Okinawa. Japan. (February 4, 2025): For military recruits, it is hard to tell if an exercise is meant for pure torture or the best workout routine on the planet. In this photo by Lance Corporal Sav Ford, Marines assigned to Air Support Squadron 2 flip tires during a field meet to commemorate the squadron's 82nd anniversary. While it may seem pointless, tire flipping has some serious science behind it.

First of all, it is a full body exercise that few can match. Flipping tires trains so much muscle while it burns a lot of calories. The routine engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously through one compound movement targeting the back muscles, forearms, biceps, and triceps. Meanwhile, the cardiovascular component makes tire flipping and outstanding choice for improving endurance and overall physical performance. Doing just twenty minutes a day can burn at least four hundred calories. 

The biomechanics of the exercise can be divided into three phases, leg drive, hip rotation, and upper body push. The leg drive involves using the glute muscles to create an explosive drive to lift the tire. The hips takeover as the tire is driven forward exercising the back, shoulder, and triceps. The final pull to upend the tire trains the chest and biceps and upper shoulders. This explosive routine significantly improves core strength, increases power, and provides extreme cardio endurance.

While it may seem like torture, flipping tires is one of the best full body workouts ever.