The lifts performed by the world’s strongest men are demanding full-body movements that — when executed over a period of time — can result in a dramatic increase in overall strength, not to mention a crushing grip and a high anaerobic capacity. Even if you’re not training for an actual strongman competition (which we assume most of you aren’t), occasionally working such lifts into your routine will add another dimension to your training and help you build more muscle.

Only one problem: Where are the enormous tires, Atlas stones and harness-rigged semitrucks when you need them? Safe to say, your gym doesn’t supply such training devices.

No worries, because you can mimic these lifts with nothing more than the barbells, dumbbells and benches at your local gym. To help modify the tire flip, truck pull, Hercules hold and a number of other traditional strongman events, we sought advice from Mark Philippi, renowned American strongman competitor, trainer, and owner and director of Philippi Sports Institute (Las Vegas). Philippi incorporates many of the strongman lifts into his training using traditional exercise equipment. The following movements are some of his favorites.