Exercise description of the farmer's walk.  Learn about the farmer's walk with videos, pictures, and other sports information.  Also learn how the farmer's walk can improve your sports performance.

Primary muscles worked:  Forearm

Synergist Muscles:  N/a

Mechanics:  Isolation

Equipment:  Dumbbells

How to perform the exercise:  To perform the farmer's walk, the athlete should assume a standing position, and grab a pair of heavy dumbbells. The athlete will begin walking the desired distance. The work portion of this exercise will actually be on the forearms as they grip the heavy dumbbells. Maintaining this type of grip requires a lot of strength when going over a long distance. The arms should be to the side of the body throughout the lift. Once the athlete has reached the desired distance, the athlete can place the dumbbells on the ground safely by squatting down with correct form.

Spotting the exercise:   A spotter should follow the athlete, but not too closely. If the athlete begins to lose their grip and informs the spotter, the spotter may come over and take the dumbbell from the athlete's hands so that the athlete does not fully lose their grip. Also, the spotter should instruct the athlete to throw the weight to the side if they are no longer able to maintain grip or their grip is slipping and the spotter can not help the athlete in time. This exercise is not recommended in a general gym setting and should preferable be performed outside in a grassy area.

Sport specific application: Increases functional strength of the forearm, especially grip strength. Grip strength is important in preventing a loss of power transference from the body in to equipment that the hand is holding during sports such as bats, oars, sticks, and other apparati