Does This Sound Familiar?
Are you the type of person who would prefer loading up your arms full of grocery bags rather than taking more than one trip from the car? We get it. No one enjoys going back for another handful of bags between the shopping and meal prepping. Luckily, the farmer’s carry that can be seen in our 45-minute workouts can help with this. This true full-body exercise will enable you to not only carry all your groceries in one trip but also manage to carry your baby along with you.
What Is A Farmer’s Carry, Anyways?
A farmer’s carry, named after the farmers who would carry buckets of water or milk, is a functional strength exercise where you walk while holding heavy weights in each hand. The exercise involves holding dumbbells or kettlebells at your sides and walking for a certain distance or time. It’s known for its ability to improve grip strength, overall muscular endurance, and core stability, making it a versatile exercise that translates well into real-life actions. This exercise can contribute to overall strength, endurance, and functional fitness, making it the perfect exercise for athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and anyone looking to improve physical performance in daily life.
The Benefits of the Farmer’s Carry
The farmer’s carry is an excellent exercise for strengthening your grip, but more importantly, it targets your core. Many people associate core training with exercises that involve spinal and hip flexion, such as mountain climbers and V-ups, but some of the best core exercises are the simplest. Walking with challenging weights engages your obliques, transverse abdominis, and erector muscles. It encourages proper alignment and posture by engaging the muscles that support the spine and shoulders. This exercise also targets muscles in the shoulders, upper back, and forearms, promoting overall upper body strength and muscular endurance.
An Everyday Activity
The farmer’s carry is truly an exercise that translates to daily life, whether it’s moving furniture, carrying your child into Childwatch, or handling luggage at the airport. Summer means you’re spending more time outside, and activities like carrying bags of soil, mulch, or tools in the garden or yard work involve lifting and carrying weights over distances, training grip strength and endurance. It also transfers well to recreational activities such as sports, hiking, or climbing.
For most of us, mental toughness and fortitude come from picking up the heaviest weights we can find and carrying them for as long as possible in Camp. Each week, we should aim to increase the load or distance of our walks. Growing in confidence with the carry can make overcoming heavier weights in other exercises just a little bit easier!
