As many of you know I have been starting to train for Strongman competitions. For this I have been collecting all the different types of equipment that I will need to be familiar with. One of the new toys that I have gotten is a set of huge tires. Tires are great for flipping and sledge hammer work. In fact you only limited by your imagination as to what you can use them for.

Well when I got the tires, I could not help but to play with them a little. The conditions outside were not the best, it had been raining all day and the gravel was wet and slippery. In fact, I did slip a couple times driving my shoulder into the treads. Left me a couple nice bruises

I must say it was so much fun. Looking forward to playing with the tires more. Here is a video that was filmed of me flipping. It’s not very good quality, but gives you an idea.

I talked with Bob Wanamaker about my experience and he gave me some great in site into technique. Here is what he told me:

The technique that was shown to me as ideal by Van Hatfield and one of Jesse Marunde’s training partners:

Feet together, about 18-24″ back from the tire.  Hips low.  Think about driving forward, like you’re pushing the prowler or doing a lineman’s blocking drill with the sled.  Your hips should be low enough to be under the tire’s center of gravity.

Grab wide – think of your upper body like an airplane, the arms your wings.

Squeeze the treads inwards, like a dumbbell fly.

This should put the tire across your pecs.

(Practice tip for the above:  flip the tire with no hands.)

Drive forward.  Step 1, left* leg, should bring the tire off the ground, and up so that step 2, right* leg comes up, and under, the tire to prop it.

Hand transition from grasping and pulling the treads to being on the sidewall of the tire, pushing it.

Step 3 drives you forward into the tire, and Step 4 brings the leg propping the tire forward, helping to drive the tire as needed.

By now, the tire is completely upright, and starting it’s descent.

Place your hands midway down the tire, and drive it forward  again.

*Obviously left / right can be Switched as suits you.

That’s all great, for flipping a tire on pavement.  It works OK on grass, if the ground is dry.

But it relies upon the edge of the tire, as its being driven forward and slightly up, to “bite” the surface.  If that surface is sand, gravel, wet grass…well, the tire will pretty much just slide forward.  So, if the surface is not perfect, you have to shift your technique to “picking up” instead of “driving forward.”

I know that’s a lot of words.  It’s really not that complex.

Here’s an example of technique that doesn’t cut the mustard:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G0HDmaM0jg

About a month or two after this, this guy detached his bicep flipping a tire using the same technique.

I like this video, because there’s a lot of good in his technique:  he stays on top of the tire, keeps pushing it towards the line, the camera angle is perfect, his form/technique is 100% consistent from flip to flip.  But way too much bicep.