DIY Stone Roller for Stone Lifting Training

In a month I'll be competing in 'The Gathering' -  a 2 day grip competition where folks with strong hands from many areas of the World will congregate and test their strength.

One of the events is the 'Bear Hug Deadlift' where the athlete hugs a stone roller and lifts the bar to knee height for a successful lift. The event is a superb lift for practicing the atlas stones and a great strengthener for the forearms and back muscles.

To train for The Gathering I have made my own Stone Roller

Materials required:

Old dustbin (must have little or no taper in the main barrel)
1" or 2" bar
Sand, gravel, cement
Buckets for mixing
PVA glue



 

 How to make your own Stone Roller
 
1. Cut a hole the same size as your bar in the center of the dustbin

2. Level an area of ground and place the bin on the levelled area. Set a spirit level across the bin to ensure when set the bar is as concentric as possible.

3. Insert the bar through the bin and into the ground to the correct depth so that once complete the bar protrudes from the barrel equally on both sides (some simple maths here)

4. Use some kind of mould release to assist removal of the concrete from the bin once dried. I used some vegetable oil spray for this. Spray all around the area that will be in contact with the concrete.

5. Mix the concrete using a ratio of 5/6 to 1 (sand to cement) using sharp sand and gravel, make sure the mix is quite wet so that it fills the mould entirely.

6. Use a stick to work the concrete and remove any air pockets.

7. leave for 1-2 weeks (the longer the better), to allow the concrete to set and fully harden

8. Remove from the mould (if your bar is quite long like mine, it may be a 2 man job to turn the mould upside down unless you're feeling strong!)

9.  Hey presto!! A 114.5kg Stone Roller almost ready for putting to action for stone lifting training.






10. Next step is to paint the stone with PVA glue, this will prevent the surface of the stone from rubbing away and dusting. Allow to dry for at least a day or until the surface is not tacky.

11. Lift and enjoy!

In 'The Gathering' no tacky shall be allowed, only chalk which in turn makes the lift more challenging.

This stone ended up 15" long by 16" diameter at a weight of 114.5kg 252 lbs and loadable to well over 300kg