🏋️ 11 loaded carry variations for a full-body burn

We're back with 880 words worth of exercise tips and strength sports news to give your hump day the kickstart it needs.

Before we start, today’s BarBend Newsletter is sponsored by Halytus, makers of the HooKee smart home gym. Learn how to save 25% on this cutting-edge fitness tech today.

For a total-body workout with straightforward form, look no further than loaded carries. And we’ve got 11 variations that’ll put you through your paces from head to toe.

Eddie Hall’s bodybuilding journey continues as he recently teamed up with four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler for a stage-worthy back workout.

Strongwoman Gabi Dixson stunned the Columbus, Ohio, crowd this weekend by breaking the Dinnie Stones world record at the 2023 Rogue Record Breakers event.

Training

Carry the Load

Picking up two dumbbells and walking around might not appear to be anything special. How hard can it actually be, after all? Well, if you’re taking your farmer’s walk seriously, you’ll realize there’s so much more to carrying weights than meets the eye. And it could add a completely new element to your gym routine.

When done right, this simple move will hit your shoulders, grip, and forearms, while also testing your cardio. Besides strengthening your grip to open all the pickle jars in your house, carries can boost your mental toughness, which has a huge carryover to your lifts and daily activities.

And as great as the classic farmer’s walk is, there are plenty of effective variations to diversify your game plan. Below, you’ll find some of the best loaded carry options to really test your fitness.

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Bodybuilding

Eddie Hall’s Change of Pace

Strongman extraordinaire Eddie Hall has set his sights on a bodybuilding debut in 2024 — and to do it right, he needs to learn how to train like a physique champ. Fortunately for Hall, he recently got some pointers from one of the best to ever do it: Jay Cutler.

Cutler has four Mr. Olympia titles under his belt (well, posing trunks), along with three Arnold Classic wins. The duo got together recently so Cutler could show Hall a back workout geared toward a bodybuilder. For someone who once deadlifted 1,102 pounds, doing 10-12 reps on a lat machine is a definite change for Hall.

Strongwoman

Gabi Dixson’s Historic Day

​​Gabi Dixson had herself a day at the 2023 Rogue Record Breakers contest in Columbus, Ohio, on March 5. She started the morning by scoring the Thor’s Hammer hold world record with a time of 49.15 seconds. (Trey Mitchell also beat his previous world record in the Thor's Hammer hold with a time of 63 seconds during the contest.)

Dixson returned later that day to break the world record in the Dinnie Stones hold with a time of 6.86 seconds. The world record entering the event was Chloe Brennen‘s 1.33 seconds from one year prior. Nadia Stowers actually beat that with a time of 5.69 seconds right before Dixson performed her lift and broke the record again.

And did we mention the stones weigh a total of 734 pounds? Just wanted to make that clear.

Everything Else

Firefighters Take Center Stage

• This past weekend's Arnold Sports Festival was brimming with strength sports competitions, and one of the most interesting showdowns came during the World’s Strongest Firefighter contest. Check out the results.

• WWE Superstars Sheamus and Dominik Mysterio teamed up for some fat-scorching circuit training. Follow along to get a championship workout.

• Don’t think you can get a quality deadlift with just a kettlebell? Let us dispel you of that ice-cold take.