Farmer's Walks

What’s a good way to train with farmers walks? Just as far as you can go with as much weight as possible? Yeah i know its a dumb question, but i’d like to start incorporating them more into my workouts and want to get the most out of them

Yeah, start off for time. Like sets of 1 minute. So you do a minute, rest do another minute etc.

But I’ve done it for a while where I take the 80lb DBs and walk as long as i can around the stupid Boxercise ring at the gym, then try to add 10 seconds or whatnot the next time.

Do you have access to farmers walk handles or are you doing this with DBs?

Just DB’s

Just DB’s

i have a 150ft driveway. i choose a weight dependent on whether i go just down and pause or down and back in one trip. then rinse and repeat.

In a contest it will usually be set distance with the fastest time winning.

[quote]jackedmf-er wrote:
Just DB’s[/quote]
Silly me, I’ve been using farmers. One’s way bigger than the other too…real balance issues.
Ok, sorry. DB’s are good, I have a friend who competes in strongman events, I believe this is how he started out, he now uses a variety of apparatus, including engine blocks!(there’s some type of grip/handles welded on apparently)

[quote]cromwell2007 wrote:

[quote]jackedmf-er wrote:
Just DB’s[/quote]
Silly me, I’ve been using farmers. One’s way bigger than the other too…real balance issues.
Ok, sorry. DB’s are good, I have a friend who competes in strongman events, I believe this is how he started out, he now uses a variety of apparatus, including engine blocks!(there’s some type of grip/handles welded on apparently)[/quote]

i built mine from parts at home depot for less then $50. i have loaded 200lbs on each so far without any sign of strain from anything but me, lol. you can many websites online with plans on how to make them.

[quote]jackedmf-er wrote:
What’s a good way to train with farmers walks? Just as far as you can go with as much weight as possible? Yeah i know its a dumb question, but i’d like to start incorporating them more into my workouts and want to get the most out of them[/quote]

20 laps up and down my drive way with 240kg. Keep it simple.

[quote]bull strong wrote:
20 laps up and down my drive way with 240kg. Keep it simple.[/quote] ← This.

Go heavy, rest if you need to, set a goal for the day and do it. From experience, DBs are much different in that they want to roll out of your hand. A bar with a handle won’t roll. It will pull straight down. I get a much better training session in with actual FW handles. Worked up to 180lb per hand for 100 feet so far (for reference to note whether you want to listen to me or not).


I do them up and down a long hallway in my gym with my makeshift handles, lighter weight for conditioning, heavier weight for strength and comp prep. Before a competition, I make sure I can do the weight, and work on time.

[quote]pushmepullme wrote:
I do them up and down a long hallway in my gym with my makeshift handles, lighter weight for conditioning, heavier weight for strength and comp prep. Before a competition, I make sure I can do the weight, and work on time.[/quote]

thats a good idea much better than dumbells you can not go heavy on them.

One of the huge benefits that you miss out on when you use dumbbells is the bar diameter you get with Farmer’s handles. Look into getting some fat gripz or making a makeshift grip to fatten up the handle. This will really increase the stimulation of the forearm and lead to some nice development; it is difficult at first, but grip strength develops relatively fast.

pick them up and walk with them…

Does this exercise strengthen the upper back a great deal (rhomboids, rear delts, etc.)?

[quote]bro1989 wrote:
Does this exercise strengthen the upper back a great deal (rhomboids, rear delts, etc.)?[/quote]

Yes one of the best upper back exercises you can do.

[quote]bull strong wrote:

[quote]bro1989 wrote:
Does this exercise strengthen the upper back a great deal (rhomboids, rear delts, etc.)?[/quote]

Yes one of the best upper back exercises you can do.[/quote]

Thanks for the quick reply.

Sorry, if my queston is kinda silly, but how exactly does it work the rhomboids? The weights are in your hand and try to pull your shoulders down, so shouldn’t it technically be all traps and not rhomboids?

Another question I have is whether the Farmer’s Walk conditions the external rotators, due to the neutral grip for instance? Thanks!!

[quote]bro1989 wrote:

[quote]bull strong wrote:

[quote]bro1989 wrote:
Does this exercise strengthen the upper back a great deal (rhomboids, rear delts, etc.)?[/quote]

Yes one of the best upper back exercises you can do.[/quote]

Thanks for the quick reply.

Sorry, if my queston is kinda silly, but how exactly does it work the rhomboids? The weights are in your hand and try to pull your shoulders down, so shouldn’t it technically be all traps and not rhomboids?

Another question I have is whether the Farmer’s Walk conditions the external rotators, due to the neutral grip for instance? Thanks!![/quote]

I am not sure about the rhomboids. All I know is it works the upperback.

[quote]bro1989 wrote:

[quote]bull strong wrote:

[quote]bro1989 wrote:
Does this exercise strengthen the upper back a great deal (rhomboids, rear delts, etc.)?[/quote]

Yes one of the best upper back exercises you can do.[/quote]

Thanks for the quick reply.

Sorry, if my queston is kinda silly, but how exactly does it work the rhomboids? The weights are in your hand and try to pull your shoulders down, so shouldn’t it technically be all traps and not rhomboids?

Another question I have is whether the Farmer’s Walk conditions the external rotators, due to the neutral grip for instance? Thanks!![/quote]

If you ever do these heavy and hard enough, you will have no doubt about which muscles get worked. I believe in doing farmer walks as heavy as possible for the most part. The rhomboids get involved by retracting the scapula, thereby helping to keep correct spinal alignment, while walking with these weights trying to pull you down.