One Arm Farmers Carry: Unilateral Strength Guide

What the One Arm Farmers Carry Actually Trains

Pick up a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell in one hand and walk. That's the movement. But the demands it places on your body are far more complex than a bilateral carry — and for HYROX^® athletes, that complexity translates directly to faster station times and more efficient running laps.

When you carry a load on only one side, your body is constantly fighting lateral flexion. Your obliques, quadratus lumborum, and deep stabilisers of the spine work hard to keep your torso upright ^[1]. Add the grip demands of holding the implement for 40–60 metres per length and you have a training tool that develops anti-rotation strength, core stiffness, and forearm endurance simultaneously — qualities that matter every time you pick up a pair of dumbbells at the HYROX^® Farmers Carry station.

This is distinct from what you build with a standard bilateral carry. When both sides are loaded equally, the core can share the anti-flexion demand symmetrically. The one-arm version forces one side to do all the work while the other side braces. That asymmetry exposes weaknesses — and exposing weaknesses is how you fix them.

Why HYROX^® Athletes Need to Train It

HYROX^® Open Men carry 2×24 kg for 200 m (two lengths of 100 m). Pro Men carry 2×32 kg. Open Women carry 2×16 kg, Pro Women 2×24 kg. The distances are fixed; what varies athlete to athlete is how much energy that station costs.

The most common failure pattern we see in ROXBASE data across 700,000+ athlete profiles is not the carry itself — it's the running lap immediately after. Athletes who lack core stiffness during the carry leak energy through lateral sway, compensating with their hips and shoulders. That compensation accumulates over 200 m, and you pay for it with a slower, heavier-legged 1 km run split ^[2].

A stiffer core means less energy leak. The one-arm farmers carry is the most direct way to build that anti-lateral-flexion stiffness because it forces your core to produce it repeatedly under load, in a gait pattern — not in a plank or a side-bend machine.

Training the asymmetric carry also has downstream benefits:

• Grip endurance. A single implement forces your fingers to work harder over a longer hold, building the kind of high-rep grip stamina that sustains you through the final 100 m of the race station.
• Hip alignment under fatigue. Walking under unilateral load teaches your hips to stay level, which transfers to running economy late in a race.
• Shoulder stability. The loaded arm must stay packed and depressed — no shrugging — which reinforces the shoulder position you need when racking dumbbells at the carry station.

If you want a full breakdown of the bilateral carry station, see our HYROX^® Farmers Carry guide. For technique cues that apply to both variations, farmers carry benefits covers the foundational movement mechanics.

Technique: How to Do It Correctly

Poor form on the one-arm carry is immediately visible: the loaded side drops, the opposite shoulder hikes, and the athlete leans away from the weight. Every one of those patterns signals that the core has stopped controlling the movement and the skeleton is compensating.

Step 1: Load selection. Start with a weight that lets you walk 30–40 m with a perfectly upright torso. Most athletes underestimate how light that is. If you're carrying 2×24 kg in each hand bilaterally, start your unilateral work around 20–22 kg — the anti-flexion demand is significantly higher.

Step 2: The pick-up. Hinge at the hips, brace your core before you grip the weight, and stand to full extension before you take your first step. Grip the implement hard — around 80% of your maximum squeeze — from the moment you lift.

Step 3: Torso position. Keep both shoulders level. Think "tall spine" — your head should be directly over your hips, not tilted toward or away from the load. Your ribs should stay down; don't let them flare on the unloaded side.

Step 4: The walk. Take even, controlled steps. Avoid any swinging of the weight or lateral hip shift. Your free arm can move naturally but shouldn't cross midline. Your gaze stays forward, not down at the weight.

Step 5: Breathing. Take short, stiff exhales through your nose or pursed lips to maintain intra-abdominal pressure. Long, slow inhales while walking under load will decompress the core and invite a lateral break ^[3].

Common faults to fix:

• Loaded shoulder shrugging upward → cue: "pack the shoulder down into the socket"
• Torso tilting away from load → cue: "bring the far rib down"
• Short steps on the unloaded side → usually a sign the hip is compensating; slow down and reset
• Head tilting toward load → cue: "eyes level, chin neutral"

Programming the One Arm Farmers Carry

The one-arm carry fits into three different training contexts for HYROX^® athletes: strength sessions, conditioning blocks, and race-specific preparation.

In a strength session treat it like any loaded carry — use heavier weights, shorter distances, and longer rest. The goal here is building anti-flexion capacity in the core and raw grip strength.

In a conditioning block pair it with a movement that creates cardiovascular stress. The carry becomes more challenging when your heart rate is already elevated — exactly like the race condition where you arrive at the Farmers Carry after a 1 km run ^[4].

In race-specific prep match distances and weights to your actual race category or slightly exceed them. The goal is specificity: your core and grip should be conditioned to work at race weight for race distance.

Workout A — Strength Focus (8–10 weeks out from race)

Set	Weight	Distance	Rest
1 (each arm)	70% race weight	30 m	90 sec
2 (each arm)	80% race weight	30 m	90 sec
3 (each arm)	85–90% race weight	20 m	2 min
4 (each arm)	85–90% race weight	20 m	2 min

4 sets total per arm. Focus: torso stays vertical for every metre.

Workout B — Conditioning Block (4–6 weeks out)

Perform as a circuit, 4 rounds:

• 400 m run at race pace
• One-arm farmers carry: 30 m right + 30 m left (no rest between arms)
• 10 reps dumbbell Romanian deadlift (moderate weight)
• Rest 2 minutes between rounds

Weight: 85–90% of your single-arm race equivalent. The run before the carry simulates arriving at the HYROX^® station already fatigued.

Workout C — Race Simulation (2–3 weeks out)

• One-arm carry: 50 m right, turn, 50 m left = 100 m total
• Weight: race weight (Open M 24 kg / F 16 kg / Pro M 32 kg / F 24 kg)
• Rest 3 minutes, then repeat for bilateral race carry (2×100 m at race weight)
• Compare how the bilateral carry feels after the unilateral warm-up — most athletes report significantly better bracing

For grip-specific progression that complements this work, see our farmers carry grip post. For dumbbell-specific loading options, dumbbell farmers carry has the implement breakdown.

Progressions and Variations

Once you own the basic one-arm carry — upright torso, level hips, no compensations — you can progress the stimulus.

Offset load carry. Hold a lighter implement in both hands but shift them both to one side of your body (think suitcase carry with one weight low and one at shoulder height). This increases the anti-rotation demand without increasing total load significantly.

Contralateral load carry. Hold a dumbbell in one hand and a light plate overhead in the opposite hand. This asymmetric overhead challenge is demanding and teaches the core to resist rotation and lateral flexion simultaneously — a useful bridge between the standard carry and more complex movements ^[5].

Paused one-arm carry. Every 10 m, pause for a 3-second static hold. During the pause, audit your position: shoulders level, ribs down, spine tall. This builds the isometric endurance in the core stabilisers that the race demands.

Distance progression. Start at 20 m per arm. Add 5 m per session until you can perform 60 m per arm without a positional break. Once you hit 60 m, increase load rather than distance.

Trap bar single-arm carry. For athletes with wrist sensitivity to standard dumbbell or kettlebell orientation, a single handle of a trap bar (if your gym allows loading one side) creates a neutral grip and a longer carry arc.

How It Fits Into Your HYROX^® Training Plan

The one-arm farmers carry is an accessory movement, not a primary lift. It should support — not compete with — your main strength work and your running volume.

A realistic placement within a structured HYROX^® block:

• Strength day (lower/posterior): Add 2–3 sets of one-arm carries as a finisher or between accessory sets. Keep them heavy and short.
• Conditioning day: Include in a carry or loaded complex block, usually after your main interval work.
• Race-prep week: Reduce volume but keep intensity. One quality set per arm at race weight, 40–50 m, is enough to prime the pattern without creating fatigue.

What to avoid: programming one-arm carries the day before a long run or a heavy leg session. The core and hip fatigue from heavy unilateral carries will affect your mechanics in those sessions. Two days between a heavy carry session and a long run is the minimum ^[6].

For a full periodised view of how carries slot into race prep, see the HYROX^® training plan guide and the broader HYROX^® workout guide.

Common Mistakes HYROX^® Athletes Make

Going too heavy, too early. The anti-lateral-flexion demand of the one-arm carry is novel even for strong athletes. Start light, build the pattern, then load.

Training only their stronger side. Most people have a dominant side. If you only carry heavy on your right, your left-side stabilisers stay underdeveloped. At the race station you pick up both dumbbells simultaneously — both sides need to be equally conditioned.

Neglecting the transition. At the HYROX^® race station, you pick up the dumbbells, walk 100 m, turn, and walk back. The turn is a loaded isometric moment — the carry doesn't pause, and neither does the core demand. Train the turn explicitly by programming it into your carries.

Using it to replace bilateral carries. The one-arm carry is a supplement, not a substitute. You still need to accumulate bilateral carry volume at or above race weight. The unilateral variation sharpens specific qualities; the bilateral variation builds the race-specific pattern.

Not tracking grip fatigue. If your grip is failing before your form breaks, your hands are the limiting factor — not your core. Add targeted grip work (dead hangs, towel pull-ups, plate pinches) to bring your grip capacity up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How heavy should I go on the one-arm farmers carry?

Start at 70–80% of your single-arm race equivalent. For an Open Male HYROX^® athlete carrying 2×24 kg, that's around 17–19 kg per arm to start. Once you can walk 40 m with perfect posture, increase load in 2 kg increments. Race-level intensity should come only after the movement pattern is solid.

Q: Is a kettlebell or dumbbell better for the one-arm carry?

Either works. A kettlebell hangs lower and shifts the load slightly differently at the hand, which some athletes find easier on the wrist. A dumbbell better mimics the HYROX^® race implement. For general strength development, rotate between both. In the final 4 weeks before a race, use a dumbbell to maximise specificity.

Q: How often should I train the one-arm farmers carry?

Two sessions per week is sufficient during a dedicated strength block. In race-specific prep (final 4 weeks), one quality session per week at or above race weight is enough. More is not better — carries are neurally and grip-taxing, and recovery matters.

Q: Will the one-arm carry make me slower at the race station?

No — it will make you faster. The bilateral race carry becomes easier when your core has been trained against the harder unilateral version. Think of it as training with a parachute: remove it on race day and everything feels lighter. The anti-lateral-flexion strength you build directly reduces energy leak during the race carry.

Q: Can beginners use the one-arm farmers carry?

Yes, but start conservatively. Beginners should first establish a solid bilateral carry with good posture before loading one-arm variations. If you can't walk 40 m with a pair of 12 kg dumbbells without your torso tilting, spend 2–3 weeks on bilateral carries before progressing to unilateral.

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Sources

1. Anti-lateral flexion refers to the core's ability to resist side-bending under load. Key muscles include the quadratus lumborum, internal/external obliques, and the deep erector spinae on the contralateral side to the load. ↩

2. "Energy leak" in carry mechanics describes unnecessary movement — lateral sway, hip drop, shoulder hike — that burns muscular energy without contributing to forward progress. Stiff carries with minimal deviation are more metabolically efficient. ↩

3. Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) acts as a hydraulic brace for the spine. Short, pressurised exhales maintain IAP better during a walking pattern than long diaphragmatic breaths, which temporarily decompress the core. ↩

4. In HYROX^® racing, athletes arrive at every functional station after completing a 1 km run. This means all station work — including the Farmers Carry — is performed under cardiovascular stress, not in a rested state. Training carries after a cardiovascular stimulus is therefore more race-specific than performing them fresh. ↩

5. The contralateral overhead + carry combination is commonly used in athletic rehabilitation and sports conditioning to challenge the thoracic spine's rotational stability while simultaneously demanding anti-lateral flexion in the loaded lower half. ↩

6. Recovery research on loaded carry movements indicates that the core stabilisers, particularly the quadratus lumborum and deep erector spinae, require 48–72 hours of recovery after high-intensity sessions before they return to full function for subsequent dynamic work. ↩