Not every workout gets executed. This is what was planned for today:
Partner WOD:
One person does kettlebell swings while
The partner drags a sled over to the farmer carry station
Partner transitions to farmer carry and returns to kettlebell swings
Switch partners
Repeat for max rounds in 15 minutes
Oh and don’t be a martyr. Injuries during TRAINING… is LAME. During competitive events, or life events, more understandable. If you are training for life, and getting injured doing so, you are FAILING. Stop it.
Sometimes going heavier isn’t always the answer. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. It depends on your goals and your capacity. In my case, I can shoulder a 122 lb stone, and a 94 lb stone with relative ease. However, I can get more accomplished with the lighter stone as I can move it faster in the same amount of time.
The graph above shows the power output of two identical workouts, one using heavier stone than the other. If my goal is always to produce high power output, I would use only the 94lb stone. That’s not always my goal though. I want to get stronger, and I don’t want my system getting used to using just one weight. So I used the 122 lb stone this time. There are a lot of ways to vary workouts (volume, intensity, weight…) This one has the same time constraints (5 minutes), and it’s traveling the same distance (10 feet – ground to shoulder, back to ground).
Both workouts have been recorded in beyondthewhiteboard (one of the best workout tracking sites I’ve ever used).
I’m guessing that now that I’ve pushed myself a bit with the heavier stone, I can go back to the 94 and try this again, possibly moving even faster and producing a better power number. At some point, there will be a wall where I can only move so fast (no matter what the weight) and there will be diminishing returns. So far, that hasn’t happened yet.
Here’s the workout as I captured it earlier this week:
The workout: 5 minutes. As many reps as possible. Ground to shoulder.
Simple.
So what stone should you be using? The answer is both, and others. Cycling between light, medium and heavy days has been a proven method for building strength and overall athletic capacity. In this case, I would get one more stone, a heavier one, and use that as a strength lift, (i.e. 5 sets of 5) and rest between sets. The lighter ones for more high-rep work.
Atlas stones are challenging and fun, and while I am nowhere near what a strongman competitor does (nor do I intend to be a strongman competitor), the strength building aspect of stone lifting cannot be denied. My deadlifts are going up, I am running faster and in general, my core strength is more solid than ever.
When’s the last time you lifted something awkward off the ground?
Odd object training is a great way to develop a body that works as a unit. When you lift something that doesn’t have a handle or grip point, your body has to find another way to get the work done.
Atlas stone training is a great way to do that. There are no hand holds, just you and the object. If you want a core workout, this is hard to beat! It reveals weak points in your system. You will need arm strength, back strength, and leg strength – big muscle groups are recruited to get the stone off the ground.
As a multisport athlete, getting your body to work as a unit is critical. It doesn’t help if you’re only half strong. Strong legs will help, and a strong back will help even more. Having a body that can intuit an obstacle and work as one system is priceless when the unexpected happens. Portaging, mystery events, helping another teammate, or just getting your gear to the start line all need that ‘functional’ cohesive strength.
Atlas stone training is a core strength guarantee. There’s no other way around it.
About the video:
The video above is me lifting the very first stone of the series. Making a stone takes some setup and a little skill. I worked in construction with my grandfather a few summers while paying for college and he LOVED to work with concrete. I only wish he was around so I could show him the latest “crazy project”. Since those college days I’ve made concrete countertops for my house (Thanks Cheng Concrete!) and a few outdoor projects. Concrete is a fascinating medium to work with and it’s FUN.
Train with Stones!
If you’re interested in starting stone training, and live in the bay area (near San Jose, California) let me know.
