The farmer’s carry looks deceptively simple: pick up two heavy weights, walk. But it’s one of the most underrated exercises in strength training, and the research behind it goes well beyond “it builds grip strength.” Here are five benefits worth knowing, including a couple that surprise most people.
1. It Trains Your Core Better Than a Static Hold
Most people assume the best way to train the core is to hold a position under tension, like a plank. A 2024 study comparing the farmer’s carry to a matched static farmer’s hold found the carry produced significantly higher muscle activation in the longissimus, multifidus, rectus abdominis and external oblique, all key spinal stabilisers. In other words, it’s the walking under load, not just holding the weight, that makes the farmer’s carry such an effective core exercise.
2. It Builds a Genuinely Useful Marker of Long-Term Health
Grip strength isn’t just about how hard you can squeeze. Research has identified grip strength as an important biomarker for healthy ageing, associated with overall strength, functional independence and long-term health outcomes. Few exercises build grip strength as directly and effectively as a heavy farmer’s carry.
3. It Targets Your Glutes in a Way You Wouldn’t Expect
The farmer’s carry isn’t typically thought of as a glute exercise, but it places real demand on the gluteus medius, the muscle responsible for controlling hip drop and frontal plane stability. Every step under load challenges your hips to stay level, making this a genuinely useful addition to a programme focused on hip stability, not just grip or core strength.
4. It Transfers Directly to Real Life
The farmer’s carry mimics genuinely useful, everyday movement patterns: carrying groceries, moving furniture, hauling luggage. Because it combines grip, core bracing, posture and loaded walking all at once, the strength you build translates more directly to daily tasks than many isolated gym exercises.
5. It’s a Full-Body Exercise With a Low Technical Barrier
Unlike more technical lifts, the farmer’s carry is simple to learn and appropriate for a wide range of training levels. Despite its simplicity, it challenges the forearms, traps, shoulders, core, glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves in a single movement, making it a genuinely efficient addition to almost any programme.
How to Get Started
Pick up a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells, stand tall with your shoulders back and down, brace your core, and walk with control for a set distance or time. Start with a weight you can comfortably control while maintaining good posture, rather than the heaviest weight you can lift for a few steps.
Common Questions About the Farmer’s Carry
How heavy should my farmer’s carry be?
This depends on your training goals and experience level. As a general guide, you should be able to maintain an upright posture and controlled walking pattern throughout the set. If your posture breaks down early, the load is too heavy.
Is the farmer’s carry safe for beginners?
Yes, when introduced at an appropriate load. The movement pattern itself is simple, but starting with a manageable weight and focusing on posture is important before progressing.
How often should I include farmer’s carries in my training?
Most people can include farmer’s carries two to three times per week, either as part of a strength session or a dedicated conditioning block.
How BeFit Can Help
Our Strength and Conditioning team can help you build loaded carries into a programme tailored to your goals, with a movement assessment to ensure your technique and loading progress safely.
Book an appointment at BeFit Training Physiotherapy — no referral needed.
Edgecliff: (02) 9327 7749 | Coogee: (02) 7205 2805
References
The Quantification of Muscle Activation During the Loaded Carry Movement Pattern. 2024. PMC11042841.
Bohannon RW. Grip Strength: An Indispensable Biomarker for Older Adults. Clin Interv Aging. 2019;14:1681-1691.
Cronin J, Lawton T, Harris N, Kilding A, McMaster DT. A Brief Review of Handgrip Strength and Sport Performance. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(11):3187-3217.
Australian Physiotherapy Association. Clinical guidelines. physiotherapy.asn.au.
