Kettlebell Heavy farmers carry step-ups?

[Georgiaoutdoors]

Anyone have any experience with heavy farmers carry style step-ups, perhaps A+A style? If so, how are they?

Always looking for best bang for buck movements.

 

[Adachi]

I've been including them from time to time as a cardio substitute. At a body weight of 250 lbs. I even find unloaded step-ups to be a fine zone 2 style cardio session.

However. Carrying a 32kg, or 40kg bell in the suitcase or rack position allows me to really push it. And if I get the rest periods right, I can purposely calibrate the session.

Lately, I've mostly been doing rack carries.

So, I like to use 1:2 work: rest ratios for the 40kg bell right now.

Many intervals have been useful. Especially 20, 30 and 40 second carries. Accompanied by 40, 60 or 80 seconds of rest.

And 1:1 work: rest ratios are a good fit for the 32kg bell.

Again 20, 30, and 40 second carries have worked well enough. And with the 32kg bell I've usually been able to make it through a 30 - 40 minute session with equivalent rests.

For me, my rack carries are good direct training for carrying my kids. And it's definitely increased performance. I can now carry my kids till they tell me to put them down.

One way to go about it A+A style...
Start out with 1:2 W:R, and keep working with it till you get up to 2:1 W:R , then pick up a heavier bell, and start at 1:2 W:R, again.

Vary the length of the carry to wave the load. From 15, 20, 30, 40 seconds . And wait till you're comfortable with 40 second carries before you start decreasing the rest.

Most recently I've ended up mixing my 32kg and 40kg Carry's and their durations and work rest ratios.

With a mix of work rest times and a couple different bells you can dial in a very good "cardio" session.

 

[WhomtheBellTolls]

What’s the ideal height for a step up?

 

[offwidth]

What’s the ideal height for a step up?

There’s some formulas out there, and it depends a bit on what you are training for but 30cm (more or less 12”) is pretty standard and reasonable

 

[offwidth]

Not saying they don’t have value, because they certainly do, but I probably wouldn’t use farmer carry box steps for Z2 work, but that’s just me.

 

[Adachi]

What’s the ideal height for a step up?

Depends on what you want, I guess.

Given a very similar pace of stepping...

I can get a steady Zone 2 heart rate unloaded on a 6 inch tall curb.

At around 12 - 14 inches with a heavy kettlebell I can max my heart rate at around 180 bpm and pass the talk test, with some repeats.

 

[Joel the Savage]

Anyone have any experience with heavy farmers carry style step-ups, perhaps A+A style? If so, how are they?

Always looking for best bang for buck movements.

I do farmers walk in the stairs (apartment complex) as one of my last exercises on leg day.
20kg Weight West +2x40kg.

A friend of mine just takes a sandbag, puts in a backpack and walks down and then up (he lives on the 7th floor).

It is awful. Have fun!

Edit: I tried step ups for a while, my lowest height on my plyobox is 35cm. I used 16+16 to get more out of them and i still feel i was limited most by balance. When going heavy I cheated in all sort of ways.

Edit 2: energysystems have got me lost. I actually don't know what they are (I do know physiology-wise what they are, just dont know if there is some clear cut positive of being so narrow in training-scope that you should exclude the others).
To me it serms that some people use them as an excuse for not doing hard work.

 

[watchnerd]

Anyone have any experience with heavy farmers carry style step-ups, perhaps A+A style? If so, how are they?

Always looking for best bang for buck movements.

I just call it yard work.

Moving buckets of rocks, soil, compost, etc around between the beach and the back acreage.

Sometimes I take the stairs (shorter, but harder), othertimes hike up the slope (longer, easier).

Couple of hours in the morning before the sun gets too hot is enough to work up a good lunch appetite and afternoon siesta.

 

[Don Fairbanks]

What’s the ideal height for a step up?

I like to set folks up at around a 90 degree quad angle. Less if their shaky at that height.

 

[BJJ Shawn]

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