition where it comes down to the stones to see who the champion is. Phil Phifster vs Mariusz in 2006

Derek Poundstone vs Mariusz in 2008

Look at the reaction of the man who came out on top in these match ups and the man who was bested. What feeling do you want? I’ve been on both ends. I had a 3 way tie going into Washington’s Strongest Apple last year in a keg load and came out the victor and it felt amazing but losing a lead on the last event feels 100x worse.

Nothing will make you better at stones than actually lifting stones but you might not have access to stones every week and for me training them more than twice a month beats me up way too much. Here are the most effective assistance exercises I have found that can be done in any regular gym. Stone Trainer: This is the closest you can get to mimic lifting a stone in a normal gym. Unscrew the end of a cheap barbell or grab a loading pin. Load it on the bar and lay it so the plates are standing up, grip it around the plates. DO NOT grab the bottom of the plates by the lip to make it easier to grip. You need to train your upper body to be able to squeeze the stone and this is one of the biggest benefits of the stone trainer. Keep it to a weight you can lift up in one motion from floor to extension (don’t work lapping a stone with the stone trainer) for 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps. Your chest and forearms will be on fire from having to grip it for that long. That amount of time under tension can’t really be duplicated with an actual stone.