Sports equipment for the farmer's walk exercise. Pick it up and drag it - what is a farmer's walk and why everyone needs it

You can diversify your workouts and make them universal for the gym and outside with a sonorous name - the farmer's walk. With its help, you can achieve a significant improvement in strength while simultaneously developing endurance. This exercise involves different groups muscles, so with its help you can strengthen the muscle corset and maintain body tone.

With all the advantages of the exercise, before including it in your training, you need to analyze its features and think about whether it is right for you or not. Therefore, in this article we will carefully consider which muscles work in the farmer’s walk and learn the correct technique for performing the exercise. We will also find out why such training is useful and whether it has contraindications.

How is exercise useful?

The Farmer's Walk is an exercise to develop core strength. By including it in your training and doing it regularly, you can talk about creating a natural muscle corset, supporting the spine. As a result, here beautiful posture, and the ability to withdraw training process to a more professional level.

Continuing the conversation about the farmer's walk exercise, the benefits of which are undeniable, it should be noted that with the correct technique, it involves various muscle groups:

  • muscles of the legs (hips, legs and feet) and arms;
  • abdominal muscles (we recommend basic ones);
  • shoulder girdle.

It is also important to note that the load is distributed evenly across these muscle groups. All muscles work, strengthening, complementing each other. After completing the exercise, regular walking, even long distances at a sporting pace, will seem like easy entertainment to you.

In addition, walking with weights allows you to:

  1. Develop endurance, grip strength and muscle corset.
  2. Enlarge the deltoid muscles.
  3. Effectively develop coordination of movements.
  4. Increase your calorie burn and move forward if you reach a training plateau.
  5. Perform the exercise in any conditions, if there are available tools that can replace dumbbells and weights.

Who should not do the farmer's walk?

Contraindications to performing a farmer's walk are:

  • Lack of common sense and overestimation of one's own capabilities. There is no need to immediately grab heavy weights and try to walk long distance. In this exercise, it is important to gradually increase the weight of the weights and adhere to the technique (more on this later).
  • The exercise is contraindicated for those with a weak back, scoliosis and other postural disorders. In this case, it is recommended to practice walking only after a strong muscle frame has been formed.
  • The exercise is contraindicated in the acute stage of any chronic disease.
  • Like any training, the exercise should not be practiced during an acute respiratory infection or when the body is weakened. It is better to postpone mastering the farmer's walk until you have fully recovered.

What muscles work?

The farmer's walk with dumbbells is one of the basic exercises that involves working different muscle groups. When performed correctly, it evenly develops the muscle corset and gives a noticeable load throughout the body.

Muscle hypertrophy when working with big scales allows you to achieve an athletic physique, balance the proportions of the upper and lower body. You can find out which muscles work in the farmer's walk exercise from the table.

Execution technique

Proper technique for performing the Kettlebell Farmer's Walk is the key to a safe and productive workout.

How is the exercise performed?

Preparatory stage

  1. Determine how the exercise will be performed. With little weight for a long distance or with a lot of weight for a short distance.
  2. It is necessary to prepare the weight with which the exercise will be performed. The farmer's walk is equally effective with a barbell, dumbbells, or kettlebells. Recommended load weight depends on physical indicators the athlete, the goals pursued during training and the length of the distance.
  3. Clear/prepare the area for excavation from barriers and obstacles.

The workout itself

Step 1. We stand between the weights, which we first place in one line with our feet. The farmer's walk can be performed with two dumbbells or any other weight of equal weight in each hand.

Step 2. We take the projectile in our hands, while watching our posture. Keep your back straight while lifting weights. When performing a squat, we bend a little and bring our shoulder blades together, raise our head and, while inhaling, lift the weight.

Step 3. We move along the distance in small steps, gradually increasing the pace. We make sure that when the farmer walks with dumbbells or other weights, the shoulder blades are fixed and in their original position. Reduce the load on shoulder joints slightly raised shoulders allow.

When doing a farmer's walk, pay attention to the following key points:

  • Retracted shoulder blades during the entire load;
  • The head looks straight, the chin is raised;
  • All movements (from lifting weights to walking) are smooth and springy.

The main mistake during a farmer's walk is rounded shoulders and back. The reason for this may be a weak muscle corset and incorrectly selected working weight. Performing an exercise with poor technique can result in injuries to the spine and shoulder joints.

When including weighted walking in your training program, always carefully select sports equipment and their weight, follow the correct technique for performing the exercise and take your time. Don't forget that any power training directly affects the functioning of the ligamentous apparatus, and this is fraught with injury. You can remove some of the load from the abdominal and spinal extensor muscles using a weightlifting belt. At the same time, careful adherence to the technique of performing the exercise is not canceled.

It has its own characteristics and brings very obvious advantages compared to other sets of exercises:

  • The athlete becomes more resilient;
  • The leg muscles develop very well and gain strength and mass;
  • The muscle corset becomes more developed;
  • The deltoid muscles of the shoulder region from the top are perfectly enlarged;
  • Grip strength becomes more developed;
  • Growth hormone gets stimulated;
  • This exercise makes it possible to overcome plateaus in training;
  • Calorie consumption becomes very high;
  • Coordination is developed to the maximum;
  • The training is relevant for doing at home.

INCREASING THE NUMBER OF GRIP EXERCISES

Finally, the grip training program for experienced athletes is different from primary program because experienced dinosaurs do two, three, or even four different grip exercises every workout. For beginners who are just starting to train their grip, this volume will be excessive. But an experienced grip master cannot do without such volume. Why? Because you need to use all the muscles in your fingers, palms, wrists and forearms. Advanced lifters should combine specialized grip exercises (such as single- or double-finger deadlifts) with compound exercises (such as thick-bar deadlifts or thick-bar power holds) that develop the forearms as a whole.

In practice, you will do one type of deadlift, one specialized exercise for the fingers or wrists, one type of elbow curl (regular curls, curls). reverse grip or hammer) and one more exercise of your choice. You can do different exercises at each workout. The idea is to develop maximum strength in every finger, including the thumbs, wrists and the entire length of the forearms, so that you are strong in all movements that use the hand - elbow curls, power holds, lever exercises and every other exercise you'll ever need to do for your forearms, wrists, and grip.

Imagine how many different movements you can make with your fingers - up, down, left, right, clockwise, counterclockwise. Now try moving your wrists in the same way - left, right, up, down, clockwise, counterclockwise. What about your thumbs? See how they move - up, down, left, right, clockwise, counterclockwise. What about the forearms? See what different positions you can hold them in when doing biceps curls - supinated, pronated, you can do crow's feet, or you can hold them with your thumbs up. To train your grip, you can use handles with a variety of diameters. You can use a pinch grip to lift weights attached to a coin or a handle with a diameter of 3 inches or less. For any grip exercise, you can do singles, reps, or timed holds. Exercises for the forearms, wrists, hands and fingers are truly endless. Even if you include three or four exercises in each workout, you will NOT overtrain.

Arthur Jones once remarked (I'm paraphrasing here a little, but the point is this) that "we cannot imagine how strong our hands and fingers can be if the muscles of the hands, fingers and forearms are developed to the limit." These words are worth remembering for every dinosaur. Your goal, as a dinosaur, is very simple: over the course of several years, diligently train your arms, forearms, wrists, increase the strength of all to the limit muscle groups- and you will become the owner of such a grip that will awe everyone you know. Turn your hands into steel pincers. Let your grip be like a vice. Let the strength of your hands, forearms, wrists and fingers challenge all ideas about human capabilities.

I don't invent anything new. I discover the forgotten.
~August Rodin

When there is nothing to do, why live?
~Sir Winston Churchill

ATHLETE.RU 1999-2019

How to do the Crazy Walk exercise

In principle, the “Crazy Walk” exercise can be performed even while sitting. No need to stress too much, do what works for you!

For some people

  • hands are always icy,
  • others have constipation,
  • or regular dizziness,
  • weakness in legs
  • some don't sleep soundly,
  • or experience a feeling of tightness in the chest, lack of air...

There are a lot of symptoms that can be described... Now we will master in a simple way how to get rid of these troubles at once. The method is quite unusual, but interesting.

Here's what we'll do: first, we'll pretend to be completely powerless, tired, as if we got up in the middle of the night. We haven’t fully woken up yet, we are half asleep, we haven’t eaten anything for two days, and our legs are tied in a bag.

If you manage to imagine and depict this, consider that you have already mastered the exercise by 80%.

Now we start running in the bag. (Just don't actually tie your legs, just imagine that there is a bag on your legs.) It is very difficult to move your legs, they are heavy and do not obey us. We raise our leg a little, and again lower it heavily to the ground.

You want to stop and take a breath, but others are pushing you from behind, forcing you to drag yourself forward. The whole body shakes with every heavy step, trembles involuntarily. The arms dangle limply along the body, or you can join them behind the back, but the palms are absolutely powerless.

Focus all your attention on the front of your feet. You need to imagine how hard it is for you to move your legs, as if you have to pull them out of concrete

Remember the main thing, key moment exercises: you don’t need to actually strain your muscles, you only need to strain your imagination.

Imagine that iron weights are dragging along the ground, behind your legs, weights, and not your legs, like a hammer breaking through the ground. The most appropriate comparison is for the legs - they are in a state of freely falling body.

This exercise will help relax the whole body, blood and energy will flow freely to the feet. The Kidney channel on the feet is reached, which will help quickly replenish the energy level in the kidneys.

The channels of the Liver and Spleen run along the front of the feet; in addition, there are reflex zones of almost all internal organs. So the exercise stimulates all internal organs.

Positive effect of exercise

The exercise works almost the same as the “Golden Rooster standing on one leg” exercise, but it also helps get rid of swelling. This exercise combines movement and relaxation and is beneficial for both body and spirit. “In movement there is peace, as if the wind shakes the willows, in peace there is movement, as if the moon illuminates the floating clouds.”

Coherence of imagination and all body movements - effective method nourish the heart and treat the root of the disease. Walk 500 meters in the morning with such a gait that it will take no more than 10 minutes, but your mood and well-being will change for the better, and your feet will stop freezing, isn’t this an incentive to try?

I offer only a sketch; when you start doing the exercise, you yourself will feel what the essence of the method is, feel its effect on yourself. The more we believe in ourselves, the more creative impulses and insights we have. I am sure that every person has the ability to have intuitive insights, but we often think that this is from the realm of fantasy.

But when others give us an example, they seem to light the way for us, we begin to appreciate these insights and try to follow them. In fact, this exercise can be done even while sitting. Or lying down... You shouldn’t strain yourself too much, the main thing is to imagine everything in your head.

Zheng Fuzhui “The best doctor is yourself”

Benefits of the Farmer's Walk exercise

In its structure, this fitness element is basic, multi-joint, since in the process of execution it involves several joints and muscle groups at once. The load falls on the muscles and joints of the legs, lower back, back and chest of the athlete, and the shoulder blades and collarbones are also included in the work. Due to the large coverage of muscle groups, the exercise helps:

  • develop endurance;
  • strengthen and increase muscle volume;
  • increase the athlete’s strength indicators;
  • form a strong muscle corset;
  • stimulate the production of somatotropic hormone (growth hormone);
  • consume large quantity energy (accelerates metabolism);
  • improve coordination of movements and the vestibular apparatus.

The main advantage of the exercise is its accessibility: it can be performed in any conditions. In the gym they use special dumbbells and barbells; at home, you can use improvised objects as weights.

Grab and drag What is a farmer's walk and why everyone needs it

Farmer's walk, also known as the “hell walk”, or “take it and drag it.” This exercise can develop the muscles of the whole body and make a person devilishly strong.

"KV" has compiled a guide to the "farmer's walk" - a forgotten movement that today has triumphantly returned to fitness.

What is a Farmer's Walk?

A “farmer’s walk” is an exercise in which an athlete walks with weights in his hands for a time or distance. Strongmen and CrossFitters perform farmer's walks with bars that have special handles. Often athletes do it with a trap reef, a car tire, or using a special platform that you can stand inside. But the value of the “farmer’s walk” is that you can use any weights as a load. Kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells will do, and if you don’t have those, then good option There may be buckets, canisters or large containers of sand or water. Anything that is heavy and can be carried in your hands is suitable for a “farmer’s walk”.

What effect will the “farmer's walk” have?

Brooks Kubik, a US bench press champion and strength training specialist, called the "farmer's walk" one of the most effective exercises invented by man. “Its regular implementation makes a person massive and devilishly strong,” wrote Kubik.

Carrying weights in your hands develops the muscles of the upper and lower body at the same time. A large load falls on the muscles of the shoulder girdle, the muscles of the core (torso), lower legs, buttocks and thighs.

“Farmer's Walk” provokes increased production of testosterone in the body - this provides a stimulus for muscle growth. It increases grip strength, which is why it is often included in the training program by armlifters and specialists. functional training. She gives strong muscles lower back, thanks to which you can increase the weights in squats and deadlifts. “In other words, if you want to look like a real animal, then the farmer's walk is the exercise for you,” sums up Brooks Kubik.

If the “farmer's walk” is so effective, why was it forgotten for a long time?

Late 20th and early 21st centuries in strength training called the "era of isolation". At this time, it came into fashion training programs who focused on working out muscles isolated exercises with medium weights and high repetitions. These techniques became popular thanks to professional bodybuilders who “punched” muscles with supersets and targeted loads, almost without using basic exercises.

However, there is an opinion that this style of training is ineffective for natural athletes. To grow muscles, they need weight progression and compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once. The Farmer's Walk is one of them. At first, strongmen began to use it in their training. And later, crossfitters adopted it: they included the “farmer’s walk” as part of circuit training. So this exercise became popular again.

How to do the Farmer's Walk correctly

The key point of the exercise is picking up the apparatus from the floor. Technologically it resembles deadlift: you need to tense your back, make a slight arch in your lower back. When taking the projectile, move your pelvis back. Rise with the apparatus like this: until the apparatus is at knee level, the legs are extended, then (but not before!!!) the torso is straightened. Don't round your back, don't slouch your shoulders, don't lower your head. When walking, try to squeeze your shoulder blades together as much as possible.

Second important point– maintaining balance. When walking with weights, avoid swaying and distorting your body. This is fraught with injury. Keep your torso muscles tense. The step is medium.

The Farmer's Walk can be done by walking in a straight line. Or you can go around obstacles with weights, make turns and zigzags. When turning, avoid tilting your body to the sides.

How to include a “farmer's walk” in your training

Farmer's walk use case circuit training might look like this: do 5 rounds of 10 dumbbell presses, 12 jumping jacks (or standing knee raises), 12 leg raises, and dumbbell farmer's walks 15 meters out and 15 meters back. You can also combine the Farmer's Walk with any other exercise.

If you're a bodybuilder doing standard sets, do a farmer's walk at the end of your leg, back, or shoulder workout—after squats, deadlifts, or shrugs. At each workout, increase the weight of the dumbbells or the distance you need to walk with them - this will make the “farmer's walk”, an exercise of strongmen of the past, more effective.

Attention! Before starting training, consult your doctor!

Based on materials from: www.sovsport.ru

Farmer's walk – FixBody sports, bodybuilding, fitness, workout, crossfit, motivation

From the point of view of biomechanics, we have a cyclic movement. Strongmen call it locomotor. It is worth noting that this load evenly develops all the muscles involved in walking, namely: gluteal muscles, quadriceps, hamstrings, core muscles, abs, back extensors, latissimus, trapezius, abductor muscles, serratus posterior, and of course – forearms. So it turns out that the “farmer” is one of the best basic exercises, which can be compared in effectiveness to squats or deadlifts.

We, bodybuilders, are not particularly interested in the “strong” standards, we just want to get real benefit from this it would seem simple exercise. In bodybuilding, ordinary dumbbells are used instead of standard equipment. As a result, we get the simplest movement - a farmer's walk with two dumbbells.

Execution technique

Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart. Give your back a natural curve. Hold the dumbbells with your arms down. Try to grip the handles as tightly as possible so that your forearms receive the load from the first seconds of movement. Straighten your shoulders and lift your chest up. Direct your gaze straight ahead. Slightly squeeze your shoulder blades together and begin to take small, even steps with powerful, dynamic efforts. Try to add pace as you cover the distance.

Pre-select the longest trajectory that your Gym. Breathing plays one of the key roles. If the weight of the dumbbells is large, which it should be, then breathing will be quite difficult. Here it is necessary to borrow the technique from strongman. They are taught to “walk” with weights, small inhalations and exhalations, which are performed every two steps.

Many athletes do not take into account this exercise. They feel like a farmer's walk doesn't give the same results. It's safe to say that this thinking is wrong. Proper execution moving with a really heavy working weight will force the body to engage all the muscles of the body. It is worth noting that in nature there are no similar movements that can equally load the shoulder girdle, back muscles and legs. Such a large range of working groups forces the body to spend and produce record number testosterone, which means a farmer's walk can give you muscle mass all over the body.

Separately, I would like to mention the step technique. Never use a wide stride, as this will significantly overload the tendons and joints of the legs. After all, in fact, during a long step, you transfer all the weight to one limb, and this is quite traumatic. This is why it is recommended to take many small but quick steps.

In addition to all of the above, it is necessary to specify the position of the head. During the exercise, you will probably want to lower your chin to your chest. The fact is that this is how the body tries to relieve the trapezius muscles from the load. In addition, as soon as you touch your chest with your chin, your back will immediately round, and all the incoming load will become unnatural. This type of exercise will eventually cause either osteochondrosis or spondyloarthrosis. We recommend that you master the movement with light weights. Observe your reflection in the mirror. Make sure your back doesn't round or lean forward when walking before moving on to heavier weights.

A little trick is to grip the dumbbells. For heavy sets, grab them from the back edge so that the implements lean forward. This will facilitate the technique using inertial force.

Farmers walk

Today we will tell you about the CrossFit exercise Farmer’s walk.

The benefits and harms of exercise

What can be said about the benefits of the farmer's walk exercise? The muscles of the legs and abs work in a balanced manner, the load is evenly distributed between the muscles of the abs, thighs, legs and feet. At the same time, all of the listed muscle groups work in a single “bundle”, mutually complementing and reinforcing each other. After a farmer's walk, an ordinary walk will seem indescribably light to you - weight own body will cease to be felt by at least half.

But where there are pros, there are also cons. The downside is the risk of injury in the lumbar spine. During walking, the articulation between the pelvis and the spine actively works in the vertebrae lumbar region the spine undergoes rotational movement. This type of mutual movement of the vertebrae is not very useful and is limited by the powerful ligamentous apparatus of the spine. By picking up weights, we repeatedly increase the load on this ligamentous apparatus and increase the risk of injury. The solution is to avoid the farmer's walk during the first years of active CrossFit training until you acquire a strong core, or use a weightlifting belt. The first option is preferable, since the belt will in any case remove some of the load from the muscles abdominals, especially from the obliques, and from the extensor spinae.

Exercise technique

There are several variations of the farmer's walk exercise, namely with dumbbells, kettlebells or other weight options.

With dumbbells

We take weights from the floor.

  • The lower back is arched and fixed;
  • The shoulder blades are retracted;
  • Hands at your sides.

Without bending your lower back, bend your knees and hip joints and take dumbbells in your hands. When using dumbbells of significant weight, you can use bindings - this will allow you to go a greater distance, but will remove the load from flexor muscles fingers. Another option for “relief” for the hand is a closed “overlapping” grip, when the dumbbell rests on the bar thumb, the rest cover it and firmly fix it to the projectile.

And so, the weight is in the hands, the shoulder blades are brought together, the back is straight. Knees slightly bent, feet shoulder-width apart. We take the first step; the heel is placed on an imaginary line running from the toe. This way the steps are short. You are unlikely to cover even a short distance too quickly, thereby ensuring sufficient time for the muscles to be under load. A short step is also taken in order to reduce the amplitude of movement in lumbar vertebrae and in hip joint- most vulnerable to compression loads. Throughout the farmer’s walk, the body is kept level, the shoulders are moved slightly forward, the trapezius muscle seems to be spread across the upper shoulder girdle.

With weights

Initial position:

  • Feet shoulder width apart;
  • The back is straight;
  • There is a deflection in the lower back;
  • The arms are bent at the elbows, the wrists are tucked under the arms of the weights;
  • The weights themselves rest on the elbow bends;
  • Elbows pressed to chest, brought forward.

A more difficult modification of the farmer’s walk is this option: the starting position is the same, but the weights are on the shoulders, held by the fingers of the hands, the arms are bent at the elbows, the elbows are spread to the sides.

Farmer's walk up the stairs

To increase the overall intensity of the exercise, as well as increase the load on the leg and abdominal muscles, the farmer's walk can be performed on stairs. The weight is held in straightened arms, arms along the body, elbows straightened. The back is straight, the shoulders are slightly rolled forward, the upper portion of the trapezius is tense. We take a step up one step, transfer the body weight to the supporting leg, place the working leg on the upper step, and with the combined force of the quadriceps and femoral biceps, we extend the leg at the knee and hip joint. We place both legs on one step, and take the next step with the supporting leg.

You can take each step to the next step, but this will limit the time the muscles are under load and create greater mobility in the lumbosacral joint.

Complexes

This is interesting: Dumbbell swings to the sides: an exercise for developing the shoulder girdle, technique and recommendations for performing dumbbell swings to the sides

Execution technique

The exercise is quite simple to perform, but despite this, there are some features when performing it that must be fully followed in order to achieve positive results.

Most often, when performing this training, it is recommended to use a special barbell that has a handle.

But this is not so important, so dumbbells and kettlebells are suitable in this case. The shells are placed at a short distance from each other and located between them

The back should be straight.
Tighten your abdominal muscles and take a sitting position in order to take the equipment in your hands.
Then rise to a standing position as if you were pushing yourself out. Fix this position. You have to look straight ahead. It will be starting position.
You must move forward very quickly and in short steps, while the projectiles must be on straight arms. The trajectory of movement must be in a clear straight line. Breathing during movement should be correct and even. After walking about fifty meters, the shells are placed on the floor or the ground, you turn around and come back. You need to go there back about ten times without being distracted by breaks.

As mentioned earlier, you can use various types of weights when performing this exercise.

These include:

  1. Kettlebells;
  2. Dumbbells;
  3. Barrels;
  4. Bags with groceries;
  5. Fittings;
  6. Logs and all other weights that are at hand in the amount of two pieces.

Benefits and contraindications

The farmer's walk exercise involves moving heavy implements from one place to another.

Therefore, the farmer's walk is used by strongmen - athletes participating in extreme power sports. The exercise also has other advantages that bodybuilders and crossfitters will appreciate:

  • Strengthening your grip. Farmer's Walk has a positive effect on the development of forearm muscles and hand power, which is useful in other power elements, for example, in the deadlift.
  • Working out the central part of the body. The core muscles are involved in all movements of the athlete, helping him overcome heavy weights. If you want to progress in basic exercises, do the farmer's walk.
  • Muscle growth. Long-term force exposure during “farmer” walking promotes hypertrophy of muscle fibers. Increased hormonal levels help restore muscles, add mass and volume.
  • Improved body balance. When performing the exercise, the small muscles responsible for stabilization and coordination work. This develops the athlete's mobility and sense of balance.
  • Increased endurance. Exercise helps strengthen not only the muscles, but also the ligaments of the legs, arms, and back. The athlete becomes less susceptible to force loads.

You should also be careful about “farmer walking” when:

  • shoulder sprain;
  • disruption of the vestibular apparatus;
  • serious diseases of the cardiovascular system.

CONTINUE TO USE BASIC EXERCISES

Let's go over the previous points again. Let's start with my urgent request to continue to include basic grip exercises in your training - even if you already experienced athlete. You will ask why? Because with the help of basic exercises you build real strength and power, and various specialized exercises (for example, lifting weights with your fingers, working with a lever, etc.) help to finally shape your forearms and hands. If you stop doing the basic exercises altogether, you will have trouble further increasing the strength and size of your forearms, fingers, and wrists. Therefore, continue to do the "base" in your workouts, but once you feel sufficiently experienced, begin to supplement your program with more specialized exercises.

LIFTING WEIGHTS WITH ONE OR TWO FINGERS

Lifting weights with one or two fingers is an essential tool in developing maximum hand strength. There are two the best way performing this exercise. The first is a deadlift using a mixed grip - one hand with the palm facing the body, the other with the palm away from the body. Use only index fingers either only the middle fingers or both of these fingers. you can use standard neck, 5 centimeter or 6.3 centimeter. If you have very large brushes and powerful fingers You can try a 7.5cm bar - although only people with truly gigantic arms can use such a heavy bar.

Lifting weights with one or two fingers is a very hard and brutal exercise. Doing it HURTS!!! The entire load is concentrated on two fingers and painful sensations can be very strong. This is why you need to go through the entire basic exercise program before attempting finger raises. This exercise is so difficult that it should be performed no more than once every ten days or two weeks. If you put too much stress on your fingers, you can be sure that you will get a sprain, and this injury will set you back at least two months.

By regularly incorporating one- or two-finger lifts into your workouts, you will one day realize that you can already hold quite a significant amount of weight this way. I like to do cleanups with a 6.3cm bar using my index and middle fingers, and I have achieved 136kg on this exercise. My training partner, Bruce Bullock, who naturally has huge hands and long, powerful fingers, lifts the same amount.

One or two finger raises are also a very important exercise because they involve some of the tendons and muscle fibers, which are practically not affected when performing most other exercises. You will notice that lifting with one or two fingers will give you a feeling of very deep working of the muscles of the forearms

This happens because it uses muscle fibers that cannot be used by any other exercise.

Earlier I said that there are two ways to do barbell lifts with one or two fingers. I have already described the most common method above, but there is another method that I highly recommend for all dinosaurs. The company "" sells a very useful thing called "" (Eagle Loops). They are heavy-duty belts made from nylon webbing. At one end they are attached to the fingerboard, and at the other end there are four loops - one for each finger, not counting the thumb. You can train four fingers at the same time, three, two or just one - at your discretion. I like to do two-finger deadlifts using “EAGLE LOOPS” using the index and middle fingers on each hand. This is an incredibly painful exercise, but it will turn your fingers into steel pincers. shortest time. You can use a LOT of weight on this exercise - Bruce Bullock and I do 205kg two finger deadlifts using EAGLE LOOPS. Other useful application"EAGLE LOOPS" is various exercises on the crossbar. Try finger pull-ups - it's great exercise will turn your hands into steel hooks. Again, you can train all fingers at once, or train them in any combination. EAGLE LOOPS are a GREAT tool for developing barbaric finger strength. It must be present in any basement hall where dinosaurs train.

Instructions for use

There are four variations in total farm walks, and the main movements can be counted about seven.

1. Weight between legs

Holding a weight between your legs creates a special emphasis on gluteal muscles.

Duck walk

Take the weights in your hands, bend over a little and, placing them between your legs with your arms down, stomp forward. Keep your legs slightly bent, do not round your lower back. If you don't have weights, hold a large dumbbell with both hands by the disc, positioning it vertically. The weight should be at knee level, not higher.

Important: don't look down! If you keep your eyes down while doing exercises that develop your balance, you will ruin everything. A downward gaze gives you a false sense of stability and increases stress on your lower back and knees, shifting your center of gravity forward.

So look strictly in front of you at some distant stationary object.

2. Weight on the sides

This way you can carry the heaviest shells. That’s why these exercises give unrealistic strength gains.

Farmer's walk

Pick up dumbbells, kettlebells, or even two barbells and move forward. Keep your abdominal muscles tense and bend your knees slightly. If the dumbbells in your gym are light, use a trap bar with barbell discs.

Walking with a suitcase

Take a heavy dumbbell in one hand and, trying to keep your body upright, walk forward. Walk an equal distance for your right and left hands.

3. Weight in front of you

The advantage of this variation is additional load on the biceps and the entire posterior chain of muscles.

Zercher Walk

Place the barbell on your elbows and, holding the barbell as close to you as possible, carefully move forward. If you feel uncomfortable holding the barbell, wrap a towel around the bar.

Bear hug

Hug and hold the sandbag to you in an upright position. Instead, you can take a heavy barbell disc or just a stone. As a last resort, hold the dumbbell vertically at your chest under the upper disk - just like when doing squats with a dumbbell.

4. Weight above you

Holding a weight overhead targets the entire core and improves shoulder stability.

Army walk

Take a sandbag or barbell and lift it above the top of your head - as if doing a standing press. Keep your arms straight, legs slightly bent, lower back straight. You can also hold two dumbbells above you.

Inverted kettlebell

Take a weight and turn it upside down. Keep your forearm vertical and keep the angle between your shoulder and forearm straight.

How to choose a load?

How many pounds you carry and how far you carry may determine what exactly you develop with this type of training. Theoretically, “walking” can develop both strength and hypertrophy with endurance. Use these simple formulas to vary your own workouts:

Projectile weight*Distance, m

*% of your own weight

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The Farmer's Walk is truly an amazing exercise for developing major muscle groups, improving strength, endurance and strengthening the entire muscular system. The main feature of this exercise is that it can be performed anywhere, with any weights: with dumbbells, heavy bags, with barrels or weights. All that is needed to perform farmer's walks are heavy objects that you can pick up in your hands and drag to a certain point. This could be 50 meters (then the weight of the projectiles should be quite large), 100 meters or even 1 km (with small weights).

The Farmer's Walk can be performed as short distances with a lot of weight and high speed, and over longer distances, with moderate weight and average speed movements. Don't have access to the gym in the summer? Are you going to the countryside or to the country? Then the farmer's walk exercise is perfect for you to maintain muscle tone bodies. And in nature this exercise is doubly enjoyable. Take, for example, a couple of cans of water in your hands and do a couple of approaches of this exercise.

Technique for performing the “farmer’s walk” exercise

Stand between the shells. Take them in your hands (just like you carry heavy bags in two hands). Before lifting the weights, bend your back slightly, squat down a little (as when doing a deadlift), pull your shoulder blades back, raise your head slightly, tighten your lower back, straighten your legs and start walking. You need to take small steps, adding a little pace as you go. The main technical feature is that you need to constantly monitor your shoulder blades - they should always be pulled back slightly, the shoulders should be slightly raised, the movements should be smooth and springy, and try not to lower your head.

Working muscles

The farmer's walk is an exercise that develops a large number of muscle groups. This is for real basic exercise, involving the gluteal muscles, quadriceps, back surface hips, lower leg muscles, trapezius, shoulder girdle, as well as the entire muscular corset that holds the spinal column. And, of course, the arm muscles also receive a significant load. When using sufficiently large weights in this exercise, hypertrophy of the working muscles anatomically correctly develops the shape of an athletic physique.

The Farmer's Walk exercise is also a basic discipline for strongman athletes. Their main criteria for successfully performing this movement are speed, strict technical execution of the steps and the entire exercise as a whole, and, of course, a strong grip that allows them to hold very heavy weights in their hands.

Therefore, doing farmer's walks is a good basic movement that athletes can use to strengthen their core muscles in a variety of sports disciplines. And it’s definitely worth trying to use it in your training.

One of universal exercises which can be done with kettlebells, dumbbells, sandbags or anything else is called farmer's walk. Its fundamental difference from other exercises with weights is the constant movement.

It is believed that moving under load (and the farmer's walk is one option) develops useful, applied strength of the whole body and improves overall physical condition.

Squats, presses, and deadlifts make you stronger, but at the same time, they are not all you need to achieve athleticism. In addition to strength, there is also coordination and, so to speak, “awareness of your body.” The Farmer's Walk helps develop not only strength, but also these qualities.

To be honest, I haven’t fully tried this exercise yet. I include it periodically in my training, but in order to get a feel for it full program, I don’t have enough free space (I work out at home) - so that I can just walk forward, and not make a turn in a circle every step. 50 meters of straight path.

So, before moving on to the practical part, we list the advantages of the exercise:

Endurance

Work on the core muscles

Strengthening joints

Strengthening your grip

The ability to use a larger weight kettlebell in training (which you cannot yet use in other exercises)

Features of a farmer's walk with weights

Unlike other equipment with which the farmer's walk is performed, kettlebells are more variable in their position in space. The basic version of the farmer's walk is performed with kettlebells (or one) in the lowered hands.

Farmer's Walk - Basic Option

Take 2 weights that are heavy enough for you. You must be able to support correct position bodies with them. Perform a suitcase row with your chest up and start walking forward (or in circles if the room is small). As you move, your breathing quickens, your heart works harder, and your grip weakens. In the end, two thoughts will remain: “just not to unclench my fingers” and “I wish I could take a couple more steps.” This is not only training the body, but also mental concentration.

The single kettlebell farmer's walk, while seemingly easier, requires more muscle engagement to ensure your posture remains correct and you're walking in a straight line.

Farmer's walk with weights on his chest

This option, unlike the usual farmer's walk, gives a break to the grip. The kettlebells will tend to drive your torso forward, and your hips and muscles will have to work to maintain stability.

If you do it with 2 weights, the exercise becomes more complicated, because the weights will put pressure on the diaphragm, causing breathing to become shorter and more intermittent, muscle fatigue may come faster and you will have to work hard to complete the distance.


Farmer's Walk with a Kettlebell Overhead

A way to strengthen the shoulder joints and improve the endurance of the surrounding muscles. Lift 1 or 2 weights to your chest, then press them overhead and step forward.

Changing the direction of movement will give additional impetus to the core muscles.

By the way, compared to dumbbells in the same position, kettlebells are safer, because the weight is partially supported by the forearm. Because of this, there is less grip training, but more effort is put into stabilizing the body due to the outstretched arm above the head.


Farmer's walk with kettlebell upside down

Strengthened work on the forearm and abdominal muscles. When the weights are upside down, you may not get as much of a workout on your heart as other variations (because you'll be moving slower), but there are other benefits.

Another potentially dangerous feature of this position is that it is easier for the weights to fall out of your hand when your grip loosens. Therefore, it is better to practice in places where you don’t mind the floor.

Kettlebells can be placed either in the arms, bent at the elbows, or straightened up.

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What is the meaning of the Farmer's Walk? How to do this exercise correctly? Should you include it in your training program? You will find answers to these questions in this article.

Among professional athletes Farmer's walk is one of the basic exercises, but it is little known among beginners. This effective method working out the main muscle groups and increasing their strength endurance, in addition, this method is used to improve the functioning and strengthen the joints and ligaments.

Key points

The Farmer's Walk can be performed by both women and men. One of the main advantages of such training is the ability to carry it out anywhere with any auxiliary objects. That is, if you do not go to the gym, but work out at home, then the “farmer’s walk” will be one of the exercises suitable for such conditions. In addition, if you do not have special weighing equipment, then heavy bags, water bottles, etc. can serve as an analogue.

Depending on the weight of the auxiliary items that you will use during training and your parameters, the appropriate distance that the athlete needs to cover is selected. As a rule, the length of the distance ranges from 100 to 200 meters, but sometimes professional athletes cover up to a kilometer.

Another advantage of this exercise is the symmetrical pumping of muscles, because every athlete wants to have proportional developed body. Select the weight and distance either with a coach or based on your physical characteristics.

Muscles that are used

By using the farmer's walk in your workouts, you will be working several muscle groups at once. This complex exercise pumps up:

  • Shin.
  • Quadriceps.
  • Posterior thigh.
  • Deltoid muscles.
  • Press.
  • Shoulder girdle.
  • Lower back and spinal muscles.

This means that with the help of a farmer's walk you will not only improve your body, but also form an even posture and take your training to a more professional level.

Please note that this exercise also has a beneficial effect on the following aspects:

  • Improved coordination of movements.
  • Development of grip strength and endurance.
  • Possibility to increase calorie expenditure.

This means that the farmer’s walk can be carried out by both beginning athletes and professional athletes of any age category and of any gender.

Execution technique

Please note that it is important to perform the exercise technically correctly, otherwise you will not achieve the desired result. Initially, prepare everything you need for training. First, decide which farmer's walk method suits you best: a long mileage with a light load or a short distance with a heavy weight. Secondly, choose a convenient weight for yourself; it can be dumbbells, weights or household items of the same weight. Before class, clear the area for excavation.

As for the sequence of actions, follow these instructions:

  1. Place weights on the floor and stand between them.
  2. Controlling your posture, while inhaling, take the weights (while lifting them, keep your back straight and squeeze your shoulder blades together).
  3. Move slowly along the distance, gradually accelerating. Do not forget to pay attention to the position of the shoulder blades, which must be constantly brought together. If you cannot strain your shoulder joints too much, it is recommended to slightly raise your shoulders.

To perform this exercise, the forearm muscles must be well pumped, since they play the main role in the implementation of this workout, so preparation is required.

Making your workout more difficult

Professional athletes can make the task more difficult by moving not along a straight path, but up a hill or up the stairs. On the steps, the technique of performing the exercise remains the same. Please note that for each step you need to transfer your body weight to the supporting leg, and then place the second leg on the same step. This workout increases the load on the leg muscles and abs.

Another more intense exercise is moving with weights on your shoulders, which you need to hold with your fingers. In this case, the arms should be bent at the elbows in an extended position.

Key Points to Pay Attention to

To avoid injuring your spine and get the maximum result from the exercise, follow these rules:

  • When lifting weights, do a squat with a straight back (do not take the apparatus from the top position, as you will injure the spinal region);
  • Take small steps;
  • To select the correct size of dumbbells, use the formula: divide your body weight by 4 (the resulting number will be the required weight of equipment for your workout);
  • Start with three approaches of half a minute;
  • Use a corset or belt to reduce spinal movement;
  • While performing the exercise, keep your head straight, look ahead, and do not throw your shoulders forward.

Please note that a farmer's walk is not only effective exercise for uniform pumping of muscles and increasing the strength and endurance of the athlete, and great way burning large quantity subcutaneous fat.

Who is this exercise contraindicated for?

It is not recommended to include a farmer's walk in the training program for those who have weak muscles back or scoliosis. In addition, this exercise using heavy weight, since the athlete, in this case, will be susceptible to injuries to the shoulder joint.

To sum it up, we can say that the farmer's walk is complex exercise, which is more suitable for people who play sports for a long time. Beginners are recommended to perform this exercise only under the supervision of a trainer who will give instructions. correct technique execution.