Tire Flip
The Tire Flip is a strongman movement where you deadlift a large tire off the ground, drive it up and over with your hips and shoulders, and flip it forward. It builds raw, full-body power, mostly through the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and upper back, with grip and shoulders along for the ride.
Why it works
The lift works in two distinct phases. The first is a hip-hinge pull, close to a deadlift, that gets the tire off the ground and up to about knee or thigh height, loading the quads, hamstrings, and lower back hard because the tire's bulk keeps your hands far from your center of mass. The second phase is a drive and push, where you shift your hips under the tire and extend through the legs and shoulders to send it over. Because the load is awkward and unevenly shaped, your whole body, not just one muscle group, has to coordinate the lift.
Set up
- Stand close to the tire with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart, toes near or slightly under the bottom edge.
- Grip the underside of the tire with both hands, fingers curled under the lip.
- Set your back flat and your hips low, similar to a deadlift stance.
- Clear the space in front of you so the tire has room to flip.
How to do it
- Pull the tire upward by driving through your legs and extending your hips, keeping your back flat.
- Once the tire reaches thigh height, shift your hands lower and drive your knee or hip underneath it.
- Press upward and forward through your legs and shoulders to lift the tire onto its edge.
- Finish by pushing through your arms and shoulders to flip the tire forward onto the ground.
- Reset your feet and repeat the same sequence for each rep.
Form cues
- Keep your back flat through the whole pull, the same way you'd guard it in a deadlift.
- Get your hips, not just your arms, underneath the tire before you drive it up.
- Drive through your heels on the initial pull.
- Let your legs do the work in the final push, not just your lower back.
Breathing: Take a full breath and brace your core before the initial pull, then exhale forcefully as you drive the tire up and over.
Common mistakes
Rounding the lower back during the initial pull off the ground.
Fix: Set your hips low and your chest up before you pull, exactly like setting up for a deadlift.
Trying to muscle the tire up with the arms instead of driving with the legs.
Fix: Get your hip underneath the tire's edge and push through your legs; your arms and shoulders only finish the flip.
Standing too far from the tire, which stretches the pull out and strains the lower back.
Fix: Start with your toes close to the base of the tire so the pull stays short and vertical.
How to program it
- Because this loads the hip hinge as hard as a heavy deadlift, treat it as the one heavy pull of the week rather than something you repeat daily.
- Three to six flips per set is typical, since each rep is taxing on grip and the lower back.
- Fits well on a strongman or posterior-chain day, usually placed early in the session while you're fresh.
- If you're using a lighter tire purely for conditioning, two sessions a week is reasonable, but drop straight back to one heavy session if you move up in tire size.
Safety notes
- Keep your lower back flat on the first pull; this is where most strain happens.
- Use a tire sized to your current strength level rather than the biggest one available.
Exercise profile
- Force
- Pull
- Mechanics
- Compound
- Category
- strongman
Frequently asked questions
How many tire flips should I do per set?
Most programs call for 3 to 6 flips per set, since each rep demands a near-maximal pull and push.
Is Tire Flip the same as a deadlift?
The first phase is a deadlift-style pull, but the second phase adds a push and flip that a straight deadlift doesn't have. If you don't have a tire, a regular deadlift trains the pulling half of the movement.
Why does my lower back feel it the most?
The initial pull off the ground puts the tire far from your body, which loads the lower back and hamstrings heavily, similar to a deadlift with a wide grip. Keeping your hips low and back flat at the start reduces that strain.
Can I flip a tire without strongman equipment?
You need an actual tire for this specific movement, but a deadlift or sandbag load trains the same raw pulling strength if you don't have access to one.