Trap Bar Farmers Carry
What Is the Trap Bar Farmers Carry?
Trap Bar Farmers Carry is a compound exercise that primarily targets the forearms and also engages the upper traps, glutes, legs and the muscles that keep your trunk upright. It is a beginner-level movement in which you stand inside a loaded trap bar, lift it by its side handles and walk with it held at arm's length.
The carry builds grip strength and the ability to stay tall and steady under a heavy load while you move. The trap bar suits it well because both hands hold one balanced frame with the weight at your sides, the plates sit clear of your legs, and the bar takes as many plates as you can carry, so it is easy to load well past the heaviest dumbbells in the gym. You also pick the bar up the same way you would in a Trap Bar Deadlift, with an upright torso, which makes the start and end of each set simpler than lifting two separate weights from the floor.
Your grip works for the whole set just to keep hold of the handles, while the upper traps stop the load from dragging your shoulders down. With every step one leg briefly carries you and the bar, so the glutes, especially the gluteus medius on the side of the hip, keep your pelvis level, and the muscles of the lower back and the sides of the trunk keep your torso upright. A Dumbbell Farmers Carry or Kettlebell Farmers Carry makes each hand steady its own weight, and a Dumbbell Suitcase Carry loads one side only, which asks far more of the trunk to keep you from leaning.
The farmer's walk comes from strongman, where athletes race with heavy farmer's handles, and coaches now use carries in all kinds of programs to build grip and whole-body strength. It usually sits near the end of a session as a finisher, either for a set distance or for time, and lighter, longer carries also work as conditioning. It suits lifters, athletes and anyone who wants a stronger grip and better posture under load. Learn to pick up and set down the bar with a trap bar deadlift first, and if the empty bar is too heavy to carry with good posture, start with dumbbells or kettlebells, where the load can go up in small steps.
Muscles Worked
- Flexor Carpi Radialis
- Primary
- Flexor Carpi Ulnaris
- Primary
- Gluteus Medius
- High
- Upper Trapezius
- High
- Erector Spinae
- Medium
- External Oblique
- Medium
- Gluteus Maximus
- Medium
- Vastus Lateralis
- Medium
- Soleus
- Low
Instructions
- Load the trap bar evenly and step into the center of it with your feet about hip-width apart.
- Hinge at your hips and bend your knees to grab the middle of each handle with a neutral grip, palms facing in.
- Brace your core and stand up with the bar, as in a trap bar deadlift, until your hips and knees are straight.
- Stand tall with your chest up, shoulders set back and down, head neutral and eyes forward, letting the bar hang at arm's length.
- Squeeze the handles hard and check that the bar hangs level. If it tips forward or back, set it down and move your hands.
- Walk forward in a straight line with short, controlled steps, keeping your torso upright and the bar steady at your sides.
- Keep your core braced and breathe steadily as you walk for the set distance or time.
- Stop with your feet level, then push your hips back and bend your knees to lower the bar to the floor with a flat back.
Common Mistakes
Rounding the back on the pickup
Lifting the bar from the floor or setting it down with a rounded back strains the lower back, so hinge, brace and drive through your legs as in a trap bar deadlift.
Gripping off center
Holding the handles too far forward or back makes the bar tip as it leaves the floor, so set it down and grip the middle of each handle until it hangs level.
Taking long, fast strides
Big or hurried steps make the bar and plates swing and throw off your balance, so walk with short, controlled steps.
Letting the shoulders slump
Allowing the load to pull your shoulders down and forward rounds the upper back, so keep your chest up and your shoulders set back and down.
Leaning while walking
Leaning forward, back or to one side to balance the bar shifts stress onto the lower back, so stay tall with your head neutral and your eyes forward.
Turning with the bar
Twisting around with a loaded trap bar makes the long frame swing and pulls on the grip and lower back, so set the bar down before you turn.
Injuries
Trap Bar Farmers Carry is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The walk itself takes little skill, so most problems come from lifting the bar from the floor or setting it down with a rounded back, from pushing the grip until the bar slips, and from letting a heavy load drag the shoulders down and forward. The usual strain points are the lower back, the hands, wrists and forearms, and the neck and upper traps.
Pick the bar up and put it down exactly as you would in a Trap Bar Deadlift, with a flat back and your hips and knees doing the work. Load both sides evenly, secure the plates with collars, and grip the center of each handle so the bar hangs level. Walk in a straight line on a clear, flat path with short steps, and set the bar down before you turn around, because the long frame swings and tilts if you twist or stride out with it. End the set while you can still hold on, and lower the bar under control rather than letting it drop. Chalk or lifting straps help when the grip gives out long before the rest of the body.
If the bar is too heavy to carry with good posture, start with a lighter Dumbbell Farmers Carry or Kettlebell Farmers Carry, or shorten the distance. Progress by adding weight, distance or time, one at a time. Stop the set if you feel sharp pain in the lower back, pain in the hands, wrists or elbows, numbness or tingling in the fingers, or dizziness, and get it checked before carrying heavy again.
Other Names for the Trap Bar Farmers Carry
The Trap Bar Farmers Carry is also known as:
- Trap Bar Farmer's Walk
- Hex Bar Farmer's Walk
- Hex Bar Farmers Carry
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Is a trap bar farmers carry better than a dumbbell farmers carry?
Neither is better overall. The trap bar holds both sides on one balanced frame and takes plates, so it is easier to load heavy and to pick up with an upright back, while a Dumbbell Farmers Carry makes each hand control its own weight and is easier to scale in small steps.
- Q: Should I use lifting straps for trap bar farmers carries?
Use straps when you want to carry more weight than your hands can hold, so the traps, legs and trunk get more of the work. Leave them off when building grip strength is part of the goal, and try chalk first if your hands are just slipping.
- Q: How far or how long should I carry the trap bar?
For strength and grip, heavy carries of about 20 to 40 meters, or 20 to 40 seconds, for a few sets work well. Lighter loads carried for longer distances or a full minute turn the carry into conditioning work.
- Q: Does the trap bar farmers carry work your core?
Yes, the muscles around your spine work to keep your torso upright and level with every step. In a study of college-age adults carrying a pair of dumbbells, the lower back muscles worked about three times harder while walking than while standing still with the same weight, although a plank still worked the front abdominal muscles much harder.
- Q: Can I use the raised handles on my trap bar?
Yes, if your bar has them. The raised handles start you higher, which shortens the pickup and makes heavy loads easier on the lower back, while the carry itself stays the same.