Farmer's Walk
Carry, dumbbell, forearms and traps
The farmer's walk is walking with a heavy dumbbell in each hand at your sides. It trains the grip, forearms and traps, with the trunk, glutes and upper back holding you tall. It suits almost anyone, since it is simple to learn and easy to make heavier.
Setting up
- Stand between two heavy dumbbells.
- Hinge and squat down to grip them, then stand up tall with the arms straight at the sides.
- Clear a straight path of about 20 to 30 meters.
How to do a farmer's walk
- Stand tall with the shoulders down and back.
- Brace the belly.
- Walk forward with short, steady steps.
- Keep the dumbbells still at your sides.
- Set the dumbbells down the way you picked them up.
Breathing. Breathe in short, steady breaths through the walk, keeping the belly braced.
Muscles worked
- Mainly
- Forearms and traps
- Also
- Abdominals, glutes and upper back
Common mistakes
- Leaning forward as you walk. The trunk should hold you tall, so look ahead and keep the chest up.
- Shoulders creeping up. The traps hold the load better with the shoulders down, so pull them back and away from the ears.
- Long, bouncing steps. Swinging dumbbells throw you off line, so take short, quick steps.
Easier and harder
- Easier
- Kettlebell Farmer's Carry
- Harder
- Trap-Bar Farmer's Carry
