challenging fun and damn effective, a staple in Strongman competition and training this simple straightforward drill has multiple benefits, you can use a whole host of implements to perform this drill dumbbells, kettle bells, weight plates, dedicated farmer walk handles, jerry cans basically anything thats weighted you can grab and walk with.
1, Improved grip and forearm strength
Improving your grip strength will have positive carry over into all aspects of your training
the grip is often the limiting factor for most people in lifts such as pull ups / chin ups deadlifts &
all types of rows you will even see a benefit in pressing movements with an improved grip.
2, improved core strength
Everyone with half an ounce of strength knowledge will now that without a strong core everything else fails!
The farmers walk and its variations will substantially increase core activation during training! switch this to a waiters walk (holding the weight above your head) and you will see just how much core activation there is from this drill.
3, improved posture and upper back strength
In todays world with so many people working at desks for long hours weak upper back muscles are all to common leading to a rounding of the shoulders and bad posture.
During the Farmers walk the upper back muscles Rhomboids and upper Trapezius are effectively recruited and activated helping to reverse this imbalance and correct bad posture issues.
4, Improved ankle strength and balance
Walking with weighted loads will help improve ankle strength and stability which is beneficial to all human beings regardless we all have to walk at some point.
5, Improved strength and stability in the knee joint
Injured and torn ACL'S are becoming more and more common even in average people let alone athletes
improving the musculature around the knee joint such as theVMO (vastus medialis) the tear drop shaped muscle near the knee so prized by Bodybuilders will help prevent this.
6, Overall improved work capacity
Including repeated weighted carries as a warm up / finisher or as a main component to your workout will undoubtedly lead to an improved anaerobic work capacity.
7, Improved endurance
Using weighted carry variations as a metabolic finisher to your training sessions is a great way to improve your endurance, the sheer level of overall muscle recruitment needed to execute this drill makes it the perfect way to drain the tank and push yourself that bit further and closer to your goals.
8, Fat loss
The Farmers walk has also proven to be an effective tool in the pursuit of fat loss, due to the high intensity and overall level of muscle recruitment.
