An atlas stone is a heavy, spherical stone lifted from the ground onto a raised platform, and it’s one of the most iconic events in strongman competition. Named after the Greek god Atlas, who was condemned to hold up the sky, these stones range from about 100 to 160 kg (220 to 350 lbs) in professional competition and test nearly every muscle in the body through an awkward, grinding lift that no barbell exercise quite replicates.
From Scottish Stones to Strongman Stages
Lifting heavy stones as a test of strength goes back centuries. Across Scotland, Iceland, and the Basque Country, communities used natural stones as rites of passage, primarily for young men proving their worth. The Braemar stones of Scotland are among the oldest known testing stones, and they directly inspired the first stone event in modern strongman competition.
In 1986, the World’s Strongest Man contest introduced stone lifting for the first time using the McGlashen Stones, which were modeled on those traditional Scottish stones. The event stuck, becoming a regular feature of strongman shows through the 1990s. But it wasn’t until the 1998 World’s Strongest Man in Morocco that the smooth, perfectly round stones we now call “Atlas Stones” appeared. The shift from rough, irregular stones to uniform concrete spheres raised the difficulty and spectacle. Both the weights and platform heights have increased steadily since then.
How the Competition Works
The classic Atlas Stones event, sometimes called the “Stone Run,” uses five spherical stones arranged in a line, each heavier than the last. In the World’s Strongest Man, these typically range from 100 to 160 kg. Each stone must be lifted onto a correspondingly high platform, and the platforms span a course of roughly 16 to 33 feet.
Originally, platforms sat at about waist height, and it was rare for any competitor to load all five stones. That’s changed dramatically. Today, the expectation is that every finalist will complete all five, and the winner is simply whoever does it fastest. This shift reflects how much stronger and more technically refined the athletes have become over the past few decades. Tom Stoltman holds the record for the heaviest Atlas Stone lifted over a 48-inch bar at 286 kg (630 lbs).
Size, Weight, and Materials
Traditional atlas stones are made from concrete poured into spherical molds. The diameter determines the weight: an 8-inch mold produces a stone of roughly 23 lbs, a 16-inch mold about 175 lbs, a 20-inch mold around 330 lbs, and the largest common size, 24 inches, comes in at approximately 586 lbs. Because concrete is brittle and can chip or crack, many gyms and training facilities now use rubber-coated alternatives with cast iron cores. Rogue Fitness, for example, sells rubber atlas stones in five sizes ranging from 50 to 200 lbs, with diameters from 10 to 18 inches.
For home gym use or budget training, concrete stones can be made with inexpensive molds. The tradeoff is durability: drop a concrete stone on a hard surface and it will eventually break. Rubber versions survive far more abuse, which is why they’ve become popular in CrossFit boxes and commercial gyms.
The Five Phases of the Lift
Unlike a barbell deadlift, where the weight has a convenient handle, an atlas stone is a smooth sphere sitting on the ground. Picking it up requires a distinct sequence that researchers have broken into five phases: the recovery (getting set), initial grip, first pull, lap, and second pull.
During the first pull, you straddle the stone, wrap your arms around it, and pull it off the ground by driving hard through the hips and knees. This phase involves the largest range of motion at the hip of any part of the lift and demands enormous back and hamstring strength. The motion resembles a Romanian deadlift in its mechanics.
Once the stone reaches about chest height, you sit it on your thighs in what’s called the “lap” phase. Here the movement pauses briefly while you reposition your arms higher on the stone and prepare for the final push. Hip, knee, and ankle motion are all minimal during this moment.
The second pull is where the stone goes from your lap to the top of the platform. You explosively extend at the hips, knees, and ankles (a “triple extension”) while driving the stone upward and forward onto the platform. This phase looks more like a front squat than a deadlift, with the knees and ankles moving through their greatest range of motion. At lift completion, the athlete finishes in a nearly upright standing position.
Muscles Involved
The atlas stone lift is a true full-body movement. The first pull loads the glutes, hamstrings, and entire back, from the spinal erectors up through the lats and traps. Your biceps and forearms work intensely to grip and squeeze a sphere with no handles. During the lap phase, the chest and anterior shoulders help pin the stone against your body. The second pull shifts the demand to the quads, glutes, and calves as you stand and drive upward. Core muscles fire throughout every phase to stabilize the spine under a load that’s constantly trying to roll away from your center of mass.
This combination of pulling, squeezing, and pressing through an unstable object is what makes the atlas stone fundamentally different from barbell training. You can’t muscle through it with one dominant muscle group. Weakness anywhere in the chain, whether it’s grip, back strength, or hip drive, becomes immediately obvious.
Tacky and Other Gear
Because a smooth concrete sphere is extremely hard to hold, most competitors apply a sticky adhesive called “tacky” to their forearms and hands before lifting. Tacky is a thick, pine-resin-based paste that dramatically improves grip on the stone’s surface. When applied correctly, it can remove grip strength as the limiting factor entirely, allowing athletes to focus on power and speed rather than just hanging onto the stone.
Many lifters also wear long sleeves or forearm sleeves to protect their skin. The rough surface of a concrete stone will scrape forearms raw over repeated reps, and the combination of heavy friction and the squeezing motion can cause significant abrasion. In competition, rules vary on whether tacky is allowed, so some athletes train both with and without it.
Common Injury Risks
The rounded, handleless shape of an atlas stone forces lifters into a flexed spine position during the first pull, which places significant stress on the lower back. Sprains and strains are the most common type of resistance training injury in general, accounting for about 46% of all cases, and the atlas stone’s awkward mechanics make the lower back and biceps particularly vulnerable.
Bicep tears are a specific concern. The arms are fully wrapped around the stone with the elbows bent under heavy load, and the biceps tendons bear enormous force. Repetitive lifting can also degrade the long head of the biceps tendon over time. Alternating between overhand and underhand grip positions can help reduce this repetitive stress, though the stone’s shape limits how much grip variation is possible compared to barbell work.
Most injuries are preventable with proper technique, progressive loading, and adequate rest. Technical errors, fatigue, and overloading are the primary risk factors. Starting with lighter stones and building volume gradually gives connective tissues time to adapt to the unique demands of the lift.