How Strongman Athletes Build Explosive Power — Training for Speed Events

Strongman competition rewards two distinct physical profiles: athletes who are strong, and athletes who are powerful. The difference matters enormously on the competition floor.

Strength is the ability to produce force. Power is the ability to produce force quickly. A maximum-effort axle deadlift rewards strength. A loading medley where you're moving multiple heavy implements against the clock rewards power. A car pull where the first 5 seconds of effort determines your final time rewards explosive power in its purest form.

Many competitive strongman athletes build excellent maximum strength but underinvest in the explosive power development that speed events demand. This guide covers how to build the specific power that makes speed events competitive — and why it's worth prioritizing.

Why Strongman Speed Events Are Different

The events in a strongman competition that are decided by speed rather than maximum force include:

Loading medleys: Multiple objects (kegs, stones, sandbags) loaded in sequence against the clock. The fastest athletes are typically not the strongest — they're the most powerful, moving from each implement to the next with minimal hesitation and explosive loading mechanics.

Keg tosses / overhead throws: Throwing implements for height or distance. Pure explosive power from the hips and posterior chain.

Sprint events / anchor chain: Bodyweight sprint or light implement carry for speed. Pure locomotion power.

Max reps events (log press, axle deadlift for reps): While strength is required, bar speed — the ability to generate force rapidly — separates athletes who complete more reps from those who complete fewer at the same absolute weight.

In all of these, the limiting factor is not "can you move the weight" but "how fast can you move it and recover to move the next one."

The Science of Power Development

Power is expressed as Force × Velocity. Two distinct training stimuli produce power adaptations:

High force, low velocity: Heavy compound lifting (squats, deadlifts, presses) builds the maximal force production capacity that power draws from. You can't be powerful without a strong force base.

Low force, high velocity: Plyometric and ballistic training (jump squats, box jumps, medicine ball throws, loaded speed work) develops the rate of force development — how quickly you access your available force. This is the training element most strongman programs underemphasize.

Optimal power development requires both. A strongman athlete who only trains maximum strength has the engine but can't access it quickly. An athlete who only trains explosively doesn't have the force base to make the speed meaningful. The combination, programmed specifically, develops the competition power that loading medleys and speed events reward.

Specific Power Training for Strongman Athletes

Jump Squats (Loaded): Perform a quarter-squat with 30–40% of your 1-rep max squat, then explode upward with maximum intent. The key is maximum velocity of movement — not the weight. 4 sets of 3–5 reps.

Why it transfers: The explosive hip and knee extension in a loaded jump squat mirrors the initial drive in a stone pickup, keg load, and loading medley implement drive.

Box Jumps (Weighted): Jump onto a 24–30 inch box holding light dumbbells (10–20lbs) or wearing a light vest. Focus on the explosive triple extension (ankle, knee, hip). 4 sets of 3.

Medicine Ball Slam: Explosive overhead slam of a heavy medicine ball (20–30lbs) with maximum velocity. Develops the posterior chain explosiveness used in Atlas Stone extension. 4 sets of 5.

Trap Bar Jump (Light): Load a trap bar to approximately 30% of your deadlift max and perform explosively loaded jumps — driving through the floor and allowing the feet to leave the ground. This develops the most specific power expression for implement loading. 4 sets of 3–4.

Speed Deadlift (50–60% max): Perform conventional or axle deadlifts at 50–60% of your max with maximum bar speed intent. Every rep is moved as fast as possible. The submaximal weight allows maximum velocity that heavier weights don't. 6–8 sets of 1–2 reps. Rest 60 seconds between sets.

Broad Jump: Standing horizontal jump for maximum distance. Repeated standing broad jumps build the hip extension power and landing mechanics that appear in loading events. 4 sets of 5 jumps.

Programming Explosive Work Into Strongman Training

The key programming principle: perform explosive work when fresh, before fatigue compromises velocity.

Power training placed at the beginning of a session — before heavy compound work — ensures maximum quality of explosive movement. The common mistake is adding jumps and throws at the end of a heavy lifting session when fatigue has already compromised movement speed.

Sample weekly structure:

Day 1 (Lower power + strength):

• Jump squats 4×3
• Box jumps 4×3
• Speed deadlift 6×1 at 55%
• Heavy deadlift variation 4×3 at 85%

Day 2 (Upper power + strength):

• Medicine ball slam 4×5
• Trap bar jump 4×3 at 30%
• Log press (heavy) 4×3
• Overhead press accessories

Day 3 (Event work):

• Loading medley simulation — focusing on transition speed
• Carry events at competition weight

The power work on Days 1 and 2 builds the explosive capacity that Day 3 event training expresses.

What Explosive Power Looks Like at the NTX Strength Expo

The Strongman Corporation Nationals loading medley at the North Texas Strength Expo in Mesquite separates athletes who have developed explosive power from those who have only developed maximal strength. The difference is visible: the transition speed between implements, the explosive hip drive on the first pull of each object, the maintenance of loading speed through the fourth and fifth implements when fatigue sets in.

Watch for it specifically. The athlete who is still loading quickly at implement four while others have slowed to grinding has built the specific power this guide describes.