Flipping a car (serious question)

[Stu Hughes]

Hey Rip,
This might be out of your bailiwick a tad, but do you have any idea how much strength one would need in the barbell lifts to have a reasonable chance of flipping a small car? I'm talking your typical European affair, not a 3.5L American behemoth. =P

Stu

[Mark Rippetoe]

Nope, I quit doing stupid things like that after my 9th back injury. Maybe there is a strongman or two that knows.

[Drewfasa]

The key here, as Mark has taught us, is progressive adaptation: start by flipping little 0.8L cars - Nissan Micras, Smart Cars, etc.; then move on to Hondas and Toyotas; before you know it you'll be flipping Cadillacs and Mercs just for the heck-of-it.

[TravisRussellDC]

Flipping a car is entirely dependent upon the type of car, whether or not it's been hollowed out, if handles have been welded onto the frame, the center of mass, etc.

Now, while flipping a car is one of the coolest looking things in Strongman, it's also one of the most dangerous. I much prefer heavy tire flipping. There's less chance for an injury, and I really believe it's one of the absolute best conditioning exercises in existence. Try flipping an 800 pound tire end over end for 100 feet and see if your heart isn't racing and your whole body is wipe out.

With tire flipping, it's also dependent on the type of tire, it's weight, height, tread grip, etc. However, I usually find that to flip a heavy tire, a good rule of thumb is to be able to deadlift half the total weight of the tire. That should give you sufficient strength to get a few flips. Of course, technique is a huge component of ability. I can tell you that I've beaten many guys who were stronger than I was because I had near flawless tire flipping technique.