Strongman Shane Flowers turned his rural UK property into a serious training base. He cleaned and equipped his double garage and barn with equipment that matches the demands of competition.
Everything inside, from compact racks to massive granite stones, helps Flowers prepare for elite-level contests. He is deep into preparation for the upcoming 2025 Strongest Man on Earth contest, scheduled for Aug. 16-17, 2025, in Loveland, CO.
After scoring a seventh-place finish at the 2025 World’s Strongest Man in May, Flowers believes his home gym could propel further up the ranks.
Double Garage for Solo Training Sessions
Flowers’ double garage is his dedicated training hub, comprising 90% of his workouts. He designed and outfitted it with several key pieces of equipment, like the Mirafit half rack. It has a 300-kilogram capacity and takes up half the floor space of a full rack, giving him a compact area to focus on improving his squat strength and endurance.
He simulates contest conditions using a Giant’s Live-spec stone wall with platforms spanning 170 to 130 centimeters high. Next to it are eight Atlas stones ranging from 100 to 240 kilograms. Flowers also has a Rogue Echo Bike stationed nearby. He’s using this machine during prep to improve his conditioning so fatigue doesn’t limit any future performances. (1)
[Related: 2025 World’s Strongest Man Rayno Nel Interview: “I’m Still New to the Sport”]
The garage houses a dumbbell rack, Monolift bench attachments for solo sessions, a Big Dogs Division wooden log, assorted bars, and grip tools like a Saxon bar and resistance bands for versatile accessory work.
Tucked into the far side is his secret weapon for knee and ligament health: a customized sissy squat machine. (2) He explains how he uses it, adding, “I do isometrics. Basically, I pause in a partial squat position and hold that isometric. That’s been really good for my knee health.”
Barn Designed for Strongman Events
The barn is a perfect setup for dynamic strongman events that require more space. It’s got a 20-meter run area and a 9-meter ceiling, making it ideal for carries, throws, or running with weights.
For loading medleys, Flowers trains with the Mirafit yoke, priming his central nervous system with familiar stimuli he’ll encounter in competition.
Other staple pieces of gear include his custom Hercules hold for improving grip strength and loadable circus dumbbells with three-inch handles, an ideal tool for testing overhead strength and stability.
Deeper into the barn, you’ll find Cornish granite stones. They range from 96–160 kilograms, and training with them helped Flowers refine his technique ahead of the 2025 World’s Strongest Man, as he notes, “this is what helped me press that stone to make the final.”
His training setup also features specialty strongman implements such as Conan’s wheel for grip and endurance, the Viking press to build overhead strength, and power stairs to develop explosive leg power and cardiovascular endurance under load.
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References
- Glaister M, Stone MH, Stewart AM, Hughes MG, Moir GL. The influence of endurance training on multiple sprint cycling performance. J Strength Cond Res. 2007;21(2):606-612. doi:10.1519/R-20676.1 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17530982/
- Rio E, Purdam C, Girdwood M, Cook J. Isometric Exercise to Reduce Pain in Patellar Tendinopathy In-Season: Is It Effective “on the Road”?. Clin J Sport Med. 2019;29(3):188-192. doi:10.1097/JSM.0000000000000549 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31033611/
Featured image: @_shaneflowers on Instagram
