Lift like a strong man: build brute strength with these nine gym-friendly strongman lifts, courtesy of American strongman Mark Philippi

The lifts performed by the world's strongest men are demanding full-body movements that--when executed over a period of time--can result in a dramatic increase in overall strength, not to mention a crushing grip and a high anaerobic capacity. Even if you're not training for an actual strongman competition (which we assume most of you aren't), occasionally working such lifts into your routine will add another dimension to your training and help you build more muscle.

Only one problem: Where are the enormous tires, Atlas stones and harness-rigged semitrucks when you need them? Safe to say, your gym doesn't supply such training devices.

No worries, because you can mimic these lifts with nothing more than the barbells, dumbbells and benches at your local gym. To help modify the tire flip, truck pull, Hercules hold anda number of other traditional strong-man events, we sought advice from Mark Philippi, renowned American strongman competitor, trainer, and owner and director of Philippi Sports Institute (Las Vegas). Philippi incor-porates many of the strongman lifts into his training using traditional exercise equipment. The following movements are some of his favorites.

Plate Stack Row

STRONGMAN EQUIVALENT: Atlas Stones

MOVEMENT TYPE: Pull

PHILIPPI'S TAKE: "Learning to get position on a stone is one of those things that takes practice, and there's no substitute for a perfectly spherical object that wants to roll out of your arms. This modified version is a full-body movement and is designed to help with the pulling portion of the lift."

EXECUTION: Start with a stack of 45-pound plates (you determine the weight you want to lift, but at least three plates are required for this exercise to mimic the real thing). Place the stack of 45s on a 10-pound plate so your fingers can get underneath. Straddle the stack with your feet just outside the plates and your toes in line with the plate holes. With your knees slightly bent, grasp the stack with your fingers underneath and your palms against the sides. Pull the plates to your chest as if you were doing a bent-over row.

VOLUME: Perform 4-5 sets of six reps with as much weight as you can handle.

Barbell Snatch

STRONGMAN EQUIVALENT: Keg Toss

MOVEMENT TYPE: Whole body

PHILIPPI'S TAKE: "There are several different throwing events in strongman (keg toss, caber toss, etc.). If the event involves starting with a weight between the legs followed by an overhead thrust, doing heavy dumbbell or kettlebell swings is your best bet. If you can release the object, use a heavy weighted medicine ball. But for overall hip power, which is needed for all throwing movements, the snatch is the perfect gym exercise."

EXECUTION: Grasp a barbell on the floor with your hands well outside shoulder width, placing your feet slightly wider than shoulder width. Bend your hips and knees; start with your head and chest up and your arms fully extended. Initiate the lift as explosively as possible by extending your hips and knees while pulling the bar off the floor. As the bar reaches chest height, squat down and continue pressing the bar upward until it's completely overhead and your arms are fully extended. Stand up the rest of the way to complete the lift, then return the weight to the floor.

VOLUME: Do 4-5 sets of 4-6 reps.

Olympic Bar Hold

STRONGMAN EQUIVALENT:

Grip Events

MOVEMENT TYPE: Grip/forearms (affects pulling exercises)

PHILIPPI'S TAKE: "Many strongman events require superior grip strength, but for some, grip is the determining factor. There are several ways to improve grip strength; the Olympic bar hold is a favorite because controlling the bar in your hands in half the battle."

EXECUTION: This can be done with one or two bars simultaneously. Start by standing with a loaded Olympic bar on a rack at your side (or on the floor if no rack is available); ideally, position the bar just past arm's length when standing straight up. Grasp the exact middle of the bar and unrack it (or stand straight up with it if you're starting from the floor). Let the bar hang at your side with your arm extended as long as you can. The bar will twist and teeter back and forth due to its length, making this a very tough exercise. If you're doing the two-arm version, simply hold a barbell in each hand.

VOLUME: For each arm, do 3-4 sets, where one set consists of holding the bar for as long as possible (to failure).

Lateral Dumbbell Hold

STRONGMAN EQUIVALENT:Crucifix

MOVEMENT TYPE: Angle

PHILIPPI'S TAKE: "This is another tough event that requires discipline and willpower, and it's an easy one to replicate in the gym. It's really nothing more than an isometric lateral raise, but it requires a lot of grip and shoulder strength as well as muscular endurance. The Crucifix can entail holding an object in excess of 30-40 pounds palms up or palms down, so your training needs to address this."

EXECUTION: Start with your feet about shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent, holding a pair of moderately weighted dumbbells at your sides with your palms forward. Lift the dumbbells out to your sides--as when doing lateral raises--until your arms are fully extended and about parallel to the floor. Hold this position for as long as you can (to failure); that's one set. Alternate between a palms-up and palms-in grip