Philosophies change, ideologies differ, especially in the health and fitness world. Maybe fasted cardio is the answer this month, or it’s no cardio, or it’s doing barbell squats every day.
With all the changing science and ideas, the one thing that remains consistent–> Carrying heavy stuff should not be disregarded.
It’s something that is put into any program, my own included, no matter what. They can help just about anyone looking to do anything. You want to lose fat, carry stuff. You want to gain muscle, carry stuff. You want to strengthen your low back, carry stuff.
The most basic carry–> Farmer’s Carry
-Strengthens grip
-Strengthens good posture
-Upper back/trap stability
-Core strength/stability
-Low back strength
-Teaches core bracing
-Can improve gait
But one of my favorite reasons to keep doing loaded carries is because It makes us work. It is hard and every step just gets that much harder. We have to fight through each set, which, in a pretty safe manner, really shows us what true hard work feels like.
Sometimes we get into a rhythm of exercises that feel “hard”. That last set of 10 on the DB press was really tough, when in reality we could have done another 5-10 reps if we dug deep. On a carry, there is no choice but to find that limit, sometimes you will even go to complete failure where you physically cannot hold the weight any longer.
Now that is where the learning comes from, knowing where your limits really stand.
Away from the teaching and learning, the amount of variations are endless. The ones I like to use most often:
-Farmers Carry
-Single arm farmers carry
-Dual KB rack carry
-Single arm KB rack carry
-Mixed rack carry
-Dual overhead carry
-Goblet carry
-Trap bar carry
-Yoke carry
After going through all the variations now you can play with the distances. Short distances with heavy weights. Long distances with lighter weight.
You can even find ways to progress the movement by walking another length of the gym or adding some extra load, or making the load more difficult by using a different grip.
Joe DeFranco talks about how he has added in mile long carries with lighter kettlebells.
I even had a client come in and say in his old training they would carry sand filled PVC pipes for 10-20 minutes at a time for a finisher. The options are endless.
In many cases I like to add in my carries at the end of a session. Whether they are by themselves with long rests or paired with a few other things in a circuit. They are very taxing on the body, so in many cases I will put them in when I know a rest day is following.
We don’t want to abuse our central nervous system or our grip strength and then have a workout where we need both of those things the next day.
Plan smart, but don’t skip your carries.
A missing piece of your training-Loaded Carries.
In good health,
Jeff
