If you thought testosterone was only important in men, you'd be mistaken. For example, the genitals may not enlarge, facial and body hair may be scant, and the voice may not deepen normally. Adolescent boys with too little testosterone may not experience normal masculinization. The pituitary gland then relays signals to the testes to produce testosterone. Signals sent from the brain to the pituitary gland at the base of the brain control the production of testosterone in men.
These closely resemble the awkward nature of things you might have to lift daily. In short, strongmen are equal-opportunity lifters, and every object we encounter in the wild is a worthy candidate for lifting. If you invest most of your energy in these lifts, the rest will be much easier as you progress in the sport. There are a small handful of essential lifts that pay dividends.
However, if you want to get even more from your time at the gym, I highly recommend lifting more awkward objects like sandbags, atlas stones, and logs. The equipment used to accomplish these exercises ranges from traditional barbells to wacky stuff like cars, huge stones, log presses, and even refrigerators! I also knew the four pillars of weight loss are essentially cardio, strength training, nutrition, and hydration. My total testosterone levels were in the 70s, which is way below the normal range for men. After getting a full blood panel done, I found out that my testosterone levels were in the absolute gutter. After a trip to Medellín, Colombia, with my brother in December 2022, I got my testosterone levels checked.
If it’s too easy, apply the parking brake lightly. If it’s too hard, have them build some momentum. Now, you can drag the tub around your yard, adding weight as needed. If you have some tools and know how to turn a wrench, you can buy 4x4s and pipe from a hardware store to make your own and get some weights. Sandbags carry over very well to stones and you can start as light as 60 lbs and progress to well over 300 lbs!
Some men who have a testosterone deficiency have symptoms or conditions related to their low testosterone that will improve when they take testosterone replacement. Also, as men get older, their livers make more sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), which binds to testosterone circulating in the bloodstream. The testes produces less testosterone, there are fewer signals from the pituitary telling the testes to make testosterone. In recent years, researchers (and pharmaceutical companies) have focused on the effects of testosterone deficiency, especially among men. Among women, perhaps the most common cause of a high testosterone level is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In addition, what may seem like a symptom of testosterone excess (see below) may actually be unrelated to this hormone. Having too much naturally-occurring testosterone is not a common problem among men.
The more time you spend building your technical foundation, the more weight you will lift in the future. The conventional deadlift is a taxing exercise with a longer recovery time than average lifts. Stop thinking of the deadlift as a pull and start thinking of it as a push – or a leg press. You and the bar are now one, and your body is primed to lift the weight.
The goal is to get the stone up to your chest and almost your neck, which will allow you to clear a bar or platform if you are loading the stone onto or over something. At this point, your armpits should be on the stone and your hands should be close together, making a diamond shape. Then, wrap your arms around the top of the stone as far as you can. You don’t want to cave your knees in to make a shelf.
I recommend developing this movement with a centered grip and a slightly behind-center grip so you can use what you need on any given day. This makes the start of the lift easier as long as you have a good grip. Deadlifting is a relative weakness for me; therefore, I grip the handles slightly behind the center so the back end rises first. Line the middle of the handles up with the middle of your feet like a deadlift. Trying to lift the handles from here will cause them to collapse inward on the way up, and they may hit your knees and throw you off balance. The farmer’s carry is excellent because it works your upper back, core, leg, and grip strength. If you are new to the deadlift, I recommend starting with the bar at 18" off the ground.