You already know that tires make your car move, but did you know that tire training can get your body moving, too? That’s right, something as basic as a tire offers you a ton of different workout variations that increase your strength, speed, agility, and cardiovascular fitness.

So, in addition to a full range of traditional gym equipment, Adventure Fitness Athletic Club also has tires and sledgehammers available to our members so that they can participate in this unique method of strength and conditioning training. Read on to learn about exercising with tires at our gym in Thornton, some sample workouts to try, and the benefits of this surprisingly effective bodybuilding tool.

How to select a tire size at the gym

The first step of tire training is selecting the size and weight of tire that meets your fitness level and experience. Not only will this enable you to perform the exercises correctly, but it also helps you avoid injury.

Similar to how you would select weights for strength training, you should start out with a smaller, lighter tire and work your way up to heavier, larger tires. It’s generally recommended that women begin with 100-200 pound tires, while men should start with 200-300 pound tires.

Unlike weights at the gym, however, tires are not clearly marked with their weight, so knowing how much your tire weighs is a bit of a guessing game. Below is a chart of approximate tire weights to get you started.

Passenger car tires — 25-27 pounds
Motorcycle tires — 30 pounds
Light truck and SUV tires — 48 pounds
RV/motorhome tires — 71 pounds
Commercial van/truck tires — 100–200 pounds
17.5 x 25 foot tractor tire — 300 pounds
20.5 x 25 foot tractor tire — 400-500 pounds
23.5 x 25 foot tractor tire — 400-800 pounds
26.5 x 25 foot tractor tire — 1,000 pounds

To make sure you’ve selected the right tire, try to do 2-5 repetitions of a couple basic tire exercises. If you’re not able to, that means the tire is too heavy and you should select a smaller size.

Most of us don’t have a way to transport large tires home (let alone a place to keep them!), so thankfully our gym near you has several tire sizes for you to pick from.

Tire exercises to try at the gym

Once you’ve selected the appropriate size tire, it’s time to hit the road! There are dozens of great exercises you can try with tires, but here are some of the most popular.

Flip the tire

The tire flip is a classic tire exercise that works your glutes, hamstrings, calves, biceps, triceps, forearms, abs, and more.

Face the tire with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Squat down and grab the bottom of the tire with an underhand grip. Place your hands on the treads (raised parts) on the side of the tire (if there are any). You don’t want your hands to slip into large indentations on the tire wall, as this can cause injury.
While you’re in the squat position with your hips lower than your shoulders, lean forward and place the bottom of your forearms against the tire.
Lean into the tire, drive through your legs, and raise the tire off the ground.
Drive the tire upright and flip your hands to catch the tire with your palms in a pushing position.
Stand the tire up and push it over.
Repeat as necessary for the desired number of reps and sets.

Tire slams

The tire slam is an excellent exercise for developing your upper body through various planes of motion. Plus, it’s an exciting way to relieve stress! For this exercise, you’ll need a sledgehammer or mace to strike the tire. Both are available at AFAC gym for your convenience. You’ll also want to select a tire that’s large enough to absorb the impact without moving around too much.

The path of this movement is circular — you want to move the hammer or mace up and back behind you, then over your shoulder and down onto the tire.

First, select a mace or sledgehammer that’s an appropriate weight for your skill level.
Stand facing the tire and position your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Grab the shaft of the hammer or mace with one hand near the weighted portion and the other hand toward the bottom.
Use the top hand to guide the hammer or mace up and behind your body to either side while rotating your body toward that side.
When the hammer or mace is above your head, slide the upper hand down toward the bottom of the shaft.
Finish strong by using a hip hinge and your back muscles to strike the tire with maximum effort.
The mace or hammer will bounce back toward you. Hold it steady by moving your hands back to the starting position.

Perform as many reps as you can for 30 seconds and then repeat on the other side of your body. Rest for one minute, and try to go five rounds. You can also do tire slams in sets, performing a given number on one side before switching to the other side.

Tire box jumps

In this variation of box jumps, you’ll need to stabilize yourself as you land on the flex of the tire, working your quads, glutes, calves, hamstrings, and abs. Select a tire that’s the appropriate height for your skill level. You can also stack two tires on top of each other as you become more advanced with the exercise.

Stand approximately one foot away from the tire, facing it with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Begin the movement by squatting down and explosively jumping onto the tire.
As you land on the tire, stabilize your body by squatting down slightly.
Jump back onto the ground and absorb the shock by landing in a half-squat. You can also step down from the tire to reduce impact.
Repeat the exercise for the desired number of reps and sets.

Benefits of tire workouts at the gym

Tire training is an excellent way to build muscle and get your cardio workout completed at the same time. It also targets your posterior muscles (hamstrings, glutes, back), core, and arms. Here’s a closer look at the benefits you’ll enjoy with tire training.

Multiple planes of motion

During your daily activities and when you exercise, you move in three planes – frontal (side-to-side), sagittal (front-to-back), and transverse (rotational). Most traditional workouts involve one plane of movement, but tire training makes you move in multiple planes at the same time. Because of this, tire training is beneficial for people who want to improve in a variety of sports that also require multiple planes of motion. That’s why you’ll see athletes who are training for their given sport incorporate tire training into their regimen.

Strength training and cardiovascular conditioning

Another main benefit of tire training is that it combines strength training and cardiovascular conditioning into one workout.

Strength training means that you’re moving your muscles against resistance to increase muscle mass, bone mass, and metabolic rate. It also helps you prevent injuries.

Cardiovascular conditioning refers to performing high-intensity movements to improve your aerobic endurance, speed, skill, heart health, and lung health. Cardio workouts also burn calories, and tire training is no exception — it’s a major calorie burner.

Tire training is one of the few workouts that check off both boxes, although you should incorporate other methods of strength training into your program to maximize your muscle gains.

Variety

Tire training is a nice change of pace from working out with standard gym equipment like barbells and dumbbells. Plus, if you always work out with the same strength training equipment, your muscles will adapt over time, and you’ll reach a plateau in your progress. Tire workouts force your muscles to work in new, explosive ways, allowing you to surge past your plateaus reach new heights.

Tire Yourself Out With Tire Training at AFAC Gym

If you’re ready to move forward with your fitness goals, take a stab (or hammer) at tire training at AFAC gym. Our personal trainers will be happy to help you incorporate this one-of-a-kind workout into your fitness program. Our focus on providing our members with customized fitness programs and helping them achieve their fitness goals is why we’re the best among all the gyms near you in the Thornton area.

For more information about tire training and the other workouts we offer at AFAC gym, please speak with a member of our staff. You can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club for assistance.

To read more articles from Adventure Fitness Athletic Club, check out our Adventure Corner blogs by clicking here.