Train like a steinholder
5:45 and 2:50 are still waiting. Here's how to go after them: a season plan, the two holds that build endurance, the lifts that matter, and a timer you can run with your free hand.
Why it hurts so much
Your arm is a lever. Your shoulder is the pivot, and a 5-pound stein sits at the far end, trying to drag your arm down.
Most of the work falls on the front deltoid, one of the smallest muscles in your body, backed up by your side delts, rotator cuff and the stabilizers around your shoulder blade. The longer your arm, the longer the lever, so taller competitors fight a little more physics.
It goes the same way for everyone. First the shoulder starts to go, then the upper and lower back tighten, then the shaking starts. After a couple of minutes it's discomfort, then real pain. Everyone on stage feels it. The winner is simply the one who prepared for it.
The season plan
Three stages: build the muscle, build the endurance, then sharpen for the stage. Dates are approximate, so count back from Oktoberfest weekend.
A sample week in competition season
Two training holds, one practice hold and a full rest day. If your shoulder is still sore from the last session, dial it back. Overtraining slows you down and invites injury.
Shoulders A
Back
Chest
Shoulders B
Pro move: open a shoulder day with a hold on your competition arm, then hold at least half as long with your other arm, so both sides go into the workout equally tired.
Two holds that build champions
Doing it over and over is the best way to get better. These two holds make every rep count.
The Practice Hold
A dress rehearsal. Go once, to failure.- Fill your stein to the 1-liter line and grip it the legal way.
- Start a stopwatch and extend your arm.
- Hold until your form breaks or you spill. Stop there.
- Log the time. Next time, beat it by a little.
The Training Hold
Intervals. Where your times take off.- Set a total holding goal a couple of minutes past your best practice hold.
- Hold to failure, then take a 60-second break to stretch your arm, shoulder and back.
- Lift again and hold to failure. Repeat until your total holding time reaches the goal.
- Every week, cut the rest by 5–10 seconds, raise the goal, or both. Don't go below 15 seconds of rest.
Use training holds for one or two of your weekly holds, not all three, because they're much harder to recover from. Early in the season, don't obsess over perfect form. You're building endurance and learning to push through. As competition gets closer, make your form flawless.
The hold timer
Prop your phone up, pick a mode and tap the big button with your free hand. On a laptop, the spacebar works too.
- Practice modeTap to lift, tap when the stein comes down. It saves your personal best on this device.
- Training modeSet a total goal and a rest time. It tracks every hold, counts down your rest and beeps when it's time to lift again.
- No peeking at the clockYour screen stays awake while you hold (on supported phones).
The lifts that matter
Frequent, hard holds come first. Strength and endurance work in the gym comes a close second. Start light, control every rep, and work in core training between sets.
Front raises
Straight-armed dumbbell raises to just above shoulder height. This is the steinholder's staple. Go heavy in the foundation stage, then light and high-rep as the season nears.
Rotating-grip front raises
One rep palms-down, one in the neutral steinholding grip, one palms-up (skip that one if it bothers your wrists). It hits the front delt from every angle.
Around-the-clock raises
Raise straight-armed dumbbells to just above parallel in front, at 45° and out to the side, pausing for a 3-count at each position and lowering slowly. One long, miserable, very effective rep.
Disruption hold
Hold a stein or dumbbell in competition form while a friend nudges it up, down and sideways. Your job is to keep it dead still. It's harder than anything the stage will throw at you. About a minute per arm.
Close-grip overhead press
Press with a narrow grip (a curl bar is kind to the wrists) and keep your elbows pointing forward, not flaring out. That keeps the load on the front delts.
Upright rows, shrugs & lateral raises
The supporting cast. Your upper back and side delts carry more of the load as your front delt tires in the final minutes.
Luggage lift
Hold a weight at your side in one hand, brace your core, squat until it's just below knee height, then stand. Ten a side. It trains the anti-lean strength the posture rules demand. Start light.
Cardio & core
Running or other steady cardio builds the endurance base, and core work between sets protects your lower back, which is the second thing to start screaming.
Gear up
A real training stein
Get a 1-liter dimpled glass Masskrug: about 3 lb empty and about 5 lb full. A dumbbell isn't the same, because the grip is different and nothing sloshes. Train with water. You'll spill, and your kitchen will thank you.
Flat-soled shoes
Most athletic shoes raise the heel and pitch you forward. Flat, "zero-drop" soles, like classic canvas high-tops or minimalist trainers, let you settle back onto your heels for a steadier base and better posture.
A shirt with some stretch
Leave the dress shirt at home. It binds across your back and shoulders. A polo, a tee or a roomy dirndl blouse is better, with sleeves you can push above the elbow.
Game-day prep
The biggest mistake is getting swept up in the festival and abandoning your routine. Enjoy Oktoberfest, but treat your hold like the athletic event it is. Nothing new on game day.
Two nights before
- Sleep well both nights, not just the night before.
- Eat plenty, and keep your normal routine.
- Go easy on alcohol. It hurts sleep quality and dehydrates you.
Day of
- Eat a big, carb-rich meal earlier in the day, not right before you compete.
- About an hour out, have a portable snack: a granola or protein bar, fruit, yogurt.
- Hydrate all day. Set phone reminders. It's a festival, so for every beer, drink water.
- Some champions swear one beer takes the edge off. One. Adult divisions start at 5 PM (on the 2026 schedule), so plan your Oktoberfest accordingly.
At the tent
- Check in at the contest registration table near the beer tent.
- Warm up your shoulders lightly, then push your sleeves above the elbow.
- Pick a fixed point to stare at and slow your breathing.
- Use the first 60 seconds: listen to the judges and fix your form.
- Then hold on. Everyone else is hurting too.
Friendly advice, not medical advice. Warm up, know your limits, and stop if something hurts in a way that feels wrong. Drink responsibly.
Our training guidance is summarized and adapted from the U.S. Steinholding Association's training guides by founder Jim Banko, 2015 national champion and former U.S. record holder at 17:11. For the full, detailed versions, read the USSA training articles ↗.