Single Best Exercise For Strength — At Home Or At The Gym
By: Evan Liner
Tags: Gym, Exercise, Advice, Life, Fitness

Single Best Exercise For Strength — At Home Or At The Gym Evan Liner Follow Jul 25 · 3 min read

Photo by Sven Mieke on Unsplash

Whether you’re a skinny guy just starting or an experienced lifter, this one exercise will help you improve performance in the gym and in daily life all while being at home.

Now, in order to call this the single best exercise, it must fit the following criteria.

Functionality

Accessibility

Low Risk of Injury

Overload Potential

Targets Full Body

There’s only one exercise that fits this criterion and destroys all others trying to compete: the farmer’s walk. To perform the farmer’s walk simply carry some weights by your sides and start walking. Make sure to keep your spine tall and look straight ahead, while keeping your shoulders tight. You can do this in your driveway, your backyard, or even in your house. Start with a weight you can carry for one min with proper form, and every week add on 2.5lbs to 5lbs or whatever you feel is right.

Functionality

The farmer’s walk is the absolute king of functionality. There’s not a more functional movement in existence. What could be more functional than carrying heavy objects from Point A to Point B? And because we carry things every day, this exercise will always be relevant and will always be useful. This movement boosts athleticism and improves performance in all other exercises as well as your day-to-day life.

Accessibility

Aside from bodyweight exercises, farmer’s walks can be done anywhere with items found in your house. If you don’t have dumbbells, consider using those 5-gallon water jugs. If you don’t have water jugs, consider using grocery bags. Just experiment and play around with it. If you’re at a gym that has an indoor turf field, use either a hex bar or dumbbells and walk back and forth for time or distance. If you’re just starting at the gym and looking to build up strength in this movement, grab some kettlebells or some plates and walk on the treadmill for two minutes. It’s possible dumbbells may not work on the treadmill because they’ll bang against the sides as you walk.

Low Risk of Injury

When performing the farmer’s walk, DO NOT let your ribs flare out. Try to make sure your pelvis and lower back are in line. Always remember to keep your shoulders tight and to keep your spine “tall.” If you feel discomfort other than your muscles fatiguing, just drop the weight — it’s not worth it. Other than that, there’s very little risk of injury because you’re literally just walking around. During no point in the movement are you putting your joints in a compromising position.

Overload Potential

Overload potential is an important factor for any exercise that claims to build muscle mass. When I say overload potential, I’m talking about the ability of the weight of the exercise to be gradually increased as you progress. This is called the Progressive Overload principle. If an exercise can’t be overloaded effectively, chances are it’s doing you no good. By continuously adding weight to your movements, you are forcing your body to work harder than it’s used to, therefore forcing it to adapt and get bigger.

Targets Full Body

For such a simple movement, farmer’s walks target almost your entire body. It is very effective for working your upper trapezius which helps stabilize your shoulder joints and keep your shoulder blades tight. This movement will also work your quads, hamstrings, and even your calves. Your legs will work with your core and back to stabilize the weights and keep you standing upright. Get ready to take core stabilization to a whole new level.

In Summary

Despite the title of this article, the farmer’s walk (and really any loaded carry) is a great movement whether you are just a beginner or even an experienced weightlifter. It should be kept in your routine throughout your fitness journey. You can’t underestimate the importance of functional strength and how it will benefit you — not only in the gym but in your life.