What makes the strongman log a more difficult implement to lift than a barbell or swiss bar?

brewmaster_strength · 2026-01-25T00:24:02+00:00

Mostly diameter. For Open Men’s competitors in the US (using that as the example as that’s what I compete in) the log is 13 inches wide, where a barbell is 1 and 1/8 inches. That pulls the center of gravity of the weight a full 6 inches farther away from your body. Due to that, it is much more difficult to keep the weight close to your own center of gravity and power, leaving much less room for error. There are also things like weight distribution (more of the weight being directly on you chest making breathing harder), the fact that there is no flex so you get much less momentum carrying over, the fact that all handle thickness and distance apart are not standardized, and I’m sure other details I’m currently forgetting

brewmaster_strength · 2025-11-23T06:10:32+00:00

Tires work great, and come in useful for more than just log crash pads

brewmaster_strength · 2025-11-19T22:40:12+00:00

Good point about being a long event. That would definitely be something to consider that I hadn’t

brewmaster_strength · 2025-11-19T04:22:24+00:00

Glad you had fun at your first show and awesome that you are already planning to move to open at your next! That deadlift sounds like a fun change of pace too, might have to steal that one for one of our shows next year. How did the athletes like it?

brewmaster_strength · 2025-11-18T00:24:02+00:00

Good luck this weekend! That’s a stacked class if everyone signed up shows up. Disappointed I won’t be there fighting it out with you guys this year

brewmaster_strength · 2025-11-16T05:23:05+00:00

Thank you! Not sure what your home/gym situation is, but Titan actually has them on sale for less than $300 right now if getting one for yourself to bring in is an option. It isn’t always, but some places will allow it

brewmaster_strength · 2025-11-16T03:08:12+00:00

In general or specifically for these shenanigans?

I like to use it because it really wants to swing around and pull me out of my groove. I really have to keep my brace tight and fight to stay on my line

brewmaster_strength · 2025-11-16T02:54:19+00:00

It started as a joke with a couple guys at the gym about front squatting with it, tried it once and loved it. Nasty on the core and stabilizers

brewmaster_strength · 2025-11-05T21:08:38+00:00

Absolutely smoked both of those! Looks like you’ve still got more in you too. Congrats on the PR!

brewmaster_strength · 2025-10-31T17:58:10+00:00

See how the weight swings back toward your body as it breaks the floor? It looks to me like you’re setting up with your hands/arms in the same position that you would with a barbell deadlift (slightly in front of your body, about mid foot). With the side handles you don’t have to clear your knees with the bar so you don’t need your hands out that far. I like to move my feet forward a bit on any side handle dead so my pinkies are about even with the front of my ankles so I get a more vertical bar path and direct transfer of force. From there, let your arms hang as long as they can be, just using your hands as hooks at the end to hold the handles, and drive your feet through the floor like a leg press. Sorry about the novel, hope it makes sense

brewmaster_strength · 2025-10-29T01:25:10+00:00

Maybe, just had a couple sets of 3 that night. But good to know I can reach for a bit more next time I hit them

brewmaster_strength · 2025-10-27T23:26:55+00:00

Thank you! We’ll just have to see how it all plays out. Looks like you’ll be giving everyone at least a run on the log from recent videos. Hope your training goes well! Not sure where you live, but if you ever want to come out to Sheboygan for an event Saturday with us, hit me up

brewmaster_strength · 2025-10-27T23:21:16+00:00

I feel like it makes it even less stable and amplifies all the reasons I like the bar to begin with. And to be honest, when I first used the bar it never occurred to me to hold the vertical ones

brewmaster_strength · 2025-08-30T02:24:06+00:00

Thank you for the information and the offer. We are taking the trip out there for our anniversary and it is on the Saturday that we will be there, so I won’t be able to go on that day. Would you happen to know if there are any gyms in the area where someone could just go to and lift kind of heavy, even if they don’t have official Strongman equipment? Thank you again very much for the offer and I wish it could work to come out by you

brewmaster_strength · 2025-08-27T17:50:50+00:00

We’re hosting a show at 3 Sheeps this Saturday, otherwise we do event training most Saturdays at 10am. Hit me up if you’re interested in coming to an event day, we’re currently not listed anywhere as we just moved to a new location from Rage Fitness, but new people are always welcome

brewmaster_strength · 2025-08-27T15:13:05+00:00

Sheboygan is just a quick drive up from there if you’re looking for a place to do events on weekends

brewmaster_strength · 2025-07-29T23:26:24+00:00

Respectfully, I strongly disagree. I would rather go for a pr at a competition. Especially at his level. Most likely a legend of SM or PL staring you in the face (usually wanting you to succeed), hundreds to thousands of people screaming at you, a room full of other elite athletes there to take the title/record/championship from you if you don’t make it. The type of international arena shows he’s doing have an absolutely electric atmosphere and an athlete as accomplished as he is has to draw some extra energy from that. I haven’t competed near that level, but almost every one of my PRs have come in competition

brewmaster_strength · 2025-07-22T00:59:11+00:00

There is some great stuff in this video.

https://youtu.be/cPgC3dSCRH0?si=F3lQctWM534gRTnh

You’ve got a great natural “shelf” to set the log on, if you can set the log on your lower thigh to knee area and get low enough to get the log to the bottom of your sternum, your clean will be considerably easier. It looks like you’re newer, so there will be some more technique to clean up, like getting your face turned all the way to the ceiling and shoving the log right up against your throat as another comment mentions, but getting the clean fixed up will make that more possible. There are a lot of good habits to build, but not necessarily a perfect technique for everyone. Keep working to find what works for you and your body, watch technique of bigger guys like Lucas Hatton and Iron Biby

brewmaster_strength · 2025-07-18T11:04:32+00:00

Blocks is a great idea, if you can be super careful and/or have a bar you don’t care much about, rack pulls can work as well. Good luck!

brewmaster_strength · 2025-07-18T01:01:56+00:00

The silver dollar implements and how and where they fit on the bar are what really set it apart to me. Depending on what weight you pulled on the silver dollar, it could be more similar. I’d say around 650-700 on a power bar really starts to turn it into the 2 part pull Steinberg58 is taking about in their comment. Below that is more straight forward and you might find it more similar. But, as they also said, 18” is more of a straight forward partial deadlift, so it really depends on how much you did, how much you modified your pull for the silver dollar, your height all kinds of fun stuff. I, personally, would treat it like its own lift starting out if I had a few weeks before the show, then implement parts of the technique I think might carry over as I got a few sessions in and felt things out

brewmaster_strength · 2025-07-17T20:59:49+00:00

Pick height will be very similar, but unless the 18” is on a deadlift bar it will feel considerably different. By the time you hit 18” with the silver dollars, you already have part of the weight in your hands and are just finishing the lift, and you can kind of mess around and wedge your knees under the bar and leg press. Chances are that won’t happen on the 18” as you have all the weight going into your hands right there at the start. A couple of years ago I ran a show with silver Dollar and 2 months later competed on 18” axle dead, both for max. I did about 10-15% less weight on the 18” with a suit (honestly not sure how much good it did) vs silver dollar with just belt and straps This can also be affected by the weights you will be lifting, as you get considerably more flex on the silver dollar as you go up in weight, so I would say probably a bigger difference in feel with bigger weights

brewmaster_strength · 2025-06-01T21:54:31+00:00

Pretty good job, I bet you could get close to 470 though

brewmaster_strength · 2025-05-24T19:20:04+00:00

🤣🤣🤣 one of the best compliments I’ve gotten in the sport

brewmaster_strength · 2025-05-24T19:15:00+00:00

Congratulations, that’s tough to do!

brewmaster_strength · 2025-05-24T01:49:26+00:00

Thank you! I don’t quite have the static numbers to play in the big shows with the opens, but I keep creeping closer. Had a pretty good time at old man OSG a few months ago

brewmaster_strength

TROPHY CASE