How is a barbell suitcase carry different from a dumbbell suitcase carry?

The long barbell tips forward or backward with every step unless your hand and forearm hold it level, so it is a harder grip and wrist challenge than the Dumbbell Suitcase Carry. It also loads in smaller steps and can go heavier than most gym dumbbells.

Where should I hold the bar?

Hold it at its balance point, which is the center of an evenly loaded bar. If one end dips as you stand up, set the bar down and move your hand slightly toward the end that dipped.

Should I carry less than I would in a farmer's carry?

Yes, start below the per-hand load you use in a Dumbbell Farmer's Carry, because the whole weight sits on one side and your trunk has to hold you upright against it. Add load only while you can walk tall with level shoulders.

How far or how long should I carry it?

Walks of 20 to 40 meters, or 20 to 40 seconds, per side for 2 to 4 rounds work well for most people. Add distance first, then load, as long as your posture holds.

Do I need to train both sides?

Yes, carry the same load for the same distance on each side. Starting with your weaker side keeps it from getting the leftovers of a tired grip and trunk.

Barbell Suitcase Carry

What Is the Barbell Suitcase Carry?

Barbell Suitcase Carry is a compound exercise that primarily targets the core, especially the obliques, and also engages the grip, forearms, upper back, hip stabilizers and legs. It is an intermediate-level movement in which you walk while holding a loaded barbell in one hand at your side, gripped at its center so the bar points front to back.

Because the whole load hangs on one side, it constantly pulls your torso toward the bar, and the trunk muscles on the opposite side have to work to keep you standing straight. That makes the suitcase carry a go-to exercise for resisting side bending while you walk, which carries over to everyday tasks like hauling groceries or a heavy bag. In a study of healthy college-aged adults using dumbbells, a one-dumbbell suitcase carry produced higher back-extensor, oblique and abdominal activity on the side away from the weight than a farmer's carry with the same dumbbell in each hand.

The barbell changes the job in two ways. A long bar is easy to tip, so your hand, wrist and forearm have to hold it level from front to back with every step, which makes this one of the harder grip challenges among the carries. A barbell also loads in small steps and goes well past the heaviest dumbbells in most gyms. Carries like this usually sit near the end of a session as an accessory or finisher, or in a strongman-style conditioning circuit.

The Barbell Suitcase Carry suits lifters and athletes who want a stronger, more stable trunk and a stronger grip without adding another heavy lift. If it is too hard, build up with the Dumbbell Suitcase Carry or Kettlebell Suitcase Carry, which keep the one-sided load without the balancing bar, and with the Side Plank for side-bending strength. The Kettlebell Suitcase Deadlift teaches the one-sided pickup the carry starts with.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

External Oblique: Primary
Erector Spinae: High
Flexor Carpi Radialis: High
Flexor Carpi Ulnaris: High
Gluteus Medius: High
Upper Trapezius: High
Extensor Carpi Radialis: Medium
Latissimus Dorsi: Medium
Rectus Abdominis: Medium
Vastus Lateralis: Low

Instructions

Load the barbell with equal plates on both ends and secure them with collars.
Place the bar on the floor so it runs in the direction you will walk, and stand beside its center with your feet about hip-width apart.
Hinge at your hips and bend your knees, keeping your back flat, and grip the center of the bar with one hand, palm facing your body.
Brace your trunk and stand up tall, letting the bar hang at arm's length beside your thigh with both ends level.
Set your shoulders down and level, let your free arm hang relaxed, and look straight ahead.
Walk forward with short, controlled steps, keeping your torso upright without leaning toward or away from the bar.
Keep the bar level from front to back; if one end keeps dipping, set it down and move your hand slightly toward that end.
Walk for the set distance or time, then hinge and bend your knees to lower the bar to the floor under control.
Switch hands and repeat on the other side.

Common Mistakes

Leaning to one side
Letting the bar pull your torso toward it, or leaning away to counter it, removes the trunk work the carry is for, so stay upright with your shoulders level.
Gripping off the balance point
Holding the bar away from its center makes one end dip, which strains the wrist and turns the set into a fight to keep the bar from tipping.
Shrugging or dropping the shoulder
The loaded shoulder should stay down and level with the other one, not hiked toward the ear or pulled down by the bar.
Walking too fast
Rushing lets the bar swing and the hips sway, so take short, controlled steps.
Side-bending to pick up the bar
Reaching down sideways loads the spine while it is bent sideways, so hinge and bend your knees to grip and lift the bar.
Training one side only
Carrying only on your stronger side, or farther on it, leaves the weaker side behind, so match load and distance on both sides.

Injuries

Barbell Suitcase Carry is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The main strain points are the lower back, which has to resist being pulled sideways, and the hand, wrist and elbow of the carrying arm, which hold the bar level. One-sided loading costs the spine more than it looks: in a study of six people walking with buckets, carrying 30 kg in one hand produced more low-back compression than carrying 30 kg in each hand. Start lighter than you would for a two-handed carry.

Put collars on both ends so the plates cannot slide, and clear a walking lane that leaves room for the bar ends in front of and behind you. Pick the bar up and set it down with a hinge and a flat back, never by bending sideways to reach it. End the set when your grip starts to slip or the bar starts to tip, and lower it under control rather than letting it fall.

To regress, carry a dumbbell or kettlebell instead, as in the Dumbbell Suitcase Carry, or shorten the distance. To progress, add load in small steps or walk farther, keeping your shoulders level and your torso upright. Stop if you feel sharp or spreading pain in the lower back, pain in the wrist or elbow, or numbness or tingling in the hand.

Overview

Primary Focus: Core
Equipment: Barbell
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Intermediate

Alternative Exercises

Other Names for the Barbell Suitcase Carry

The Barbell Suitcase Carry is also known as:

Barbell Single-Arm Farmer's Walk

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How is a barbell suitcase carry different from a dumbbell suitcase carry?: The long barbell tips forward or backward with every step unless your hand and forearm hold it level, so it is a harder grip and wrist challenge than the Dumbbell Suitcase Carry. It also loads in smaller steps and can go heavier than most gym dumbbells.
Q: Where should I hold the bar?: Hold it at its balance point, which is the center of an evenly loaded bar. If one end dips as you stand up, set the bar down and move your hand slightly toward the end that dipped.
Q: Should I carry less than I would in a farmer's carry?: Yes, start below the per-hand load you use in a Dumbbell Farmer's Carry, because the whole weight sits on one side and your trunk has to hold you upright against it. Add load only while you can walk tall with level shoulders.
Q: How far or how long should I carry it?: Walks of 20 to 40 meters, or 20 to 40 seconds, per side for 2 to 4 rounds work well for most people. Add distance first, then load, as long as your posture holds.
Q: Do I need to train both sides?: Yes, carry the same load for the same distance on each side. Starting with your weaker side keeps it from getting the leftovers of a tired grip and trunk.