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The Farmer’s Walk

I have been going to the gym for the past couple of weeks to do some exercises that I just can’t do properly at home. I have dumbbells, a bench, and a weight machine at home, but there are certain exercises I have been wanting to do. One of them is assisted pullups (I normally just do pulldowns with my home gym). After a set of wide grip assisted pull ups my lats were just burning. The next day my forearms were very sore and I was sore in other places that I didn’t even know existed. It was great, but it made me realize that my forearms and grip need to be strengthened in order for me to be able to do some of these other exercises more effectively. Namely, pullups and deadlifts.

Yesterday I tried the farmer’s walk for the first time. Basically you grab the heaviest set of dumbbells you can carry and start walking. Some people use trap bars (which are a longer bar) but that’s even more challenging so if you have never done the farmer’s walk before I’d suggest starting with dumbbells. I started with 2 70 lb dumbbells. I got half way around the track and had to stop of a rest. By the time I got back to the weight area I nearly dropped the dumbbells. I rested for a while, grabbed some 65 lb dumbbells and did it again.

It is a great way to strengthen your forearms and your grip and it will pay dividends with other exercises that you do. It also gets your heart pumping pretty good and is great for your shoulders. If you have a weak back be very careful with this one.

Here’s a video that shows the farmer’s walk in action. I can’t understand a word he’s saying for the first minute or so because the volume is so low, but at least you can see what the exercise looks like.

Farmers Walk, 3 Sets with 50 LBS Each Hand With Towels By Tuan Tran

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