Get Stronger

Strongman vs. Bodybuilding Protocols

Researchers examined salivary testosterone responses from 
two novel strongman-training protocols in comparison with an established hypertrophic protocol reported to acutely elevate testosterone levels. Subjects were required to perform three sets to muscle failure of five different exercises (tire flip, chain drag, farmer’s walk, keg carry, atlas stone lift) with a two-minute rest interval between sets and a three-minute rest between exercises. Testosterone levels spiked 136% for the traditional bodybuilding training group, 74% for the strongman training group, and 54% for the mixed strongman/hypertrophy group. What’s interesting is that the bodybuilding hypertrophy training group had higher increases in T levels, but in the grand scheme of things, it was not that much different. Strongman training elicits similar testosterone responses to bodybuilding hypertrophy protocols when equated for duration and exercise intensity. This means that if you are looking for a challenging exercise to stimulate increases in strength and hypertrophy, try sled drags or the farmer’s walk.