Weighted carries are a part of everyday life. A functional example of a weighted carry would be carrying a couple of bags of groceries or merchandise from the car to the house. Another functional example would be carrying heavy boxes at work. Carrying a weighted object is fundamental. When it comes to exercises based on weighted carries, one of the best is farmer's walks. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the Farmers Walk - Benefits & Execution. Get ready, it's a tough but ultra-effective exercise. 

What Is The Farmer’s Walk?

Simply put, it’s an exercise where you carry two weighted objects for a predetermined number of steps. Picture carrying 2 suitcases. Now picture replacing the suitcases with a pair of dumbbells, kettlebells, or specifically designed bars. Next, picture carrying these for 30-60 seconds at a time - for several sets! That’s the Farmer’s Walk.

The Benefits Of The Farmer’s Walk 

• Builds Grip Strength
• Increases Overall Strength
• Builds Stamina And Endurance
• Strengthens Your Core
• Burns Calories
• Helps Pack On Mass

The Farmer's Walk Involves The Following Muscle Groups:

Legs

Since you’re walking with weights, your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calf muscles are all heavily involved.

Core

Your core muscles are heavily involved when doing a farmer's walk, especially if you’re using heavy weights. Your abs and back support your upper body while carrying the weights. 

Shoulders & Back 

The farmer’s walk directly targets the shoulder and back muscles, especially the traps. 

Arms

Your arms get an intense workout. This exercise directly targets forearms and improves grip strength. Once you try this exercise, you’ll quickly understand how much your grip strength will be tested.

How To Do The Farmer’s Walk

When doing farmer's walks, the most important thing is posture. Be sure your head is up, absolutely no slouching! Keep your shoulders back, and your core tight. Make sure you keep your abs tight during this exercise. This helps protect your lower back. From there, just grab your dumbbells (or other weighted apparatus), and walk.

If you've never done these, start with lighter weights and get your form down. Set a goal of walking for 20 seconds. Every workout, add weight and walk farther. Your goal is to walk for 60 seconds. That’s 1 set. Try working up to 2-3 sets of 60 seconds each. Add these at the end of Leg Day. As you build up to more sets, you may need to drop a set or 2 of other leg exercises. Also, allow a rest day or 2 between Pull Day and Leg Day to give your back proper recovery time.

What If Your Walking Area Is Limited?

Of course, this exercise requires a fairly large space to walk in. After all, you’re looking at up to 60 seconds of walking time. If space is limited, or you train at home, you have a couple of options. First, you can walk outside. What if that’s not practical due to the weather or where you live? Then you can walk in a Figure 8 pattern. The size of this pattern will depend on your available space, but by performing the exercise this way, your need for space is greatly reduced. 

Make The Most Of The Farmer’s Walk With These 5% Nutrition Supplements

If you’re looking to do quality farmer’s walks, most likely you’re looking to build serious size. That means you’ll need some hardcore 5% Nutrition supplements - after all, this is 5% we’re talking about, and no one knows hardcore better. Yet, this is an exercise that can help you burn a lot of calories. The bottom line here is simple - use this exercise and 5% products no matter what your goal is. 

Begin with Shake Time protein powder featuring 26g of protein per serving using only whole food sources. Don’t forget the 5% pre-workout of your choice. Give new Kill It RTDs a try if you haven’t already! Next, don’t forget to add Full As F*ck - and try our exclusive Maui Twist flavor. From there, add Crea-TEN, and Bigger By The Day.