Rob Orlando, owner of Hybrid Athletics, coaches CrossFit Strongman Trainer Courses across the country. In this video, he demonstrates how to make atlas stones.
“From beginning to end, I mean the process is really pretty simple,” Orlando says. “You get the ingredients and then ... it takes a little practice to get the mix right.”
The ingredients you need include buckets, silicone lube, zip ties, cement, a trowel, clippers/scissors to remove zip ties, a flathead screwdriver, a rag, a rubber mallet, a chisel and the molds. After you’ve purchased the molds, creating a set of stones costs “less than a hundred dollars,” he says.
First, spray the inside of the molds. He says to be liberal with the silicone spray.
“You can’t do too much really,” he says. “The more of this you put on there, the easier they are to come apart.”
Next, zip-tie the halves of the mold together. Then, mix the cement and fill the mold. Orlando shows the proper cement consistency required. After 24 hours, the stone is ready to come out of the mold. Orlando shows how to remove the stone safely and clean it up so it can finish curing.
“The longer you can keep the cement wet or damp, the stronger and the better the cure on the cement stones,” Orlando says. So after an hour baking in the sun, he hoses down the stones periodically to ensure their strength.
Finally, clean up the molds carefully so that they last. Orlando says don’t use sandpaper to remove debris.
“You want to try your best to keep the plastic as smooth as possible,” he says.
9min 55sec
Additional audio: CrossFit Radio Episode 135 by Justin Judkins, published Sept. 1, 2010.