Other/Mixed What is too heavy for weighted carries?

[JW513]

I don't think I'm even close to it. At the end of my workouts, right know I carry a roughly 120lbs sandbag on my my shoulder and suitcase carry my kettlebell in my free hand... 2 minutes each side and then 2 minutes bear hug totaling 6 minutes... When I add weight, I drop down to my 35lbs kettlebell the first few weeks then move up to the 55lbs one.

So right now I was 180 but now i'm 190lbs due to summer and alcohol.... But I'm trying to loose 20lbs.. I'm more or less carrying my bodyweight. People who don't work out tell me i'm crazy and going to hurt myself. But I remind them how I started witha 50lbs sandbag years ago and have (too) slowly worked my way up to the 120lbs, which is starting to get way too light. But should I worry about hurting my joints or spine? I'm all about slowly adding weight and reps and time... I don't care about being the strongest, only getting stronger.

 

[Sean M]

How much can your friends carry, how far, for how long?

Long carry sessions like that are great. They fill in all the gaps and are great for work capacity.

I say keep at it and don’t pay attention to ignorance (it’s not malicious, they just don’t know). If I listened to my mom, I wouldn’t deadlift because she is always cringing when she sees me post footage. But I tell her most people who hurt their back do it carrying groceries or picking something light off the floor, due to having a weak back!

 

[pet']

Hello,

As long as posture is not compromised, I guess this is "safe". Other paramaters, such as time and / or distance may be consdier, such as described in the link below:
Tip: The Training Method That Improves Everything | T Nation

Here is another great reading from D. John
The Secret of Loaded Carries | T Nation

Kind regards,

Pet'

 

[Antti]

Sounds good to me. If anything, your spine and joints should get better. When doing the carries for a long time be wary of your gait so that you don't do any missteps out of fatigue. But you've been doing this for long enough I bet you're already aware of it.

 

[conor78]

Check out dan johns Facebook page, he has an excellent post upon loaded carries and loading