Farmers walk

Grab some weights if you can handle it and have a go.

You want to be able to get about 100 metres with 50% off your weight in each hand. This will take about two years for a beginner and is a great feat of strength.

Some coaches believe the farmers walk is the BEST abdominal exercise you can get and a staple in athletes programs for healthy backs!

The farmer’s walk engages all the muscle groups in one movement. It’s an exercise in pure strength. Here’s the breakdown:

Arms

Your arms will scream as the weight relentlessly tries to separate your shoulders and elbows from their sockets. The forearms get an intense workout, which helps improve grip strength, while the biceps and triceps must work to stabilize the elbow and shoulder joints.

Back and Shoulders

The muscles in the back and shoulders are heavily targeted, particularly the traps. These muscles must work together in a continuous contraction to keep your shoulder blades together and down, and to keep your shoulder joints stable.

Core

Here’s a way to get tighter, stronger abs without doing an ab-specific exercise. The core muscles are hit hard during a heavy farmer’s walk, and the back and abdomen must work in sync to support your torso and the additional weight. Keeping your abs tight during the exercise is necessary to protect the lower back and prevent any shear stress or vertebral buckling.

Legs

Because the farmer’s walk requires you to walk, the quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and calf muscles are used extensively.

Usefulness

The farmer’s walk trains your body in a way that’s useful even beyond the gym. You can’t underestimate the importance of grip strength and the ability to lift and carry heavy objects for health or in everyday life. The farmer’s walk might be the most “functional” exercise in existence.