Build Strength with the Farmer’s Walk

Farmer’s Walk

Most of us are fairly traditional when it comes to working out at the gym.  We don’t stray far from exercises like the bench press and squat (nothing wrong with that… they’re beneficial exercises).  And, of course, if you’re a guy you spend way too much time working on your arms.

The farmer’s walk is a weighted carry exercise that’s terrific for building functional strength.  This exercise will not only challenge your core, it will also strengthen it, making you stronger in everything you do.

At our facility, our athletes also perform other variations of weighted carry exercises, including:

• Suitcase Carry (same as farmer’s walk, carrying weight on one side instead of both)
• Overhead Carry (hold weight overhead with both arms)
• Waiter’s Walk (same as Overhead Carry, using one arm instead of both)
• Weight cradled in arms against chest
• Weight carried at shoulders with elbows tucked and facing down, and palms facing each other

Here’s How to Do the Farmer’s Walk

Grab a pair of dumbbells (you can also use kettlebells or weight plates), each weighing about a half your body weight (1/3 for females), and let them hang at your sides.  If you have to, you can use lighter weights.  Try to maintain perfect posture — head and chest up, shoulders back, core tight.  Walk 60 feet with perfect form.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Weak Men Can’t Jump

First of all, I must admit that I “stole” the title for this blog from a t-shirt I saw last summer while at Cedar Point with my daughters and their friends.  Obviously, it’s a clever play on a similar phrase.  But it’s also true, with regard to the relationship between lower-extremity strength and explosive power, and vertical jump.

Whenever I acquire a new client, I like to discuss his or her training goals.  I feel that the better I understand an athlete’s motivation for training — and what he or she hopes to derive from it — the better I can be a resource for that individual’s development and, ultimately, success.

I’ve found that tops on the list of basketball and volleyball players, and track and field “jumpers,” is the desire to increase their vertical jump.  My advice is always the same, based on volumes of research from the field of exercise science and human performance:  If you want to improve your lower-body explosive strength and increase your vertical jump, hit the weight room and focus on heavy-weight/low repetition squats and squat type exercises, and plyometrics.

Avoid the vertical jump programs that promise huge increases in your vertical jump in a relatively short period of time.  They’re mostly a waste of time and money.  You have to put in the work necessary to improve anything, including your vertical jump.  Understand that not everyone has the potential to jump like a young Michael Jordan, but everyone does have the ability to improve upon his or her jumping ability.  The goal should be to improve on your own current abilities, and not to compare yourself with what someone else can do.  Make sure you do your “homework” and consult with a knowledgeable, experienced strength training professional, who can direct and supervise your training efforts.

Olympic lifts (cleans and snatches); plyometric exercises (squat jumps and box jumps); traditional strength training exercises (squats and deadlifts); and non-traditional strength training exercises (kettlebell swings and tire flips) are all examples of exercises that can help you improve your vertical jump ability.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Build Strength with the Farmer’s Walk

Most of us are fairly traditional when it comes to working out at the gym.  We don’t stray far from exercises like the bench press and squat (nothing wrong with that… they’re useful exercises).  And, of course, if you’re a guy you spend way too much time working on your arms.

The farmer’s walk is a terrific exercise for building functional strength.  This exercise will not only challenge your core, it will also strengthen it, making you stronger in everything you do.

Here’s How to Do the Farmer’s Walk

Grab a pair of dumbbells, each weighing about half your body weight, and let them hang at your sides.  If you have to, you can use lighter weights.  Try to maintain perfect posture — head and chest up, shoulders back, core tight.  Walk 60 feet with perfect form.

For an added challenge, try one of these two farmer’s walk variations:

1. Instead of carrying the dumbbells at your sides, carry them at your shoulders with elbows tucked and facing down, and palms facing each other.
2. Instead of carrying two dumbbells, carry just one, letting it hang at your side.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?

Weak Men Can’t Jump

First of all, I must admit that I “stole” the title for this blog from a t-shirt I saw this summer while at Cedar Point with my daughters and their friends.  Obviously, it’s a clever play on a similar phrase.  But it’s also true, with regard to the relationship between lower-extremity strength and explosive power, and vertical jump.

Whenever I acquire a new client, I like to discuss his or her training goals.  I feel that the better I understand an athlete’s motivation for training — and what he or she hopes to derive from it — the better I can be a resource for that individual’s development and, ultimately, success.

I’ve found that tops on the list of basketball and volleyball players, and track and field “jumpers,” is the desire to increase their vertical jump.  My advice is always the same, based on volumes of research from the field of exercise science and human performance:  If you want to improve your lower-body explosive strength and increase your vertical jump, hit the weight room and focus on heavy-weight/low repetition squats and squat type exercises, and plyometrics.

Avoid the vertical jump programs that promise huge increases in your vertical jump in a relatively short period of time.  They’re mostly a waste of time and money.  You have to put in the work necessary to improve anything, including your vertical jump.  Understand that not everyone has the potential to jump like a young Michael Jordan, but everyone does have the ability to improve upon his or her jumping ability.  The goal should be to improve on your own current abilities, and not to compare yourself with what someone else can do.  Make sure you do your “homework” and consult with a knowledgeable, experienced strength training professional, who can direct and supervise your training efforts.

Olympic lifts (cleans and snatches); plyometric exercises (squat jumps and box jumps); traditional strength training exercises (squats and deadlifts); and non-traditional strength training exercises (kettlebell swings and tire flips) are all examples of exercises that can help you improve your vertical jump ability.

Get STRONGER, Get FASTER!

Your thoughts?