Carrying a bunch of plates is a simple exercise… but can be quite knackering
A lifter trained in only the 3 powerlifts may be surprised to discover that carrying a mere 100 kg of weights can reduce one to a dribbling imbecile. At the strongman competition I entered last year a couple of competitors were flattened by carrying a 105 kg beer barrel for 20 metres.
This is because the powerlifts typically last around 5 seconds whereas carrying a barrel in strongman usually takes around 30 seconds. The energy pathways look something like this (see here);
| Duration | Classification | Energy Supplied By |
| 1 to 4 seconds | Anaerobic | ATP (in muscles) |
| 4 to 10 seconds | Anaerobic | ATP + CP |
| 10 to 45 seconds | Anaerobic | ATP + CP + Muscle glycogen |
| 45 to 120 seconds | Anaerobic, Lactic | Muscle glycogen |
| 120 to 240 seconds | Aerobic + Anaerobic | Muscle glycogen + lactic acid |
| 240 to 600 seconds | Aerobic | Muscle glycogen + fatty acids |
What this means is that the powerlifter uses energy that is already in the muscles. This energy is in the form of ATP or adenosine triphosphate. ATP is the only energy which the body can actually use. Once ATP runs out then body needs to make more ATP. After a couple of seconds ATP runs out and so is regenerated from stored creatine phosphate (CP).
After a few seconds more CP runs out, so glucose from the blood must be used to regenerate CP and ATP. It should be understood that the end result of using fats, glucose or whatever to generate energy is always ATP and that this ATP is actually being produced all the time – thus whilst the amount of ATP at any one time in the muscles is small, the total amount produced can be great. If something blocks ATP production then you will die horribly.
In the video I carry the plates for 28.6 metres in 28.6 seconds… which is 1 metre per second. The first 7 metres don’t feel like much, at the half way point of 14 metres I am beginning to feel the effects. 7 metres from the end it really starts kicking in… and at the end I’m gasping for breath. Not only does the event last a ‘long’ time but the plates are an awkward shape whose centre of gravity is a long way from the body’s centre of gravity, additionally the plates press against the stomach making it difficult to breath. To hold the plates it is necessary to lean back so that the weight is supported by the hips and the weight is more over the feet, this means the quads burn out quicker, because it is like walking in a sissy squat position.
I recover in 5-10 minutes. I prepare for this event by doing activities of about 30-90 seconds – thus as well as simply carrying the plates I will, for example, do skipping of about 60-90 seconds. Doing activities longer than the event is similar to doing activities heavier than the event in that it gets the body used to going heavier or longer than the event. So as well as skipping, various forms of deadlifts, which are much heavier than 120 kg, are also done.