Farmer's Carry
Walking tall with heavy weights in hand — grip, trunk, and postural strength with almost nothing to get wrong.
Also called: farmers walk, farmer carry, suitcase carry, loaded carry
Illustrations: Exercise data by RepDB (repdb.co)
Setup
A heavy dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand (one hand for the suitcase version). Stand tall.
How to do the Farmer's Carry
- Walk with short, quick, controlled steps.
- Shoulders back and down, ribs stacked over hips — tall like a string pulls the crown of your head.
- Grip hard; do not let the weights swing.
- One-sided (suitcase) carry: refuse to lean — stay perfectly upright.
Farmer's Carry muscles worked
The Farmer's Carry works the core, grip, traps and glutes.
Common Farmer's Carry mistakes
- Leaning or waddling under the load.
- Shrugging the shoulders up to the ears.
- Weights so light they change nothing — this one should feel heavy.
Scale it
Easier: Lighter weights, shorter distance.
Harder: Heavier, farther, or one-sided (suitcase) to hammer the obliques.
Pairs well with
Back Squat
The barbell squat — the heaviest-loadable lower-body strength lift, building quads, glutes, and trunk strength together.
Bird Dog
Extending opposite arm and leg from all-fours with a still trunk — back-friendly core stability and hip-extension control.
Deadlift
Lifting a barbell from the floor by hinging at the hips — the fundamental full-body strength lift for the posterior chain.
Dumbbell Shrug
Straight-arm shoulder elevation with heavy dumbbells — direct upper-trap strength for posture and carries.