Build A Savage Yoke

By Shawn Parisi
Savage City Strength
The Yoke Carry
The Yoke carry has become a staple in the sport of Strongman for decades
now. It has a good history of being used as a very popular contest event as well as
a staple exercise in training for the sport. The Yoke carry is a great testament to
one’s overall strength. It heavily relies on a strong posterior chain and a strong
core. Once one’s strength is suitable enough to handle the external load the lifter
must develop speed in order to move the Yoke a certain distance before the lifter’s
strength fatigues and drops the Yoke. The goal is to better each time by improving
in quantitative measurements. Such measurements would include a faster time for
a certain distance, a longer distance, or a heavier load. This exercise can be
beneficial in almost any fitness program. Whether your just an average joe looking
to get healthy and in shape or you’re a D1 athlete, the implementation of a Yoke
carry into a training program can help produce positive results.

Training A Yoke Carry

Commonly a Yoke carry is trained by just loading it up, getting under it and
going. To train the Yoke event/ exercise it is often trained like your typical lift.
You want to progress by being able to do more weight each month or so. The
weekly training goal commonly will be based off one or more variables. To
improve on the movement speed, the distance length, the weight on the Yoke, and
or the amount of supportive equipment used. The regularity of the Yoke training
frequency for Strongman usually depends on if it is needed in an upcoming contest
or not. The Yoke is usually trained once a week or sometimes twice a week for
those training for a Yoke training cycle and or a Yoke event in an upcoming
contest. For people who are not training the Yoke for anything upcoming shortly it
is good to at least get some Yoke training in once or twice a month to stay fresh
and fluid with the movement pattern. For other athletes and general population
lifters it would be ideal to get some Yoke training in a few times a month or so to
gain the benefits of the stimuluses that the Yoke exercise provides.

Now let’s get into some Yoke training methods and variations!

The OG
Pile a bunch of plates on a Yoke, walk under it, find that sweet spot on your
upper traps, get tight, stand up, and move. Pretty much explains the back-yoke
carry aka the standard yoke carry aka the OG. This version should be trained with
highest amount of weight regarding contest prepping and overload training.
Overload training meaning just walking for a short distance or just a heavy ass
yoke pick. The OG yoke carry is generally the most optimal and useful way to
train a yoke carry being that it is the way and manner a strongman athlete will be
doing it at a contest. It also will be the most optimal for other athletes and general
public to train their body’s overall being that it is the most simple and comfortable
way to train with a yoke.

Low Pick
Training with a lower than normal pick height is a great way to build some
extra pick strength and stability strength. To do this simply set the cross bar a pin
hole or two or more lower than you normally would. First off, the initial pick will
have more range of motion if you are using a lower than your normal pick height.
This will build up those hammies, quads, glutes, and lower back. Once you get the
yoke moving you will likely notice it being a little harder to balance and the yoke
legs swaying more than usual. Being forced to work harder then normal to keep the
yoke balanced and stable during your set will make things easier come contest time
for the Strongman/Strongwoman athletes out there. You might be uncomfortable
with the equipment used and or the height might be off but either way you will
have to suck it up and get to that finish line as fast as you can. By making the
training harder you can have a little peace of mind knowing things should feel the
same or easier come contest time.
Front Carry
The front carry yoke is one of my favorite additions to the standard yoke
carry. Carry the yoke in a as if the crossbar is a barbell that you are trying to front
squat. I prefer to use a cross grip, but a clean grip can be applied for those who are
more comfortable with it. This is a great version of a yoke carry that you can do to
replace one of your back-yoke carry workouts or to do as a Yoke carry accessory. I
generally like recommending using 50%- 70% of your back-yoke weight as well as
not using a belt. For the front yoke carry you should start off going slower
especially if the Yoke you are using is not as well balanced. Distance for the front
Yoke carry can vary based on what you feel comfortable with. You can make a
goal to go a long distance as fast as possible or to go very slowly both ways seem
to make a great benefit to a Yoke carry come contest time. Another benefit that I
have found from front Yoke carry’s is that it has helped my log press and axle
press. Building the strength in the front rack position has greatly improved my
personal comfortability with a heavy log or axle clean and press.
Dragging A Hitchhiker
Dragging a hitchhiker is just my way of saying drag some shit while walking
with your Yoke. Chains or a sled work perfect for this. Have about 70- 80% of
your normal working set yoke weight on the bar and add 20%+/- of chain or sled
weight. Attach a strap or chain to your belt and on the other end have that 20%+/-
of your Yoke weight in the form of a bunch of chains or a sled or anything else you
find that suits you. This works for contest Yoke walk distances and long-distance
yoke carries. Again, this can be used as a main Yoke workout or an accessory to
your Yoke workout.
Band Resistance
Most of us have all seen a football workout where the athlete is running a
short distance while someone behind them is holding them back with a heavy
resistance band. I like to apply this to a Yoke carry for another bonus stimulus to
be worked. Do a short yoke carry about 50 feet or so and have someone behind you
holding you back a bit with a heavy resistance band. The use of carrying the Yoke
weight plus pushing through the resistance band weight is a great method to build
your acceleration strength. The more distance between you and your partner the
heavier the band tension will be. This is a great accessory Yoke movement. I
recommend doing this after your main working sets for Yoke training.

Conclusion
The Yoke carry is a fun movement to do and should be in every fitness
program due to its benefit potential. If your Yoke is lagging or just not progressing
as much as you would like it to than try some of the methods above. If you have
any further questions or just would like to leave feedback feel free to contact me.

-Sincerely
Shawn Parisi
Savage City Strength
savagecitystrength@gmail.com
www.savagecitystrengthnj.com
@savagecitystrength

© 2019 by SAVAGE CITY STRENGTH LLC