Tire Technique

A tire flip is not a deadlift.

“You’ve got to think offensive lineman,” Rob Orlando of CrossFit Strongman says as he instructs Tom Rowland to drive into the tire.

Ideally, you need to set up a foot to 15 inches away from the tire with the feet outside the hips and the body pressed against the rubber. You drive with the legs to get the tire off the ground, take a half step, then give it a knee with the other leg.

Many people get the tire off the ground but struggle to complete the flip, often hanging out in a purgatory that involves futile attempts to use the biceps to curl the tire up.

“You’ve got to stop for a second,” Orlando explains, showing Rowland how to re-grip and get the big tire flipped.

The real key is being aggressive and keeping the tire in motion by driving it off the floor and kneeing it at the right time.

Interestingly, a 625-lb. tire is also a nice height for box jumps, as Rowland discovers in the short burner that follows Orlando’s instruction.

Video by Jordan Gravatt.

3min 48sec

HD file size: 86 MB
SD wmv file size: 47 MB
SD mov file size: 23 MB

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