My name is Steve Slater. I developed the Slater’s Stone Mold and I have made many world record atlas stones for the best competitors and the best strongman competitions in the world.

Making stones for this level of competition involves a painstaking process in order to control many variables.

In reality, if you are going to make stones, you might as well make them to the best of your ability. After all, you want your homemade atlas stones to be something you can be proud of, train with for years, and show off to visitors who come to your facility.

With all of that in mind, I’d like to share with you some of the steps I have found to work the best in making high quality stones. I am convinced that if you too follow these steps, you will also be able to make stones worthy of being used in competitions on some of the biggest stages, so here we go…

Strength and Resiliency of the Stone

When you make a world record stone, it has to be strong, have a clean surface and be well balanced or attempting to lift it can be disastrous.

Some of the world record stones have as much as 300 pounds of lead added into the center of the stone, so you need to make sure the stone is strong enough to hold this large amount of lead to avoid any cracking or breaking.

In addition, the surface of the stone must be smooth and solid in order for tacky to work properly.

The Story of the Disintegrating Stone

In the way of stone making, I have made my share of mistakes and that’s one of the reasons why I’m writing this article so you don’t. I can remember when I made the record breaking stone for the world’s strongest woman, Jill Mills. I did not finish the surface properly and used a standard grade concrete, which resulted in the tacky pulling off of the surface of the stone while Jill was lifting it during the world record attempt.

I will never forget when, in front of thousands of spectators, after Jill attempted to lift the stone and failed, Jill said, “Steve the stone is falling apart!”

Jill Mills

She was able to lift the stone on the second attempt, and when she finished she had small chunks of concrete and dust all over her arms and hands that the tacky had pulled off the stone. The weak stone surface made the lift more difficult because the tacky wasn’t able to work properly.

Since this incident, I have come up with a solution to this problem. In this article I will explain the techniques to making a stronger, more efficient stone.

How to Make Atlas Stones

After determining the stone size you want to make, the first step is to purchase the appropriate Slater’s Stone Mold. Keep in mind, Slater’s offers inserts to alter the weight of your stone.

For now, we’ll focus on making a stone without any inserts.

Step One: Lubricating the Mold

Lube the inside of the mold. We suggest silicone or Triflow Teflon, both of which you can purchase from Slater’s.

Spray it on, and use a paper towel or rag to spread it evenly inside the mold. I then put the mold together, and tape it using 2-3” Gorilla Tape.

While doing this, I check inside the mold several times to make sure that no gap has occurred at the parting line which is the seam where the mold comes together. If a gap has been created, I press down on the mold while I apply more tape to that area. When in doubt of how much tape to apply, use more.

Step Two: Shrink Wrapping the Mold

The next step is shrink-wrapping the mold. We offer a 5” shrink wrap, which allows for easy wrapping. Wrapping the mold is not only to support the mold, but to keep the concrete from sticking to the surface of it, by creating a barrier that you can remove.

After the mold is wrapped, place it in two old car tires, so that it is supported when you pour the concrete into the mold. Using two tires instead of one will make sure that the bottom of the mold will not touch the ground and result in a flat spot on the bottom of the stone.

Step Three – Mixing the Concrete

The next step is to mix the concrete. I have a special complicated concrete formula that I use for my Slater’s Stones. However, I will explain a more basic formula for you to make your own quality stones.

Quikrete 5000 works well or any type of Sakrete concrete mix. You may also add Portland cement to the mix to add extra strength. This is also a good product to use to make the mixture thicker if it turns out to be very wet.

To mix the concrete, I prefer a concrete mixer, but a hoe and wheelbarrow will also work. As another efficient and inexpensive option, we also offer a reusable concrete mixing bag.

How Much Concrete?

Make sure to buy the same weight in concrete that you want your stone to weigh, so that you have extra in case you spill some or make any other mistakes along the way. You will have some extra because the water you add to the mix will account for some weight too.

How Much Water?

For example, if you are making a 150 pound stone, buy 150 pounds of concrete. For a solid mixture, add about 1 gallon of water per 80 pounds of concrete mix. Combine these two parts completely so it is a smooth mix, not soupy and not clumpy. If it is soupy add some Portland cement or more dry concrete mix.

Pouring the Concrete into the Mold

Once you have everything prepared, add the mixed concrete into the mold, using a funnel. You want to add the mix in small batches. I prefer to add the concrete in about 90 pound increments because it is standard for concrete mix to come in 80 pound bags and the water accounts for about 10 lbs.

Once I add 90 lbs in I will shake the mold and slightly bounce it to get the mix to settle. I then mix up more concrete and once I add the next batch I will probe a broom handle up and down and stir some to blend the two mixes together. Then I will shake the mold and slightly bounce it again.

I do this until the mold is filled. Once it is completely filled I will add some more mix to slightly over fill the mold. I will then let it sit for 10 minuets or so and then go back to the mold and press some slightly dry mix into the mold if water has settled to the top. This will help to force some water out.

There are times when I will press a brick into the full mold thus pushing some of the mix tighter to the side of the mold walls helping to make a smoother top surface. If I do the brick technique I will also top it off as I described above. I will then tap the mold with a rubber mallet around 50 to 100 times driving more water out. You will probably need to add some more dry mix to the top after the tapping to keep the water from settling to the top. Too much water on the top can cause weakness on that part of the stone or an excessive flat spot (or both).

I usually keep the mold together for 2-3 days if it the temperature outside is above 60 degrees or so. If it is colder out, or if the ambient temperature of your building or room is less than 50 degrees, then I will leave the stone packaged to sit for 5 days.

Once the two to five days have passed, it is time to remove the mold. The first step is to remove the tape and use the provided tap stick to separate the mold. I also have a mold release I use that is available on Slatershardware.com to make the separation process easier, called High-Performance Mold Release (12oz).

What if There Are Holes in the Stone?

Occasionally, after removing the mold, the atlas stone will have some holes. If you do have some holes in the stone you can patch them with concrete resurfacer. I make sure I wet the stone prior to adding the resurfacer and I only add it to the holes. I then take an old damp t-shirt or cloth and pull it across the filled holes. This will help to push the mix into the holes and wipe it off the solid surface of the stone. You really don’t want the patch on the solid surface of the stone as it will most likely come off on your tacky while you lift the stone. Be accurate and conservative when applying the patch. Fill the holes but don’t get it all over the place.

Training with Your New Atlas Stone

I always suggest waiting at least 5 days before training with new stones. Stones need time to dry, and 5 days is usually a pretty safe bet, especially if you will be dropping them from shoulder height or off platforms. After all, you do not want to damage the stone you just worked so hard at building.

I hope this article proves to be helpful for you in making your atlas stones. Stone lifting is an extremely beneficial activity if you are interested in developing serious real world strength that is applicable to other forms of training and other sports.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.

Stay Strong.

Steve Slater

Get Your Atlas Stone Molds: Slater Stone Molds

Need to Learn Stone Lifting Technique? Pick up the Fundamentals of Stone Lifting DVD.

Want to go even further with implementing Strongman Training in your program? Check out the Introduction to Strongman Training DVD – click the banner below.

Stone Lifting is a part of many strongman contests.

If you don’t know what you are doing, you can get your ass handed to you and end up with serious injuries.

It was for this reason that Smitty and I set out to put together a resource that new strongman competitors could use to learn the proper techniques for lifting atlas stones.

The idea was to produce something that would give new competitors the information they needed to keep them safe and injury free in the beginning and then go on to dominate as time went on.

A while back, we received this testimonial / review about our Stone Lifting Fundamentals DVD from Rob Russell in Yorkshire. Check out what he had to say, below.

CHECK OUT THIS KILLER POST AFTER THE JUMP (more…)

Be Ready for Anything at Your First Strongman Competition

Obviously ya gotta have the basics like clothes and shoes, but there are plenty of other things that you should have with you so you are able to capitilize on all the hard training you have done.

I’ve gotten to strongman comps and not been prepared. I don’t want that to happen to any of you, so recently, I started this series, “13 Things You Need for Your First Strongman Contest.”

(Here is part one ==> Strongman Contest & Part II ==> Strongman Equipment)

Below is Part III, the final chapter in this series.

What did I miss???  If you have any other suggestions, leave a comment below!

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

Chalk

You need to bring your own chalk when you go to your first strongman contest. You just can’t rely on the promoter to have enough available. All the guys competing are going to be using it. Sure enough, there’s always a dude that isn’t happy with a block of chalk so he crushes the entire thing in his hand and turns it to dust. Next thing you know, a strong wind picks up and half the block of chalk blows down the parking lot like a tumbleweed in the desert.

So, this is what you need to do. Get yourself a decent size Rubbermaid container or other plastic container with a lid that snaps on really tight. Stick the chalk block in this container and keep it with you. The container should fit pretty well right into your bag that you take to the contest.

Another thing that we did for years is put a garbage bag inside a pail and then threw the chalk inside the garbage bag. When we needed chalk it was all right there. We could stick our hands down inside the bucket and chalk up real well and since the pail was nice and high, any dust would just get caught in the garbage bag and we would not lose any of the dust down the prairie…

Sun Block

At the very beginning of the day, you should load up on sun block prior to the contest, especially if you are competing outside. The worst thing that can happen during an outside strongman contest is getting sunburned. Sunburn leaves you dehydrated and fatigued – two things that make your strength levels plummet.

I usually competed with a tee shirt on, so I would make sure to cover my arms thoroughly, as well as coating my nose and face. I would also often wear a baseball hat during the contest, so my head was covered. I do not recommend applying sun block to your forehead, especially if you sweat a lot and definitely not if you have water proof sun block. If the water proof sun block gets into your eyes, it can be very difficult to get out of them. I have actually heard of people who have had to go to the emergency room because water proof unblock ended up getting into their eyes and doctors had to use a special solution to get it out of their eyes.

Remember what Terry Silver tells Daniel in Karate Kid Part III. If a man can’t see, he can’t fight. He can’t very well win a strongman contest either.

Change of Clothes

If you are pushing the fluids and pushing your limits, you are going to be sweating your ass off. For that reason, you should have at least one full change of clothes that you can jump into about half way through the competition. I’m talking everything from head to toe – not just a different tee shirt and shorts.

If you are going to be driving several hours back home after the contest like we used to do then you probably want to have another extra set of clothes for the drive back.

Foam Roller

Warm-up is important for being successful at your first Strongman comp. Make sure you warm up the right way. Pack your foam roller, dense medicine ball, or pipe made of cardboard or PVC. This will get your soft tissue right before the comp.

I’ll tell you another reason to have a foam roller with you at a strongman comp. In 2005, I did a backwards truck pull. My quads swelled up so bad from the ridiculous pump, that I couldn’t even move afterwards. In fact, I am convinced that I would not have been able to continue if I had not gotten Rick Walker to stretch me out. I am also convinced that if I’d had my foam roller there, I would have been able to loosen back up my quicker.

Jump Stretch Bands

Again, warm-up is important. You don’t want to head into one of the events cold or you could end up getting injured and being unable to finish the contest. What I would do is carry some purple Jump Stretch Bands right in my equipment bag that I could pull out and hit some reps with to get warmed up prior to the event. I liked to hit squats, good mornings, rows, military press, flyes, etc to get the blood flowing before going out to lift.

Stone Tacky for Hands & Arms

If the stones are in the contest, then you are going to need tacky in order to keep a level playing field with the rest of the competitors. Everybody uses it. You are going to need it, and you never know if the other competitors are going to let you borrow it or be a prick about it. Get some and keep it in your cooler until just before the stone event. You want it to stay sticky so it helps adhere your skin to the stones. If you leave it out, it will get greasy and will not offer much for improving your grip or speed in the stones.

Spray Tacky for Shoes

Believe it or not, some promoters will allow you to spray your hands with spray tack for stone flipping. They will also sometimes allow you to spray the bottoms of your shoes. We attended one strongman contest held an ice hockey rink. The ice was covered with a very slippery layer of plastic covering, and the competitors could spry the bottom of their shoes to keep from losing their traction in events like the tire flip and keg run.

Tacky Remover

You’re going to need something to get the tacky off your hands and arms after the atlas stone event. You don’t want that stuff all over the rest of your gear, your car, and your girlfriend. Unfortunately, many people do not know how to remove tacky once they are done with it. Don’t scrub for half an hour with soap and water – remove that stuff in minutes with some baby oil gel. Put a generous amount on your hand and rub vigorously over the area with tacky. After rubbing, wipe off with a towel and most of the tacky will be cleared off. There may still be some spots here and there, so just apply more gel.

Once you clean off the tacky with the gel, then is a good time to hit the soap and water. This is good to do in order to make sure that you get all the gel off your hands before the next event. Leftover gel will make holding things very difficult if you don’t get it all the way off, so attention to detail is important here.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

Well, my friends, there you go. 13 total things you need to have with you in your bag when you go to your first strongman contest. Now, obviously this is not and exhaustive list. Many people have already left suggestions in comments in the other two posts, including first aid kits and other things.

If you have any more suggestions that will help other new strongman competitors in the Diesel Community, please post them in the comments section below.

You guys really know your stuff, as evidenced by the post on how to do a muscle-up.

Blew me away! Thanks for your comments and thanks for your support!

Until next time, all the best in your training!

-Jedd-

P.S. If your first contest has the Atlas Stones for an event, you might want to check out our Stone Lifting DVD. It has everything you need to know to prepare you for “the stones,” including how to apply tacky, various techniques for lifting the stones off the ground, how to load stones and how to incorporate stone lifts in your daily lifting routine.

Check it out here Stone Lifting Fundamentals DVD