Atlas Stones
Also works: Abdominals · Adductors · Biceps · Calves · Forearms · Glutes · Hamstrings · Middle Back · Quadriceps · Traps
Lifting a concrete sphere from the floor to a loading platform is the oldest test in strongman and still the least forgiving. There is nothing to grip, the load sits far from your hips, and the whole lift hinges on one moment: the lap, where the stone rests on your thighs and you swap a low hug for a high one.
Own the movement
Set up first, then execute. Every cue below is something you can check on your next set.
Before the first rep
- Set the stone between your feet, ankles roughly against it, not in front of your toes.
- Apply tacky to forearms and the stone if you are using it, and check the loading platform height before your first lift.
- Hinge and let your upper back round; drive your fingers under the stone, aiming for the flat spot if it has one.
- Squeeze your elbows in so your forearms clamp the sides of the sphere, then pull it hard into your shins.
- Take a big breath into the belly and brace before any weight leaves the ground.
Every rep
Breathing & tempo — Brace before the floor pull and hold it to the lap. Take a fresh sharp breath on the lap, hold through the stand, and exhale only once the stone has left your hands at the platform.
Before you load it
- Wear long sleeves and knee-length shorts or shin sleeves. Concrete removes skin, and tacky removes more.
- Lap onto the flat of your thighs, never onto the kneecaps. A stone rolling onto a bent knee is the classic stone injury.
- Have someone spotting the loading area, and clear your feet before you release. Stones bounce and roll on landing.
Sets, reps & load
Where to start, and what to change when it stops being hard.
Begin with a stone around 40-50% of your best deadlift and expect it to feel far heavier than that number suggests. Progress by stone, not by kilo — the jumps are usually 10-20 kg, so use a loadable trainer between them. The honest marker of readiness for the next stone is three consecutive clean laps at the current one, not one grinding lift.
What goes wrong
The errors that show up most often, and the cue that fixes each one.
Round the upper back deliberately and brace the abs instead. Your arms must close underneath the sphere, and a flat thoracic spine physically prevents that.
Sit lower on the lap and drag the stone up your torso first. Get your chin over it before you even think about standing.
Pull your elbows down and in as you rise, and think of crushing the stone into your sternum. Any gap doubles the lever on your lower back.
Get close enough to touch the platform with your thighs, then drive the hips through and lean back. Reaching forward is how stones come back down onto shins.
Why bother
A stone cannot be gripped, only wrapped. That forces a rounded upper back, arms locked underneath as a living strap, and a lower back holding an isometric position under a load that sits 20-30 cm further forward than a barbell ever does. The lumbar demand per kilo is the highest of any common lift, which is why a 140 kg stone punishes people who deadlift twice that.
The lift is really two lifts with a pause. Floor to lap is a rounded-back pull with your fingertips under the sphere. Lap to platform is a hip extension with a lean-back and a re-hug in between. Runs are lost in that middle second far more often than at the floor, because a stone that is even slightly low on your chest cannot be stood up.
Where it fits
First movement of an event day, fresh, 4-6 sets of 1-3 lifts. One stone session a week is enough for most people and two is the ceiling — the abrasion, the lower-back load and the recovery cost stack quickly. Never put heavy conventional deadlifts on the same day; run them 72 hours apart.
If this one isn't it
No kit, too hard, or too easy — here's where to go instead.
Same job, different kit
Start here instead
Asked and answered
Do I need tacky?
For heavy or wet stones, effectively yes — a smooth sphere at competition weight is close to unliftable without it. For training up to moderate weights, go without: bare-arm stone work builds the hug and the forearm clamp that tacky lets you skip. Use tacky for top sets and contest prep only.
Why can I deadlift 250 kg but not lift a 120 kg stone?
Because the stone sits far in front of your hips, cannot be gripped, and demands a rounded upper back you have spent years training to avoid. The strength is transferable; the position is not. Give it six to eight weeks of dedicated practice and the gap closes fast.
Should my back really be rounded?
Your upper back, yes. Your lower back should stay in a braced, near-neutral position. That distinction matters: thoracic flexion is how you get your arms under the stone, while lumbar flexion under this lever arm is exactly what hurts people.
How do I get better at the lap?
Practise it as its own exercise. Do sets of floor-to-lap only with a moderate stone, holding each lap for three seconds before setting the stone down. Most failed stone lifts are failed laps, and the lap responds to reps faster than raw strength does.