Loaded Carries (Farmer Walks)
Episodes covering loaded carries (farmer walks) — protocols, research, and expert discussions.
Walking while carrying heavy weights - a fundamental human movement pattern that builds full-body strength, grip, core stability, and cardiovascular fitness simultaneously
Dan John calls the loaded carry "the one exercise everyone should do." Stuart McGill considers carries essential for spine health. When the most respected names in strength and longevity agree on something, pay attention.
Carries are deceptively simple: pick up something heavy, walk with it. But this simplicity masks profound benefits. You're training grip, core stability, shoulder position, hip function, cardiovascular system, and mental toughness simultaneously. There's no other single exercise that hits this many systems at once.
The beauty of carries is their scalability and accessibility. Groceries, suitcases, sandbags, dumbbells, kettlebells, trap bars - anything heavy works. You can do them anywhere. They transfer directly to real-life activities. And they're incredibly hard to do wrong.
If you're only going to add one exercise to your routine, make it loaded carries.
Science & Mechanisms
Why Carries Work:
- Require anti-rotation and anti-lateral flexion (core stability)
- Grip is trained under time and load
- Traps and upper back work to stabilize shoulders
- Hip stabilizers fire throughout gait cycle
- Heart rate elevates significantly (cardiovascular demand)
- Mental fortitude required to continue under load
Muscle Activation:
- Forearms and grip: maximal contraction
- Core (obliques, QL, erectors): continuous stabilization
- Traps and rhomboids: shoulder positioning
- Glutes and hip stabilizers: single-leg stance phases
- Calves and feet: ground contact and propulsion
Research:
- Stuart McGill research shows carries spare the spine while building trunk stiffness
- EMG studies show high activation across multiple muscle groups
- Strongman training (heavy on carries) produces elite full-body strength
- Carries improve gait mechanics and walking economy
Unique Benefits:
- Trains reflexive core stability (you can't think about it, must react)
- Grip endurance under fatigue
- Upright posture under load
- Cardiovascular conditioning without impact
- Extremely functional (carrying things is a life skill)
Episodes
Michael Easter, author of Walk with Weight, joins Brett McKay to explore the evolutionary and scientific case for rucking. Easter argues that humans are uniquely built to carry ...
Steph Gaudreau interviews science writer Michael Easter about the benefits of rucking, with a specific focus on why it matters for women. Easter shares how his experience packin...
Peter Attia sits down with Jason McCarthy, founder of GORUCK and former Green Beret, for an in-depth conversation that weaves together McCarthy's military journey with practical...
Strength nutrition strategist and weightlifting coach Steph Gaudreau breaks down rucking specifically for women over 40 in this solo episode. She clarifies what rucking is — car...
Strength coach and author Josh Bryant joins Brett McKay to discuss his book Rucking Gains. Bryant first encountered rucking in high school working at a hardcore gym, then dove d...
Brett McKay interviews Jason McCarthy, the founder of GORUCK and a former Green Beret, about how GORUCK events build leadership, resilience, and community through shared physica...
Simon de Veer takes a deep dive into the loaded carry as one of the five fundamental movement patterns (push, pull, hinge, squat, carry), arguing it is the most neglected yet mo...
Dan John returns to The Pat Flynn Show to dive deeper into kettlebell-specific loaded carry variations and their place in a well-rounded training program. John claims credit for...
Elite strength coach Joe DeFranco shares his detailed approach to programming loaded carries for athletes and general fitness clients, drawing on experience training professiona...
Nate Palmer makes a passionate case for loaded carries as the single most underrated exercise in the gym, covering the science, practical programming, and strength benchmarks th...
Mike Matthews and strength coach Kyle Hunt discuss a curated list of underrated exercises that most lifters should consider adding to their programs. The loaded carry segment st...
Legendary strength coach Dan John joins Pat Flynn to share the origin story of how loaded carries became central to his training philosophy. After a devastating wrist injury end...
The GMB Fitness hosts discuss the value of walking, hiking, and loaded carries as foundational physical practices that build real-world functional capacity. Drawing on Dan John'...
Dan John answers listener questions about loaded carries, old-time strongman training, weightlifting shoes, and tumbling for athletes. On loaded carries, he explains why grip st...
Dan John answers listener questions spanning kettlebell pressing, goblet vs. front squats, bodyweight training, and loaded carries. On carries, he explains why he recommends the...