TRAIN WITH STONES
Question from Quora: "Is it possible to use stones as weights for weight training instead of dumbbells? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using stones for weight training?"
HELL YEAH, STONES ARE THE ULTIMATE FREE WEIGHT, BABY!
Before dumbbells, barbells, and all that fancy gym tech, you know what the STRONGEST MEN IN HISTORY were lifting? STONES.
Not just our modern strongman like Žydrūnas Savickas, Hafþór Björnsson, Eddie Hall and Brian Shaw— all of whom have a shot on the strongest to ever walk the earth title.
And not just any stones, either—proving stones, rite-of-passage stones, SACRED STONES that defined who were the warriors in their societies and who weren't.
Every culture with strong-ass warriors has its legendary stones. Scotland has the Dinnie Stones—named after Donald Dinnie, who carried two mammoth granite slabs (733 lbs combined) across the Potarch Bridge. In Iceland, there’s the Húsafell Stone, originally used to hold up a sheep pen, and now the ultimate test for Viking-style strength.
Japan? Chikaraishi—"power stones" in Shinto shrines, used by sumo wrestlers and samurai-to-be to prove their worth. China? Shi Suo, lifting stones from ancient strength contests. Pakistan? The legendary stone of Punjab, used in traditional strength games dating back hundreds of years. Mongolia? They’ve got their own Naadam Festival stone lifting, where Mongolian wrestlers—some of the toughest warriors on Earth—prove their dominance.
Hawaiian Pohaku Ho’oikaika—"stones of strength"—where warriors trained to prepare for battle, or the Basque Country’s harri jasotze competitions, where some crazyass farmers lift and flip stones heavier than 200kg.
Ancient Greece? They had Halteres, which is the origin of the our modern dumbbells, essentially stone dumbbells used by Olympic athletes to build explosive power.
Rome? Bro, the gladiators lifted stones in their training. Why? Because YOU CAN’T KILL A LION IN FRONT OF 50,000 SCREAMING FANS WITHOUT BEING UNCOMMONLY STRONG!
EVERY GREAT WARRIOR CULTURE RESPECTED THE STONES.
Every legitimate battle-ready society had its own version of stone lifting, because if you couldn't lift a rock, you had no business holding a sword.
SO HERE'S MY QUESTION.
What if our obsession with ergonomic perfectly placed equipments and machines are just MODERN WEAKNESS?
WHAT IF THE TRUEST FORM OF STRENGTH—THE MOST RAW, PRIMAL, AND TIMELESS EXPRESSION OF HUMAN POWER—IS LIFTING THE EARTH ITSELF!? HAHAHAHA!
The world has always been about lifting stones—and if you ain't testing yourself against the earth itself, ARE YOU EVEN REALLY A MAN? HAHAHAHA!
You wanna talk about functional? Stones don’t have convenient handles, they’re odd-shaped, uneven, unstable, and they demand MAXIMUM EFFORT just to lift them off the ground. You’re not just getting a pump—you’re engaging EVERY SINGLE STABILIZER MUSCLE, developing grip strength that could crush a coconut, and forging tendons that could survive a nuclear blast.
WHY STONES MAKE YOU A BEAST!
Heavy compound exercises are already the bread and butter of getting JACKED, STRONG, AND RESILIENT—but doing them with STONES? That’s like adding an extra scoop of RAW SAVAGENESS to your protein shake.
Let’s break down the gains in glorious, excruciating detail.
1. FULL-BODY DESTRUCTION & REBUILDING
Lifting stones is the definition of COMPOUND MOVEMENT—you’re deadlifting, squatting, rowing, pressing, stabilizing, and probably cursing out loud all in one movement. Your body works as a unit, just like it’s supposed to. It’s not just about lifting weights—it’s about moving through real-world challenges that demand brute strength AND coordination.
The sheer instability forces your core, grip, and every stabilizer muscle to work harder, meaning more fat-burning, strength-building, and absolute dominance over basic gym lifts.
2. STRENGTH THAT TRANSLATES INTO REAL LIFE
Machines? They make you strong in PREDICTABLE WAYS.
But GUESS WHAT— LIFE AIN'T PREDICTABLE, NEITHER ARE STONES!
Lifting stones is the purest form of functional strength—it's the closest thing to real-world lifting you’ll ever do. Carrying groceries, lifting furniture, hauling bags of cement, surviving in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where dumbbells are useless but rocks are everywhere—this is the kind of strength that keeps you alive.
3. MENTAL TOUGHNESS (STONES DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR EXCUSES)
When you lift a barbell, it obeys you. When you lift a stone, it fights you back. There is no perfect grip, no perfect technique, no predictable range of motion—you gotta manhandle it, wrestle it, suffer through it. That builds grit, tenacity, and the ability to overcome physical struggle like nothing else. You think a little bench press PR is hard? Try shouldering a 150lb stone and tell me how "easy" the gym feels after that.
DOWNSIDES? Yeah.
Okay, lifting stones isn’t perfect (which is why the gym industry invented nice, polished dumbbells). But let’s be real—the disadvantages are just more ways to build ridiculous strength.
Lack of Precision – No two stones are the same. They vary in weight, grip, and shape. But that’s exactly what makes them superior for building real-world strength.
Risk of Injury – You don’t just drop a stone like you do a dumbbell. If you fumble, it crushes your toes or wrecks your forearms. Solution? Learn the technique, start light, and don’t be an idiot.
Progressive Overload is Harder – There’s no "2.5lb plates" to add to a stone. You go from a "kinda heavy" rock to a "this might kill me" rock. But guess what? That forces you to get stronger in unconventional ways—better technique, higher reps, longer holds.
No Built-in Handles – A barbell lets you grip it perfectly. Stones? Nah. You’ll be working grip, forearms, stabilizers, and core just to keep the damn thing from slipping.
HOW TO TRAIN WITH STONES
If you’re ready to embrace THE RAWEST FORM OF STRENGTH TRAINING, here’s how you can integrate stones into your routine:
Treat every lift as a 1-rep-max, don't be repping like a madman unless you're extremely comfortable with the weight of the stone.
Stone Deadlifts – Just like a barbell deadlift, but harder. Hug the stone, keep your back straight, and lift with EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT.
Stone to Shoulder – Explosive power, core stability, and mental fortitude all in one. Get the stone to your shoulder, stabilize it, and hold like a boss.
Stone Carries – Bearhug the stone and walk as far as you can. Your core will scream. Your grip will die. Your lungs will beg for mercy. Do it anyway.
Stone Presses – Lift that beast overhead like an ancient titan proving his dominance over the cosmos.
FINAL VERDICT— You want full-body strength, mental toughness, metabolic boosts, osteoporosis-proof bones, and a vise grip? STONES. ARE. IT.
You wanna be strong in a real, visceral way that translates to life, sport, survival, and looking like an absolute UNIT? STONES.
You wanna tap into the primal, instinctive power of lifting raw earth instead of polished gym toys? STONES.
So, my bruddah, grab a stone. Hug it like a long-lost friend. And LIFT THAT SUCKER UNTIL BRODIN HIMSELF NODS IN APPROVAL.
STAY STRONG. STAY WILD.
STAY ON THE IRON PATH.
Big KISS,
THE POTATO MAN
Love stones!
As a fellow hard music lover you'll dig this when i read Sacred Stones my brain started playing "Sabbath Stones" from Tony Martin era Black Sabbath.
For me i didnt have a lot of big rocks handy but as as the some of a kechanic what indid have around were large car parts, i think the "Engine block carry" is a good parallel and "short block carry" is one of the most exhausting things ive ever done. And the "header pipe deadlift" to get it into a truck, and from my own stint working on cars the Tremec Transmission power clean and overhead press so someone can bolt it down.
The uneven and unbalanced weight is an amazing tool for sure!
I can remember as a kid watching the strong men competitions, think they called it atlas stones. Lifting them huge boulders and putting them on a pedestal. Crazy strength in those guys.