7 Reasons to Start Lifting Stones
The sport of strongman continues to grow and becomes more and more exciting all the time. Each year, more and more amateur competitors enter the ranks, shooting for the stars and the chance to get their pro card. Many say the biggest attraction about the sport of strongman is the tremendous test of raw, brute strength, lifting the mighty atlas stones.
We did our first strongman contest in 2003 and in that contest was the atlas stone event. We had no atlas stones to train with, so instead we got beer kegs and filled them with sand to get as close to the odd object feeling of the stones as possible so that we could be prepared.
Shortly after that contest, we got our own stones and we have loved stone lifting ever since. They have been an exciting form of training to go back to every so often for that spark that breaks up the training program and brings about challenges amongst one another in our crew. In fact this past weekend, I went back to stone lifting, going after my 405-lb stone. You can see the video here ==> Diesel Stone Lifting, Kettlebells, and Phone Book Tearing.
Many people at the gym are stuck in a boring routine they have done for years. It’s all they know. They are dying for something new to come into their workout lives. I firmly believe that they would enjoy the feeling and challenge of stone training as much as we do here at Diesel Crew. While there’s dozens of reasons to include stone lifting in your training, here are the top seven reasons to start doing it today.
Please send your friends who are suffering from the most boring workout ever this way and we here at Diesel will show them what they are missing. Until then…
Here are the top 7 reasons to lift stones
1. Manly Fun
What do you think of when you see a giant freakin’ rock? You think about how massive the sucker is. You wonder how the hell it even got there. You think, man, I want to try to lift that thing.
Stone lifting is just plain fun. Picking them up and throwing them around makes you feel good and makes you look forward to the next stone workout.
2. Super Strong Back
Most personal trainers will tell you to keep your back straight when lifting weights. While this is a good idea to a degree, the fact is real life situations don’t always involve setting your back in perfect posture.
Breaking a tackle, pushing your car out of the mud, loading the keg into the kegerator, flipping your friend’s Honda, fighting a bear – sometimes, your back is going to be rounded. Atlas stone lifting puts you in the round back position and prepares you for real life force production.
3. Killer Instinct
You have to be somewhat of a psycho in order to lift stones. Your mind has to be just mixed up enough to put yourself through the tasty torture of stone lifting.
There is pain involved as the stone scrapes off your forearm skin. But the pain also brings power, and when you start improving and begin lifting heavier and heavier stones, it’s the biggest rush you can have. Nothing matches the feeling of lifting a new PR stone – bungee jumping, asking out a chick, robbing a bank – nothing else comes close.
4. Monster Core Strength
You might not get a rock hard six pack from lifting stones, but you can bet the rest of your core that actually matters is going to be solid. There won’t be any worries about strength in your lower back, lats, hammies, and glutes after a few months of stone training.
5. Big Meaty Arms and Shoulders
Stone lifting involves a great deal of pulling and stabilizing throughout the full range of the lift. This time under tension pumps your arms up and inflates the shoulders. Your shoulders will be so wide after stone lifting that you’ll be blocking out the sun and they’ll be showing drive-in movies off your back.
6. Get the Reputation of a Bad Ass
There’s no need to grow a stove pipe mullet to show you are an intimidating S.O.B. Lifting stones for fun will set you apart from everybody else!
The whole neighborhood is going to refer to you as that crazy guy that lifts stones. If people can’t find your house, just tell them to ask one of the neighbors who the strongman is. At least that’s what I do. Prepare to be the talk of the town.
7. Athleticism

The force needed to shoulder stones and load them onto platforms simulates the very important athletic movement pattern of triple extension – the near simultaneous straightening of the ankles, knees, and hips, which is responsible for many powerful movements in sports.
Triple extension is responsible for movements like sprinting, leaping, bounding and other sports power movements. Start lifting stones and you’ll be playing above the rim, leaping over linemen and speeding around the base path.
Specific Training for Strongman Contests
I know you want to try out a strongman contest – everyone does. The sport is so awesome, you can’t resist it. But you’re pretty much guaranteed that the atlas stones are going to be an event, so you might as well start training them today. While we used sand-filled kegs for a degree of success at our first strongman contest, the best thing is to get your hands on the real thing and either buy or make your own atlas stones.
Injury prevention is important, and make no mistake about it, Stone Lifting involves a bit of risk, especially if you have no idea how to lift stones with proper form.
For that reason, it is important to train with a coach or a partner that already knows what they are doing.
If you don’t have either of those, then we have the perfect stone lifting resource for you.
Check out our Diesel Stone Lifting Fundamentals DVD. This DVD will tell you everything you need to know about how to get started in stone lifting, how to do it without getting injured, and how to excel to the next level.
What is your number one reason for lifting stones? Post it below in the comment section!
All the best in your training,
-Jedd-
Articles You Might Also Like:
- Diesel Stone Lifting Chronicles – Part 1
- How to Begin Training with the Atlas Stones
- More Medley Training for Serious Athletes
- It’s Not How Much You Lift – It’s About…
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November 12th, 2009 at 6:51 am
Big time mental training.
November 12th, 2009 at 8:10 am
Because its a work out in 1 lift, and because its one of the most fun and productive ways to train I know of!
November 12th, 2009 at 8:58 am
I’d say the Killer Instinct and to Mix Things Up would be two main reasons for me. I actually poured a 175-lb. Slater Stone and can’t get the thing off the ground (it’s my body weight). I’m going to go through AMD and then probably get your DVD on stone lifting…also am still working on gripwork from your nail bending book, I’m amazed at how BIG grip is for strength, you’d think after years of working out I should have known that!
November 12th, 2009 at 9:02 am
I never really thought about lifting stones! It was fun to watch my freind Kaz do it. It was fun to watch the guys at the Arnold do it when I was doing medical coverage…but I never thought about doing it myself…that is until I read your post!
I know that if I incorporate the stones with my workout group they’ll think I’m nuts…but then somedays they think that anyway.
November 12th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Test of manhood
Each stone is a new and unique challenge
Most importantly; it de-pussifies you.
November 12th, 2009 at 11:58 am
There is something primitive about stone training that brings out the beast in us. It develops that raw, natural strength that I imagine barbarians and cavemen had.
Picking up a round stone is also awkward and requires some technique to master it… it’s cool to be able to pick up a stone that a larger, stronger guy can’t budge b/c he hasn’t learned the movement!
November 12th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
There are several rocks I train with when I’m away from home, theres no other way to train really besides jogging (I’d rather carry a rock) no gyms in the area ect. plus with the way many gyms are these days (no hard training allowed), it’s better to learn how to use these gifts provided for us to build stronger minds and bodies.
This has me thinking about survival also, you never know if or when you could loose everything you have, for me training would help me survive, so I’d train with rocks.
November 12th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
One of the top reasons I lift them is because they’re there and I can.
November 12th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Joe, I am with you on that one, my man. If you don’t have it in the head, then you will not lift that stone!
-Jedd-
November 12th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Guy,
I hear you brother. Very good point. One lift can comprise your entire workout!
-Jedd-
November 12th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
TNT,
The grip component was hit hard by the stone lifting, for sure. I want to get a smaller stone in the 100 pound range and just hit rows with it for that lower arm burn I get from cradling the stone.
-Jedd-
November 12th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Bill,
You should try it out for sure. I think you will love it.
-Jedd-
November 12th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
Max,
De-pussifying. Great word brother!
-Jedd-
November 12th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
Josh,
Animalistic, man! Yeah!
-Jedd-
November 12th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Luke,
Stones are our gifts from the earth – I love it!
-Jedd-
November 12th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
Stew,
Thanks for stopping by and posting, my man. Come back any time!
-Jedd-
November 14th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
I lift stones because it is difficult. Also because me and my two training partners are the only people we know personally, that will even consider it. Thanks to all you guys out there, you are incredibly motivating!
November 14th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
That’s awesome, Bill. Thanks for posting, bro!
November 18th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Chicks dig the stones, men envy the stones, neighbors always ask about the stones. My dad thinks it’s cool, wife thinks they look great in the yard.They are fun. Most people won’t even try them.
January 3rd, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Stones work work, and sotne lifting gives a rush.
May 11th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
To be a MAN among men, you’ve got to lift heavy stones. There is no substitute.
February 10th, 2011 at 12:00 am
I actually got a stone lift PR yesturday 114kg stone with a 5 kg plate on top loaded to platform and 114kg stone with 10kg plate on top 3/4 loaded twice.Stones are cool.
October 2nd, 2011 at 2:14 am
I made my own atlas stone a couple of weeks ago and i love it . Its also nice to find out that im not the only guy lifting stones around my area im the only one and everybody thinks im crazy
October 2nd, 2011 at 10:29 am
I hear ya brother! I am in the same boat.
November 27th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
[…] MORE INFORMATION: The author’s website is dedicated to developing strength. For more information on how to apply radiant tension, check out the author’s recent grip strength article. If more full body strength is what you are after, check out the author’s articles on strongman training. […]
June 30th, 2012 at 10:02 pm
To clean out my garden…… All joking aside, that is where I actually stumbled upon atlas stone lifting. I was looking into different styles of training and strongman came up. One night on my front lawn I noticed a stone that we put in our garden about 6-7 years ago. I tried to push it with my foot only to realize how deep it was. Long story short, dug it up and was about 150lbs. Shit always starts somewhere!! OUT!
July 6th, 2012 at 5:26 am
Stone lifting is real world strength!
Jedd