TITAN Atlas Stone platform vs TITAN Farmer's walk handles
This is a comparison between the TITAN Atlas stone platform and TITAN Farmer's walk handles including pros, cons, and alternatives. The Original was published in Which Strongman equipment to get from TITAN. Follow the links for details
Overview and review of the TITAN Farmer's walk handles
This is an overview of the TITAN Farmer's walk handles including pros, cons, and alternatives. The Original was published in Which Strongman equipment to get from TITAN. Follow the links for details
Farmer's walk handles $100
Overview of the TITAN farmer's walk handles
The
TITAN farmer's walk handles are a classic and simple design to strengthen your grip and core. Standard plates can be attached at each end and you lift them to carry the weight as far as you can. As the weight is not fully centered with your body it will challenge your core to avoid straying of the a straight line. The farmer's walk has been a solid part of many strongman competitions for years and if you are serious about Strongman training it should be a regular part of your schedule. The full specifications for the
TITAN Farmer's walk handles are:
This is a good product to buy in bulk for group training for a commercial gym. Home gym owners might want to upgrade to a
upright handle frame as they can invest a little more per item.
Pros of the TITAN farmer's walk handles
The
TITAN Farmer's handles are simple, compact, relatively cheap and easy to store. This makes them a great option for anyone who wants to have multiple pairs to compete against each other. Most people have seen and used one of these in their fitness journey, or at least have seen someone else using them. Not a lot you can do wrong at this price point if you have the space for them.
Cons of the TITAN farmer's walk handles
The cons of the TITAN farmer's walk handles:
The cons of the
TITAN farmer's walk handles are that they wreck the plates you use with them as you can not easily adjust. What usually happens with these
handles is that they got set up once with a certain weight and rarely adjusted. After that they will stand on these plates for days and also get dropped on different surfaces. Over time the plates will suffer and ultimately break. As you put the plates at the front and the back, you will also not adjust often as it is inconvenient. Especially if you are by yourself. Compared to
Upright farmer's walk handles this is inferior as these are easier to adjust and can also be built into a deadlift /carry frame which becomes more common in Strongman competitions for carry events.
Alternatives to the TITAN farmer's walk handles
Trap bars are a good alternative to farmer's
walk handles as you can also use them as a deadlift training tool. Using the frame of a
Trap bar it is a bit safer to go at speed than with the farmer's walk
handles. The
Rogue trap bar and
TITAN trap bar are two alternatives which have about $100 in price between them while the Rogue one has the higher quality finish.
The
TITAN Upright farmer's walk handles are my personal favorite. They keep the nature of the farmers walk alive by putting the plates further away from your body while making the setup safer and more convenient. As a bonus you can also build them into a deadlift / carry frame if you get some extra parts from TITAN. I personally think, especially for a home gym, the few extra bucks are worth considering.
The TITAN rickshaw farmer's walk as a cheaper alternative to a
trap bar which is also more convenient to load. If you have been considering a
trap bar to do carries and deadlifts you might look int the
rickshaw as a cheaper alternative which is also more convenient to use.
Heavy kettlebells are always a great alternative to to farmer's walk
handles as they can be used for so much more than just carries. You can use them for swings, Turkish get ups, and floor presses alike. Only a few tools give you as many possibilities as
kettlebells in this compact size. To be fair, for carries they are not an accurate representation of a farmer's walk,
yoke or frame carry as the center of gravity is close to your body and the
handles are usually more convenient to grip.
Conclusion for the TITAN farmer's walk handles
Cheap and cheerful for carries.
Overview and review of the TITAN Atlas Stone platform
This is an overview of the TITAN Atlas Stone platform including pros, cons, and alternatives. The Original was published in Which Strongman equipment to get from TITAN. Follow the links for details
Atlas stone platform $315
Overview of the Atlas Stone platform
The
Atlas Stone platform from TITAN has been designed to go well with the 20" plate loadable Atlas stone from TITAN. This is a sturdy design using 2x2 tube steel at 42".It can take up to 400 pounds of weight for your heaviest of workouts. This is a professional tool for strongman who repeatedly lift heavy stones to a
platform. The full specifications are:
- Heavy duty 2" x 2" steel construction for a solid, long lasting design.
- 1" Lip around edges keep your stone from rolling off the platform.
- 3/8" Rubber mat for a smooth transition and to keep the noise level at a minimum.
- 8" Center hole diameter to easily hold most size stones, slam balls, or medicine balls.
- 425 Pound weight capacity to stand up to the heaviest of lifts.
- Platform Dimensions: 25" x 25"
- Platform Height: 42"
- Hole Diameter: 8"
- Weight Capacity: 425 LB
- Weight: 125 LB
This is the proper platform for maximum weight attempts with an Atlas stone to a platform.
Pros of the Atlas Stone platform
The pros of the Atlas stone platform are:
This
platform has been designed with heavy stones in mind. Everything about it has been put together to minimize the injury risk from a stone that goes out of control when banged on the
platform. This
platform is unlikely to warp, break or bend even if you put a heavy stone on it and will also prevent it from rolling off the edges. If you are a serious strongman who wants the
platform to lift on to be metal, this is a good purchase.
Cons of the Atlas Stone platform
-
Price
-
Not adjustable
-
Single use
-
Can not be collapsed
This is a fairly heavy and cumbersome piece of equipment which only does one very specific thing. It almost costs as much as a
yoke, which can also be used as a stone to
platform simulator by using the
yoke beam. I personally think that an oversight in the design from TITAN is that you can not adjust this
platform for different heights. I do not know how that would work from an integrity perspective, but when I look at the safeties on the
TITAN Yoke, I can imagine that you could build a Adjustable
Atlas stone platform by using the T-3 uprights and the thick safety pins. This
platform can also not be collapsed when not used and most people do not do Atlas lifts every single day, but more like once a week.
Alternatives to the Atlas Stone platform
Pylo boxes are an alternative to a bespoke
Atlas Stone platform. Especially if you already have some and you are only working with light
Atlas stones.If you fancy you might even put the stone on it, draw a circle with a pencil and saw a whole into the top. This is not ideal, and also stay away from using any stones that weigh more than 100kg with a
pylo box. They are often made of press wood and I would not trust it with a massive stone.
Foam cubes are a great low budget option to do stone lifts onto. They usually have a bigger surface than
pylo boxes, want splinter if you load them heavy and can also be adjusted easily in height. TITAN sells a full omdular set of different heights for $500. If you do not have one yet and consider getting into Atlas stone lifting, this is the better option as you can also use these
foam boxes for other things than
Atlas stones.
If you go to your local carpenter and offer him $300 for making you a set of six
platforms you might get lucky. Especially if when you are not in a rush and allow him to use some of the leftover cuts for the
platforms. If you like a DIY job yourself you might even get wood for $300 or less and try yourself at
platforms. If you make them of wood try to get some extra beams inside the box to stabilize which the standard
pylo boxes do not have. Only recommended if you know what you are doing and disclaimer, you can not sue me if that thing is not secure as I warned you.
Another options is to add about $100 to your budget and get a
Yoke instead of the
platform. This
Yoke can be collapsed and also be used for many other things than lifting
Atlas stones. It will not be exactly the same as lifting to a
platform, but it will get very close when you lift a heavy stone over the beam. Just make sure to weigh the
Yoke down with some plates when you do this so it does not shift when the stone touches the beam.
Conclusion for the Atlas stone platform
If you have the money and intend to lift very heavy stones,this is the right equipment to get. Apart from that, I personally think that for the same or similar budget you can get more modular options which are slightly less safe as they do not have a lip running around to prevent the stone from rolling off. The
foam boxes will quickly have a little indenture for the stone to roll into after a few sessions. Choice is yours.