An ode to the strongmen.

At SOFlete, we’re all about maximizing the transfer from training to real life- and specifically, being on duty. 

Over the years, we’ve found very few exercises blur the line between the gym and operational effectiveness quite like strongman work, and especially awkward object training. 

If you’ve been a tactical professional for any period of time, chances are you’ve had to move something that sucked. Be it a charged hose line on the fireground or heavy equipment on the battlefield, we all know that feeling of barely being able to get a solid grip, let alone move the thing. 

Now, if you’ve got a great bench press or back squat, you’ll probably have a much easier time with these kinds of tasks. However, if you’ve got that base level of strength and are able to regularly practice different strategies to lift and carry, you’ll be in a whole different league of usefulness when it inevitably comes time to do it on duty. 

That’s why we include a wide variety of work with what we term ‘awkward objects’ within our programming. 

With regards to the equipment to use for this kind of thing, the beauty here is that you can use almost anything. From sandbags to atlas (or just natural) stones, a training partner or even pushing a vehicle; virtually everything goes. 

In fact, we’d actively encourage you to use as wide a variety of objects to pick up and carry as possible. 

Remember, for this kind of work it doesn’t always need to be bone crushingly heavy; if you’re following SOFlete programming you’ll already be getting plenty of strength stimulus from other sources. Consequently, the purpose of integrating awkward object work is to provide the opportunity to practice problem solving; and in that respect, the more varied, the better! 

Continuing that theme of constructing a highly varied training environment, we also regularly include awkward object lifts and carries within our Green PT sessions. 

During these, an individual can train in an occupationally relevant gear and equipment configuration- for instance, this might be full (clean!) turnout gear for a structural firefighter or uniform and a patrol vest for law enforcement personnel. 

These sessions give the individual the chance to get comfortable with moving around and performing high intensity work in the equipment they will operate in. This is great for capability and confidence building, and it also adds an additional layer of variability compared to just training in regular PT gear. 

As with all training tools parameters like volume, intensity, metabolic demands or even additional cognitive loading can all be manipulated depending on the intended stimulus. 

As a general rule of thumb, we’d suggest that if you’re just starting out with awkward object training, you keep it simple and just take the time to play around with it at first. 

A nice way to do this might be setting a timer for 10 minutes and seeing how many different ways you can pick up and carry the object 10-15m in that time. Keep your heart rate and breathing rate fairly controlled and rest as needed; if you’ve got a buddy you can work with, all the better. 

As you get more comfortable with this type of training you can apply constraints to bias more specific movement strategies or overload certain tissues. 

For instance, you might pre-fatigue the hamstrings with some barbell Romanian Deadlifts, prior to performing some stone pick ups; this will encourage your system to explore different options to still successfully complete the task, despite the fatigue. 

Clearly, as a tactical professional, having this kind of redundancy built into your movement repertoire is a huge performance booster and helps to reduce injury risk.

Finally, as with everything when it comes to fitness and staying healthy- make it fun. 

Awkward object work is a perfect opportunity to get outside with your training crew and do something exciting. From constructing obstacle courses, utilizing swimming pools or even taking it into the backcountry, the possibilities to get creative and still have a phenomenal training effect are virtually limitless. 

So, if you’re not already following SOFlete programming, have a go at integrating some fun awkward object lifts and carries into your training. 

After all, when you’re dealing with the real world, very rarely do you have the luxury of chalk and a knurled grip.

Additional Reading:

Create your own slosh pipe ((https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCgXA5lZKZU))

Dr Rob Gray talking about the importance of ‘Repetition Without Repetition’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3Vs2Y_cB1k&t=1077s)

Doug and David talk grip strength (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhmKh_r_15w&t=276s)