Atlas Stones

How to perform

1. 01Begin with the atlas stone between your feet. Bend at the hips to wrap your arms vertically around the Atlas Stone, attempting to get your fingers underneath the stone. Many stones will have a small flat portion on the bottom, which will make the stone easier to hold.
2. 02Pulling the stone into your torso, drive through the back half of your feet to pull the stone from the ground.
3. 03As the stone passes the knees, lap it by sitting backward, pulling the stone on top of your thighs.
4. 04Sit low, getting the stone high onto your chest as you change your grip to reach over the stone. Stand, driving through with your hips. Close distance to the loading platform, and lean back, extending the hips to get the stone as high as possible.

Form cues

• —Brace your core before the first rep and keep it braced.
• —Lead with the elbows and finish by squeezing the target muscle.
• —Keep a neutral spine; stop the set if it rounds.
• —Control the lowering phase — that is where most of the growth stimulus lives.

Common mistakes

• —Using momentum instead of the target muscle.
• —Cutting the range of motion short to add load.
• —Adding weight before the movement pattern is clean.