Farmer's Carry
A walk with a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand, logged by distance. It trains grip, the upper traps and a braced trunk that holds you upright under load. Choose it for grip strength, posture and work capacity, or as a finisher after heavy pulls.
Updated
Primary muscles: forearms, traps, core. Supporting muscles: obliques, glutes, quadriceps, calves. Equipment: dumbbells.
Muscles worked
Equipment
How to do it
- Stand between two dumbbells or kettlebells set beside your feet.
- Hinge at the hips, grip the handles at their centre and stand up with a neutral spine.
- Pull the shoulders down and back and brace the core.
- Walk forward with short, controlled steps, the arms straight at your sides.
- Keep the torso tall and the weights still as you cover 20 to 40 m.
- Stop, hinge and set the weights down under control.
Watch for
- Leaning to one side or forward as the grip tires.
- Shrugging the shoulders toward the ears.
- Weights swinging or knocking against the legs.
- Rounding the back to pick up or set down the weights.
Breathing
Take short breaths behind a braced core; don't hold your breath for the whole walk.
Tip
Log the weight of one dumbbell, not both. Turn in a wide arc rather than a pivot, and end the set when the grip starts to open.
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