Strongman is a sport with its own rules, equipment and long-standing traditions. The Silver Dollar Deadlift, Axle Deadlift and Apollon's Wheel all originated in strongman competition and remain some of the sport's most iconic events today. Even if you never plan to compete in strongman, these variations offer a great way to add variety to your training while targeting common deadlift weaknesses. Rack Pulls and Block Pulls apply the same principles and have long been part of mainstream strength training. This guide explains the most important strongman deadlift variations, what they are used for and how to incorporate them into your own deadlift training.
What is a Silver Dollar Deadlift?
The silver dollar deadlift is a partial pull from an elevated start. The handles sit well above the height of a normally loaded barbell, usually on a dedicated attachment or a raised frame, which shortens the range of motion and moves the work toward the lockout. Because the distance is shorter, the loads climb quickly, so the lift trains strength and confidence under heavy weight at the top of the pull. The name goes back to old-time strongman shows, where athletes lifted wooden boxes packed with silver dollar coins from raised stands. The coins are long gone, the name stayed, and the event lives on in strongman competition. In the gym the same effect comes from a silver dollar attachment or a set of blocks. Lifters who stall near the top of a heavy deadlift often find this variation a direct way to overload that range.
What is an Axle Deadlift?
The axle deadlift replaces the standard barbell with a thick axle bar. On a competition axle the shaft measures around 50 mm in diameter, compared with roughly 28 mm on a normal bar, and it does not rotate. That combination turns the pull into a grip test. Many lifters can no longer hook or wrap their fingers comfortably, so the forearms and hands take on far more of the work. In strongman the axle is a fixture: plenty of contests run their deadlift event on one. The rest of the movement stays close to a normal deadlift, which makes the axle a clean way to build crushing grip without changing your whole session. Grip tends to be the limiting factor, so the axle carries over strongly to any pull where the bar slips before the legs give out.
What is Apollon's Wheel?
Apollon's Wheel goes back to the French strongman Louis Uni, who performed as Apollon around 1900 and lifted a railway axle loaded with two train wheels. The handle was so thick that generations of strong athletes failed to get it off the ground, and faithful replicas still appear in competition today. As a training tool it stands for the hardest form of grip work: a thick, rigid shaft with no rotating sleeves. You hold the weight or you do not. Few home gyms own a replica, so most lifters approximate the feel with a heavily loaded thick axle and large plates. It sits at the demanding end of grip training and rewards patience over ego.
Block Pulls, Elevated Deadlifts and Rack Pulls
Block pulls, elevated deadlifts and rack pulls all raise the starting position and shorten the range. A block pull rests the plates on pulling blocks, a rack pull sets the bar on the pins of a power rack, and both let you handle loads heavier than a full pull from the floor. This is where strongman and mainstream training meet: powerlifting adopted the elevated-pull idea long ago, and partial pulls from pins or blocks are standard accessory work for a stalled lockout. The payoff is overload for the lockout, the upper back and the posterior chain. These partial pulls pair naturally with the strongman lifts, since the silver dollar and the block pull share the elevated logic, while the axle adds a grip layer on top.
How Strongman Deadlift Variations Build Grip Strength
Grip strength is where these variations earn their place in a program. Thick handles, heavy top-end loads and static holds push the forearms and hands harder than a standard bar does. Improving grip strength for the deadlift means fewer failed reps where the bar rolls out of your hands before your legs are done. Axle work and Apollon's Wheel train the crushing and supporting grip directly, while silver dollar and block pulls let you hold heavier loads for longer at lockout. This runs as a supporting benefit through the whole article and works best as a section rather than a separate grip programme.
Strongman Deadlift Variations at a Glance
| Variation | Start / pull height | Grip demand | Primary stimulus | Carryover to the deadlift | Equipment | Best suited for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Dollar Deadlift | Elevated start, short range | Moderate | Lockout, top-end overload | Strong lockout carryover | Silver dollar attachment or blocks, loadable bar | Stalled lockout, heavy overload |
| Axle Deadlift | Floor, full range | High (50 mm shaft) | Grip and forearm strength | Fixes grip-limited pulls | Axle bar | Grip-focused lifters |
| Apollon's Wheel | Floor, thick fixed axle | Very high (static) | Maximal grip, thick-bar strength | Indirect, hardens the grip | Thick axle with large wheels | Advanced grip work |
| Block Pull | Elevated on blocks, partial | Moderate | Lockout, posterior chain | Direct top-range overload | Barbell, pulling blocks | Smoothing a sticking point |
| Rack Pull | Bar on rack pins, partial | Moderate | Upper back, lockout | Direct top-range overload | Barbell, power rack | Back thickness, lockout |
Conventional Deadlift vs Strongman Variations: When to Use What
The conventional deadlift is the reference point for a reason. It trains the full pull from the floor, loads the posterior chain through a long range and builds the raw pulling strength that most other lifts sit on top of. When you line the strongman variations up against it, the useful question is which gap each one fills.
The silver dollar deadlift and the block pull both trade range for load. By starting higher, they let you handle weights above your floor pull and spend more time under heavy tension near the lockout. Against the conventional deadlift, they train the top of the movement and the confidence that comes with holding a heavy bar. The trade-off is less work off the floor, so they complement the full lift rather than replace it.
The axle deadlift keeps the range close to conventional but changes the demand at the hands. Where a normal bar lets most lifters hold on, the thick axle exposes grip as the weak link. Compared with the conventional pull, the axle builds forearm and hand strength that carries straight back to any heavy set where the bar starts to slip. Apollon's Wheel pushes that idea further, with a thicker handle and a static, stubborn load that rewards a strong hold over speed.
Rack pulls sit closest to the block pull in purpose, with the bar set on rack pins to overload the upper back and the lockout. Against the conventional deadlift, they let you feel a heavier load and build back thickness without a full range of motion.
For programming, a simple approach works. Keep the conventional deadlift as your main pull and rotate one variation in as accessory work, matched to your weak point. If you stall near lockout, reach for silver dollar deadlifts, block pulls or rack pulls. If the bar slips before your legs are done, prioritise axle work. If you want a grip challenge and enjoy the strongman side of training, Apollon's Wheel earns a place on a heavy day. One or two variations per training block is plenty; adding all of them at once tends to crowd out the main lift and blur the stimulus you are chasing.
Strongman Deadlift Equipment for Home Gym Training
You do not need a competition setup to train these lifts at home. A thick axle bar covers the axle deadlift and doubles as an approximation of Apollon's Wheel when loaded heavy. A silver dollar deadlift attachment raises the bar for elevated pulls without a full block setup, and deep-dish plates suit heavy loading on both. If you want to add these variations to a home gym, a few pieces cover most of the work:
- Axle Bar for thick-bar pulls and grip work
- Competition Axle for a heavier, contest-style thick bar
- Silver Dollar Deadlift Attachment to raise the bar for elevated pulls
- Deep Dish Cast Iron Plates for compact heavy loading
Add them gradually and let your training decide what you actually reach for. And if you want to take strongman training beyond the deadlift, our guide to odd object training with atlas stones and sandbags covers the full-body side of the sport.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a silver dollar deadlift?
A partial deadlift from an elevated start that shortens the range of motion and overloads the lockout. In strongman it is a competition event in its own right, named after the boxes of silver dollar coins lifted in old strength shows.
What is an axle deadlift?
A deadlift performed with a thick, non-rotating axle bar whose shaft measures around 50 mm, which makes grip the main challenge.
What is Apollon's Wheel?
A historic railway axle loaded with two train wheels, made famous by the strongman Apollon around 1900 and still replicated in competition. It stands for extreme grip and thick-bar strength.
How do block pulls differ from rack pulls?
Block pulls rest the plates on blocks, rack pulls set the bar on rack pins; both shorten the range and overload the top of the lift.
Do strongman deadlift variations carry over to a normal deadlift?
Yes. They build grip, lockout strength and top-end confidence that transfer back to a full pull from the floor.