Why You Should Use the Farmer's Walk to Build Total Body Strength

This simple loaded carry move can be tougher than it looks. Here’s how to do it right.

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SOME EXERCISES ARE so simple, you might not realize that you’re actually doing something that will build strength and muscle. The most obvious example of this might be the farmer’s walk (also called the farmer’s carry), which requires you to walk with a heavy load in each hand for a pre-determined distance or time. You’ve actually performed the exercise every time you’ve hauled weights from a rack in the gym—and when you consider just how often you haul groceries and other things around in your day-to-day life, it’s an action that’s just about as common (and essential) as anything can be.

To really focus and reap the training benefits of the farmer’s carry, however, there’s much more to the move than just gripping the weights and walking. Especially once you consider how effective the exercise can be for your grip strength, posture and core—let alone how important it is for fitness races like Hyrox—you shouldn’t settle for anything other than perfect form.

Let Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. and senior editor Brett Williams, NASM guide you through the move’s subtleties, saving you from the bad habits that are keeping you from unlocking your fitness potential. While farmer’s walks and other loaded carries look like such simple moves, your positioning is essential to make sure you’re getting the most out of the exercise. Let’s break down everything you need to know.

Use these next-level form tips from Samuel to master the move.

Eb says: Don’t just start walking the moment you pick up the dumbbells. Instead, get your torso organized. The farmer’s carry can really hone your posture, but only if you make sure your posture is tight before you start moving.

So take your body through a three-step process before you move: Squeeze your glutes to shift your pelvis into neutral. Tighten your abs, because they should always be tight. And tighten your shoulder blades. Maintain this total-body tension as you move and don’t lose it.