Farmer Carry

4 × 40 m heavy, tall posture, shoulders down, grip relaxed but complete.

Difficulty 2 of 56.6 METs · Vigorous

Equipment

Dumbbells

Muscle groups worked

Core
Glutes
Calves

What it buys you

The foundation lift for carrying another person. Grip and trunk endurance are what fail first, and this trains both.

Capacity trained

Strength. Posterior chain and trunk endurance under load. Holds position without fatigue or compensation.

Train it · Two Bodies Test your limiter

Energy

Modelled kilocalories

Modelled energy cost for Farmer Carry at 10, 20, 30 and 45 minutes for both reference bodies
Reference body	10 min	20 min	30 min	45 min
Male reference · 82 kg	95 kcal	189 kcal	284 kcal	426 kcal
Female reference · 68 kg	79 kcal	157 kcal	236 kcal	353 kcal

Energy figures are modelled from standard activity MET values (Ainsworth Compendium, 2011) and the ACSM equation, not measured on you. They scale linearly with your own body mass, so a body 10% heavier burns about 10% more at the same intensity.

kcal = METs × 3.5 × bodyweight(kg) ÷ 200 × minutes (ACSM)

Load is effort, not pain. If a movement hurts rather than works, stop and see a clinician. Lifting another person is strength training with a person-shaped load — build the pattern unloaded first.

Cross-reference

Positions this workout helps · 20

It serves Lifted / Carried and Standing. Every position in those families is listed below, hardest first.

Honest framing

Training makes a posture available and sustainable. It is capability work, not a treatment for anything, and no single session changes a number. Consistency over eight weeks does.