YOUR FOUR-WEEK STRONGMAN PLAN
Not all strength training is created equal. These three workouts are designed to prime your body for life’s everyday challenges – while building gains that show and go
Strength is the foundation on which all athletic skills are built – from power to speed. And it makes everything else in your life a little easier, whether that’s a Sunday morning kick-around with the boys, a DIY project in the garden or just lifting the kids on and off of the climbing frame ad infinitum. When we look at our training through the lens of ‘strength first’, we can improve other qualities in the gym, such as becoming less prone to injuries when running and shifting more weight on the bench press. And we benefit from a hormonal balance that keeps us as healthy on the inside as we look on the outside. Oh, and you’ll fill a T-shirt better, too. So, if you’re looking for a training style that doesn’t just come with surprise benefits to life outside the gym, but one that is tailored to ensure daily obstacles never slow you down, then ‘modified strongman’ is your prescription. It’s a far cry from the feats you’re used to seeing performed by behemoths on Channel 5 every Christmas, but this workout plan steals the fire from those gods and gives us everyday mortals a chance to lift heavy, carry fast and get weird and wonderful with odd lifts and unstable loads, so we can crush the rest of our day. MH Elite coach Tom Kemp is no stranger to the strongman scene and has the silverware to prove it. Here, he offers up a four-week blueprint for some real-world strength. Hit each session hard, leave a day of rest between each workout, then repeat with added gusto. Before too long, many more plates will be on the bar.