Strongman Programming

By Rob Orlando

May 24, 2012

Programming isn’t hard, says stongman guru Rob Orlando. While it’s easy to get lost in the minutia, you need to see the big picture.

“We’re doing this to get healthier, fitter, faster 10 years from now—not next week,” Orlando explains.

In this video, the Hybrid Athletics owner has a Q&A with a group of nine Israeli CrossFitters who visited his box late last year.

“I can teach somebody how to open their hip and use it in less than five minutes,” he tells them. “The beauty of these movements is that they don’t take much practice or skill. But you get a whole lot of work, so it’s a high return on investment.”

And strongman translates well to every other movement—including the Olympic lifts—Orlando says.

“One of the things that we see in strongman is … how important it is for the athlete to use hip extension and to open those hips violently,” he says. “And the beauty of the movements that we employ is that they don’t have to be taught; they just need to be remembered.”

9min 2sec

Additional audio: CrossFit Radio Episode 202 by Justin Judkins, published Dec. 14, 2011.

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8 Comments on “Strongman Programming”

wrote …

Rob O. is the man.

I highly recommend that everyone interested in getting stronger and more powerful take his strongman trainer course.

wrote …

The last segment with Rob really hit home for me. Definitely something to keep in mind moving forward.

wrote …

Rob's a badass, all around, how he treats people, how he approaches things, his knowledge base, badass.

wrote …

Rob's comments in the end are right on point.

Jason Pelham wrote …

Great piece!

The end point was spot on.

A lot of guys get lost in the detail or to the opposite extent miss the mark with poor planning . There is definite a balance somewhere in the middle.

wrote …

I think it is very important to realize that the strongman program is way to gain strength while continuing regular Crossfit training. The point here is to increase strength while minimizing risk of injury because the Oly style lifts require more technique.
I am one the guys that flew in from Israel to train with Rob . We are using his approach where we want to have the athletes gain strength without risking injury this is as true to the special team operators in the military as well as executives that have to be back at their desks the next day .
mz

wrote …

Hey Rob,

Are there any plans to post Strong Man instructional videos to the Exercise and Demos page on the Crossfit main website?

wrote …

That point about general overall payback in terms of long term health - just inspirational stuff. Get strong, have fun, stay strong. Learn the snatch over a series of MONTHS but get stronger fitter and faster right away.