Quick answer: Strongman events build raw, functional strength that directly transfers to powerlifting — particularly the deadlift and squat. Gladiator Lift explains which events matter most for each lift, how to program them without destroying recovery, and how to intelligently combine both sports.
Powerlifting and strongman are first cousins. Both sports reward the ability to move heavy things. Both are dominated by people who can generate enormous force through their legs and posterior chain. Both require the kind of strength that takes years to build and demands total commitment. But their training cultures have stayed surprisingly separate, and most powerlifters are leaving gains on the table because of it.
This guide is about changing that. Specifically, it's about identifying the strongman events that most directly transfer to squat, bench, and deadlift performance, and showing you how to program them intelligently within a powerlifting training cycle.
Why Strongman Events Build Powerlifting Strength
The transfer from strongman to powerlifting is not incidental. It's structural. Here's why:
Irregular loading reveals weak links. A barbell is perfectly balanced. Every strongman implement — the log, the yoke, the atlas stone, the farmer's handles — distributes weight differently and demands stability from different angles. When you carry a yoke, your traps and thoracic spine have to stabilize against vertical force in a way the squat doesn't fully train. That extra stability work transfers directly to your back squat. Unilateral and dynamic strength patterns. Powerlifting is almost entirely bilateral and near-static. Strongman events like the farmer's carry and sled drag load you asymmetrically and dynamically. This trains stabilizing muscles, hip abductors, and rotator systems that heavy barbell work leaves undertrained. Stronger stabilizers means a stronger primary lift. Mental toughness and grip. Strongman events are uncomfortable in ways that barbells simply aren't. Carrying heavy implements while your lungs burn, your grip fails, and your technique degrades — and continuing anyway — builds a tolerance for suffering that directly transfers to maximal effort powerlifting attempts. And grip strength developed through carries and stones is genuine functional grip, not the bar-supported grip of a conventional deadlift. Posterior chain overdevelopment. Strongman competitors tend to have massive posterior chain development — glutes, hamstrings, spinal erectors — that matches or exceeds even the strongest powerlifters. This is largely from deadlift variations, carries, and stone work. More posterior chain strength means more squat and deadlift strength.Which Events Transfer Most to the Squat
Yoke Carry. The yoke is the most direct squat transfer event in strongman. Loading the yoke is mechanically similar to a high-bar squat — the implement sits across your traps, you control the load with your entire posterior chain, and your knees, hips, and spine work in the same pattern. The difference is that you're moving, which adds a stability and coordination demand.Yoke carries strengthen your upper back bracing (directly relevant to squat positioning), your hip extensors under load, and your confidence under heavy weight. Many powerlifters report that after a yoke training block, their squat feels "lighter" — not because they got weaker, but because their nervous system has been exposed to heavier effective loads.
Stone Loading. Atlas stone loading doesn't look like a squat, but the strength demands overlap significantly. Picking a stone from the ground, lapping it, and extending to load a platform requires violent hip extension, a strong posterior chain, and tremendous bracing capacity. The hip extension demand in the final push is almost identical to the top portion of a squat drive. Front Carry/Sandbag Carry. Carrying weight in front of the body — sandbags, kegs, front-loaded carries — trains the anterior core and hip flexors that support squat position. These muscles prevent forward lean under heavy squats. Front-loaded carries essentially train you to stay upright under load.Which Events Transfer Most to the Deadlift
Farmer's Carry. This is the deadlift assistance exercise in disguise. Setting up for a farmer's carry and pulling the handles from the ground uses the exact same hip hinge pattern, bracing strategy, and posterior chain recruitment as a conventional deadlift — with the addition of grip training that deadlifts with straps won't provide. Farmer's carries also train the deadlift lockout position dynamically.For powerlifters with deadlift lockout weakness, heavy short-distance farmer's pulls (picking up and walking 20-30 feet) are enormously effective accessory work.
Tire Flip. The tire flip is not a common powerlifting addition, but it should be. The initial pull from the ground uses a deadlift pattern. The transition — catching the tire mid-flip and driving it over — requires explosive hip extension identical to a deadlift pull through the mid-portion. The neural demand of a heavy tire flip closely mirrors a near-maximal deadlift attempt. Sled Drag (Reverse). Walking backward while dragging a heavy sled loads the hamstrings and glutes through hip extension in a way that's difficult to replicate with any barbell movement. For powerlifters with weak hamstrings at the start of the deadlift pull, heavy reverse sled drags build exactly the strength needed. Log Clean and Press. The clean portion develops explosive hip drive and upper-back tension — both critical for deadlift. The press trains shoulder stability and overhead strength that supports bench performance.Which Events Transfer Most to the Bench Press
The bench press is the lift with the least direct strongman carryover, but it's not zero:
Log Press. The log has a neutral grip and requires more elbow tuck than a barbell press, which more directly engages the triceps and develops a pressing pattern that often transfers back to bench. Heavy log pressing builds raw overhead and horizontal pressing strength. Axle Bar Floor Press. Not strictly a competition event, but commonly used in strongman training. The thicker axle bar requires more grip activation and slightly different muscle recruitment than a barbell. If you can floor press an axle for 5 reps, your barbell bench will likely improve. Keg Carry and Loading. The instability of a keg engages stabilizing muscles around the shoulder that fixed-implement pressing doesn't. Better shoulder stability means more force output in the bench press.| Strongman Event | Primary Transfer | Secondary Transfer |
|---|---|---|
| Yoke Carry | Squat | General posterior chain |
| Atlas Stone | Squat, Deadlift | Hip extension, bracing |
| Farmer's Carry | Deadlift | Grip, general strength |
| Tire Flip | Deadlift | Explosive hip drive |
| Log Press | Bench (overhead variant) | Tricep strength |
| Sled Drag | Deadlift | Hamstrings, conditioning |
| Sandbag Carry | Squat | Anterior core |
| Axle Deadlift | Deadlift | Grip strength |
How to Program Strongman Work Without Killing Recovery
This is the critical question. Strongman events are taxing. Adding them to an already-demanding powerlifting program risks overtraining, injury, and degraded performance on the competition lifts.
The key principle is substitution, not addition. Don't add strongman events on top of your powerlifting program. Substitute them for accessory work or dedicated accessory sessions.
Option 1: One Strongman Day Per Week
Take your least critical training day (often the second lower-body session or a light day) and replace it with strongman implements. Sample structure:
- Monday: Squat focus (powerlifting)
- Tuesday: Upper body (powerlifting)
- Thursday: Deadlift focus (powerlifting)
- Saturday: Strongman day (yoke, farmer's, stone work)
Saturday provides two days of recovery before Monday squats. Total volume per strongman session: 3-4 events, moderate effort (70-75% of maximum), focused on technique and conditioning rather than maximum load.
Option 2: Strongman as Accessory Work
One or two strongman exercises replace traditional accessory work on existing training days. After heavy squats on Monday, instead of leg press and leg curls, you do a 20-minute farmer's carry circuit. After deadlifts on Thursday, you load stones for 15 minutes instead of doing Romanian deadlifts and back extensions.
This approach keeps total training days the same while adding strongman stimulus within existing recovery capacity.
Option 3: Dedicated Strongman Block (6-8 Weeks)
If you're between competition cycles and want to address specific weaknesses, a dedicated off-season strongman block can be highly effective. Reduce powerlifting volume to maintenance (squat and deadlift once per week, moderate loads), and spend 2-3 days per week on strongman events. This is how many elite powerlifters use strongman — as a complete off-season modality.
After 6-8 weeks, return to powerlifting specificity. The posterior chain development, grip gains, and mental toughness built during the strongman block will directly manifest as powerlifting improvement.
Recovery Considerations
Strongman events produce different fatigue patterns than barbell work. Carries and sleds produce significant muscular and metabolic fatigue but relatively low CNS fatigue. Stone and yoke work produces higher CNS stress comparable to heavy squats. Plan accordingly:
- Keep carries and sleds to days away from heavy squat/deadlift days
- Yoke and stone work should follow the same recovery rules as heavy squatting
- Grip fatigue from farmer's carries can affect deadlift performance for 48-72 hours — plan your deadlift session after your grip has recovered, not before
Getting Started Without a Strongman Gym
Most serious powerlifting gyms don't have a yoke, atlas stones, or a proper tire. But strongman training doesn't require a dedicated facility:
- Farmer's carries can be done with dumbbells, kettlebells, or loaded hex bar
- Yoke-style loading can be approximated with a heavy safety bar walk
- Sandbags are cheap to make and simulate atlas stone work
- Tire flips require a tire — check local tire shops, which often give away large tractor tires
- Sled dragging can be improvised with a tire or any loaded platform on a rope
The implements don't have to be competition-spec to produce training benefits. The stimulus is what matters.
For program logging that accommodates both powerlifting and strongman sessions in the same training cycle, visit Gladiator Lift — where you can track maximal effort barbell work alongside event training in a unified log.
The Bottom Line
Strongman training is not a distraction from powerlifting. Done intelligently, it's one of the most effective tools for breaking through powerlifting plateaus — particularly in the deadlift and squat. The athletes who are willing to step outside the platform and swing a keg or carry a yoke tend to return to the platform notably stronger.
The commitment required is modest: one day per week, or strongman substituted for traditional accessory work. The return — a more complete posterior chain, better bracing under load, stronger grip, and a higher ceiling for all three competition lifts — is worth the investment.