What We Love and Hate About Flipping Tires

What is it about tire flipping? It’s so primitive - so pure. Sure, fancy tire flipping machines exist (like the TireFlip 180), but nothing beats grunting out a heavy, hands-on approach to lifting and flipping the real deal. Yes, the flipping part is half the fun. Unlike the endurance required for bucket or sandbag carries, a good tire flip just needs a burst of power to get the job done. Oh, and for the love of everything sacred, lift with your legs - not with your back (we’re not going to tell you again).

With all of our love for the tire flip, we do have two gripes. First, it’s tough finding tires. Some of you are yelling at your screens right now; “WHAT? It’s easy to find tires.” We’ve heard this claim a billion times only to be let down over and over again. Understand this - we’re cheap when it comes to our home workouts and don’t intend to spend real money on crappy tires that would otherwise go to waste. We’re constantly on the lookout for those big, heavy tractor tires that are too worn for anything but flipping. However, every time we check in with tire shops, they either don’t have any or they’re trying to sell them like they’re new. Our best luck has been with salvage yards. However, if any of you have a network of “tire guys,” feel free to share.

The second downside to tire flipping at home is the rainwater they collect. Don’t get me wrong, The MudGear crew loves muddy races as much as the next lunatics, and making a mess during training is par for the course. Still, tires with water in them attract mosquitoes and other pests. So, we’ve resorted to drilling small holes in the tires for water to escape. We’ve also used a butt-load (technical term) of duct tape to wrap tires so that no water could enter. Of course this is all temporary until one of you fine entrepreneurs develop a sealed tire designed strictly for flipping. 

Alright, we’re done bellyaching. The pros for tire flipping definitely outweigh the cons, but why stop with flipping those tires. Here is a list we found of 13 Tire-Based Exercises. 

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