How Do Strongman Pull Planes & Trucks?
There’s nothing like pulling a military transportation aircraft along a runway. Strongman do it with nothing more than a rope, harness and sheer. Their will to put on a display to an audience takes a huge strain on their bodies.
The sport of strongman has always been about making a spectacle of almost inhuman levels of strength. They used common objects we can all relate to such as beer kegs and agricultural tires.
The heaviest aircraft ever pulled by one man was a Canadian Air force Boeing CC-177 Globemaster III. It weighed 188.83 tonnes and was pulled for a total distance of 8.8 meters! This was done by Kevin Fast of Canada.
Prerequisite Training
Foremost do not attempt this extreme exercise as it puts tremendous strain on your heart. Without knowing your limits and without a clean bill of health from the doctor!
The best training to prepare for vehicle pulls involve compound movements. After working up your core “big 3” squat, deadlift and bench, you can do the following:
- Sled pull
- Squat
- Arm over arm row
- Prowler Push
- Prowler Drag
With regards all strongman events the key phrase “weight moves weight” defiantly applies here.
You should also have good aerobic conditioning as the pull is a test of endurance as much as explosive strength. This is the type of event which makes the sport of power lifting and strongman very contrasted.
Common strongman training methods involving pushing and pulling sleds. Sled can be improvised by stacking weight of any kind onto wooden pallets. The friction of the sleds can be modified to help improve with resistance training. There are many DIY contraptions out there that involve wooden pallets and rope!
The Truck Pull
England’s Terry Hollands is known as one of the all time specialists of the truck pull event.
Before the strongman era was a past time of farmers who would hitch field tractors onto sleds. They would see who was able to pull it the furthest distance, naturally this drew a lot of spectators in local communities.
The first official strongman vehicle pull event came into existence in 1977. Trams, cars and buses were pulled along a 100ft marker to see who could do it in the shortest time.
The technique involves generally wearing a harness hooked to a tow bar of the vehicle. Some participants choose to wear builders gloves for grip on the rope, used to help pull forward and keep balance. There are some who prefer to use their bare hands, but you must have thick calluses!
Next, one of the most important factors is footwear. At best you may find yourself on tarmac, at worst gravel or dirt track with a gradient. The common footwear need to have good levels of grip. Footwear such as hiking or builders boots are favored to gain maximum traction.
The angle of your body during the event is entirely fluid to the person and their stature. However to get the initial momentum going generally participants lean forward as much as possible.
Last to thing to consider, make sure a friend behind the wheel of the truck! Ensuring the vehicle is not in gear is also essential and heading in the right direction!
Plane Pull
The plane pull is usually seen as a single man event. Previously it has been a tug of war style team vs team competition. Goes to show the progression in strength in the 21st century! One such event in the past saw a group of strongmen pulling the world’s heaviest aircraft the Antinov an-225. Now it has sadly has been destroyed at the time of writing due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The plane pull is the spectacle that most people who do not know much about the sport will relate to. A true David vs Goliath type moment for all athletes standing in the shadow of a 44,000 lbs carrier aircraft.
The event technique is similar to the truck pull in almost all elements. However, will usually be judged based on how far the contestant is able to pull in meters in a set time. Generally on a more flat and stable runway surface.
The Car Walk
An entirely different beast, first introduced to Worlds Strongest Man in 1994 is the car walk. An event fundamentally similar to the yoke, the strongman will quite literally enter the car, lifting it by its frame. It is adapted to be balanced with the engine removed, in some respects looking like Fred Flintstone.
Multiple “cars” will have a drag race of 20 – 25 meters. The first over the finish line is the winner, a favorite with spectators.
Laurence Shahlaei currently maintains his world record after beating long time rival Terry Hollands in the car walk at Britain’s Strongest Man in 2016. He managed this by storming down the 20m course in a staggering 11.92 seconds with a VW Beetle, which weighs an incredible 460kg (1012lbs).
