Farmers Walk

[mastover]

This is a great exercise that will be beneficial in many different ways:
~ Increased trap growth.
~ Increase in grip strength
~ Bigger fore arms and biceps
~ Increased muscular and sports endurance
~ If you walk with a half way descent, your hams and quads will benefit even more.

For body building clients, I usually suggest doing one all out set at the end of the workout. For strong man clients, I suggest 2 sets at the end of any workout, except on the day you give legs your all out. For sports athletes and recreational lifters, I suggest using a moderate weight and do one set at the tail end of your workout 1x per week. One HARD set.

This is a terrific total body exercise, when given a good level of intensity, will enhance and amplify the effects of all your other movements, and will up-regulate metabolism. Get good with this, and you can eat more calories with zero fat gains.

[Jaer]

How do you recommend setting up the sets? As in, how does one prioritize weight held vs. distance walked?



Jaer
doesn't know if it is better to go farther with lighter weights, or shorter with heavier.

[KT Monahan]

I've done these at the end of a workout in the past, but what exactly are you recommending?

I would do something like grab two dumbbells and walk to the other side of the gym and back. First set would usually go ok, so I'd think I'm going too light. But then the next set would begin to get hard mid-way through so I would be glad I kept the weight where it was. The next set would be brutal and I would have to push through mentally to get back to the dumbbell rack. I'd typically rest about 60 seconds between sets.

Can you give some more details on how to program this exercise?

[mastover]

Originally Posted by Jaer

How do you recommend setting up the sets? As in, how does one prioritize weight held vs. distance walked?



Jaer
doesn't know if it is better to go farther with lighter weights, or shorter with heavier.

Originally Posted by KT Monahan

I've done these at the end of a workout in the past, but what exactly are you recommending?

I would do something like grab two dumbbells and walk to the other side of the gym and back. First set would usually go ok, so I'd think I'm going too light. But then the next set would begin to get hard mid-way through so I would be glad I kept the weight where it was. The next set would be brutal and I would have to push through mentally to get back to the dumbbell rack. I'd typically rest about 60 seconds between sets.

Can you give some more details on how to program this exercise?

Depends on the rest of your workout and your goals. Normally, I wouldn't recommend them after a leg workout, unless your training total body 3x per week. Don't use straps and pick up a weight where you can easily walk 20 yards or 20-25 steps each leg. Your first two weeks should be easy. From then on every week should be more challenging. Again.... depending on your goals, you can use the same weight and try for more yards completed (or steps), or go heavier each week and try for 20 yards again. If you achieve the 20 yards or 25 steps, increase weight for next time and try again. If you feel that your recovery abilities are above average, you can do two sets at the end of a workout. This would probably work best with strong men competitors who need the endurance and who are probably eating a surplus of calories.

I'd recommend 1 set per week to begin with and see how you respond before increasing to 2 sets per week. But if you can do an all out set to failure (or close to failure) one set per week is probably all one would require.

[MT77]

Hopefully your gym / training facility has actual FW implements. You can load them much heavier with proper implements and get the total body benefits mastover talks about, before your grip fails. If all you've got are big dumbbells, then your grip will fail long before your traps do.

Most people probably can't pick up a 150lb dumbbell with one hand, but a 150lb farmers implement (where the center of gravity is about 12" below the centerline of the handle) should be no problem. The reason is due to differences between rolling friction and sliding friction. Dumbbells tend to roll out of your grip where true farmers handles will want to slide. Its easier to combat the slide than it is to fight the roll.

Great to see a strongman lift being incorporated into mainstream fitness advice.

[mastover]

Originally Posted by MT77

Hopefully your gym / training facility has actual FW implements. You can load them much heavier with proper implements and get the total body benefits mastover talks about, before your grip fails. If all you've got are big dumbbells, then your grip will fail long before your traps do.

Most people probably can't pick up a 150lb dumbbell with one hand, but a 150lb farmers implement (where the center of gravity is about 12" below the centerline of the handle) should be no problem. The reason is due to differences between rolling friction and sliding friction. Dumbbells tend to roll out of your grip where true farmers handles will want to slide. Its easier to combat the slide than it is to fight the roll.

Great to see a strongman lift being incorporated into mainstream fitness advice.

This is a good point. Most gyms don't have the proper equipment. I know of a couple of powerlifting centers that do have the implements MT speaks of. I was training a strong man competitor here who goes back and forth from bodybuilding comps to strongman. Very difficult to do. He actually likes training using DB's for the Farmer Walks. Once he uses the actual equipment they use at the comp, he feels much stronger due to the grip issues MT mentions. Either way, if you a are not a strong man competitor and don't have access to the actual equipment, DB's can be quite useful. Another similar movement that can do wonders for the legs, traps and grip are walking DB lunges. An absolutely evil exercise that challenges you on many different levels.

[Jaer]

OK, so today, I did about 120' with my 45s in hand (they are the kind that sort of have handles on the side). My shoulders are what kept me from going farther, not my hand grip.

I could use the 85lb DBs I have (sadly, I have nothing between 45s and 85s), but I know that the 85s are hard on my grip, especially my gimp hand.

It sounds like you would recommend 85s across 30' over 45s across 120'. Is that correct?

And would you say it is better for the grip to be what gives or the the shoulders? Or should I not even be going until something exhausts?

Jaer
has no problem adding something quick and beneficial to the end of a hard workout.

[mastover]

Originally Posted by Jaer

OK, so today, I did about 120' with my 45s in hand (they are the kind that sort of have handles on the side). My shoulders are what kept me from going farther, not my hand grip.

I could use the 85lb DBs I have (sadly, I have nothing between 45s and 85s), but I know that the 85s are hard on my grip, especially my gimp hand.

It sounds like you would recommend 85s across 30' over 45s across 120'. Is that correct?

And would you say it is better for the grip to be what gives or the the shoulders? Or should I not even be going until something exhausts?

Jaer
has no problem adding something quick and beneficial to the end of a hard workout.

This is a power exercise so I would go as heavy as possible. But if your shoulders are giving out, I would start with moderate weight, then build each week with heavier increases. You should avoid possible injury to the shoulders. If grip is an issue, try using chalk. You can also do this exercise with kettle bells and even a trap bar. Start out moderate, then gradually go up. This will help support shoulder health. Don't eat more than you can chew at first. Farmer's Walks hit the core (hard) legs, traps, shoulders, abs, biceps, lats, erectors, improves cardiac health, and is a true total body exercise. I don't like using light weight here. Power movement. Go heavy.... But be aware of your shoulders...

[Jaer]

By "giving out" I don't mean collapsed or unsocketed--only it was my shoulders that exhausted, not my grip.

Of course, I did the FW after a workout that had a lot of shoulder work, so they were pre-exhausted.

But the message here is that heavier is the way to go. Got it!

Jaer
appreciates the advice.

[KT Monahan]

Slightly different but, I remember when Zenpharaohs posted this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnnF60C9YDA&feature=plcp



KT Monahan doesn't usually post in the third person like Jaer does, but is a big fan of his third person comments. Makes KT Monahan laugh.

[Jaer]

HA! It's awesome. I love the comments from the "camera crew"!

One of these days I walk around the neighborhood with weight on my back like that. I'm sure the neighbors already think I'm weird for running around barefoot.

Jaer
is glad the comments make you laugh. Funny is the most important thing, as he tells his wife all the time. She doesn't always agree, though.

[Azure]

I love the farmers walk. I just took two five gallon pails, and put some water in it, then put something heavier, and finally some steel from a local plant that was just going to throw it away. Now I'm at 150# on each side. Pretty insane workout.

[MT77]

Going to hit some farmers today. Upcoming contest requires 235 per hand for 60' for time, so I need to practice. I might try to take 300 per hand down the driveway tonight if I 'm feeling frisky.

[MT77]

Thats 300 per hand. Was able to take them about 25' before my grip failed. My traps look huge!

[Jaer]

BADASS!

Way to go. When is the competition?

Jaer
is curious how you took the picture. Did you handle the camera with telekinesis while doing the walks? If so, "badass", even in all caps with the exclamation point, falls well short of proper description of the activity.

[MT77]

Hahaha.. The contest is August 25. My training partner took the photo.

[Azure]

That is the thing with Farmers Walks. You can load up with less weight, and carry farther distances, while still getting a damn good workout. Or you could load up extremely heavy, like 300# per hand, and literally try to push farther than something like 25'. I do both. Works damn good.

It is an extremely functional exercise. How many of pick up stuff throughout the day and carry it somewhere? Lots. So it applies a lot to real life activity.