Do The Farmer's Carry To Get Stronger and Live Longer; Everyone Should Do Them

Want to get stronger and live longer? Start doing the farmer's carry. The farmer’s carry is a powerhouse for building real-world strength. What do I mean by real-world strength? Walking home with a grocery bag in each hand; picking up your child and carrying them up a few flights of stairs; running to make a plane with your carry-on bags; or carrying someone on a stretcher if you happen to be a first responder.

If your goal is to get strong, I mean really strong, then carry heavy things and walk as far as you can. The late, great Louie Simmons said it best, “Big ain’t strong. Strong is strong.”

The farmer's carry targets the forearms, shoulders, upper back, core, and the entire posterior chain. It's a total-body workout that delivers a range of benefits, with the most crucial ones listed below:

1. Grip Strength and Longevity:

The farmer's carry strengthens your forearms, resulting in tremendous grip strength. And grip strength is highly correlated with longevity. The 2019 paper by Richard W. Bohannon “Grip Strength: An Indispensable Biomarker for Older Adults” Clinical Interventions in Aging, 1(14): 1681-1691, found that higher grip strength is strongly associated with lower all-cause mortality rate, and is a more powerful predictor of cardiovascular mortality than systolic blood pressure. It also found that weaker grip strength was associated with increased risk of falls in older adults, as they are unable to stop or brace themselves, leading to fractures and hospitalizations.

2. Improved Posture and Core Stability:

Carrying weight in each hand forces you to balance and walk upright with a neutral spine, shoulders back, and chest out. You must brace your core and engage all of your abdominal muscles as you walk. We’ve become a nation of desk workers with semi-permanent hunchbacks from sitting at desks all day. The farmer’s carry is a great way to get out of that poor position and remind your body how to walk with good posture.

3. General Physical Preparedness (GPP):

Incorporating light to medium-weight farmer's carries into your routine can boost your overall physical preparedness. They improve work capacity and muscular endurance if done for multiple walks longer than 60 seconds.

4. Mental Toughness:

Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Unlike single plane movements, the farmer's carry can feel unstable and uncomfortable. Most people stop walking when the forearm muscles start to feel the ‘burn.' Push yourself to go beyond your comfort level and the gains will be fast and furious.

Programming:

Start with light weights, around 20-25% of your body weight in each hand (using dumbbells or kettlebells), and walk slowly for 30 seconds, then repeat 2-3 times resting 1minute between walks. If you’re a beginner, or older than 60, start with a lower weight, even if its 10lbs in each hand. Gradually increase both the time and weight as you become stronger.

Some benchmarks to aim for:

Good: 30% of body weight in each hand for 60 seconds.

Great: 50% of body weight in each hand for 30 seconds.

Elite: more than 50% of body weight in each hand for 60 seconds or more.

Comparative Standards:

The Army Combat Fitness Test includes a farmer's carry where participants must carry two 40-pound kettlebells for 50 meters as quickly as possible as part of the spring-drag-carry section.

The NYFD Candidate Physical Ability Test requires carrying two rescue saws (approximately 35 pounds each) for a total of 150 feet.

Incorporate the farmer's carry into your routine at least twice a week, gradually increasing the weight and time, and you'll build the physical strength and mental fortitude for a healthier, more capable life.