Farmers carry

[Skander]

I love when you see some 200# husband watching his 110# wife trying to carry one. Yo, wake up dude.

I don't know what it is, technique or something, but my wife can hold our kid for approximately 100 times longer than I can without acting like her arms are going to fall off. I pretend it's because my huge muscles use so much more energy.

Probably because women are trained over a lifetime to pretend that everything is ok through period cramps, awkward sexual harassment, giving birth to entire human beings, etc. Us men are wimps and whiners in comparison.

[Allentown]

Probably because women are trained over a lifetime to pretend that everything is ok through period cramps, awkward sexual harassment, giving birth to entire human beings, etc. Us men are wimps and whiners in comparison.

Nonsense. I read on some website that everyone exists on a scale of maleness, so being more male is clearly better in every way, so women can't possibly be better than men as something, so it's clearly my big, giant muscles and some weird anthropomorphic abnormality and technique by my wife. Clearly.

[ChrisMcCarthy1979]

Women have hips, which make carrying Babies comparatively easier...also they tend to carry Babies like they love them unlike most Men, who try to carry them like a sack of Potatoes.

There's actually some pretty interesting research out there as to how Babies have a reflex to hold on to Adults...probably seen most clearly in things like Baby Chimps and the like.

[cwd]

Ordered myself a pair of Titan farmer's walk handles for father's day, just arrived. They look OK, cost $89 and arrived in 2-3 days.

Planning to do these 1x/week in my Monday pull slot instead of rows. We'll see...

[Hanley]

Ordered myself a pair of Titan farmer's walk handles for father's day, just arrived. They look OK, cost $89 and arrived in 2-3 days.

Planning to do these 1x/week in my Monday pull slot instead of rows. We'll see...

I sold mine and miss them quite a bit. Gonna get another set

[murphyreedus]

I try and do farmers once a week in the non-ice months. I have the cheap Titan handles (they're probably my favorite Titan product), along with a pair of 10" diameter thick grip (1.5" ID pipe handles) implements. I've been primarily using the thick grip handles this year, and trying to go heavy on them is ridiculous. I could easily do a half a dozen 35 pace walks with 200 per hand on the Titan handles and still have plenty of grip left. I made it 1.9 35 pace walks (dropped on the second walk 4 steps from the end) with the thick grips at 200 per hand, and was holding on by the calluses by the end on both walks. Add in the 10" diameter and the things are constantly bouncing off my legs in my uneven yard, making it that much harder.

I should probably try working in some heavier stuff with the Titan handles, but right not being able to go as heavy with the thick grips is working out better because I'm also doing yoke walks on the same day (really not good at the yoke yet), and the yoke trashes me a lot more than I thought it would at the weight I'm hitting.

[cwd]

I'll be trying out my handles today for the first time. Any programming advice?

Since this is H day, I think I want moderate intensity and high volume.
I'll be doing 6-7 sets of 5 on front squats and press @70% first.
Will deadlift heavy in two days -- need my grip to be recovered then.

My first guess is: 6 trips of about 15 seconds duration each, with a weight that avoids grip failure. 2 minute rests.
But maybe just half of that the first time out, as it's a new exercise.

[Allentown]

I'll be trying out my handles today for the first time. Any programming advice?

Go light, carry them between two consistent points (street signs generally are in the same place next time you want to do farmers carries), 6 times is probably fine.

[mouse]

I love when you see some 200# husband watching his 110# wife trying to carry one. Yo, wake up dude.

I don't know what it is, technique or something, but my wife can hold our kid for approximately 100 times longer than I can without acting like her arms are going to fall off. I pretend it's because my huge muscles use so much more energy.

Can confirm... babies are made of dark matter or something. I just held a 7 pound kid recently and even sitting down after like 10 minutes my arm started feeling tired. Voodoo.

I hate farmers carries... namely because I made my farmer's with 1.5" ID pipe for handles... cuz grip or something... horrible at any kind of "real" weight lol...

[cwd]

The Titan handles turn out to weigh 17 lbs each. My normal clamps fit fine (one pair wire-spring, one pair plastic lever).

I did 108 lbs (two 45s + handle + clamps) for 4 trips of 35-40 yards each, which is about a 15 second "set".
216 is about 55% of my deadlift e1rm, this was not close to failure but took some effort.

I'll do 6 trips next week, then start increasing weight.

[lehman906]

Ordered myself a pair of Titan farmer's walk handles for father's day, just arrived. They look OK, cost $89 and arrived in 2-3 days.

Planning to do these 1x/week in my Monday pull slot instead of rows. We'll see...

Just got the same ones and took them for their first walk.

My advice (from my long years as a strongman never-was) to everyone is if you’re doing these for general strength, then I would suggest mixing it up with heavier shorter walks and lighter, longer walks. You can also just do holds in the winter, although these bother my bicep.

If you’re going to compete, focus on your take off and your turns. Turns are crucial to speed and technique is everything.

[psmith]

Recently started doing ~80m trap bar farmers' walks. Flow pretty well with deadlift sets at ~70% straight bar 1rm. Grip and traps getting a nice hit, as expected. Not really noticing anything for "core" one way or the other. What I did notice, and didn't expect, was that my feet, ankles, calves, and knees felt absolutely bomber when running unladen or hiking with a small pack. It makes sense though--pretty much maximally specific strength training for walking. Shortly after this, I heard Alex Viada mention in a podcast that he likes loaded carries for this purpose, fwiw. (Alex definitely falls afoul of "no vid no did", but he has some solid ideas.).

(Though I may have just dinged a 5th metatarsal riding a bicycle in soft shoes, so it's clearly not a fully general lower-leg-strengthening exercise.).