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Kettlebell Loaded Carries, Weight Increments And WTH

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Didn't Gray Cook suggest a benchmark? I think it was 3/4 bodyweight, divided between your hands, for 2 minutes - or something like that. I remember getting it the first or second time I tried it so I haven't bothered training it since.

-S-
 
Steve Freides said:
Didn't Gray Cook suggest a benchmark? I think it was 3/4 bodyweight, divided between your hands, for 2 minutes - or something like that. I remember getting it the first or second time I tried it so I haven't bothered training it since.

-S-
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Not sure if this was mentioned in the thread, but Dan John suggested 1/2 BW in each case hand as a starter goal and BW in each hand as a "game changer" goal.
 
Those are heavier numbers - for what distance? I could do 1/2 bw in each hand for a decent distance, I think.

-S-
 
Steve Freides said:
Those are heavier numbers - for what distance? I could do 1/2 bw in each hand for a decent distance, I think.

-S-
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I wondered the same, he doesn't mention in that article. It's apparently from his book intervention, perhaps there?

I can't yet even pick up bodyweight in each hand, so I figured I'd worry about how far I need to go later :p
 
i know dan john set a standard of bodyweight (half bodyweight in each hand) farmers walk for 100 yards. not sure if that distance applies to carrying bodyweight in each hand as well. but carrying bodyweight in each hand for 100 yards would definitely qualify as 'game changer'
 
To progress Farmer Carries you don't necessarily need to just up the weight, but rather briefly change your carry type.

For example , if you are currently handling 32's easily then for 2 weeks practice only rack carries with the 24's and go as far as you can with excellent form. This change will give you a "same but different" training stimulus as well as give your calluses and elbows some relief.

When you return to Farmer Carries you should be able to handle the 36 or 40's comfortably.
 
natewhite39 said:
To progress Farmer Carries you don't necessarily need to just up the weight, but rather briefly change your carry type.
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I'll agree with this. After all the goodness I've read about here, I tried some today for the first time. Only with a 20KG in one hand and a 16KG in the other (those are the heaviest bells I have so far). The suitcase carries were a shade above easy. The rack carries were a shade below hard. Good stuff.
 
natewhite39 said:
To progress Farmer Carries you don't necessarily need to just up the weight, but rather briefly change your carry type.

For example , if you are currently handling 32's easily then for 2 weeks practice only rack carries with the 24's and go as far as you can with excellent form. This change will give you a "same but different" training stimulus as well as give your calluses and elbows some relief.

When you return to Farmer Carries you should be able to handle the 36 or 40's comfortably.
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Very, very interesting. Thanks!
 
TravisDirks said:
I wondered the same, he doesn't mention in that article. It's apparently from his book intervention, perhaps there?
I can't yet even pick up bodyweight in each hand, so I figured I'd worry about how far I need to go later :p
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Yes. It is from Intervention. In Chapter 13, he says:

"Expected = Farmer walk with total bodyweight (half per hand) Game-changer = Bodyweight per hand"
John, Dan (2012-11-21). Intervention: Course Corrections for the Athlete and Trainer (Kindle Location 1067). On Target Publications. Kindle Edition.

"Oh, and how far on the farmer walks? It depends, of course, but at least 20 meters and perhaps 40, although it would be fine to go farther."
John, Dan (2012-11-21). Intervention: Course Corrections for the Athlete and Trainer (Kindle Locations 1079-1080). On Target Publications. Kindle Edition.
 
Bonkin said:
Yes. It is from Intervention. In Chapter 13, he says:

"Expected = Farmer walk with total bodyweight (half per hand) Game-changer = Bodyweight per hand"
John, Dan (2012-11-21). Intervention: Course Corrections for the Athlete and Trainer (Kindle Location 1067). On Target Publications. Kindle Edition.

"Oh, and how far on the farmer walks? It depends, of course, but at least 20 meters and perhaps 40, although it would be fine to go farther."
John, Dan (2012-11-21). Intervention: Course Corrections for the Athlete and Trainer (Kindle Locations 1079-1080). On Target Publications. Kindle Edition.
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now thats how you cite a source
 
Farmer Walk standards are a tough one. It really depends on what you have. If we are using the Trap Bar to measure...and BDWT is either 135, 165, 185, 205 or 225 for ease of loading (we don't test over 225...just stick with 225)...then I found that people go much farther. The TB is balanced and doesn't cross. With actual Farmer Bars, the distance gets crushed due to all the bar movements. So that is why you might find multiple numbers with me. With KBs, the double Beast is the standard for anyone of 212 pounds.

As for distance, if you go straight, you can go farther. Every turn really cuts into the distance, to you will find that is why "indoors" with had the 20 meter standard, but on my street it goes much farther.

Don't worry a lot about how long or how far. I would suggest trying to NOT repeat workouts with the Loaded Carry family. Try something new every single time. Since the learning curve is basically zero, you need to have some variation almost immediately. You won't "progress" on LCs like you do in the other movements. Out of nowhere, you will do something amazing perhaps double your distance. Another time, you will get crushed. Think "Jazz" when you program LCs: you have to be a bit more of an artist with Loaded Carries than a math professor.
 
Dan John said:
As for distance, if you go straight, you can go farther. Every turn really cuts into the distance, to you will find that is why "indoors" with had the 20 meter standard, but on my street it goes much farther.
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Did a lot of double rack and rack/overhead carries last night at a fenced in outdoor basketball court. I was cursing that fence every time I got to it. I had so much more in me but the turnaround kills you, it's so hard to get momentum back.
 
Thanks for the thought Dan. I love the Jazz analogy, and it makes a lot of sense with the sort of 3D strength that these things are so good for.

Dan John said:
we don't test over 225...just stick with 225
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So have the heavier carriers of BW per hand idea since been discarded? Or perhaps fits in some other context?
 
For what it's worth, I think I remember an article by Dan John regarding farmers walks. He recommended bodyweight (half bodyweight in each hand for KB) as a good start for loaded carries with the ability to do double bodyweight carries being a 'game changer'. Obviously once you hit those kind of weights you'll need to branch out beyond kettle bells, maybe to a trap bar, and be confident in your ability to safely lift the load before you begin the carry.
 
Travis, I thought I posted the answer here already, but I don't see it. For "Everybody Else," non-athletes, use the Trap Bar. For athletes, use every tool you can find. If you can pick up and walk with bodyweight in each hand..."game changing" means that the weightroom is NOT your issue anymore...you should be probably strong enough for any sport. I thought I noted before the big problem with farmer bars: the math. Trying to balance them out side to side AND bar to bar seems easy on paper or screen but tough to do in real life. That's why we always end up with weird numbers per hand...finding the weight combinations is difficult.

I don't have a lot of free weights, enough to load two Olympic bars for training. Probably ten bumpers and a bunch of metal smaller plates. We can do a good job loading the O bars, but trying to get the Farmer Bars to balance is tough. If you want a specific weight, then we really have an issue. I leave my Farmer Bars (my new ones) always loaded at 135 each (270 walking). It is a good training weight for most people. So, do the math: if you want to get it to 300 pounds walking weight what do you do?

Obviously add 30 pounds. But, you have to divide 30 four ways! The "micro-loading" drives you crazy on FBs.

Carry everything you can find. That seems to be the best answer.
 
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