Farmer's Walk: Muscles Worked and How to Do It
TL;DR
The farmer's walk works your forearms as the main mover, gripping heavy weights in each hand as you walk. Your traps and lower back keep your torso upright, your abdominals brace your core, and your glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps drive every step, making it one of the most complete exercises for grip and total-body bracing.
- Primary muscle:
- Forearms
- Secondary muscles:
- Abdominals, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower back, Quadriceps, Traps
Muscles worked
Your forearms are the primary mover in the farmer's walk. Simply holding on to heavy weights for the length of the walk builds serious grip strength.
Your traps and lower back keep your torso tall and your shoulders from rounding forward under the load, while your abdominals brace your core against the weight pulling you side to side.
Your glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps drive each step, working much as they do in walking or a hip hinge, just under significantly more load.
Log Farmer's Walk in PR Streak
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How to do it
- There are various implements that can be used for the farmers walk. These can also be performed with heavy dumbbells or short bars if these implements aren't available. Begin by standing between the implements.
- After gripping the handles, lift them up by driving through your heels, keeping your back straight and your head up.
- Walk taking short, quick steps, and don't forget to breathe. Move for a given distance, typically 50-100 feet, as fast as possible.
Form tips
- Pick up the weights with a flat back, hinging at your hips as you would for a deadlift.
- Stand tall with your shoulders back before you start walking.
- Take short, quick steps and keep your core braced throughout.
- Keep the weights close to your sides rather than letting them swing.
- Set the weight down with control at the end of the walk rather than dropping it.
Exercise details
| Equipment | Other |
|---|---|
| Level | Intermediate |
| Mechanic | Compound |
Used by lifters following PPL, 5x5, upper/lower, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does the farmer's walk work?
The farmer's walk is led by your forearms and grip, with your traps, lower back, abdominals, glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps all working to keep you upright and moving. Few exercises train this much of your body at once.
How is the farmer's walk different from the deadlift?
Both start with a similar hip-hinge pickup and share several muscles, including your lower back, glutes and hamstrings. The deadlift is a single heavy lift, while the farmer's walk adds grip and core demands over distance rather than one rep.
More forearms exercises
Exercise instructions and photos come from the free-exercise-db library, public domain, the same library used inside the PR Streak app.
