A farmers walk is a great functional fitness exercise.
Functional exercises are a powerful way to make daily tasks easier and safer, while also enhancing overall fitness. Functional training improves sports performance, builds muscle strength, boosts power, and increases flexibility (1). Among these exercises, the trap bar farmer’s walk stands out as a practical option for improving functional strength and daily movement. This exercise engages your forearms and grip strength to mimic the action of lifting and carrying heavy objects, which is a standard part of everyday routines.
In this guide, we’ll explore the trap bar farmer’s walk, breaking down how to incorporate it into your routine for muscle building and functional strength. We’ll also highlight the broader benefits of this exercise and how it can elevate your overall training. Additionally, you’ll discover other routines designed to enhance functional mobility and strength.
Overview — What Is the Trap Bar Farmers Walk?
The farmer’s walk, also known as the farmer’s carry, is a simple exercise to do. You can introduce it into your workouts to help improve your basic functional abilities. It involves carrying a certain amount of weight over a period to work your full body. The farmers walk not only build functional, forearm, and grip strength, but it also improves your endurance and cardiovascular health.
The trap bar farmers walk is a variation of the farmers carry, where you use a trap bar instead of regular dumbbells. The trap bar allows you to vary your grip approach and keeps you more comfortable when executing this routine. For instance, when you use the trap bar, it keeps the bar off your legs, allowing you to move freely with your weights in your hands.
Trap Bar Farmers Walk — Muscles Worked
The trap bar farmers walk targets the full body and builds strength and endurance. However, there are muscle groups this exercise emphasizes more than the others.
Arms
The trap bar farmers walk engages the muscles in your arms, which include your biceps, triceps, forearms, and wrists. The triceps allow the arm to extend at the elbow joint while the biceps and forearms contribute to grip strength and arm flexion. Your forearm muscles will enable you to reinforce your grip strength throughout your carry.
Core Muscles
The core muscles are crucial during this exercise because they help stabilize the upper and lower body. They also help maintain proper form during movement, promoting the correct posture by protecting the spine and reducing the risk of injury.
Traps & Lats
The traps and lats help keep the back straight throughout your trap bar farmer’s walk. Traps help to retract the shoulders back and up, while the lats help maintain a neutral spine.
Erector Spinae
The erector spinae are the muscles surrounding the spine that contribute to core stability and spinal extension during this exercise.
Calves
These calf muscles help to keep the ankle joint in place for the duration of your walk.
Hamstrings & Quads
The hamstrings assist with hip extension and knee flexion, while the quadriceps help with knee extension when lifting the trap bar with weights from the floor.
Glutes
The glutes are primarily responsible for extending the hip joint. They also help stabilize the hip joint throughout your farmer’s walk.
How to Do the Trap Bar Farmers Walk
- Stand inside the trap bar with your feet hip-width apart.
- Next, hinge at your hips and slightly bend your knees as you grab the trap bar using a neutral grip.
- Brace your core and pick up the bar as you would do a deadlift. This is your starting position.
- Initiate the movement by pulling your shoulder back and walking your chosen distance.
- After your set, return to your starting position and carefully drop the bar on the floor.
Benefits
Overall Body Workout
The trap bar farmers walk is a full-body workout that leaves no muscle group behind. It works both your lower and upper body muscles, building strength and endurance. This improves your athletic performance and form for other exercises.
Improves Grip Ability
This exercise is an excellent way to improve your grip. Carrying the trap bar during the walk places constant tension on your arms, forearms, and wrists. This helps build arm strength and your grip ability.
Activates Core Muscles
The core muscles play a crucial role in maintaining balance and stability during this exercise. A strong core provides proper posture and enables you to execute lifting exercises in proper form, thereby preventing unnecessary injuries. It also increases your overall strength (2).
Cardio Benefits & Burns Calories
Performing this exercise with intensity can help you burn calories, which leads to weight loss. The trap bar farmers walk is a good cardiovascular exercise and can also improve your heart health. (3)
Trap Bar Farmers Walk Alternatives
The trap bar farmers walk works your full body and increases your functionality. Below are other routines that can also achieve the same result. You’ll find two effective bodyweight options for when access to gym equipment is limited, here too.
Trap Bar Deadlift
Trap bar deadlifts are excellent exercises that build similar muscles to the trap bar farmers walk. They focus on improving your grip strength and building muscle mass in your back. However, they also work your lower body muscles, such as the calves, hamstrings, and quads.
Burpee
Burpees, just like the trap bar farmers walk, are a full-body workout that targets both your upper and lower body muscles. The convenient thing about this exercise is that you don’t need any equipment to execute. Just about anywhere with adequate floor space is enough.
Russian Push-Up
Russian push-ups are not like your regular push-ups. They combine traditional push-ups and a forearm plank to give you a total-body workout. Doing this exercise works your upper body muscles and your posterior chain muscles.
FAQs
What does trap bar farmers walk work?
The trap bar farmers walk is a strength training exercise that works your hamstrings, quads, calves, glutes, core, arms, shoulders, and back. This exercise is functional and also improves grip strength.
Are farmers’ walks good for the traps?
Yes, farmers’ walks are great for building traps. It engages them and strengthens them, helping to keep the back straight. This gives you a better posture when you stand straight.
Is farmer’s walk better than trap bar deadlift?
This depends on your target. Although both exercises work similar muscles, the deadlift primarily builds muscle mass in your back and improves your functional strength. The farmers walk works your entire body, burns fat, and improves functional strength.
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References
- Wang, X., Soh, K. G., Samsudin, S., Deng, N., Liu, X., Zhao, Y., & Akbar, S. (2023). Effects of high-intensity functional training on physical fitness and sport-specific performance among the athletes: A systematic review with meta-analysis. PloS one, 18(12), e0295531. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0295531
- Hlaing, S. S., Puntumetakul, R., Khine, E. E., & Boucaut, R. (2021). Effects of core stabilization exercise and strengthening exercise on proprioception, balance, muscle thickness and pain related outcomes in patients with subacute nonspecific low back pain: a randomized controlled trial. BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 22(1), 998. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-021-04858-6
- Nystoriak, M. A., & Bhatnagar, A. (2018). Cardiovascular Effects and Benefits of Exercise. Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine, 5, 135. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2018.00135
