Hello SST insiders! My name is Karl Ortmanns and I am SST’s strongman strength and conditioning coach. When I attended Acadia I trained with Jamie Peppard who finished 3rd in the National All-Strength challenge in 2000 and won the event in 2001. Jamie led me into the strongman training because there is a direct carryover between strongman training and football. Jamie worked with myself, Bruce Beaton (2-time Grey Cup Champion) and Danny Frame (3yr CFL Offensive Lineman) and showed us what the benefits were. Through Jamie and Bruce’s guidance I was able to take my game to the next level and got the chance to be drafted by the B.C Lions in 2005 and played with the Calgary Stampeders in 2006.

Strongman training and football correlate in one major way; MUSCLE RECRUITMENT. In either strongman or football, you are using your entire body to perform one skill, or many muscles in unison to accomplish one goal - never once when I was on the field did I do a bench press rep or a squat but I consistently did a combination of these movements. In addition to my gym time with these exercises, I also integrated strongman training into my regimen. Implements such as rocks, atlas stones, kegs, tires, fat bars, logs, tractor weights, cannonballs, farmers walk and sleds were a big reason why I was able to take my “game” to an entire new level! I will be writing articles on strongman training that directly pertain to Lineman, but strongman training is something EVERYONE can do! If you want to get your ENTIRE body strong, then strongman training is for you.

Lineman need to be explosive, have strong hands, strong core, and an overall strong, lean body. Hip explosion is something that is always referred to with football players as it is where most of your power comes from. From tackling to blocking, your hips play a significant role in the game. Tire flipping, kegs, logs, sleds are all examples of exercises that will help you with your hip drive.

That is all for this instalment. I hope that I have sparked the interest in many of you to give strongman training a try. SST will also be holding a Lineman Camp in December that will work on the skills that are needed to succeed as a lineman, as well as help with their training. Stay tuned for more details on both the Lineman camp and articles about strongman training for football players!

Karl Ortmanns