More often than we realize, we’re picking up heavy items and carrying them from one location to another: children, groceries, boxes, suitcases, loads of laundry.
That’s why working on loaded carries in the gym is so valuable. Beyond the benefits of carrying everyday items more efficiently, loaded carries (also called weighted carries) improve shoulder stability, core strength, and postural control against rotation.
Because loaded carries are so versatile—they build strength, increase conditioning, and improve postural imbalances—programming them into your workouts will hinge on your goals and how you train daily. One convenient way to work loaded carries into your routine: Do them as finishers.
Here are three types of carries you can start to incorporate into your training as finishers after your upper-body workouts, using moderate weights.
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Jessica Cifelli
Farmer’s Carry
The simplest of carries, the farmer’s carry is a great place to start.
Begin by safely deadlifting two kettlebells or dumbbells of equal weight up to a standing position. Keeping a tight grip in the center of each weight while bracing your core and looking straight ahead, walk forward, controlling the weights at your sides. At the end of your walk, hinge your hips back, keep your back straight, and lower your weights back down to the floor as you would in a dumbbell deadlift. Your grip, shoulders, and breathing should tell you if you’ve picked the right weight.
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Jessica Cifelli
Suitcase Carry
As the name implies, the suitcase carry challenges you to hold one weight at your side. Because the exercise asymmetrically challenges your balance, it will help build your obliques and supporting core muscles isometrically.
To begin, place a dumbbell or kettlebell at your side and hinge back to deadlift the weight to a standing position. Be sure to pick a challenging but safe weight you can work with comfortably on either side. (For a greater challenge, you can also use a barbell.) Keep your shoulders squared to the floor, bracing your core to work against this new imbalance. Try not to use your free arm for balance—you want to work your core muscles as much as possible.
Start walking as you would for the farmer’s carry—short strides, eyes straight ahead, weight controlled—and when you reach the end of your designated walk, lower the weight to the floor as you would with a dumbbell deadlift.
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Jessica Cifelli
Double Front Rack Carry
Kettlebells are especially good for the double front rack carry because their centers of gravity are lower than your hands (unlike dumbbells, which keep the weight around your hands).
Start by cleaning the kettlebells to the front rack position. If you can’t clean the kettlebells, have a training partner help. Keep your forearms relatively vertical. (For an added challenge, hold the kettlebells away from your shoulders—it increases the load on your arms and shoulder muscles.)
Once in the rack position with vertical forearms, brace your core and take short strides forward. Engage your lats and upper back muscles to avoid leaning backward as you walk. Finish as you would for a farmer’s carry or the suitcase carry.
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The Loaded Carries Finisher
At the end of your upper-body workout, grab moderate-weight kettlebells or dumbbells and do this finisher routine.
The exercises are done as supersets. You’ll do two rounds of the ‘A’ superset, resting as necessary only after you finish a round. Then you’ll do two rounds of the ‘B’ superset, resting as necessary only after you finish a round.
As always, make sure you mobilize your shoulders before attempting this shoulder-intensive workout.
Round 1
A1) Front rack carry for 30 seconds
A2) Farmer’s carry for a minute
Round 2
B1) Front rack carry for 30 seconds
B2) Suitcase carry right for 30 seconds
B3) Suitcase carry left for 30 seconds
To advance the exercises, you can either increase the load for the set amount of time, or carry the same load for a longer amount of time.
