6 Powerful Tire Flip Alternatives

Tire flips can be a fun way to work a variety of muscles but they may not be for you. Find out what alternatives can offer similar effects.

As the name implies, the exercise comes down to flipping a big tire onto its other side. Keep your spine straight during tire flips to avoid any injuries.

Tire flips will work a variety of muscles including your lower back, erector spinae, glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, forearms, trapezius, calves, deltoids, biceps, and core.

Additionally, your cardiovascular system will be challenged by the continuous heavy movements. Especially if you use a lighter tire where you can do a lot of repetitions in a row.

Whether you don’t enjoy tire flips, you don’t have a good tire available at home or in the gym, or you want an alternative because of something else, these tire flip substitutes can offer you some or all of the same benefits.

1. Power cleans

One of the main challenges people have when wanting to do tire exercises is the lack of a tire. This piece of “fitness” equipment is just not as common as other options.

Luckily you can also prepare your body to do tire flips with a barbell. Take the following steps to do a power clean:

1. Stand up straight with your feet at more or less shoulder width in front of a weighted barbell.
2. Slightly fold your legs at the knees and tilt your upper body forward to grab the barbell on the ground with your hand palms facing backward.
3. Tilt back your upper body and stretch your legs in one continuous motion in an explosive way so you can raise the barbell enough for the following steps. It is very important to keep your back in a straight line during this step.
4. Most of the upward force of the barbell will come from your legs but you can pull it upward slightly higher.
5. Move under the barbell to a position where you can do the next step. You will have to change the angle of your wrists in relation to the barbell.
6. Catch the barbell on the front part of your shoulders with your hands still holding the barbell to control it. Your hand palms will point upward and your legs should be in a quarter squat position.

Power cleans are almost the perfect substitute for tire flips in terms of muscle engagement. Two differences are that your wrists are pointing in the opposite direction and that power cleans use a barbell which is more common.

One downside of this alternative is that it is technically challenging. It takes an initial learning period to be able to take full advantage of the benefits of power cleans.

A benefit of power cleans is that you can easily and precisely adjust the resistance to your experience level. This can be helpful for gradually improving your power clean, and in turn tire flip, performance.

2. Deadlifts

This next tire flip alternative is the initial part of the movement done separately. For deadlifts, you typically use a weighted barbell but other types of resistance can work too up to a certain weight.

Take the following steps to do a deadlift with a barbell:

1. Stand up straight with your feet at more or less shoulder width in front of a weighted barbell.
2. Slightly fold your legs at the knees and tilt your upper body forward to grab the barbell on the ground with your hand palms pointing backward.
3. Tilt back your upper body and stretch your legs in one continuous motion until your upper body and legs are stretched in one straight line. When doing a deadlift it is very important to keep your back in a straight line during the exercise.
4. Slowly move back into the position of step 2 by first tilting your upper body forward (with a straight back) and then folding your knees.

If you are new to deadlifts you want to work on your technique before lifting the heaviest weights.

Once you have the technique down, you can choose to do deadlifts at a faster pace if that is how you want to be able to do tire flips.

The muscles you work with deadlifts are mostly similar to tire flips. These muscles include your glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, lower back, erector spinae, forearms, calves, and trapezius.

Three exceptions include your deltoids, biceps, and triceps. To work on these you will have to choose other exercises. Another small difference is that your hand palms are pointing the other way during tire flips.

3. Upright rows

As the name implies the upright row is similar to a bent-over resistance training row but done while standing up straight. Take the following steps to do an upright row with a barbell:

1. Load the barbell with the desired number of weight plates. Stand right in front of it with feet about shoulder width apart.
2. Grab the barbell with an overhanded grip, your hand palms pointing back/down, with your hands at about shoulder width or slightly wider.
3. Lift the barbell and stand up straight. Keep your spine straight during this initial lift. Let your arms with the barbell hang down for now.
4. Raise the barbell straight upward in a controlled manner until your hands are at about shoulder height.
5. Slowly lower the barbell back into the position of step 3.

Because of this change in position compared to the bent-over row, the upright row focuses on slightly different muscles which makes it more of a tire flip substitute.

After the initial deadlift part of the tire flip, you need to raise the tire just a little higher to be able to flip it. This part of the exercise is very similar to upright rows and in turn, works similar muscles.

By training your trapezius, deltoid, bicep, and forearm muscles with upright rows, you can increase your performance during tire flips.

4. Prowler workout sled pushes

There is a piece of gym equipment called a prowler workout sled on which you can put weights. For this next tire flip alternative, you will need this piece of equipment and a suited surface to pull the sled on.

Once you have these, take the following steps to do sled pushes:

1. Load the sled with whatever weight you want to use.
2. Hold the sled with your two hands and face toward it. Tilt your upper body forward until it is horizontal but keep your back straight throughout the exercise.
3. Push the sled forward for a certain number of steps or a certain distance.

Pushing a prowler workout sled works muscles like your quadriceps, glutes, calves, hamstrings, and core. Growing and strengthening these muscles can come in handy for your tire flips.

Depending on how heavy you load the prowler sled this exercise can also train your cardiovascular system a lot. This can also be useful during tire flips. Especially if you typically use a tire that is on the lighter side.

5. Overhead medicine ball throws

As the name implies, the following exercise requires you to have a medicine ball. Additionally, you need either enough room or a wall to throw the medicine ball to.

Once you have these, take the following steps to do an overhead medicine ball throw:

1. Stand up straight with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Hold one medicine ball with both of your hands in front of you. Keep your arms slightly less than stretched throughout the exercise.
2. Lower your hips by bending your knees. How far depends on factors like knee health.
3. Stretch your legs while at the same time swinging your arms forward and upward. Try to time it so your arms are completely up at the same time as your legs are fully stretched. You can lean slightly backward throughout the movement.
4. At the top of the movement let go of the medicine ball to throw it behind you.

Overhead medicine ball throws allow you to train muscles like your glutes, quadriceps, calves, hamstrings, lower back, erector spinae, and shoulders in an explosive way.

The extra muscle power you can build with this alternative can in turn help you do your tire flips faster.

6. Front squats

The next tire flip alternative is a popular compound exercise. This time you need a barbell and a squat rack to be able to do the exercise.

Once you have these, take the following steps to do a front squat:

1. Find a squat rack and place the barbell at about chest height. Add the desired number of weight plates. If there are any safety bars adjust them to the right height.
2. Stand in front of the barbell, put the barbell on the front of your shoulders, and hold it there with your hands. Hold the barbell in position by letting it rest on the inside of your fingers. For this, you have to point your elbows forward and hand palms upward.
3. Unrack the barbell and take a few steps back so that you have room to squat. Stand up straight with your feet at more or less shoulder width.
4. Slowly lower your hips by bending your knees. How far depends on different factors like knee health but at your lowest point you want your hips to be at or lower than your knee height. You will likely have to bend forward for balance but keep your back in a straight line throughout the movement.
5. Push yourself up again into starting position by stretching your legs.
6. Rerack the barbell after your desired number of repetitions.

There are slightly different ways to do tire flips. One way involves getting into a squat position after the initial tire deadlift and squatting the last part of the tire flip.

Especially for this method, front squats can be a valuable training exercise.

That being said, even if you implement more of a deadlift into an upright row technique, front squats can help you train your glutes, quadriceps, calves, hamstrings, and core.

In short, front squats can be a great exercise for improving your tire flips.