In general , a stone is something you can lift , a boulder is something you cannot! Both of course are rocks...unless they are built from concrete , in which case  I don't think they deserve such terminology. Stonelifting is very honest - you can either lift a heavy stone or you can't. If the completion of a lift is defined by placing it onto a barrel or wall , or in the case of a carry - walking a certain distance - no-one can argue about "form".

I have seen just about everything marketed in gyms in the past 30 years. Except stones. Stones , unlike barbells and similar objects , are not meant to be lifted. Except by a few "anoraky" types.


Here is a dolerite river stone weighing 66kg. That is one 6 less than the "number of the beast"...This stone proved a beast to drill through - even with a new masonry bit , a hammer drill and running water it took an hour to penetrate. It was an experiment to create a Dinnie -like stone  http://gordondinnie.com/Stones.html which has to be carried by the fingers. The hook is rather small and thus it is a two finger lift and an awkward one at that. I use one hand to carry & one to balance as it is walked either between the legs or to one side. I need another matching one. I'm sure I could lift much more if it was balanced out better.





I have one Atlas Stone , a rounded concrete globe I constructed at home. I rescued a leaking fitball ( given to me ,  not mine ; I am scared of them)  , made a plaster mould and filled it with concrete.

You can see the birthing process below, rather like a dinosaur egg hatching. Actually "dinosaur training" is a term applied to lifting somewhat unconventional and old-fashioned objects.

I broke the bathroom scales weighing it , but the replacement set showed it weighed exactly 100kg (with 0 % body fat ). Atlas stones are smooth and very awkward. You often have to crouch to a low squat to break the glue that ties them to the surface of the planet. This requires a crushing grip using the hands and the chest muscles. Also a rounded back posture is inevitable and  that may make you wince if you are a therapist dealing with clients with back problems. Once the stone is "lapped" the hands are repositioned over the top and the ball is rolled onto the chest to be placed on a barrel of designated height. The professional strongmen use stones weighing up to 170kg or so ,  and have to lift five stones of increasing size as fast as possible. Needless to say , you have to be well conditioned and able to move explosively.

It is possible to buy beautiful polished granite Atlas stones , but freight is somewhat expensive, let alone initial cost.

Some artificial stones are not what they seem http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=0kNkwZ8-M8g&feature=related