1. Something that many people don't realize is that strongman movements are actually the closest thing to real-life, functional exercises out there. Think about it. Waaaaaaaaay back when, there weren't strength coaches roaming the wild teaching early humans how to pick up logs or stones. That shit was just part of our DNA. They knew how to get the job done in a way that minimized risk of injury while using the least amount of energy possible. (Did you pick up on that? Safety and efficiency.) This is still the case today!
We don't learn strongman techniques - we remember them.
2. As coaches, we must always provide the best service to our clients. That's how we build a successful business and maintain a solid reputation. In general, our athletes rarely need an over-complicated routine with super technical lifts that find the coach and athlete getting frustrated by failure and a lack of action.
Remember: People want to fucking move! If all you do is talk, your clientele will find someone else to make them sweat. It's really that simple.
The balancing act comes into play when you, as the coach, know your athlete needs to build certain positive characteristics that produce results. It's my contention that strongman movements and methods are some of the absolute best when it comes to getting a massive ROI (Return On Investment).
Basically, it boils down to how soon can you get a newb moving with quality and then add the appropriate dose of intensity? That's what will cause positive adaptation - movement and (appropriate) intensity. With strongman, the learning curve is nearly non-existent when compared to other modalities of training. It's simple, not easy. New athletes are able to get up and rolling sooner, which gets them the results they're looking for sooner!
ps. This doesn't make the others bad, wrong or any less important, but it should be a wake-up call as to how you get your people integrated.
3. This shit is FUN! This is probably the most over-looked factor when training the general population. People want to have fun with their training. They also want to do shit that looks cool. And I challenge you to find anything more badass than picking up giant stones or flipping massive tires.
Look, it doesn't really matter if you're the world's best (technique/programming) coach, with all the coolest shit...If you are a Fun-Nazi, people will drop you like a bad habit and go where the fun is. Simple as that. You've got to make it fun!
