3-Day Strongman Training Splits: Effective Programming When Time or Equipment is Limited
Introduction
When it comes to strongman training, the standard high-frequency, equipment-heavy routines aren’t always accessible for everyone. Maybe you don’t have regular access to strongman equipment, or perhaps balancing life, work, and family means you can only train three days per week. Fortunately, with the right approach, you can still build strength, power, and skill on a limited training schedule.
In this post, I’ll walk you through different 3-day training splits that work for both limited and full equipment access. I'll also share strategies for maximizing your gains, even with fewer weekly sessions. Whether you’re a seasoned competitor or just getting into strongman, these splits will help you make the most of your training time.
Option 1: Training Split for Limited Access to Strongman Equipment
If your access to strongman implements is limited, you’ll need to be strategic about when and how often you train with them. With a 3-day training schedule, it’s essential to dedicate at least one day each week to working directly with the implements. On the other two days, you’ll focus on building foundational strength with compound exercises that cover essential movement patterns: squats, pulls, rows, and presses.
This split allows you to relive the old-school strongman days when athletes would travel on weekends to find specialized equipment and work alongside other competitors.
Day 1: Foundational Strength - Squat Focus
Full Body Warm-Up:
Start with a full-body warm-up, emphasizing hip and shoulder mobility, along with core activation.
Back Squat:
Choose a squatting variation like back squats, Hatfield squats, front squats, or Zercher squats. Focus on a big protocol that really pushes the volume and intensity since this will be your only squat day each week.
Supine Press:
While strongman focuses heavily on overhead pressing, the bench press still has value in a strongman program. Building chest and shoulder strength benefits lifts where you need crushing power, such as stones or sandbags.
Vertical Rowing:
Opt for vertical pulling exercises like pull-ups or lat pulldowns. Since you’re only training three days, go big here—pull-ups are an excellent choice for total upper body development.
Unilateral Hinge:
Add a single-leg hinge movement, like single-leg RDLs, to improve hip stability and single-leg strength.
Shoulders/Core Superset:
Create a superset targeting shoulder stability and core strength. Use exercises that engage all three heads of the deltoids and incorporate core exercises like planks or anti-rotation holds.
Day 2: Foundational Strength - Deadlift Focus
Full Body Warm-Up:
Focus on warming up your core, glutes, and lats to prepare for deadlifts and overhead presses.
Deadlift Variation:
Perform a deadlift variation that’s close to your base movement. Paused deadlifts or knee-pull combinations are excellent options if you're not prepping for a competition.
Overhead Press (Out of Rack):
On your event day, you’ll hit an overhead pressing event, but here, focus on raw pressing strength. Strict presses, push presses, or log presses from the rack are ideal.
Horizontal Rowing:
Choose a horizontal rowing exercise like barbell rows, DB rows, or landmine rows. Avoid small machines and prioritize big compound lifts for maximum impact.
Unilateral Squat:
Balance your lower body by adding a unilateral squat movement, such as Bulgarian split squats or walking lunges. Consider adding a knee drive to mimic the position you’ll need for heavy carries.
Arms/Core Superset:
End with a giant set for arms and core. Choose compound movements that hit biceps, triceps, and the core in a challenging way.
Day 3: Implement Practice - Event Day
Full Body Warm-Up:
Tailor your warm-up to the specific events planned for the day. For example, if you're working with the log, focus on spinal mobility and hip activation.
Overhead Strongman Press Event:
Choose an overhead event like the log press, axle press, or circus dumbbell. Run a protocol to build pressing power specific to that implement.
Loading Event:
Incorporate loading events like sandbag, keg, or stone lifts. Pick an event commonly seen in competitions to improve your skill and strength.
Carry Event:
Choose a loaded carry, such as yoke, farmer’s walk, or frame carry. You can also combine multiple carries for a medley, enhancing both endurance and power.
Other Event (Optional):
If you have time and energy, add a more obscure event like a front hold, grip protocol, or a strongman classic like Fingal’s Fingers.
Option 2: Regular Access to Equipment
If you’re lucky enough to have regular access to strongman equipment, integrate event training throughout the week rather than isolating it to one day. This approach allows you to increase frequency with the implements and build familiarity.
Day 1: Overhead Event and Deadlift Focus
Full Body Warm-Up:
Tailor the warm-up to the overhead event. For circus dumbbell, you might add shoulder mobility work like Turkish get-ups.
Overhead Strongman Press Event:
Kick off with a pressing event like the log, axle, or circus dumbbell. Perform a protocol specific to building power and technique.
Deadlift Variation:
Follow with a deadlift protocol. Use a variation close to the base lift to stay prepared for different strongman deadlift events.
Vertical Rowing:
Perform vertical pulling movements, such as pull-ups or lat pulldowns, to build back strength and endurance.
Unilateral Squat:
Add a unilateral squat movement here. Try to incorporate a dynamic element to challenge your stability and hip strength.
Arms/Core Superset:
Finish with a set of exercises targeting the biceps, triceps, and core.
Day 2: Squat and Loading Event Focus
Full Body Warm-Up:
Focus on activating the hips, knees, and shoulders to prepare for the squat and loading event.
Squat Variation:
Perform a squat protocol, potentially with a variation like box squats or tempo squats. Use exercises that contribute explosiveness for events like stone loading.
Supine Press:
Use a horizontal pressing movement like the bench press or incline press. Adjust the variation based on your specific goals.
Horizontal Rowing:
Choose a row exercise that builds horizontal pulling power. Non-traditional exercises like sandbag rows can add specificity.
Loading Event Protocol:
Focus on loading movements like stones or sandbags. This slot prepares you for one of the core events in strongman competitions.
Shoulders/Core:
Add exercises for shoulder health and core stability. This could include IYT raises or planks.
Day 3: Overhead Strength and Carry Event Focus
Full Body Warm-Up:
Warm up the shoulders, core, and hips to prepare for pressing and carries.
Rack Pressing Protocol:
Start with a heavy press variation from the rack to build pure strength.
Good Mornings or RDLs:
Incorporate a hinge-focused movement like good mornings to enhance posterior chain strength.
Carry Event Protocol:
Choose a carry event like the yoke, farmer’s walk, or sandbag carry. Build medleys to increase endurance and adapt to different implement types.
Unilateral Hinge Protocol:
Add a unilateral hinge exercise as a finisher. Single-leg RDLs are ideal for creating balance and stability.
Other Strongman Event:
End with a unique event that’s harder to fit into the rest of the week, like a grip exercise or a sandbag toss.
Option 3: Extended MesoCycle (4-Day Spread Over 10 Days)
This training split extends a typical 4-day workout over a 10-day period, allowing you to get the benefits of a higher frequency program while still training only 3 days a week. This approach works well if you have the flexibility to spread your workouts out and gives you ample recovery time between sessions.
Rather than rushing through a higher volume of work in a shorter period, you’ll get to focus on quality in each session while still covering all major movement patterns, event practice, and strength-building exercises. This template is inspired by my Odin’s Boys program and provides a balance between max effort, dynamic effort, and specific strongman event work.
Since this template involves a 10-day cycle instead of a traditional 7-day week, you’ll need to think outside the standard Monday-to-Friday mindset. Here’s how you might spread the workouts over 10 days:
Day 1 - Max Effort Upper (e.g., Monday)
Day 2 - Max Effort Lower (e.g., Wednesday)
Day 3 - Dynamic Effort Full Body (e.g., Friday)
Day 4 - Event Day (e.g., Monday)
The 10-day cycle means that each week will look slightly different. Here’s a breakdown of each workout day:
Day 1 - ME Upper - Monday
Full Body Warm-Up:
Since this is a max effort upper day, your warm-up should focus on mobilizing the shoulders and scapula, along with core activation. Make sure your hips are also ready, as they’ll play a role in overhead pressing.
Max Effort Overhead Press:
Choose a max effort variation of a strongman-specific press, like the log clean and press, axle press, or circus dumbbell. Ideally, these should rotate each cycle to develop different aspects of pressing strength and technique. For instance, you might start with a log press for one 10-day cycle and switch to an axle press for the next.
Supine Pressing:
After your max effort work, add a heavy supine pressing movement to target chest and triceps strength. This could be a bench press, incline press, or floor press. Even though strongman is focused on overhead pressing, building chest strength helps stabilize heavy objects and supports pressing from different angles.
Vertical Rowing:
Incorporate a big vertical pulling movement like pull-ups or lat pulldowns. Since you’re training only three days per week, go for a challenging protocol with a high-intensity load. Pull-ups are ideal if you can do them, as they build both back strength and grip endurance.
Horizontal Rowing:
Add a horizontal rowing movement like barbell rows, seated rows, or single-arm DB rows. If you find that your horizontal pulling strength is a weak point, you may prioritize this slot earlier in the day to tackle it with more energy.
Arms/Core Superset:
Finish with a giant set or superset that targets the biceps, triceps, and core. Use compound movements and consider density-based protocols or rest-pause sets to maximize volume without extending the workout time.
Day 2: ME Lower - Wednesday
Lower Body Warm-Up:
Since deadlifts are on the menu, spend time warming up the core, glutes, and lats. Incorporate a primer if needed to bridge the gap between your warm-up and heavy deadlifting.
Max Effort Deadlift Variation:
Choose a strongman-relevant deadlift variation for your max effort movement, such as a wagon wheel deadlift, axle deadlift, or silver dollar deadlift. If you’re not prepping for a specific competition, consider general deadlift variations like paused deadlifts or deficit deadlifts to build overall strength.
Squat Work:
After deadlifts, move into a squat variation. Keep it big and challenging—box squats, safety bar squats, or even front squats can work well here. Consider adding a tempo or pause to develop control and build explosive power for events like stone loads and sandbag carries.
Unilateral Squat/Hinge Work:
Add a single-leg squat or hinge movement, such as Bulgarian split squats or step-ups. These movements help develop stability and unilateral power, essential for strongman carries and odd object lifts. Single-leg RDLs are also excellent for reinforcing hip stability.
Repetition Method Slot (Lower Body):
Use this slot for volume-based lower body work. Think high-rep leg presses, belt squats, or hip thrusts. The goal is to build work capacity and muscle endurance, both of which are critical for strongman competitions.
Repetition Method Slot (Core):
Target the lower back or obliques with exercises like hyperextensions, side planks, or GHD planks. These isometric holds help bulletproof your back and core, giving you the stability needed for heavy carries and loading events.
Day 3: Dynamic Effort Full - Friday
Full Body Warm-Up:
This is a full-body day, so warm up your entire body, paying special attention to the shoulders and hips. Include dynamic movements that get your heart rate up and prepare you for explosive work.
Dynamic Overhead Press (Strongman Style):
Pick an overhead press variation specific to strongman, like the log or axle. Focus on speed and explosiveness rather than max weight, keeping the load around 50-70% of your max. Perform sets with controlled rest to build endurance and explosive power.
Dynamic Deadlift Variation:
Choose a deadlift variation for speed work, such as a trap bar deadlift or a deadlift with accommodative resistance like bands or chains. This work should focus on explosive pulls, ensuring that you maintain speed and technique throughout the set.
Repetition Method Slot (Lower Body):
Add a volume-based lower body movement, such as lunges or step-ups. These should be geared towards muscular endurance and stability, especially in the hips and glutes, to support event-specific work.
Repetition Method Slot (Upper Body):
Focus on shoulders and upper back here. Exercises like face pulls, cable YTWs, or rear delt raises are excellent choices. These movements improve shoulder stability, which is critical for strongman overhead work and injury prevention.
Repetition Method Slot (Core/Accessory):
Finish with an accessory core movement or isolation work, depending on what’s lagging in your physique. You could add some bicep work for grip endurance or core stabilization exercises like anti-rotation holds to strengthen your trunk.
Day 4: Event Day - Monday
Full Body Warm-Up:
Since this is your event day, prepare your body with a warm-up that mimics competition day. Focus on getting each part of your body mobile and activated, from shoulders to hips.
Press Event Training:
Choose one pressing event—log press, axle clean and press, or circus dumbbell—and run a specific protocol to build strength and skill. You could use a pyramid set, working up to a heavy single, or do high-rep sets to build endurance.
Carry Event Training:
Incorporate a front, back, or side carry exercise, such as the yoke, sandbag, or farmer’s walk. Focus on form and stability; carrying events require a strong core and stable hips to prevent wobbling. Build medleys to mix and match implements if you have the equipment.
Load Event Training:
Practice lifting and loading objects like stones, sandbags, or kegs. Work on form and explosive power, aiming to mimic the speed and intensity of competition day. Combining multiple objects in a series can simulate competition and help you practice transitions.
Other Event Training:
Most competitions have a fifth event that’s a bit outside the usual categories—think tire flips, truck pulls, or grip challenges like the Hercules Hold. Use this slot to train these less common events, focusing on variety and adaptability.
My Critiques of a 3-Day Training Split
1. Limited Frequency:
Only training three days per week limits the number of exposures you have to complex movements like the log press or deadlift. For skill-based movements, higher frequency is usually better to build technical mastery.
2. Ample Recovery for Big Lifters:
Athletes who are larger or lift heavier weights tend to need longer recovery times. A 3-day split allows for this, making it ideal for bigger lifters or those moving heavy loads.
3. Optimal for Life Balance:
If you have a busy schedule, a 3-day split can provide balance. While I prefer 4-day or 5-day splits for most athletes, this structure still delivers results, especially if life demands more time.
4. Supplementary Work Between Sessions:
If you’re committed to 3 days, add small workouts in between sessions. These can focus on mobility, energy systems, or lighter technique practice to maintain skill without overloading.
Conclusion
Training for strongman on a limited schedule doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice performance. Whether you’re working with limited equipment, have full access to implements, or need extra recovery time, these three 3-day training splits offer flexibility and efficiency for every strongman athlete. The key is to use your time wisely, focus on building foundational strength, and practice your skills whenever possible.
So whether you’re following an old-school 3-day split, integrating events into your weekly sessions, or stretching a 4-day split over 10 days, remember