Strongman Events Explained Scientifically - Episode IV: Farmer's Walk

The Farmer's Walk is one of the events that most clearly turns static strength into a dynamic skill. The athlete does not merely have to lift two heavy implements. The athlete must hold them, stabilize the trunk, produce force during every ground contact and turn that force into forward motion as quickly as possible. In a few seconds, an apparently simple event becomes a combination of grip strength, whole-body strength, postural control, coordination and loaded sprinting.

The Strongman biomechanics literature is particularly useful here. Farmer's Walk is one of the better-studied Strongman events, and research has identified relationships between performance and variables such as stride length, stride rate and ground-contact time. One study of experienced Strongman athletes compared the Farmer's Walk with both unloaded walking and the deadlift, providing a clearer picture of how the load changes gait and force production. [1,2,3]

1. What is the Farmer's Walk really testing?

In its classic form, the Farmer's Walk requires an athlete to lift two implements, one in each hand, and carry them over a prescribed distance, usually against the clock. That simple definition hides three distinct mechanical problems: the athlete must lift the load, stabilize it while initiating movement, and continue producing propulsion without losing posture or grip. Final performance is therefore the interaction of the lifting phase and the walking phase.

In a timed event, the goal is not to produce the greatest possible force on every step. The goal is to produce enough force, quickly, with minimal losses. That distinction is fundamental. An athlete may be able to hold enormous loads but still move slowly if the steps become too short, ground-contact time increases or the implements oscillate laterally. Existing research indicates that higher-performing athletes use more favorable combinations of stride length and stride rate, with shorter ground-contact times during the maximum-velocity phase. [1,2]

Farmer's Walk should therefore be viewed as a loaded sprint with a large strength constraint. It is not sprinting in the traditional sense because velocity is limited by the carried mass, grip and stability. The underlying principle is similar, however: every ground contact should contribute to forward movement, while energy that does not create useful propulsion becomes a performance loss.

2. The initial lift: the first strength and positioning test

Before the athlete can walk, the implements have to be lifted. This phase shares features with the deadlift but is not simply a conventional bilateral deadlift with wider hands. The implements are positioned laterally, while the arms hang closer to their natural position. In the biomechanical study by Winwood and colleagues, the Farmer's Lift showed a more upright trunk position through much of the lift than the deadlift, together with differences in knee flexion, ankle dorsiflexion and thigh orientation. Greater vertical and anterior forces were also observed in the tested Farmer's Lift condition. [1]

The more upright posture has an important implication: the athlete should not treat the lift as a deadlift performed with the hands farther apart. The implements need to rise under control, the arms should remain organized, and the trunk must create a stable base for the transition into walking. A disorganized initial lift can waste grip capacity, create implement swing and delay the first step.

In competition, the first step is part of the performance. There is no magical pause between lifting and walking. The athlete must transition from a static position into dynamic movement without losing control. The more efficient that transition is, the more time remains for actual forward displacement.

3. Grip: the link that can stop the entire kinetic chain

Farmer's Walk is one of the clearest demonstrations that whole-body strength is useless if the hand cannot transmit that strength into the implement. In a bilateral carry, each hand has to support a load that may remain close to the athlete's tolerance limit for the entire distance. Grip strength is therefore not a peripheral detail. It is one of the central constraints of the event.

Grip has at least two dimensions. The first is maximal holding force. The second is the ability to preserve grip quality over time while moving. An athlete may have an impressive static grip test and still drop the implements during a long Farmer's Walk if local fatigue, sweating, implement oscillation and systemic fatigue exceed the capacity to maintain the hold.

Wrist position also affects the rest of the arm. When the hand loses control or the implement starts rotating and oscillating, the forearm must repeatedly correct it. Those corrections have a cost. They consume muscular capacity and can change arm position, shoulder mechanics and trunk control. The best grip strategy is therefore not necessarily the one that creates the greatest local tension, but the one that keeps the implement stable at the lowest useful cost.

4. Loaded gait: the biomechanics of the step

This is the scientific center of the event. Farmer's Walk is not simply placing one foot in front of the other. The load changes ground-reaction forces, trunk position and lower-limb strategy. Compared with unloaded walking, Farmer's Walk has been associated with greater anterior-posterior, medial-lateral and vertical ground-reaction forces. It has also been associated with higher stride rates and altered stride length and contact times under the tested conditions. [1,2]

The relationship between stride length and stride rate is crucial. If the stride becomes too long, braking forces and instability may increase. If the stride becomes too short, stride rate can rise while overall velocity remains limited. Performance emerges from the combination. Research comparing higher- and lower-performing athletes found that the better performers used more favorable stride length and stride rate together with shorter ground-contact time during the maximum-velocity phase. [2]

This also changes how the first ground contact should be understood. The foot does not merely support the load. It contributes to propulsion. From an impulse perspective, a large force applied over a short time can create a substantial change in momentum. Preliminary Farmer's Walk research has therefore suggested that producing high anterior-posterior and vertical impulses over short contact times may be important for performance. [3]

5. Legs, hips and trunk: the engine that turns load into speed

If grip is the link that can stop the movement, the lower limbs are the engine that moves it. The quadriceps contributes to knee extension, the gluteal and hip musculature produce extension and stabilize the pelvis, and the ankle helps transmit force to the ground. None of these components works independently. Farmer's Walk requires them to coordinate within a loaded gait pattern.

The trunk has a different role from a dynamic exercise in which the arms swing freely. Here the arms are largely fixed and the load hangs from them. The trunk must resist unwanted forward, backward, lateral and rotational motion. The abdominals, obliques, spinal extensors and hip musculature create the stiffness needed so that force generated by the legs is not dissipated through unnecessary motion of the pelvis or thorax.

Comparative research on Strongman carrying exercises indicates that Farmer's Walk and Yoke Walk create important demands on the trunk and spine. Bilateral carries have been associated with greater muscular compression, anterior-posterior spinal muscular loading and stiffness compared with unilateral suitcase carries. This supports the idea that the trunk is not merely a passive stabilizer. It is a central performance component. [2]

6. The lumbar spine: stability, loading and the difference between risk and discomfort

Farmer's Walk can load the trunk heavily, but biomechanical loading should not automatically be equated with injury. A healthy spine must tolerate compression, shear and rotational moments. The relevant problem arises when individual capacity is exceeded, technique deteriorates, or volume and intensity increase faster than adaptation.

The more upright trunk position observed in the Farmer's Lift compared with the deadlift is interesting because it can change the external moment acting on the spine. In the 2014 biomechanical study, the authors suggested that the Farmer's Lift could generate substantial vertical and propulsive forces with a more upright trunk. However, this should not be turned into the simplistic claim that Farmer's Walk is automatically safe for the back. The study included only six experienced athletes, and biomechanical measurement is not epidemiological proof of causation. [1]

In general Strongman injury literature, the low back is one of the frequently reported injury regions. That should be interpreted at the sport level rather than automatically attributed to Farmer's Walk. Practically, the athlete should monitor tolerance: if posture collapses, the implements move uncontrollably, gait becomes chaotic or persistent pain develops, load, distance, volume or technique should be reassessed.

7. Speed: why the strongest athlete is not automatically the fastest

Farmer's Walk is an excellent example of the difference between maximal strength and event-specific performance. A very strong athlete may lift enormous loads, but the event can be won by the athlete who converts that strength into velocity. Research on Farmer's Walk has shown that higher-performing athletes tend to combine more favorable stride length and rate with shorter ground-contact times, especially during the faster portions of the course. [2]

This has a direct training implication. You should not only ask, “How heavy can I walk?” You should also ask, “How fast can I move this load without losing control?” If an athlete carries 120 kg in each hand successfully but velocity collapses during the final section, that information may be more useful for programming than the simple fact that the load was completed.

In timed competition, small losses become large. A fraction of a second lost during the start, an implement swing at the turn or several extra ground contacts can change the ranking. Farmer's Walk rewards repeated efficiency, not merely one spectacular display of strength.

8. Fatigue: when technique begins to unravel

As time under tension increases, Farmer's Walk changes. Grip becomes less secure, trunk position may deteriorate, steps shorten and stride rhythm can become less consistent. At the same time, the respiratory and cardiovascular systems must sustain the effort. A 20-meter Farmer's Walk with a very heavy load and a 40- or 60-meter carry with a moderate load are therefore different physiological problems.

Strategy should aim to preserve useful speed. If the athlete starts excessively aggressively and loses stability quickly, the energy spent in the opening meters can create disproportionate slowing later. A controlled start followed by acceleration and maintenance of an efficient stride can produce a better final time.

This is also where specific strength and specific endurance diverge. A maximal Farmer's Lift emphasizes peak force and grip capacity. A longer Farmer's Walk also requires repeatable stepping, metabolic tolerance, breathing control and technical stability under fatigue. Training has to reflect the competition format.

9. Anthropometry: who has an advantage?

Athlete morphology influences Farmer's Walk, but there is no single ideal body type. Arm length can change implement position relative to the body, leg length can influence stride strategy, muscle mass can contribute to force production, and body mass can influence system stability. Existing research has reported associations between performance and flexed arm girth, muscle mass and total system force, with total system force in one study calculated as body mass plus squat 1RM. [2]

These correlations are interesting but should not be treated as recipes. A correlation does not mean that adding a certain amount of arm circumference automatically produces a proportional increase in walking speed. High-level athletes are complex systems in which strength, power, technique, grip, morphology and experience interact.

Anthropometric advantages can also be partially offset by technique. An athlete whose structure is less favorable for one phase can learn to reduce unnecessary movement, optimize implement position and transfer force more efficiently. In Strongman, technique does not erase anatomy, but it can dramatically change how effectively the existing anatomy is used.

10. How should Farmer's Walk be trained scientifically?

Training should start with the actual limiting factor. If grip fails first, specific holding and carrying exposure is needed, together with forearm development. If the legs are limiting, lighter carries performed quickly, loaded sprinting and lower-body strength work may have greater value. If the trunk loses position, bracing capacity and the ability to maintain the pelvis and thorax under load should receive more attention.

A rational progression can manipulate several variables: load, distance, speed, number of sets and rest interval. They do not all have to increase simultaneously. For specific strength, heavier loads and shorter distances may be useful. For repeatability, moderate loads and longer distances may be more relevant. For speed, the load should allow fast technique and meaningful reductions in ground-contact time.

Specificity remains decisive. Deadlifts, squats, static holds and grip exercises can build important components, but they cannot fully reproduce walking with two heavy implements. The nervous system has to learn the interaction between grip, stabilization and propulsion. Farmer's Walk therefore needs to appear as an actual event-specific exercise, especially as competition approaches.

11. Warm-up, competition and technical efficiency

The warm-up should prepare the exact systems that will work: hands and forearms, shoulders, trunk, hips, knees and ankles. A practical progression can begin with general movement and dynamic preparation, then light carries followed by progressive sets with the competition implements. The goal is not to fatigue the athlete before the event, but to reach competition load with the movement pattern already coordinated and stable.

In competition, Farmer's Walk is often won by eliminating losses. The initial lift should be efficient, the first step should happen without hesitation, the implements should remain sufficiently close for control, and the stride should be long enough for speed without creating unnecessary braking. If a turn is required, changing direction becomes an additional balance and control problem.

Strongman competition-preparation research indicates that athletes commonly use warm-up and pre-event preparation strategies. For Farmer's Walk, preparation should be specific but carefully dosed so that grip and sprint capacity are not unnecessarily depleted before the start. [4]

12. Conclusion: Farmer's Walk is the art of turning strength into movement

Farmer's Walk is one of the most complete Strongman events because it demands strength, grip, stability and speed at the same time. The athlete must lift the implements, stabilize them and then produce a sequence of ground contacts that converts force into forward displacement. Every step is a small mechanical problem, and final performance is the sum of all those problems being solved efficiently enough.

Existing research indicates that higher-performing athletes tend to combine more favorable stride length and stride rate with shorter ground-contact times during faster phases. Studies also show that Farmer's Walk produces greater ground-reaction forces than unloaded walking and that the initial lift has distinct biomechanical characteristics compared with the deadlift. [1,2,3]

The literature also has limitations. Strongman biomechanics studies have often used small samples and simplified measurement methods, and Farmer's Walk cannot be reduced to one variable. Stride length does not win the event by itself, grip does not win it by itself, and maximal strength does not win it by itself. Performance emerges when all of these components are synchronized.

Ultimately, Farmer's Walk is the transition from “I can hold the weight” to “I can move quickly with it.” That is the difference between raw strength and applied strength. The load does not merely have to be supported. It has to be transported. In Strongman competition, the athlete who transports it faster, with fewer losses and intact technique, is the athlete who turns strength into result.

Scientific bibliography

1. Winwood PW, Cronin JB, Brown SR, Keogh JWL. A Biomechanical Analysis of the Farmers Walk, and Comparison with the Deadlift and Unloaded Walk. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching. 2014;9(5):1127-1143. doi:10.1260/1747-9541.9.5.1127.

2. Hindle BR, Lorimer A, Winwood P, Keogh JWL. The Biomechanics and Applications of Strongman Exercises: A Systematic Review. Sports Medicine - Open. 2019;5:49. doi:10.1186/s40798-019-0222-z. PMID:31820223.

3. Keogh JWL, Kattan A, Taylor S, Bensley J, Muller C, Powell L. A Preliminary Kinematic Gait Analysis of a Strongman Event: The Farmers Walk. Proceedings of the 30th Annual Conference of Biomechanics in Sports. 2012;299-302.

4. Winwood PW, Pritchard HJ, Wilson D, Dudson M, Keogh JWL. The Competition-Day Preparation Strategies of Strongman Athletes. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2019;33(9):2308-2320. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000003267. PMID:31343547.

5. Hindle BR, Lorimer A, Winwood P, Keogh JWL. A systematic review of the biomechanical research methods used in strongman studies. Sports Biomechanics. 2020;19(1):90-119. doi:10.1080/14763141.2019.1598480. PMID:31132028.

6. Winwood PW, Hume PA, Cronin JB, Keogh JWL. Retrospective injury epidemiology of strongman athletes. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2014;28(1):28-42. PMID:23669816.