Farmers Carry Alternatives

Why Farmers Carry Alternatives Belong in Your HYROX^® Programme

The HYROX^® Farmers Carry station is 200 m with dedicated race handles — Open Male at 2×24 kg, Open Female at 2×16 kg, Pro Male at 2×32 kg, Pro Female at 2×24 kg. Every HYROX^® athlete needs to train that exact pattern in the final 4–6 weeks before race day. But for the 8–14 weeks before that, training alternatives to the standard carry builds qualities the bilateral dumbbell walk cannot develop as efficiently on its own.

The problem with exclusively training the race movement from the start of a block is that it caps your ceiling. If you only ever walk at race weight with race-geometry handles, you never overload grip, you never challenge core stiffness past its comfort zone, and you never build the posterior chain capacity to make race weight feel light. Alternatives exist not to replace the race pattern but to attack specific physical qualities — then transfer those qualities back when you pick up the race implements.

The second reason alternatives matter: most athletes do not have access to dedicated HYROX^® carry handles at their gym. Kettlebells, sandbags, barbells, and plates are far more common. Knowing which implement trains which quality means you can run a high-quality carry programme regardless of what your gym stocks.

ROXBASE data from 700,000+ athlete profiles shows that Farmers Carry station split times are limited by three variables in order of frequency: grip endurance, spinal stiffness under load, and hip extensor output. Every alternative below targets one or more of these levers directly.

Kettlebell Farmers Carry

The kettlebell farmers carry is the closest alternative to the HYROX^® race pattern. You hold one kettlebell in each hand and walk — the bilateral load, neutral grip, and upright torso requirement are essentially identical to the race station. The practical difference is implement geometry: the kettlebell's centre of mass sits below the handle rather than level with it, which creates a subtle pendulum effect and demands more wrist and forearm co-contraction to keep the bells from swinging forward with each stride ^[1].

For athletes who do not have access to HYROX^®-specific handles, the kettlebell carry is the most race-transferable substitute available. Load it to match or slightly exceed your race category and walk 200 m continuously — you will not notice a meaningful performance gap on race day.

Technique. Grip the handles firmly at the junction of your fingers and palm, not at the fingertips. Keep the bells close to your legs without letting them contact your thighs. Shoulders packed down and back — no shrugging. Spine tall from sacrum to skull with ribs down, not flaring.

Loading for HYROX^® transfer. Match race weight in your conditioning sessions: 2×24 kg for Open Male, 2×16 kg for Open Female, 2×32 kg for Pro Male, 2×24 kg for Pro Female. For strength phases 10+ weeks out, go 10–20% above race weight. The pendulum demand of the kettlebell means you get a grip overload stimulus at the same absolute load compared to a standard handle.

HYROX^® transfer. Highest of all alternatives. If your goal is simply to prepare for the race station without race-specific handles, the kettlebell carry achieves that with minimal compromise.

Sandbag Carry

The sandbag carry is harder than it looks — and harder than any other carry alternative at the same absolute weight. The load shifts with every step. The implement has no rigid grip surface. Your hands, forearms, and core are constantly recalibrating against a shape that never settles. That instability turns a manageable load into a significantly greater demand on deep stabilisers, rotational stiffness, and grip adaptability ^[2].

From a HYROX^® perspective, the sandbag carry develops the most robust core stiffness of any carry variation. Athletes who train it regularly report that the race Farmers Carry feels almost rigid by comparison — the bilateral handles and fixed load position are a relief after weeks of shifting sand.

Technique. For the farmers carry variation, hold one sandbag in each hand by the side handles — or, if your sandbag has no handles, cup the ends. Do not let the bag rest against your leg. Walk with a slightly slower cadence than normal to compensate for the load movement. Keep your gaze forward, not down at the bags.

Loading. Use 60–80% of your race weight during initial sessions. The instability multiplier means the effective demand is higher than the absolute number suggests. Once you can complete 100 m at 80% race weight with clean posture, progress to race weight.

HYROX^® transfer. Excellent for core stiffness and grip adaptability. Less ideal as a direct race simulator (the load geometry differs), but as a supplemental stimulus in the 8–12 week block it is one of the highest-value options available. For additional carry strategies, the HYROX^® Farmers Carry guide covers how to slot supplemental work alongside race-specific carries.

Trap Bar Farmers Walk

The trap bar — also called the hex bar — places you inside a frame with handles at your sides rather than in front of or behind your body. This geometry shifts the load's centre of mass directly alongside your hip joints, collapsing the spinal moment arm and allowing you to carry significantly more weight for the same lumbar stress compared to dumbbells or a barbell ^[3].

For HYROX^® athletes, the trap bar farmers walk is the primary overloading tool for the carry. If your race weight is 2×24 kg per hand, you can train the trap bar carry at 30–35 kg per side — well above what you can manage with dumbbells before grip fails or posture breaks. That higher load ceiling creates a ceiling-raising stimulus for posterior chain strength that transfers directly to making race weight feel manageable.

Technique. Step inside the frame centred front-to-back. Feet hip-width, handles at your sides. Hinge, brace hard, stand to full lock-out before your first step. Take slightly shortened strides to prevent bounce — each heavy heel strike becomes a compression event under a loaded trap bar. Short pressurised exhales every two to three steps maintain intra-abdominal pressure without decompress the core brace.

Loading. In a strength phase 10–14 weeks out, work up to 120–130% of race weight per side. Open Male athletes (2×24 kg race weight) should target 29–31 kg per side on the trap bar. In conditioning phases, use 110–120% at race-simulation distances.

HYROX^® transfer. Very high for posterior chain and grip strength. The neutral grip and upright torso are mechanically close to the race position. The trap bar farmers carry article covers the implement's full programming logic in detail.

Barbell Zercher Carry

The Zercher carry involves cradling a barbell in the crooks of your elbows — forearms crossed under the bar, bar resting in the elbow flexor groove — and walking with it held at upper abdominal height. It is uncomfortable until you are accustomed to it, and that discomfort is a deliberate training stimulus: the position demands maximal thoracic extension, braced abdominals, and hip flexor control to prevent the load from pulling you into forward fold.

No other carry variation trains thoracic extension and anterior core simultaneously under this kind of load. Athletes who carry the weight in front of their body at chest height develop a different bracing pattern than those carrying it at their sides — and the combination of both across a training block builds more comprehensive core stiffness than any single variation alone ^[4].

Technique. Set the bar in a squat rack at elbow height. Duck under and cradle the bar in your elbows — not your wrists, not your biceps, specifically the crook of the elbow. Stand to full height, brace hard, and walk. Keep your elbows pointing forward and slightly up to prevent the bar from sliding out. Your torso should be upright, not leaning back. Steps slightly narrower than your squat stance.

Loading. Start light — even experienced carries athletes are surprised how demanding the Zercher position is at weights they find trivial in other movements. Begin at 50–60% of your race weight total (both sides combined) and build across 3–4 weeks. Maximum effective carry weight for most athletes plateaus around 80–100% of combined race weight before the elbow discomfort becomes limiting rather than productive.

HYROX^® transfer. Best for thoracic extension and anterior core development. Less specific to race mechanics than the kettlebell or trap bar carry, but useful as a supplemental stimulus in strength phases. Pair it with race-specific carries in the same session to contrast the demands.

Suitcase Carry

The suitcase carry is a unilateral farmers carry — one implement, one hand, walking with the loaded side fighting lateral trunk flexion every step. While the one-arm carry is often treated as a grip exercise, it is primarily a core exercise. Your obliques, quadratus lumborum, and deep spinal stabilisers work continuously to prevent the loaded side from pulling you into a side-bend ^[5].

For HYROX^® athletes, this matters in a specific way. At the race station, you carry both implements simultaneously, but your body is not perfectly symmetric — one side is typically weaker, one hip fires slightly differently, one shoulder stabilises better. Suitcase carry training exposes those asymmetries and forces both sides to work independently, eliminating the compensation patterns that cause energy leaks during the race carry.

ROXBASE data shows that athletes with significant bilateral imbalances in carry strength — identifiable when one-arm carry weight differs by more than 15% between sides — consistently show slower post-carry running laps than athletes with balanced development. The energy cost of correcting an imbalanced torso during the bilateral race carry is measurable in your split times.

Technique. Grip one implement — dumbbell, kettlebell, or suitcase handle — in one hand at your side. Stand tall. Walk. That is the entire movement, but the execution demands attention: both shoulders must stay level (no hiking the loaded shoulder), both hips must stay level (no lateral pelvic shift), and your spine must stay vertical (no leaning away from the load). Any deviation signals that the weight is too heavy or your stabilisers are fatiguing.

Loading. Start at 70–80% of your single-arm race equivalent. For an Open Male athlete carrying 2×24 kg, that is approximately 17–20 kg per hand in your first suitcase carry sessions. Progress distances before loading. Once you can walk 50 m per side without positional break, increase load in 2 kg increments.

HYROX^® transfer. High for core stiffness and bilateral symmetry development. Integrate as a complement to bilateral carry work, not a replacement. The one-arm farmers carry post covers programming integration for unilateral carry training in full detail.

Plate Pinch Walk

The plate pinch walk replaces the gripped handle entirely. You hold one or two weight plates — typically 10–20 kg each — between your pinched fingers and thumb, with no handle to wrap your hand around. The grip demand is categorically different from any other carry variation: you are sustaining maximum finger flexion and thumb adduction continuously for the entire distance, with no mechanical support from a grip surface ^[6].

This is a grip-specific training tool, not a general carry developer. You will not load it anywhere near race weight — most athletes pinch-carry 10–15 kg per hand where they can race-carry 24 kg with ease. The purpose is to develop the intrinsic hand musculature, thumb adductors, and deep finger flexors to a level that makes standard handle grips feel trivial.

Technique. Press two same-weight plates together (or use a single thick plate) and pinch them between your thumb and all four fingers — do not curl the fingers around the edge. The plates should be smooth-faced against each other. Walk slowly, 15–30 m per set. Keep your shoulder packed, torso upright. Do not allow the plates to tilt — maintaining the pinch requires continuous muscular engagement.

Loading. Do not chase load here. 2×10 kg plates pinch-carried for 20 m generates more grip demand than most athletes can sustain with good form for the first 4 weeks. Progress distance (to 40–50 m per set) before increasing plate weight.

HYROX^® transfer. Specifically grip and forearm endurance. Programme one plate pinch session per week during any phase where grip fatigue is your limiting factor at the race station. This is the most efficient grip-specific carry variation available in a standard gym.

Bucket Carry

The bucket carry uses a standard weighted bucket — or a DIY equivalent loaded with sand or water — with a thick, awkward handle that cannot be gripped the way a barbell or dumbbell can. It is deliberately uncomfortable and mechanically inefficient, which is exactly why it transfers to race conditions. HYROX^® race handles, under fatigue, feel similarly uncooperative to athletes whose grip training has been exclusively on precision-engineered barbells and dumbbells.

The bucket carry builds grip adaptability — the ability to sustain carry output under a grip geometry that is not ideal. This is the same quality demanded when your hands are sweating, your forearms are pumped, and you are 150 m into the station at race pace.

Technique. Grip the bucket handle or rim with an overhand grip, keeping your elbow slightly bent rather than fully extended. Walk at a steady pace. The goal is to maintain a consistent pace and upright posture despite the awkward implement. Switching grip positions mid-carry (top of handle to sides) is acceptable and itself a useful training stimulus.

Loading. Match or slightly exceed race weight for the combined load (both buckets). The awkward geometry provides enough additional challenge that you do not need to go significantly above race weight for this to be productive.

HYROX^® transfer. Best for grip adaptability and race-condition resilience. Less useful for pure strength development. Most valuable in the final 4–8 weeks before race day when specificity and fatigue resistance become priorities. For complementary strategies on the race station itself, the farmers carry workouts post covers complete session structures.

How to Combine Alternatives in a HYROX^® Block

The alternatives above are not a menu to sample randomly. Each targets a specific quality, and a structured HYROX^® block should sequence them deliberately across the training phases.

Strength phase (12–16 weeks out). Prioritise trap bar carries for overloading above race weight, and Zercher carries for anterior core and thoracic extension development. These build the physical ceiling that later phases bring to race specificity. Session frequency: 2× per week.

Hypertrophy and capacity phase (8–12 weeks out). Shift to kettlebell carries at or slightly above race weight, sandbag carries for core stiffness under instability, and suitcase carries to address any bilateral imbalances identified in the strength phase. Session frequency: 2–3× per week, including one conditioning circuit that combines a carry with a cardiovascular stimulus.

Race-specific phase (4–8 weeks out). Reduce alternatives, increase race-implement volume. The race pattern — bilateral dumbbell or HYROX^®-specific handles at exact race weight — should make up 60–70% of carry training. Keep one kettlebell session for maintenance and one plate pinch or bucket carry session for grip resilience. See the suitcase vs farmers carry post for a detailed comparison of bilateral versus unilateral carry programming in this phase.

Taper (1–3 weeks out). One race-specific carry session per week at exact race weight. No new variations. No heavy overload work. The goal is to maintain the neural pattern and arrive at race day with fresh hands.

For a full periodised framework including carry placement within a weekly training structure, the HYROX^® training plan guide covers the complete block design from 16 weeks out to race week. For understanding how the Farmers Carry fits within the race's overall demands, the HYROX^® workout guide provides the full event breakdown.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I use kettlebell farmers carries as a direct substitute for the HYROX^® race station in training?

Yes — of all the alternatives, the kettlebell carry is the closest to the race pattern. The bilateral load, neutral grip, and upright torso requirement are mechanically equivalent. The main difference is implement geometry: the kettlebell's mass sits below the handle, adding a slight pendulum effect that demands a little more forearm stabilisation. For athletes without access to HYROX^®-specific handles, kettlebell carries at race weight over 200 m are a high-fidelity substitute. In the final 2–3 weeks before a race, if you can access a gym with dedicated handles, prioritise one session with the actual implements to confirm the pattern.

Q: How much weight should I use on trap bar carries compared to my race weight?

Target 110–130% of your race weight per side in your strength phase. For Open Male athletes (2×24 kg race weight), that means 26–31 kg per side on the trap bar. Start at 110% for the first 2–3 sessions, assess posture at the target distance, and build load only when you can complete the set distance with a completely vertical torso. Do not chase load at the expense of position — a loaded walk with compensatory lateral lean trains the wrong pattern and will show up as energy waste on race day.

Q: Are alternatives still useful if I have access to HYROX^®-specific handles at my gym?

Yes, and for two specific reasons. First, HYROX^®-specific handles max out at race weight — they do not allow you to overload above it. The trap bar and sandbag carry create a training stimulus above race weight that race handles cannot provide. Second, core stiffness and grip adaptability developed through alternatives — particularly sandbag and suitcase carries — create physical qualities that directly improve your performance at the race station, even if you have trained the exact race implement. Use the race handles for specificity; use alternatives for quality development.

Q: How often should I train farmers carry alternatives each week?

Two sessions per week is the baseline during a dedicated strength or conditioning phase. In a 12-week HYROX^® block, one session might focus on a higher-load alternative (trap bar) and the other on a conditioning circuit integrating a carry (kettlebell or sandbag at race weight after a run stimulus). In race-specific phases (final 4–6 weeks), reduce to one alternative session per week and increase race-implement volume. More than three carry sessions per week — of any variety — exceeds the recovery capacity of the grip and core stabilisers for most athletes and accumulates fatigue that competes with running quality.

Q: Which alternative is best if grip failure is my biggest weakness at the race station?

Prioritise plate pinch walks and bucket carries — these are the only variations that develop grip adaptability and finger flexor endurance independently of the implement providing mechanical support. Add one plate pinch session per week at the end of any strength day. For a direct stimulus at closer-to-race conditions, bucket carries at race weight for 100–200 m create grip demands that standard handle training cannot replicate. If your forearms are failing before your core or legs, these two variations will address the limiter more efficiently than increasing volume on standard handle carries.

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Sources

1. The kettlebell's centre of mass sits 10–15 cm below the handle plane due to the bell geometry, creating a pendulum effect during carry that is absent with dumbbells or barbells. This shifts the wrist and forearm stabilisation demand — the implement wants to swing forward with each stride, requiring continuous co-contraction of the wrist extensors and supinators to maintain position. ↩

2. Sandbag instability during carries has been studied in the context of core activation. Shifting load requires constant recalibration from the deep stabilisers (multifidus, transverse abdominis) and anti-rotation musculature (obliques, quadratus lumborum), producing sustained co-activation patterns that rigid implements do not generate. This does not make the sandbag carry "better" in absolute terms, but it creates a complementary stimulus for athletes whose rigid-implement training has developed strength in a stable pattern only. ↩

3. The spinal moment arm is the perpendicular distance between the load's line of force and the lumbar vertebral joint axis. Implementing the trap bar places the load directly at the body's lateral midline, reducing this moment arm toward zero and allowing heavier absolute loads with proportionally less compressive demand on the lumbar erectors compared to forward-hanging or outward-hanging implements. ↩

4. The Zercher carry demands simultaneous thoracic extension against a forward-positioned load, maximal anterior core bracing to prevent lumbar flexion, and isometric elbow flexor engagement to maintain bar position. This combination of thoracic, anterior core, and arm demands is unique among carry variations and develops an upright-posture bracing pattern that transfers directly to the spinal demands of the HYROX^® race station. ↩

5. Anti-lateral flexion strength — the capacity to resist side-bending under unilateral load — is primarily produced by the contralateral quadratus lumborum, ipsilateral obliques, and deep erector spinae. These muscles are substantially underloaded in bilateral carry training because the symmetric load allows each side to contribute partially without either being maximally challenged. Unilateral suitcase carries force each side to produce the full anti-lateral-flexion output independently, creating a training stimulus that bilateral carries cannot provide. ↩

6. Plate pinch grip training targets the intrinsic hand muscles — interossei, lumbricals, thenar and hypothenar eminences — and the long finger flexors at full extension, a grip position inaccessible in standard handle training where the fingers are wrapped and partially flexed. This trains the hand's capacity to sustain maximal force in a fully extended digit position, which is the failure mode most athletes experience when their grip opens involuntarily during the race carry at high fatigue levels. ↩