The Farmer's Walk - I'll Pump You Up

The Farmer’s Walk is a powerful weighted carry exercise that you need to add to your routine! Weighted carries like this exercise are functionally a part of most of our daily lives. A good example of this is the classic carrying a couple of bags of groceries from your car to the house. Another great example would be carrying heavy boxes short distances at work. It’s a fundamental part of life. In terms of exercises, this is one of the best. We’ll take a closer look in this article. Ready? Let’s jump in!

What Is The Farmer’s Walk?

Most likely you’ve seen it – the Farmer’s Walk is an exercise where you carry two weighted bars, dumbbells, or kettle bells for a predetermined number of steps. It’s as if you were carrying two suitcases. Whatever bar you use – and they have specially designed bars besides the three options I mentioned, picture carrying your weighted object for 30-60 seconds at a time – for several sets. Finally, picture carrying meaningful weight, like maybe 50 to 75% of your bodyweight in each hand.

The Farmer’s Walk Involves The Following Muscle Groups

Legs

It’s obvious that this exercise is a great leg builder. We’re talking your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calf muscles. Some of the bars you can use, like a trap bar, really shift the focus to the legs.

Core

Along with legs, your core muscles get hit hard when doing a Farmer’s Walk. Especially if you’re using heavy weights. Your abs (along with your back) provide support to your upper body while you carry the weights.

Shoulders & Back

The Farmer’s Walk directly targets the shoulders, traps, and as noted, the back muscles.

Forearms, Biceps, Triceps

It goes without saying that this will kill your forearms. You want a strong grip? This is it. But your biceps and triceps also get hit hard. If you’ve never done this before, don’t take it lightly. Start with light weights and short distances. Once your forearms come back from the dead, progressively add weight and distance.

Benefits Of The Farmer’s Walk

Builds Impressive Grip Strength
Increases Overall Strength & Power
Builds Core Strength
Builds Endurance & Stamina
Packs On Mass
Burns Calories, Helping You Drop Fat

The Farmer’s Walk And Strongman Competitions

No article on this exercise would be complete without mentioning the World’s Strongest Man competition. This event was first launched in 1983. Since then, the Farmer’s Walk has become one of the most well-known WSM events.

Originally, the event made its debut in Christchurch, New Zealand. However, back then it was called the Fergus Walk. Initially, wooden implements weighing 80 kg were carried by the WSM athletes. It was the thickness, not the weight, that caused competitors most of the problems. When this event first launched, the emphasis was on the distance the Strongmen competitors could walk with their weights. The competitor that made it the farthest around an oval track was the winner.

Today, it has been renamed Farmer’s Walk. This event focuses on covering a predetermined distance within a specific time limit. Furthermore, the apparatus the competitor carries can be dropped and picked up without limit. I can see why, and you will too, once you do this exercise. As the objects become heavier over the years, the event has come to be known as the Giant Farmer’s Walk – with each bar or apparatus weighing in at 160 kg each.

How To Do The Farmer’s Walk

Your posture is exceedingly important when you do this exercise. Keep your head up, do not slouch! Keep your core tight and your shoulders back. This helps protect your lower back. From there, just grab your dumbbells (or other weighted bars), and start walking! And remember, walk like you mean it.

What If I’ve Never Done These?

If you’ve never done these, start with lighter weights and get your form down. Set a goal of walking for 20 feet. Every workout, add weight and walk farther. Your long-term goal is to walk for 100 feet. That’s 1 set. Try working up to 2-3 sets of 100 feet each. Also, allow a rest day or 2 between Pull Day and Leg Day to give your back proper recovery time.

What If Your Walking Area Is Limited?

It goes without saying that this exercise requires a decent amount of indoor or outdoor space to walk in. After all, in time you’ll be walking up to 100 feet per set. If your available space is limited, you have a couple of options. First, if you have a decent sized yard or access to a park, you can walk outside.

What if that’s not practical due to the weather or where you live? Then you can try walking in a Figure 8 pattern. The size of this pattern will depend on your available space, but by performing the exercise this way, your need for space is greatly reduced. Otherwise, you can even walk around your house or apartment. I’ve done that – start in my home gym and walk to the other end of the house and back.

Sample Routine (Back, Biceps)

Seated Row (Neutral or Wide Grip)

3 sets x 6-8 reps

Lat Pulldown

3 sets x 6-8 reps

Farmer’s Walk

3 sets x 20-30 feet each set

Rest: 60–90 sec

Parallel Grip Pulldowns (biceps and lats)

2 sets x 6-8 reps

EZ Curls

2 sets x 6-8 reps

Performance Notes

Start carries at 20–30 feet and progress toward 100 feet
Increase weight only if your posture and grip remain stable
Choose a good pair of walking shoes
For elbow/knee joints: If you have elbow soreness, try Fat Gripz to reduce stress. Fat Gripz makes the bar thicker.

Nutritional Guidelines

Before you begin your workout, and depending on the time of day you workout, eat at least one quality pre-workout meal. Have your first meal about 4 hours before you train, and if possible, have a second meal about 2 hours later. However, be sure you allow enough digestion time before drinking your pre-workout.

Also, I advocate eating/drinking 50% of your total daily carbs in the hours around your workout. This includes your post-workout shake and meal. It’s also during this timeframe you should be eating the day’s simple, sugary carbohydrates. The main concern here is to take in lots of high-quality protein and fast-digesting carbs.

Supplement Suggestions

As mentioned, make sure you allow enough digestion time for your pre-workout meal(s). The last thing you want to do is drink your Pre while still feeling full. I suggest drinking a pre-workout on an almost empty stomach. Good pre-workouts include NutraBio Base, one of the best “core” pre-workouts on the market. This type of Pre features streamlined formulas at value prices.

Another excellent option (and a more complete formula) is Gorilla Mind Gorilla Mode. This is the pre-workout that took the market by storm by starting the citrulline dosing wars. Needless to say, the entire formula is well-balanced and effectively dosed.

Next, make sure you use a high-quality protein powder. All of these products are cornerstone products, especially protein powder. When it comes to a good protein powder, I usually suggest Hi-Tech Precision Protein. This is a whey protein powder that is different from everybody else’s powder. Why? It is designed to release leucine in the initial stages of protein synthesis. Of course, that’s a direct trigger of muscle growth.

From there, I always recommend adding creatine monohydrate to your supplement program. This is the type that has had the bulk of the testing conducted on it over the years. For brands, I suggest AllMax Nutrition Creatine Monohydrate.

Summary

I’ve tried to cover a lot of ground in this article, from what the Farmer’s Walk is, muscles worked, and how to perform it. I also included a sample routine and provided nutritional and supplement suggestions. All that’s left is to follow the tips presented here and start walking!

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The Farmer’s Walk