All about the Farmers Walk exercise
(Legs Warm-up)
BENEFITS & MUSCLES WORKED: Grip Strength, Core, Posture, Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings, Injury Prevention, Overall Strength
START POSITION: Place 2 heavy weights on the floor outside of your feet. With your feet just shoulder-width apart, bend down and pick up the dumbbells using a standard deadlift. Straighten up, face forward with your chin up slightly, and roll your shoulders back and downwards. Pick up two heavy dumbbells and stand up straight, holding the dumbbells straight down with no bend in the elbows. Keep a neutral spine as you begin to walk forward with short to medium steps.
NOTES: Difficulty Rating: 59%
The Farmers Walk is a very low-risk exercise with enormous all-around benefits. It is often incorporated into the training plans of professional athletes, but is also easily performed by relative beginners. However, if you are lazy with the technique, then it will be a wasted effort and could also cause injury (mainly to the shoulders or neck).
The farmers’ walk looks deceptively easy, but with correct form, it will feel harder, whilst remaining very safe.
As you start to walk forward, keep both dumbbells at your sides, as still as possible, and do not swing your arms as you do when you walk normally. It is essential to make an effort to tense your core (particularly the abdomen) throughout the exercise. This is the crux of the exercise. Also, keep your shoulders held back and avoid rolling them forward when you get tired, or this can lead to injury. If you can walk more than 15 steps, then you should use heavier dumbbells. Aim to walk 10 to 15 steps, for at least 1 set (more if you are having a focused Leg training day).
If your arms/shoulders/wrists start to fail, do not drop the dumbbells or continue walking. Stop and immediately dead-lift the dumbbells back down to the ground at your sides, then relax and consider using lighter weights the next time.