5 Great Exercises Named After Strongmen

There comes a time in your training career when you need to make a good few exercise changes and routine alterations to kickstart your gains again. Seeing as we always have great fondness for writing about strongman stuff here at Keep Fit Kingdom, we thought we’d share a few exercises named after famous strongmen to help you add a little bit more variation to your training.  Read of for these 5 Great Exercises Named After Strongmen!

1. Z Press

We have four-times World’s Strongest Man winner Zydrunas Savickas to thank for this excellent pressing variation. It’s a press he has used in his routines for building his tremendous pushing power. Savickas definitely knows a thing or two about training shoulder strength; he owns the log lift world record of 228kg. Try this out to feel how hard your core and shoulder muscles get blasted without any assistance from your legs!

2. Svend Karlsen Crucifix Flyes

The Crucifix Hold is a challenging test of static strength and often appears in Strongman competitions. Norwegian strongman Svend “Viking Power” Karlsen used this unique exercise to build necessary upper body strength for this event. Watch the video as the legend himself teaches you how to do it. This is an exercise that you can easily slot into your shoulder training sessions.

3. Kaz Press

Chances are you are familiar with the Smith machine, but we bet that you’ve never seen anyone do this exercise on it while you’re at the gym. Named after Bill Kazmaier, who won 3 consecutive World’s Strongest Man titles (1980-82), this one will definitely add some beef to your triceps. Keep your elbows tight towards your body while you perform this press/extension combination.

4. Karlsen Squats

Another exercise named after Svend “Viking Power” Karlsen makes it onto our list. This variation uses the Hack squat machine and has you facing into it rather than away from it. It works well after doing barbell squats and it’s quite effective at targeting your quads.

5. Poundstone Curls

Okay so maybe this one isn’t an exercise per se, but rather a deceptively simple challenge named after American strongman Derek Poundstone. The good news is all you’re going to need is an empty 7 foot Olympic bar.  The bad news is that you’ve got to do 100 curls without putting the bar down. Your biceps and forearms will be screaming for mercy even at the halfway point of this challenge!

Give these exercises a try if you’re seeking to stimulate some extra growth of strength and muscle or if your training has reached a plateau or gone stale. Look out for our article about exercises named after famous bodybuilders, coming soon! What different kinds of exercises have you found works for you to blast out of stagnation in your iron game?  Let us know below, join in the conversation on Facebook and follow us on TwitterInstagram!  (More iron required? Then check out these: Bodybuilding Legends, our review of World Strongest Man – Eddie Hall’s book and our review of the film: The Perfect Physique!)

Alan Riseborough

Alan is a strength and physique enthusiast and has 28 years' of training experience behind him. He has competed in powerlifting, arm wrestling, bodybuilding and grip strength competitions. He also includes rigorous bodyweight, sprinting and kettlebell training regularly in his routines. He believes in the transformative power of the squat which is (believe it or not) his favourite exercise!

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