- \n
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart holding a pair of heavy dumbbells or kettlebells at your sides, palms facing in.<\/li>\n
- Draw your shoulders back, and pull your head back as if making a double chin. Hold this position throughout the movement.<\/li>\n
- Keeping your core engaged and your gaze ahead of you, walk for 20 to 30 seconds to complete a set. Avoid the tendency to sway from side to side.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Farmer\u2019s Walk Benefits<\/h2>\n
Why might you want to walk your dumbbells like a pair of ultra-lazy chihuahuas? Here are few reasons.<\/p>\n
1. It builds grip strength<\/h3>\n
Since all you\u2019re doing is holding the weights at your sides \u2014 no curling, pressing, or extending required \u2014 you\u2019ll heft some of the heaviest weights you\u2019ve ever held in your hands. And that\u2019s good: You need grip strength and strong forearms for many different exercises during training, from deadlifts to chin-ups\u00a0to\u00a0rows\u00a0to\u00a0lateral raises.<\/p>\n
Learn to grip a heavy weight with the farmer\u2019s walk and there\u2019s a good chance your performance on those other moves will improve as well.<\/p>\n
2. It helps build your core<\/h3>\n
The muscles of your abdomen, lower back, and trunk do more than power you through sit-ups and leg lifts: They also protect your spine. The farmer\u2019s walk forces these core muscles \u2014 front, sides, and back \u2014 to keep your spine upright and in a straight line while you move.<\/p>\n
3. It burns tons of calories<\/h3>\n
The farmer\u2019s walk isn\u2019t just a grip and core move: \u201cIt\u2019s truly a total-body exercise, engaging muscles from your\u00a0deltoids\u00a0[shoulders] all the way down to your feet,\u201d explains Thieme. The more muscles you activate, the greater the strength and fat-burning benefits.<\/p>\n
4. It\u2019s safe<\/h3>\n
The risk of injury is low on loaded carries, and no spotter is required. If you can\u2019t complete a set of this full-body exercise, all you have to do is set the dumbbells on the floor. Excluding back pain sufferers, says Thieme, \u201ceveryone who\u2019s fit enough to walk and lift weights should do farmer\u2019s walks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Back giving you problems? Get clearance from your doctor.<\/p>\n
5. It gets you accustomed to big weights<\/h3>\n
One key to progress in the gym is\u00a0lifting progressively heavier weights over time. Get used to heavy weights on the farmer\u2019s walk, and you\u2019re that much more likely to grab them when you\u2019re pressing, rowing, lunging, or curling. It\u2019s a gateway move, setting the stage for using heavier loads on other moves.<\/p>\n
Farmer\u2019s Walk Variations<\/h2>\n
Wanna spice up your loaded carries? Try one of these challenging variations.<\/p>\n
Offset farmer\u2019s walk<\/h3>\n
![\"suitcase](\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/20120827\/suitcase-carry-forearm-exercises.gif\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nCarry weight in one hand instead of two, switching hands halfway through your walk, and working to stay as upright as possible throughout. The unilateral challenge forces the obliques on your non-weighted side to work harder.<\/p>\n
Logger\u2019s walk<\/h3>\n
Walk holding the weights at shoulder level. The higher center of gravity offers a different core challenge, and harder work for your upper body.<\/p>\n
Walking lunges<\/h3>\n
![\"Man](\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/17104259\/farmers-walk-exercise-600-lunge.jpeg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nHolding one or two dumbbells at your sides, at shoulder height, overhead, or any combination, take long strides, dropping your back knee close to the floor on each step. These have the added benefit of activating larger muscle groups, like your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes.<\/p>\n
Waiter\u2019s walk<\/h3>\n
Walk holding one or both weights overhead \u2014 a position that challenges shoulder and core stability in an entirely different way. Make sure you have the requisite\u00a0shoulder mobility\u00a0for this variation, and start with a lighter weight.<\/p>\n
Combo walk<\/h3>\n
Walk holding one weight at shoulder height, and one at waist height, or one overhead and the other at shoulder height, or any combination of the three positions you can think of. Be sure to use the appropriate weight for each combination, and make sure to perform equal reps on both sides.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ever seen someone at the gym grab a pair of dumbbells off the rack and just\u2026 take them for a walk? They\u2019re doing a move called the farmer\u2019s walk exercise \u2014 or the farmer\u2019s carry. And there\u2019s more to the move than meets the eye. \u201cThe farmer\u2019s walk is about as functional as it gets,\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2138,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[91],"class_list":["post-2137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-fitness"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}