Tire flipping is a powerful exercise that can strengthen your whole body. Explore the technique, muscles worked & proper way to perform exercise in this blog post.
Tire flipping is one exercise often seen in strongman events. However, apart from being used as a challenge in these competitions, the tire flip is a useful workout that targets almost all major muscle groups of the body, especially the posterior chain muscles. Additionally, upper body muscles such as the deltoids, trapezius, biceps, and pectoral muscles are also worked in this exercise.
The tire flip is able to enhance explosive power development, increase muscle hypertrophy, improve stability, and improve functional movement patterns. Although there are many benefits to doing the exercise, these only come to fruition when mistakes are avoided, thereby also avoiding injury.
What is a Tire Flip?
Tire flipping, which involves dragging tons of tire weight, is now one of the most popular forms of exercise among those who are obsessed with staying in shape. Due to the difficulty of acquiring the necessary skills, tire flipping has become an increasingly popular form of exercise.
How to Perform the Tire Flip
To perform the tire flip, stand in front of the tire with the feet shoulder-width apart. Squat down and grab the bottom of the tire with your hands, keeping your torso upright and your arms slightly bent and slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
To flip the tire, engage the core and then drive the legs through the ground to extend the ankles, knees, and hips while lifting the tire. Repeat this motion for the desired number of reps to complete a single set.
It is important to note that the power to flip the tire should be generated from the legs. The arms grab the tire, but the bulk of the lifting strength comes from the lower legs. Lastly, avoid using the arms as the primary source of strength to lift and flip the tire to prevent excessive strain or injuries from occurring.
Muscles Worked in a Tire Flip
Very few exercises match the tire flip in terms of the number of muscle groups being engaged in a single activity. This is because tire flipping requires the use of almost every muscle in the body.
It engages the same muscles utilized in a deadlift, such as the hamstrings, gluteal muscles, quadriceps, adductors, spinal erectors, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, and core muscles; It basically works out the bulk of the posterior chain.
Aside from deadlift muscles, tire flipping recruits muscles used in pushing as well, such as the triceps brachii and pectoral muscles. Additionally, it also works the muscles in the anterior chain, such as the biceps and shoulder muscles, when transitioning from lifting the tire to pushing it to flip.
Benefits of the Tire Flip
Increased Muscle Strength and Size
Like other exercises that require a great deal of strength, the tire flip also increases muscle strength and power. According to a 2017 study, flipping a tire requires the extension of the waist, the knee, and the ankle, thus being effective in the improvement of strength and power in these regions.
The tire flip is used as an alternative to deadlifts because the action of lifting the tire from the ground is very similar to the motion involved in lifting barbells. Hence, the increase in muscle size seen in the deadlift is also seen when doing tire flips.
Improves Cardio Endurance
A common misconception about the tire flip is that this workout is entirely for muscle building. However, the tire flip is also a good cardio workout because it increases the heart rate for long periods of time – hence requiring a steady supply of oxygen.
Improves Stability
The tire flip requires the function of the core muscles in order to lift the tire off of the ground. As with any other exercise that requires core function and improves core strength, the tire flip is also able to improve stability.
Improves Functionality
Functional exercises are defined as movements conducted with different forms of equipment or body weight, targeting numerous muscles, traversing multiple joints, and incorporating more than one movement plane.
In order to be considered functional, exercise training plans should be created to replicate everyday jobs or activities in order to make training adaptations more transferrable and make training more useful.
The tire flip falls under this category of exercise as it potentially works all muscles in the body. Adding the tire flip to a workout regimen thus prepares the body for daily activities such as lifting objects and rising from a seat or the floor, among others.
Common Mistakes to Avoid During a Tire Flip
Hips Set Too High
The tire flip is an excellent way to work three specific body movements at a 45-degree angle:
- Hip extension
- Knee extension
- Ankle plantar flexion
Because of this, the tire flip is considered to have a great carryover to sports such as sprinting, swimming, and other sports that require an explosive start-off and depend on the triple extension of the hips, ankles, and knees.
When the hips are set too high, it ruins the mechanics of training these specific movements and instead puts more pressure on the upper body, ruining the power build-up intended for those muscles.
Uneven Force on the Tire
Applying uneven force between both arms on the tire is another common mistake when performing this workout.
Imagine dropping a coin, and it spins or wiggles around, going slower and slower over time before it stops; this is what happens to the tire if the force applied between both hands is uneven.
The occurrence of such a phenomenon will result in a slower-timed set. In addition to this, there is a possibility that the lifter or other individuals around might be put in harm’s way since the movement of the tire could become chaotic, and the impact of the tire’s weight striking a person could result in injuries.
To fix this, ensure the application of equal force on the top of the tire as this is pushed up and then down to the ground.
Narrow Grip
When lifting the tire in a tire flip, it is recommended for the arms to be set at a wider distance while gripping the tire with the arms fully extended. This is so that the power of the lift comes mainly from the hips instead of channeling it to the biceps.
With a narrow grip, the arms will be bent at the elbow joint, forcing the biceps to exert too much force to lift the weight of the tire. This creates an excessive strain on the biceps and may eventually lead to injury.
Final Thoughts
The tire flip is a great way to use almost all of the body’s muscles and is good for both building strength and increasing the heart rate. Apart from this, the tire flip is also a good functional exercise that is beneficial for activities of daily living and sporting activities.
SUMMING UP
However it looks simple but this exercise should be performed under supervision of Professional Trainer to avoid any injury.
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Disclaimer – This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!
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