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Farmer's Carry (Loaded Carry)

Draftstrength85%intermediate⬤ moderate evidence
View FHIR resourceFHIR R4 ActivityDefinition — the interoperable form of this exercise

Positions & Range of Motion

Start
standing tall with a heavy weight held in each hand at the sides, ribs packed and trunk braced, crushing the handles
End
same erect braced posture maintained while marching forward along a straight line for the prescribed distance or time
Range of Motion
isometric trunk (anti-lateral-flexion, minimal spinal excursion) combined with reciprocal gait

How to Perform

Walking while holding heavy weights at sides. QL shows substantial activation for lateral trunk stability. Torso cocontraction creates high spine stiffness. Progressive load-carriage training produces very large effects (ES 1.7 SD). Carrying activities inversely associated with low grip strength (AOR 0.63).

Watch on YouTube↗

Opens a YouTube search for “Farmer's Carry (Loaded Carry)”

Equipment:dumbbells
Starting position: standing

Coaching Cues

  1. 1

    Tall trunk, packed ribs — deep core resists side-bend

    (verbal)
  2. 2

    Walk along a straight line on the floor

    (verbal)
  3. 3

    Crush the handles and march the kettlebells forward

    (verbal)
  4. 4

    Top of head reaches for the ceiling with each step

    (visual)

Evidence-Based Dosing & EMG Data

Recommended Dosing

3-4×30-40 meter walks, 2-3x/week, ≥4 weeks [Knapik 2012]

EMG Activation Data

QL substantial activation. Glutes ~80% MVC, low back ~50% MVC [McGill 2009, 2012]

Muscles Involved (5)

Primary Movers

Quadratus Lumborum— Lateral trunk stability [McGill 2009]
Erector Spinae Group— Trunk rigidity through cocontraction

Secondary Movers

Gluteus Medius— Pelvic stability during loaded gait
Upper Trapezius— Shoulder depression resistance

Stabilizers

Transversus Abdominis

Easier Variations ↓

1

Lighter Load

Reduce weight until posture maintained.

2

Bilateral Only

Equal weight both sides before suitcase carry.

Harder Variations ↑

1

Suitcase Carry

One-sided — greater lateral trunk demand.

2

Overhead Carry

Highest spine loads due to cocontraction [McGill 2009].

Target Movements (2)

Hip ExtensionHip Joint (Coxofemoral)
Ankle PlantarflexionTalocrural Joint

Why This Exercise Matters

Everyday activities this exercise helps you do — essential means it directly trains the capacity the task needs:

Carrying and Lifting ObjectsWalking

Goals This Helps With

Rehab, performance, prevention, and mobility goals this exercise supports — essential means it's a cornerstone:

Improve Grip StrengthperformanceImprove Core StrengthperformanceLow Back Injury Preventionprevention

Research Notes

AUDIT[low]: Lists ankle-plantarflexion as a movement but contains no plantarflexor (gastrocnemius/soleus) in its muscle set; the ankle graph edge has no muscular basis for a node placed in the ankle region. → Add gastrocnemius/soleus as stabilizers for gait push-off, or remove the ankle-plantarflexion movement tag.

Evidence Sources (2)