What Is the Farmer’s Walk? All About the Celebrated Full-Body Strengthening and Walking Hybrid

We’re always looking for interesting ways to make our walking routines more dynamic. Changing things up makes it easier to stay engaged, consistent and continue making progress toward our health and fitness goals. The farmer’s walk is one popular option to do just that. Keep reading to learn about the versatile exercise, its benefits and how you can get started!

What is the farmer’s walk exercise?

The farmer’s walk is a strengthening exercise that entails carrying weights such as kettlebells, dumbbells or specialized farmer's walk handles while walking a specific distance or for a certain amount of time, explains Chris Mohr, PhD, RD , fitness and nutrition advisor at Fortune Recommends Health.

Compared to other weighted walking exercises, like rucking for example, the farmer's walk generally uses heavier weights and shorter distances which are aimed more at increasing muscular strength and power, Mohr says. On the other hand, rucking involves carrying a weighted backpack or wearing a weighted vest and is typically done over longer distances or durations, which makes it more focused on improving cardiovascular endurance and stamina. By opting for the farmer’s walk, your muscles work under more weighted pressure, targeting multiple muscle groups for a total body workout.

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Benefits of the farmer’s walk full body workout

“This exercise is highly effective as it works the forearms, shoulders, upper back, core and legs,” says Mohr. “It's great for improving grip strength, core stability, balance and overall endurance. It also may increase your metabolic rate which helps in burning more calories during and after the exercise.”

The many muscle groups this exercise targets are crucial for daily activities, overall health and safety, strength and muscle improvement and more. Strong legs and core tightness provide balance and stability, notes Bryan Wright, DPT . Strong shoulders enable proper lifting and reduce injury risk, and grip strength helps with regular tasks like carrying groceries or luggage. In many ways, the movement patterns of the farmer’s walk exercise are applicable to everyday activities.

“Patients often report less back pain, improved flexibility and endurance,” he says, adding that he typically sees significant results in strength and range of motion for those who do two to three sessions per week. “The farmer's walk builds mental and physical toughness for life.”

This type of strength training may also support chronic headache relief, says Thompson Maesaka, DC and Functional Neurologist at The Neural Connection. This is because with lighter weights while walking, it can help train the muscles that keep the shoulders back and prevent the upper trap muscles from pulling at the base of the skull, he says.

A Stanford-based study published in The Journal of Headache and Pain also found that strength training is the most effective exercise for reducing migraine symptoms followed by high-intensity and moderate-intensity aerobics.

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Getting started with the farmer’s walk

As with any exercise and especially when using heavier equipment, you’ll want to take things slowly so you can progress over time and pay attention to your form to prevent pain or injury. It’ll be crucial to build muscle over time, as multiple muscle groups will be targeted at the same time during this full body strength exercise.

“This is a very safe exercise to do for beginners since it's very functional,” says Noelle McKenzie, CPT, correctional exercise specialist and co-founder of Leading Edge Personal Trainers LLC . “This is a movement we do every day as we carry suitcases and grocery bags. You should start with a light weight and as you get stronger you can slowly increase the weight for added resistance.”

Here are McKenzie’s steps for the farmer’s walk:

1. Start by bending down by hinging at the hips to pick up one or two small weights to carry. Start light using 5-10lb weights
2. Return to a standing upright position with your feet hip width apart
3. Pull your shoulders back and brace your core to maintain a neutral spine
4. Begin walking forward at an even pace as you would walk normally while maintaining this neutral spine position

An important note: You should be keeping tension in your core and between your shoulder blades as you travel, McKenzie says. Make sure to keep your shoulders level to avoid allowing the weight to pull you to one side. Also, be sure to walk heel-to-toe, Dr. Wright suggests.

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This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan .