When it comes to S&C - We all Love to Train Strength but no one is bothered with Conditioning: Why Strongman Athletes Need More Than Just Strength
Introduction
Strongman is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world, yet many of its athletes train like powerlifters. The obsession with maximal strength often leads to an overemphasis on heavy lifting while neglecting speed, agility, endurance, and conditioning—all of which are critical to competition success.
It’s easy to focus on getting stronger. Strength is tangible—you add weight to the bar, hit PRs, and measure progress in absolute numbers. Conditioning, on the other hand, is often seen as something you either have or don’t. But when you step onto the competition floor, being strong isn’t enough if you’re gasping for air after your first event.
If you’ve ever struggled to move efficiently between implements, felt your legs burn out during a yoke run, or watched someone outwork you in a medley despite being weaker, you already know conditioning can make or break your performance.
The Problem - We all Love to Train Strength but no one bothered with Conditioning:
Most strongman athletes train like powerlifters, not like athletes. They prioritise maximal strength but neglect speed, agility, conditioning, and footwork—even though strongman demands far more than just raw strength.
Think about it:
Carrying events (yoke, farmer’s, sandbags) require quick acceleration, efficient movement, and the ability to sustain effort over time.
Loading events (stones, kegs, sandbags) involve rapid transitions, explosive power, and endurance.
Medleys test both strength and work capacity, not just max effort.
Yet, conditioning is an afterthought for many athletes—despite strongman being one of the most physically demanding sports out there.
How many times have you seen someone crush their first few events only to gas out completely before the comp is over?
The Solution:
Train like an athlete, not just a lifter.
Incorporate speed, agility, footwork, and conditioning into your training.
This can be done as:
A standalone session
Part of your warm-ups
A finisher at the end of lower-body days
It’s not just about being strong—it’s about being the strongest, fastest, and most conditioned competitor on the field.
Why Strongman Athletes Need More Than Just Strength
Strongman Requires More Than Just Strength—It Demands Athleticism
Unlike powerlifting, where brute strength wins, strongman requires:
Explosiveness (yoke, truck pulls, log clean & press)
Speed (loading races, frame carries, medleys)
Endurance (longer moving events, Conan’s wheel, max reps challenges)
Coordination & footwork (yoke, farmer’s walk, transitioning between implements)
If you can’t move efficiently, you’ll always lose to the guy who can.
Strength Alone Won’t Win You Competitions
If you struggle to recover between events, slow down during moving events, or run out of gas by event three, you’ve already lost.
Conditioning isn’t just a secondary trait—it separates top competitors from everyone else.
A well-conditioned athlete can recover quickly between events.
They can maintain a high output over multiple rounds.
They can move more efficiently and waste less energy.
You can be strong as hell, but if you’re out of breath after one event, you’re done.
The best competitors are powerful AND conditioned, allowing them to recover faster and stay strong throughout a competition.
The Cube for Strongman: Conditioning as a Key Factor
Josh Thigpen’s Cube for Strongman programme dedicated an entire training day to speed and conditioning. Why? Because being the strongest means nothing if you can’t sustain it across multiple events.
Thigpen’s approach emphasised:
Sprints, agility work, and strongman conditioning circuits
Speed work with implements
High-rep training to build endurance and muscular resilience
This wasn’t just “extra work”—it was a critical part of strongman success.
How to Train Speed, Agility, and Conditioning for Strongman
Here’s how you should structure speed, agility, and conditioning work into your programme.
A. Implement-Specific Speed Training
Train strongman events for speed and skill, not just maximal strength.
Yoke Walk:
Fast, controlled runs at 50-60% of max weight for 20-30m.
Focus on footwork, quick steps, and smooth transitions.
Farmer’s Walk:
Light speed runs at 50-70% of max.
Sprint for time, work on foot turnover.
Sandbag / Husafell Carry:
Short bursts with quick pick-ups and transitions.
Loading Races:
Train fast transitions between implements, focusing on efficiency over brute force.
B. Sprint Work & Change of Direction Training
Speed and footwork aren’t just for sprinters—strongman athletes need them too.
Hill Sprints / Prowler Pushes → Builds acceleration & leg drive.
Lateral & Backward Sprints → Teaches foot control & agility.
Shuttle Runs → Mimics competition-style transitions.
Cone Drills & Zig-Zags → Improves foot speed and movement efficiency.
Broad Jumps / Box Jumps → Develops explosive power.
C. Conditioning for Strongman
Most strongman competitors think conditioning means burpees. It doesn’t.
Low-Intensity, Steady-State (LISS) Work:
20-30 mins of cycling, incline treadmill walking, or sled drags.
Improves base aerobic capacity & recovery between events.
Strongman Event Medleys:
Rotate yoke, sandbags, farmer’s, sleds in short bursts with minimal rest.
High-Volume Barbell, Axle, or Log Complexes:
Combines Olympic lifts, squats, presses, and pulls in continuous sequences.
D. Warm-Up Drills for Agility & Movement
Warm-ups should prime movement, not just ‘get the blood flowing.’
Footwork drills (cone drills, ladder work, fast feet drills)
Explosive plyometrics (box jumps, bounds, lateral hops)
Low-level sprint mechanics (skips, bounds, acceleration drills)
Active mobility work (dynamic stretches, band work, thoracic rotations)
Strongman training discussions are often dominated by strength standards, with little emphasis on cardiovascular fitness and endurance. Yet, strongman is not just about lifting maximal loads—it involves moving with heavy weight, transitioning between implements, and sustaining effort over extended periods.
Despite this, few strongman athletes actively track or improve their cardiorespiratory fitness, leaving a major gap in their performance. Strength alone won’t win competitions if you are gassed out after the first two events.
Key Markers of Cardiorespiratory Fitness for Strongman
Unlike endurance sports, strongman demands short bursts of high-intensity output, rapid recovery between efforts, and the ability to sustain performance across multiple events. The following markers help assess an athlete’s conditioning, recovery ability, and overall cardiovascular fitness.
1. VO₂ Max (Maximal Oxygen Uptake)
Definition: Measures the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise.
Why It Matters:
Determines aerobic efficiency and endurance capacity.
Higher VO₂ max = better recovery between events and improved work capacity.
How to Measure It:
Lab Tests: Done with metabolic analysers and treadmill/bike tests.
Field Tests: Beep test, Cooper run test, or submaximal tests.
2. Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
Definition: Measures the variation in time between heartbeats, which reflects the balance between your sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (recovery) nervous systems.
Why It Matters:
Higher HRV = better recovery, lower stress levels, and improved endurance.
Low HRV can indicate poor recovery, overtraining, or nervous system fatigue.
How to Measure It:
Wearables (Whoop, Oura Ring, Garmin, Polar, etc.).
Smartphone apps that use heart rate sensors.
3. Resting Heart Rate (RHR)
Definition: The number of heartbeats per minute when at complete rest.
Why It Matters:
Lower RHR (50-60 bpm) indicates better cardiovascular efficiency and recovery.
A sudden increase in RHR may signal fatigue, illness, or poor recovery.
How to Measure It:
Check pulse manually upon waking or use a heart rate monitor.
4. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) & Step Count
Definition: NEAT refers to all movement that isn’t structured exercise—walking, standing, fidgeting, etc. Step count is an easy way to track daily movement levels.
Why It Matters:
Higher NEAT improves cardiovascular health and overall endurance.
Low NEAT and step count lead to poor conditioning and increased recovery demands.
Athletes with higher step counts recover faster from training.
How to Measure It:
Track daily steps using a pedometer, smartwatch, or phone app.
How to Measure and Track These Over Time
To ensure consistent improvement in conditioning, strongman athletes should track their progress in these key areas.
Marker | How to Measure | Ideal Trend |
VO₂ Max | Lab or field test every 8-12 weeks | Increase over time |
HRV | Daily with a wearable | Maintain high HRV with small fluctuations |
Resting Heart Rate | Every morning | Gradual decrease with improved fitness |
Step Count & NEAT | Track daily | Maintain high daily activity (8,000+ steps) |
How to Improve Cardiorespiratory Fitness for Strongman
1. Improve VO₂ Max & Aerobic Capacity
Low-Intensity Steady-State (LISS) Training:
Incline walking, sled drags, cycling, or rowing at 60-70% of max heart rate.
30-45 minutes, 2-4x per week.
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT):
Short bursts of intense effort (e.g., prowler sprints, loaded carries).
10-20 seconds work / 40 seconds rest for 15-20 minutes.
2. Enhance HRV and Recovery Ability
Improve sleep quality and manage stress.
Include breathing exercises and parasympathetic recovery work (e.g., nasal breathing, meditation).
Ensure proper aerobic work—better conditioning improves HRV naturally.
3. Increase Step Count & NEAT
Walk 8,000-12,000 steps per day.
Use active recovery (sled drags, light carries) instead of complete rest.
Stand more, sit less.
4. Train Strongman Events with Speed & Conditioning in Mind
Instead of always using max weights, train events for speed and efficiency.
Example drills:
Yoke/Farmer’s Walk Speed Runs: Light weight, fast movement.
Loading Races: Submaximal weights for multiple reps.
Event Medleys: 3+ exercises combined with minimal rest.
Strength Standards Exist—Why Not Fitness Standards?
Strongman has well-defined strength benchmarks—certain numbers expected in lifts and events. But there are no universal fitness or conditioning standards.
What if we had benchmarks like:
A minimum VO₂ max level for top-level strongman athletes?
A target HRV range for optimal performance?
A standard for step count and daily activity levels?
Just as strength levels determine your competitive success, so does your ability to move efficiently, recover quickly, and sustain effort over time. Conditioning is the difference between winning or burning out halfway through an event.
Where This Fits in Your Programme
Here’s how to integrate speed, agility, and conditioning into a Conjugate-based strongman programme.
Option 1: Integrated into Lower Body Days
Before lifting:
Sprint work, jumps, or agility drills as a CNS primer (5-10 min).
After lifting:
Speed work with implements, practising transitions or conditioning circuits.
Option 2: Dedicated Speed & Conditioning Day (Like Cube for Strongman)
Example session:
Sprint or footwork drill (10 min)
Event speed work (yoke, farmer’s, medley)
Carries & transitions
Conditioning finisher
Option 3: Mini Workouts on Off Days
Short sessions focused on speed, agility, or endurance.
Examples:
Hill sprints
Sled drags
Agility drills
Training Strongman Events for Speed & Skill
Your log press, yoke walk, or stone loading isn’t just a strength test—it’s a skill.
Focus on efficiency of movement, not just brute force.
Use lighter weights and higher speeds to drill technique.
Train smooth transitions between events, as these decide competition placings.
Fitter and Faster
Strongman is far more than just raw strength. The best athletes in the sport don’t just focus on lifting heavier—they prioritise speed, agility, and conditioning to dominate moving events, improve transitions, and sustain peak performance across an entire competition. Strength is important, but without the ability to move efficiently and recover quickly, even the strongest competitors can fall behind.
Yet, many strongman athletes neglect these key areas of performance. Footwork, sprinting, and endurance are often afterthoughts, despite being essential for excelling in events like the yoke walk, farmer’s carries, medleys, and loading races. It’s not enough to be strong if you’re too slow, inefficient, or fatigued to apply that strength when it matters. If you’ve ever felt yourself burn out mid-competition or watched someone less powerful outperform you simply because they could move better, you already know how much this matters. Don’t be the guy who loses simply because he couldn’t keep up.
The good news? You don’t need to overhaul your entire programme to start improving. Whether you integrate sprint drills and agility work into your lower body training days, dedicate a separate speed and conditioning session, or even add structured warm-up drills focused on movement efficiency, the benefits will be immediate. Training strongman events for speed and skill—not just max effort—will make you a more well-rounded, dominant competitor.
If you’re serious about maximising your performance and bridging the gap between strength and athleticism, you need a structured approach that incorporates all aspects of strongman development. I specialise in programming that combines strength, speed, conditioning, and event-specific skill work to create unstoppable athletes. If you want to train smarter, move better, and dominate your next competition, apply for coaching now at TEAMJOSHHEZZA.com.
Summary of Key Takeaways:
✅ Strongman is more than just strength—you need speed, agility, and conditioning.
✅ Most competitors neglect footwork, sprinting, and endurance—don’t be that guy.
✅ You can integrate this as part of lower body days, as a separate session, or in warm-ups.
✅ Training events for speed & skill is just as important as training them for max weight.
🔥 Want a coach who actually programs this into your training?
💪 I integrate these principles into my coaching to make you a well-rounded strongman athlete.
📩 Apply for coaching now at TEAMJOSHHEZZA.com
Kommentare