City Strongman

City Strongman

We test-drove City Strongman at The Foundry – here’s what we thought.

Strong is in. And we’re loving it. City Strongman at The Foundry is too, encouraging women (and men!) to ditch the scales, ditch the calorie counting, ditch the steady state cardio (we’re looking at you, treadmills) and embrace the art of lifting heavy. Think flipping 100kg tyres and lifting twice your bodyweight – this class goes in hard, and it’s a total game changer.

What?

This class takes Competitive Strongman (the stuff you see on the TV where chalk-dusted macho men pull cars with their little fingers and the like) and modifies it into a gym class setting. Founded and run by ex professional rugby players, Modified Strongman Training has no strict rules, set moves or choreographed systems.

You’ll work on a circuit-based format – we did 30 seconds on, 10 seconds off – doing functional, weighted movements like tyre flips, farmer walks, log presses, yoke carries and prowler pushes. The aim of the class, and The Foundry’s ethos in general, is to encourage us to start training like athletes, rather than training for that bikini bod.

With a strong focus on technique, our trainers, founder Dave (@itsdtpt) and Laura (@bicepsandbronzer), guided us through each movement thoroughly before letting us loose on the circuit. Not only does this help minimise the risk of injury (you are, after all, throwing, pushing, pulling and lifting very heavy weights), but the right form will also ensure you’re getting maximum results.

Why?

‘I don’t want to get bulky’ seems to be the default response for many women as soon as ‘heavy weights’ is mentioned. The truth is, you won’t gain much size – unless you want to. And no, you needn’t already be super stacked before trying this class – the beauty of City Strongman is its ability to be regressed or progressed depending on your goals and abilities. The best bit? Whether this becomes your primary source of exercise, or you add it into a routine to complement other activities, the skills you develop and the strength you gain in this class will benefit every aspect of the rest of your life. A farmers walk, after all, is not so dissimilar to carrying home the weekly food shop, is it?

Nearing the end of the class I looked around at our team battling the last few reps of their station; five women lifting more than they thought they could and doing more than they thought they could. We all finished elated, albeit sweaty, and I realised it was one of my favourite classes in a long time.

Where?

Head to foundryfit.com to book a class. #WhereTheStrongBelong

Want more fitness inspo? Check out why you should try BoxingYoga and our ultimate fitness guide.