How far or how long should I carry the kettlebells?

Carries are programmed by distance or time with a set load rather than by reps. Heavier carries usually cover 15 to 30 meters, while lighter, endurance-focused carries run 30 to 60 seconds or more, typically for 2 to 4 sets with enough rest for your grip to recover.

How heavy should the kettlebells be?

Pick a pair you can carry the full distance while standing tall, with enough grip left that you could do a little more. The HYROX open loads of 16 kg per hand for women and 24 kg per hand for men over 200 meters are a common benchmark for people training for that race.

Is a kettlebell or a dumbbell better for farmers carries?

Neither is better overall. Kettlebells hang lower and some have thicker handles, which makes them a good grip challenge and the required implement in HYROX and the Army Fitness Test, while dumbbells usually come in heavier sizes and smaller jumps, which makes the Dumbbell Farmers Carry easier to load up over time.

Do I need to walk, or is holding the kettlebells enough?

Walking adds a lot. A study of college-age adults carrying two equal dumbbells found that walking with them roughly tripled lower-back muscle activity and also raised abdominal and oblique activity compared with standing still holding the same load for the same time. A stationary hold still trains the grip and is a good option when you have no room to walk.

What should I do if the kettlebells keep hitting my legs?

Grip each handle in the middle, keep your arms straight and slightly away from your sides, and let the kettlebells settle before your first step. Controlled steps of normal length stop them from swinging, while long or rushed strides make them bounce into your thighs and knees.

Kettlebell Farmers Carry

What Is the Kettlebell Farmers Carry?

Kettlebell Farmers Carry is a compound exercise that primarily targets the forearms and also engages the upper back, trunk, hips and legs. It is a beginner-level movement in which you hold a kettlebell in each hand at your sides and walk tall for a set distance or time. Because the load hangs from your hands for the whole set, grip strength is usually what ends it.

Carries build grip endurance and teach the trunk to stay stiff and upright while the legs move, which carries over to deadlifts, rows and lifting and carrying things in daily life. The kettlebell version also has a defined place in two well-known events. It is the sixth station of a HYROX race, where athletes carry two kettlebells for 200 meters, and the Army Fitness Test's Sprint-Drag-Carry includes a 50-meter shuttle holding two 40-pound kettlebells. In a regular session it usually sits near the end as a finisher, or between strength sets as a lighter conditioning piece.

The finger and wrist flexors work hardest to keep the handles from opening, while the upper trapezius stops the shoulders from being pulled down and the back extensors, obliques and gluteus medius keep the torso upright and the pelvis level each time a foot leaves the ground. Compared with the Dumbbell Farmers Carry, the kettlebell's weight hangs below the hand, so the bell sits beside the thigh and can knock into the leg if the arms drift inward, and some kettlebells have a thicker handle than a typical dumbbell, which makes the grip work harder at the same weight. Carrying a single weight instead of two, as in the Dumbbell Suitcase Carry, shifts the emphasis to the trunk muscles that resist leaning to one side.

The exercise suits almost anyone who can lift two kettlebells off the floor with a flat back, from beginners learning to brace to lifters training grip for heavy pulls and athletes preparing for HYROX or military fitness tests. If the pickup is the hard part, practice the Kettlebell Deadlift first. If your grip gives out within a few steps, start with a lighter pair and build hold time with the Dead Hang or by standing still with the kettlebells before walking with them. Gyms rarely stock very heavy kettlebells, so strong lifters usually move to dumbbells or farmer handles once they outgrow the heaviest pair.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Flexor Carpi Radialis: Primary
Flexor Carpi Ulnaris: Primary
Brachioradialis: High
Upper Trapezius: High
Erector Spinae: Medium
Extensor Carpi Radialis: Medium
Gluteus Medius: Medium
External Oblique: Low
Gastrocnemius (Medial Head): Low
Vastus Lateralis: Low

Instructions

Set two kettlebells of equal weight on the floor, one just outside each foot, with the handles pointing front to back.
Hinge at the hips with a flat back, bend your knees and grip each handle in the middle with a neutral grip, palms facing your body.
Brace your abs and stand up by driving through your legs, keeping the kettlebells close to your sides.
Stand tall with your arms straight, shoulders pulled down and slightly back, chest up and eyes looking straight ahead.
Let the kettlebells hang just outside your thighs without resting on or swinging into your legs.
Walk forward with controlled heel-to-toe steps no longer than your natural stride, keeping your torso upright and your hips level.
Breathe steadily while keeping your midsection braced, and keep squeezing the handles for the whole set.
Walk for the prescribed distance or time, then stop with your feet about hip-width apart.
Hinge at the hips and bend your knees to lower the kettlebells to the floor under control, keeping your back flat.

Common Mistakes

Rounding the back on the pickup
Reaching down to the kettlebells with a rounded spine instead of hinging and bending the knees loads the lower back before the carry even starts.
Shrugging the shoulders
Letting the shoulders creep up toward the ears or roll forward shifts the strain onto the neck and takes the upper back out of its job of holding the load.
Leaning back or to one side
Leaning back with the ribs flared, or tipping toward the side that is tiring first, means the load is too heavy or the trunk has stopped bracing.
Letting the kettlebells swing
Loose arms or a twisting torso let the kettlebells swing and knock into the legs, which breaks your rhythm and wastes grip.
Taking long, rushed strides
Long, fast steps make the kettlebells bounce and the torso sway, so keep each step controlled and no longer than a natural walking stride.
Dropping the kettlebells at the finish
Letting the kettlebells fall or yanking them down with a rounded back at the end of a hard set puts the lower back, the floor and your feet at risk.

Injuries

Kettlebell Farmers Carry is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The load hangs at arm's length while the spine stays upright, so most problems come from the pickup and setdown, from posture fading as the grip tires, and from loading the hands and elbows too heavily too soon.

The lower back is most exposed when the kettlebells are lifted or lowered with a rounded spine, or when you lean back or bend sideways under a load that is too heavy. The neck and shoulders take the strain when the shoulders shrug toward the ears or roll forward, and the forearm tendons around the elbow can become irritated if carry load or volume jumps quickly, especially on top of a lot of other grip work. A kettlebell that swings into the side of the thigh or knee can also bruise.

Pick up and set down the kettlebells with the same hinge you use in the Kettlebell Deadlift, choose a pair you can carry the whole distance while standing tall, and add weight, distance or time gradually. Chalk helps more than straps here, since straps remove the grip stimulus that the exercise is meant to train. To regress, use lighter kettlebells, shorter distances or a stationary hold. To progress, use heavier kettlebells, longer carries or the one-sided Dumbbell Suitcase Carry for more trunk demand.

End the set as soon as you can no longer stand tall, keep the shoulders down or keep the handles closed, and set the kettlebells down under control rather than dropping them. Stop altogether if you feel sharp pain in the lower back, numbness or tingling in the hands, or elbow pain that lingers after the set.

Overview

Primary Focus: Forearms
Equipment: Kettlebell
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Other Names for the Kettlebell Farmers Carry

The Kettlebell Farmers Carry is also known as:

Kettlebell Farmer's Walk

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How far or how long should I carry the kettlebells?: Carries are programmed by distance or time with a set load rather than by reps. Heavier carries usually cover 15 to 30 meters, while lighter, endurance-focused carries run 30 to 60 seconds or more, typically for 2 to 4 sets with enough rest for your grip to recover.
Q: How heavy should the kettlebells be?: Pick a pair you can carry the full distance while standing tall, with enough grip left that you could do a little more. The HYROX open loads of 16 kg per hand for women and 24 kg per hand for men over 200 meters are a common benchmark for people training for that race.
Q: Is a kettlebell or a dumbbell better for farmers carries?: Neither is better overall. Kettlebells hang lower and some have thicker handles, which makes them a good grip challenge and the required implement in HYROX and the Army Fitness Test, while dumbbells usually come in heavier sizes and smaller jumps, which makes the Dumbbell Farmers Carry easier to load up over time.
Q: Do I need to walk, or is holding the kettlebells enough?: Walking adds a lot. A study of college-age adults carrying two equal dumbbells found that walking with them roughly tripled lower-back muscle activity and also raised abdominal and oblique activity compared with standing still holding the same load for the same time. A stationary hold still trains the grip and is a good option when you have no room to walk.
Q: What should I do if the kettlebells keep hitting my legs?: Grip each handle in the middle, keep your arms straight and slightly away from your sides, and let the kettlebells settle before your first step. Controlled steps of normal length stop them from swinging, while long or rushed strides make them bounce into your thighs and knees.