Farmer's carry

Movement

What the movement is

The farmer’s carry is walking while holding a weight in each hand¹. In one study, healthy college-aged adults carried about 51 kg, split across two dumbbells of equal weight¹. That study compared the carry with a farmer’s hold: the same exercise, but standing still instead of walking¹.

The suitcase carry is the one-handed version¹. In the same study, it used a single dumbbell of about 25 kg¹. A study of low back load used buckets, carried in one hand or split between both³.

How the load changes walking

A systematic review of strongman (heavy-lifting sport) exercises described how the farmer’s walk changes walking². It reported one study that compared the farmer’s walk with walking without a load². With the load, people showed these changes²:

• Quicker strides that were also shorter².
• Less time with each foot on the ground².
• More forward lean of the trunk².
• More dorsiflexion (foot lifted toward the shin) and a straighter knee as the foot landed².
• Larger ground reaction forces, the push of the ground back against the foot².

Grip

The review’s authors suggest grip strength may limit how well an athlete performs the farmer’s walk². Their reason is that in most competitions, lifting chalk is the one aid allowed for grip².

What it loads

Muscle activity in one strongman study

The review summarised one study that measured muscle activity in several carrying exercises². It gave each muscle’s activity as a share of its maximum voluntary contraction (MVC), the hardest effort a person can make with a muscle². Some muscles averaged more than 100% of MVC during the farmer’s walk²:

Muscle (side measured)	Average activity in the farmer’s walk
Latissimus dorsi (broad back muscle), left	169% of MVC2
Latissimus dorsi, right	152% of MVC2
Lower erector spinae (long muscles beside the spine), right	144% of MVC2
Gluteus maximus (large buttock muscle), right	114% of MVC2
Gluteus medius (buttock muscle beneath the gluteus maximus), right	108% of MVC2
Lower erector spinae, left	106% of MVC2
Rectus femoris (quadriceps muscle at the front of the thigh), right	77% of MVC2
Biceps femoris (one of the hamstring muscles), right	54% of MVC2

The back muscles

The erector spinae is the group of long muscles beside the spine that straighten the back. It makes up most of the back’s muscle mass and is the main muscle that straightens the spine⁴. It also holds the curve of the lumbar (lower back) spine⁴. The longissimus is its middle column, of three that sit side by side⁴.

The multifidus is a deep muscle running along the spine. In the lower back, it lies nearer the midline than the erector spinae and belongs to a different group⁵. In the college-age study, the carry made the longissimus and multifidus more active on both sides than the hold¹.

The latissimus dorsi is the upper trunk’s largest muscle⁶. It moves the arm at the shoulder: back, in toward the body, and turning inward^6,7,8. In the strongman study, it was more active in the farmer’s walk than in the yoke walk, another carrying exercise².

The abdominal muscles

The rectus abdominis is the long, flat muscle running down the front of the abdomen. It is the main muscle for bending the spine forward, as in sitting up⁴. The external oblique is the outermost of the three flat muscles on each side of the abdomen⁴. It is a main mover for twisting at the waist and bending to the side⁴.

In the college-age study, both muscles were more active on both sides during the carry than the hold¹. The one-handed version gave a different pattern¹. The suitcase carry raised back muscle activity on both sides, compared with a suitcase hold¹. Abdominal activity rose on the side holding the weight, but not on the other side¹.

The hip and thigh muscles

The gluteus maximus is the large muscle of the buttock. It is the largest of the buttock muscles⁴. The gluteus medius is a buttock muscle that lies beneath the gluteus maximus⁴.

One study measured gluteus medius activity during the farmer’s walk in 16 resistance-trained men⁹. It grouped them by how strong their hip abductors, which move the thigh out to the side, were relative to other thigh muscles⁹. They carried 75% of their six-repetition maximum, the heaviest load they could lift six times⁹.

Activity was compared with each man’s maximum voluntary contraction held isometrically, with the muscle working but the joint not moving⁹. It averaged about 26% of that in men with relatively strong hip abductors⁹. It was 42% to 47% in men whose hip abductors were weak relative to their hamstrings or quadriceps⁹. Those are the muscles at the back and front of the thigh.

A related study had 26 healthy adults walk on a treadmill holding 15 to 20% of body weight in one hand¹⁰. Hip abductor activity rose on the side opposite the weight¹⁰. On the same side as the weight, it did not change¹⁰.

The hamstrings are the three long muscles at the back of the thigh, which swing the thigh back and bend the knee. The biceps femoris is one of them⁴. The quadriceps are four muscles on the front of the thigh⁴. The rectus femoris is the one at the front⁴. Both thigh muscles were measured in the strongman study, as the table shows².

Load on the spine

The review reported that, in one study, the farmer’s walk and the yoke walk loaded the spine more than the one-handed suitcase carry². The farmer’s walk and the yoke walk produced more spine compression from the muscles². They also produced more front-to-back muscle load on the spine, and more spine stiffness from the muscles². Spine stiffness is how strongly the spine resists being bent or twisted.

A study of six people carrying buckets compared a load in one hand with loads in both³. With 30 kg in one hand, low back compression was above 2800 newtons (N), a unit of force³. Splitting that same 30 kg between both hands cut it to 1570 N, 44% lower³. In that study, putting 30 kg in each hand gave lower spine compression than 30 kg in one hand, even with twice the total weight³.

In that study, putting 30 kg in each hand gave lower spine compression than 30 kg in one hand, even with twice the total weight.

The review also reported the peak twist of the lumbar spine in each carry². A right-hand suitcase carry twisted it most, and the left-hand suitcase carry least²:

Carry	Peak lumbar twist
Right-hand suitcase carry	about 11 degrees2
Farmer’s walk	about 8 degrees2
Yoke walk	about 7 degrees2
Left-hand suitcase carry	about 6 degrees2

How the body adapts

What training does to these muscles in general

The studies in this section did not test the farmer’s carry. They show how some of the muscles it works respond to resistance training in general^11,12,13.

• Latissimus dorsi. One study followed 18 healthy young adults with no regular resistance training for at least two years¹¹. Eight weeks of progressive training was followed by gains in its strength and size¹¹. Its cross-sectional area, the size of a slice cut straight across it, grew in the whole muscle and in single fibres¹¹.
• Gluteus maximus. A meta-analysis, which pools the results of several studies, looked at training of at least five weeks¹². In healthy adults aged 18 to 45, it found a moderate effect on hypertrophy (muscle growth)¹².
• Erector spinae. A randomised controlled trial assigns people to groups by chance, then compares the groups. In one two-year trial, 27 healthy white postmenopausal women did progressive back-strengthening exercise¹³. Their mean back strength rose from 39.4 kg to 66.8 kg¹³. In 23 controls, it rose from 36.9 kg to 49.0 kg¹³.

Progressive overload

A 2026 position stand describes progressive overload as the need to increase the stimulus placed on the muscle throughout a training programme¹⁴. In each training trial below, the farmer’s carry was one exercise in a wider programme^15,16,17,18. So the results belong to the whole programme, not to the carry alone.

Adding weight

• 48 physically active older women. In a 12-week randomised trial, the carry averaged 12 kg for sessions 1 to 18, then 16 kg for sessions 19 to 36¹⁵. Of the two training methods, looked at separately, only this functional programme showed significant gains over a stretching group¹⁵. The gains were in lower-limb strength, heart and lung fitness and movement patterns¹⁵.
• Older adults with resistant hypertension (high blood pressure that stays high even with several medicines). Eight of them did 24 sessions¹⁶. They carried light weights in a straight line for sessions 1 to 12, then more weight around obstacles for sessions 13 to 24¹⁶. In this trial of 15 people, the programme improved limb strength, mobility and aerobic endurance, but not flexibility¹⁶.
• 30 physically inactive male students. In 8-week pull-up programmes, one group added forearm work, including 3 sets of 30-second farmer walks¹⁸. Each load was set so the man reached failure within the time, and loads rose as strength improved¹⁸. That group gained the most, including 222.5% more pull-up repetitions¹⁸.

Longer and more sets

In a 6-week trial of 26 older adults, the carry was done for two sets of 45 seconds in the first three weeks¹⁷. In the last three weeks, the programme’s exercises were done for three sets of 12 to 15 repetitions or 60 seconds¹⁷. The programme improved balance standing on one leg and heel-to-toe, but not sit-to-stand or stair performance¹⁷.

Effort and rest in single sessions

Two studies of strongman sessions set the effort in different ways^19,20:

Study	How each set was set
16 men	3 sets to muscle failure, 2 minutes between sets19
10 healthy men	A load giving about 30 seconds of near-maximal effort20

Finding a load for one hand

One study tested a one-hand farmer’s walk in 51 recreationally active adults²¹. Each 20-second trial started at 10% of body weight and added 10%²¹. Testing stopped when the spine bent sideways more than 8°, walking faltered, or the trial went unfinished²¹. The load before that was the maximal safe load: on average 52.7% of body weight for women and 63.6% for men²¹.

A systematic review reports that, in the suitcase carry, sideways bend tends to grow as load is progressively increased². The set step rate also tends to be lost². The authors of the one-hand study state that the best volume and frequency for that carry still need to be worked out²¹.

Connections

The muscles it works

The farmer’s carry works muscles of the back, trunk, hips and thighs^1,2:

• The erector spinae, measured in its lower part and through the longissimus^1,2.
• The multifidus, deep along the spine¹.
• The latissimus dorsi, on the lower back^2,4.
• The rectus abdominis, down the front of the abdomen¹.
• The external oblique, on the side of the abdomen¹.
• The gluteus maximus and gluteus medius, in the buttock^2,9.
• The hamstrings, through the biceps femoris².
• The quadriceps, through the rectus femoris².

Related carries

The suitcase carry and the yoke walk appear on this page as comparisons². In one study, the farmer’s walk and yoke walk loaded the spine more than the suitcase carry². Compared with holding the weight still, the suitcase carry raised abdominal activity on the side holding the weight, but not the other side¹.

Sources

1. Ellestad SH, Holcomb TP, Swiergol AM, Holmstrup ME, Dicus JR (2024). The Quantification of Muscle Activation During the Loaded Carry Movement Pattern.. International Journal of Exercise Science. doi:10.70252/NWUE9985 PMID 38665162
2. Hindle BR, Lorimer A, Winwood P, Keogh JWL (2019). The Biomechanics and Applications of Strongman Exercises: a Systematic Review.. Sports Medicine - Open. doi:10.1186/s40798-019-0222-z PMID 31820223
3. McGill SM, Marshall L, Andersen J (2013). Low back loads while walking and carrying: comparing the load carried in one hand or in both hands.. Ergonomics. doi:10.1080/00140139.2012.752528 PMID 23384188
4. Betts JG, Young KA, Wise JA, Johnson E, Poe B, Kruse DH, Korol O, Johnson JE, Womble M, DeSaix P (2022). Anatomy and Physiology 2e. OpenStax. Link
5. Willard FH, Vleeming A, Schuenke MD, Danneels L, Schleip R (2012). The thoracolumbar fascia: anatomy, function and clinical considerations.. Journal of Anatomy. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7580.2012.01511.x PMID 22630613
6. Hovsepian JM, Cartaya MA, Glaser J, Oehler N, Solovyov I, Abi Mansour C, Avila JC, Vogt S (2026). Surgical anatomy, biomechanics and clinical outcomes of latissimus dorsi transfer for irreparable rotator cuff tears: a review.. Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research. doi:10.1186/s13018-026-07200-9 PMID 42661214
7. Lehane KM, Faust T, Romeo AA, Erickson BJ (2025). Approach to diagnosing and treating tears of the latissimus dorsi and teres major.. JSES Reviews, Reports, and Techniques. doi:10.1016/j.xrrt.2025.05.015 PMID 41179423
8. Di Fonza D, Di Claudio G, Colantuono G, Persichini L, Cerulo N, Sangregorio B, Buonsenso A, Fiorilli G, Calcagno G, di Cagno A (2026). Electromyographic Analysis of Latissimus Dorsi Activation During Common Resistance Training Exercises: A Narrative Review.. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology. doi:10.3390/jfmk11030315 PMID 42647355
9. Stastny P, Lehnert M, Zaatar A, Svoboda Z, Xaverova Z, Pietraszewski P (2015). The Gluteus Medius Vs. Thigh Muscles Strength Ratio and Their Relation to Electromyography Amplitude During a Farmer's Walk Exercise.. Journal of Human Kinetics. doi:10.1515/hukin-2015-0016 PMID 25964819
10. Graber KA, Loverro KL, Baldwin M, Nelson-Wong E, Tanor J, Lewis CL (2021). Hip and Trunk Muscle Activity and Mechanics During Walking With and Without Unilateral Weight.. Journal of Applied Biomechanics. doi:10.1123/jab.2020-0273 PMID 34051700
11. Paoli A, Pacelli QF, Cancellara P, Toniolo L, Moro T, Canato M, Miotti D, Neri M, Morra A, Quadrelli M, Reggiani C (2016). Protein Supplementation Does Not Further Increase Latissimus Dorsi Muscle Fiber Hypertrophy after Eight Weeks of Resistance Training in Novice Subjects, but Partially Counteracts the Fast-to-Slow Muscle Fiber Transition.. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu8060331 PMID 27258300
12. Krause Neto W, Krause TLV, Gama EF (2025). The impact of resistance training on gluteus maximus hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.. Frontiers in Physiology. doi:10.3389/fphys.2025.1542334 PMID 40276368
13. Sinaki M, Itoi E, Wahner HW, Wollan P, Gelzcer R, Mullan BP, Collins DA, Hodgson SF (2002). Stronger back muscles reduce the incidence of vertebral fractures: a prospective 10 year follow-up of postmenopausal women.. Bone. doi:10.1016/s8756-3282(02)00739-1 PMID 12052450
14. Currier BS, D'Souza AC, Singh MAF, Lowisz CV, Rawson ES, Schoenfeld BJ, Smith-Ryan AE, et al (2026). American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of Reviews.. Medicine and science in sports and exercise. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000003897 PMID 41843416
15. de Resende-Neto AG, Aragão-Santos JC, Oliveira-Andrade BC, Silva Vasconcelos AB, De Sá CA, Aidar FJ, DeSantana JM, Cadore EL, Da Silva-Grigoletto ME (2019). The Efficacy of Functional and Traditional Exercise on the Body Composition and Determinants of Physical Fitness of Older Women: A Randomized Crossover Trial.. Journal of Aging Research. doi:10.1155/2019/5315376 PMID 31871788
16. Pinheiro JK, Bezerra MAA, Santos BRS, Resende-Neto AG, Wichi RB (2024). The Effects of Functional Training on the Ambulatory Blood Pressure and Physical Fitness of Resistant Hypertensive Elderly People: A Randomized Clinical Rehearsal with Preliminary Results.. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. doi:10.3390/ijerph21081015 PMID 39200626
17. Followay B, Holland T, Rowley L (2025). Effects of a Quadricep-Dominant vs. Functional Training Program on Activities of Daily Living, Functional Performance, and Motor Unit Recruitment in Older Adults.. International Journal of Exercise Science. doi:10.70252/YHYC9630 PMID 41079710
18. Sepehri Rahnama H, Ganji S, Vadasz K, Prokai J (2025). Comparative Effects of Core Versus Forearm Training on Pull-Up Repetition Performance in Physically Inactive Males.. Sports (Basel, Switzerland). doi:10.3390/sports13120433 PMID 41441417
19. Ghigiarelli JJ, Sell KM, Raddock JM, Taveras K (2013). Effects of strongman training on salivary testosterone levels in a sample of trained men.. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. doi:10.1519/JSC.0b013e3182578115 PMID 23443220
20. Harris NK, Woulfe CJ, Wood MR, Dulson DK, Gluchowski AK, Keogh JB (2016). Acute Physiological Responses to Strongman Training Compared to Traditional Strength Training.. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000001217 PMID 26439778
21. Holmstrup ME, Kelley MA, Calhoun KR, Kiess CL (2018). Fat-Free Mass and the Balance Error Scoring System Predict an Appropriate Maximal Load in the Unilateral Farmer's Walk.. Sports (Basel, Switzerland). doi:10.3390/sports6040166 PMID 30544822

Every source the library cites

Changes

• October 23, 2026 Added a Progressive overload section.
• September 29, 2026 Added a figure showing where it sits, links to the exercise pages that load it, and tighter wording in a few places.