Stone Over Bar
Stone over bar is a strongman event in which you pick a round Atlas stone from the floor, bring it to your lap and drive it up and over a yoke crossbar or bar set at about chest height. It works the glutes, hamstrings, back extensors, upper back and grip, and trains explosive hip extension with an awkward, handleless load.
Also called: Atlas Stone Over Bar, Stone Over Yoke, Atlas Stone Over Yoke, Stone Toss Over Bar · Equipment: strongman · Pattern: compound
Step by step
- Stand over the stone with it between your feet, feet a little wider than hip width, and the bar directly in front of you at about chest height. Apply tacky or chalk to your forearms and hands if you use it.
- Hinge and bend your knees to reach over the stone. Place your fingertips under the far side of it, tuck your elbows against the sides of the stone and squeeze it with your forearms.
- Take a big breath and brace. Roll the stone up your shins by driving your hips back and up, keeping it hugged against your body.
- Sit your hips down and set the stone in your lap, resting on your thighs. Re-grip by sliding your arms further over the top of the stone so your hands meet or overlap.
- Brace again, then drive your hips forward and stand up hard, bringing the stone up your chest as you extend.
- As your hips reach full extension, shrug and push the stone forward and up so it clears the bar, releasing it as it goes over.
- Finish standing tall behind the bar, then step round to reset the stone for the next rep.
- Hips drive through before your back straightens
- Hug the stone tight to your body
- Big brace before the pick and again in the lap
- Stand up hard, then push the stone up and over
- Elbows tucked against the stone, arms as straps
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Erector spinae | Prime mover | B |
| Gluteus maximus | Prime mover | B |
| Hamstrings: biceps femoris (long head) | Secondary | C |
| Quadriceps | Secondary | C |
| Trapezius: upper | Secondary | C |
| Anterior deltoid | Secondary | C |
| Forearm flexors | Stabiliser | C |
| Rectus abdominis | Stabiliser | C |
| Biceps brachii | Dynamic stabiliser | C |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Back straightening before the hips drive
Fix: Drive your hips forward first and let your torso come up with them.
Stone drifting away from the body
Fix: Keep the stone hugged against your thighs and chest from pick to release.
Curling the stone with the arms
Fix: Keep your elbows tucked against the stone and lift it with your hips and legs.
Throwing from a half-standing position
Fix: Reach full hip extension first, then push the stone up and over.
Rushing from lap to throw without a re-grip
Fix: Pause in the lap, slide your arms over the top of the stone and brace before standing.
What the research says
Power · first choiceStrengthSport performanceEnduranceFat loss & conditioning
- Load — Research comparing loads finds maximal strength favours heavier loads. In this event the bar height caps how heavy a stone can be cleared, so many athletes use it with a stone lighter than their heaviest lap or platform load.
- Power — Research on power training describes maximal strength as the base for power, with high-velocity work becoming more important as athletes get stronger. A common approach pairs heavier stone lifts with faster over-bar reps.
- Effort — Studies show strength gains are largely insensitive to how close to failure you train, and failure training adds no strength advantage. Many strongman athletes finish heavy stone sets with reps still in hand.
- Rest — In trained lifters, rests of about 3 minutes between sets have produced greater strength gains than 1-minute rests.
- Event research — A biomechanics study of the Atlas stone found the round shape means the stone is lifted with a rounded back rather than a flat one. There is no direct training research on the stone-over-bar event.
- Warm-up — Research finds heavier dynamic warm-ups improve strength and power performance. A common approach is to build through lighter stones before working reps.
Swap it mid-workout
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the stone over bar in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.