The Tire Flipping Conundrum

PT Bob knows what's best for his clients!



Ever since the UFC All Access on Sean ‘Muscle Shark’ Sherk the world has gone ape shit for tire flipping drills, I even said in a previous rant HERE if your gym does not have a tire find one that does. Now the dynamics of this movement seem pretty legit, Multi joint, large movement that looks something like a squat and deadlift combined and can be easily adapted to train alternate body systems, such as a small tire for reps or big fuck off tire for strength and so on.







Now the conundrum arises itself from a conversation I had with a strength coach, who talks too much but did mumble something intelligent “Tire flipping is an event, not an exercise. More bicep injuries have come from tires than anything else”

So this got me thinking, like all movements the technique and execution varies depending on any number of factors such as bio-mechanics and resistance (weight) so maybe it is time to research alternate techniques.

Hips back, Knees down - Drive forward 

Now I’ll be honest, The tire I have been using is pretty small (around 100kg) so the chances of injury are pretty low. However, recent additions at my gym have blessed clients and myself with a massive fuck off 300kg monster truck tire and guess what, when I had a crack; the tire stayed on the floor along with my massive fuck off ego and the bowl of sauce that goes with the chip on my shoulder.

So it’s time to do what no trainer has ever done before, admit they’re not doing it right!

Stage one of this operation requires I identify where my tire flip is at. Some research of various strength and conditioning facilities showed my current technique is the “Sumo” or some coaches call this a “Bicep breaker”  Put simply, the hips are tight to the tire, the arms are inside the legs and critically, the movement involves a vertical lift which in turn overloads the biceps. The key word here is ‘Vertical’

Abi Grove has nothing to do with this blog.

Now here is the thing, a tire flip is a tire flip. It is not a sumo deadlift so this requires a different approach to the movement. Further research found a “new” technique (if we assume this movement is only 5 years old) Here we see the hips are way back from the tire, the knees are low and it almost looks similar to a sprint start in its horizontal loading positioning. The chin is making contact with the tire and the obvious direction of movement is diagonal not vertical.  

Consider this, and evolve. You can never be too strong!




The arched back looks good, on paper