Strongman Series-Yoke

The yoke is a great test of strength and mobility. It will allow you to see if your athlete has a strong back, weak core, or poor ankle mobility. You can load this up with heavy weight and do picks, or set it up to do runs of distance; you can also add these at the end of a workout and perform medleys for a finisher.

The pick is a great way to overload the upper back and core. By just picking the weight you will be able to put anywhere from 150% to 175% of your yoke walk weight. Pick like you would if you were squatting. Retract your shoulders, blow your abs out, and drive your hips forward. This will allow you to see if the upper back is the problem or the lower back, either way it is a great way to build a serious core.


Yoke walks are a great way to work on ankle flexibility and stabilization of the core and the back. By loading the weight and walk with it for 60' to 100'. This forces your athlete to keep his core tight and to create a huge upper back or the athlete would not even make it the first 5'. This will have a huge carry over to your squats and deadlifts. On the field it will create a solid core to allow your athletes to make cuts like Barry Sanders. Remember it is also a great ankle flexor, which is very good in rehab type settings.


If you want a great finisher to get your athletes into great shape then try adding some strongman medley's into their training. We do everything from yoke walks straight to farmers. You can also try the yoke into prowler pushes. The variations are endless, so try them out and let me know how it goes.