Farmers Walk and Squats

cdahl383
cdahl383 Posts: 726 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Started working out recently in my basement and decided to add some other exercises other than the usual upper body ones I've been doing for years. I did a few sets of farmers walks and then a few sets of squats just using dumbbells. Holy crap! My legs are killing me now! No wonder farmers are so strong, haha!

Anyone know any other good exercises like these using dumbbells that I could add into my routine?

Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Being a farmer I just have to ask what a farmers walk is?
  • cdahl383
    cdahl383 Posts: 726 Member
    It's basically just picking up two heavy dumbbells or anything heavy that you can grab and walking. You can lift heavier stuff over a shorter distance or lift moderately for longer distance. It sounds like a ridiculously simple exercise but it actually works out a ton of muscles in your legs, back, chest, shoulders, arms, as well as lots of stabilizer muscles. It also improves your grip.
  • ironmonkeystyle
    ironmonkeystyle Posts: 834 Member
    lateral squats;
    dumb bell swings;
    sumo squat / dumb bell swing;
    squat + press
  • SuzieZimm
    SuzieZimm Posts: 238 Member
    I like this one for a double whammy: stepping either forward or sideways up onto a step (the higher the step, the more challenging!), while at the same time doing some arm set, like bicep curls, etc. You can really feel the muscles working if you step up and let yourself down slowly.

    I don't know how to add photos, but if you Google image search "bench step up exercises", those are all the basic idea. It's slow and sustained, but man does it get me panting after ten reps on each side!
  • dan95130
    dan95130 Posts: 78 Member
    Try calf raises. Stand upright holding dumbbells then raise up onto the balls of your feet. Do a set with your feet at a 45 degree angle then another set with your feet parallel. You won't need a lot of weight to start.
    Leg workouts always kick my butt.
  • JKDLady
    JKDLady Posts: 131 Member
    For the farmer's walk, you can also walk on the balls of your feet. Excellent for the calf muscles.
  • helpfit101
    helpfit101 Posts: 347 Member
    dead-lift
    dumbbell step-ups
    lunge
  • cdahl383
    cdahl383 Posts: 726 Member
    Cool, thanks for all the ideas!
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    Dumbells step ups get me every time because they seem so easy. You can vary the weight or the height for more challenge.
  • MyOwnSunshine
    MyOwnSunshine Posts: 1,312 Member
    If your ceilings are high enough, try Waiters Carries -- like Farmers Carries except you hold the dumbbells over your head and walk around. Great for the shoulders and upper back.
  • cdahl383
    cdahl383 Posts: 726 Member
    I'd have to be careful as my ceiling is a little under 7 feet.
  • james6998
    james6998 Posts: 743 Member
    Being a farmer I just have to ask what a farmers walk is?
    This is my buddy and hes a farmer also. Not to mention my mentor, We did farmers walks with bales of hay in each hand.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregg_Ernst
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    search bodybuilding.com's exercise database. They have a bunch of exercises and you can narrow by equipment.


    Some ideas, though -

    Goblet Squats
    Plie/Sumo Squats
    Squats with dumbbells at side
    Lunges
    Reverse lunges
    Bulgarian squats
    Split squats
    Shoulder Press
    Standing Triceps Extensions
    Curls/Hammer Curls
    Cleans
    Iron Crosses
    Deadlifts
    Single leg (w/ optional single arm) Deadlifts


    .....and there are even more if you have an adjustable bench available.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    Good topic. Dumbbells are great.

    I'll do farmer's walks with a pinch grip, which is holding the plate of the dumbbell between your thumb & fingers, instead of holding the handle like normal people do. :-) Works best with dumbbells that have a thin plate. Very good grip & forearm workout.

    I'll do bent-over rows with a pinch grip too.

    Let's see.. what else do i do..

    - Goblet lunges
    - Side lunges (a butt kicker)
    - Lunges with 2 different weights (trains lateral stability)
    - Single-leg squat + bicep curl + shoulder press (balance & coordination)
    - Turkish get-ups. If you do these without putting your hand on the floor, it is much harder!
  • marianb2001
    marianb2001 Posts: 43 Member
    Bumping for later - Thanks for all the ideas. I just grabbed my husband's dumbells today to see if I could even lift them. I am starting with 5lbs on each dumbell. Is that too little/light? I am just starting.
  • cdahl383
    cdahl383 Posts: 726 Member
    Being a farmer I just have to ask what a farmers walk is?
    This is my buddy and hes a farmer also. Not to mention my mentor, We did farmers walks with bales of hay in each hand.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregg_Ernst

    Wow, you're buddy is a pretty impressive dude! That's pretty cool!
  • cdahl383
    cdahl383 Posts: 726 Member
    Thanks for the ideas everyone!

    I have hex dumbbells so the pinch grip idea probably wont work too well with those, but I do have a set of adjustable dumbbbells as well with a few plates so I could give that a try sometime as well.

    My goal is to try and come up with a lot of different exercises and not just fall into the same old routine and get bored like I have done in the past. If I can try a new exercise every week and then rotate between several of them throughout the month, not only will my body not get used to the exercises, but I wont lose interest either.

    I took the stairs up to my desk today at work like I always do, except today it was horrible, my legs are still sore from the squats last night, and I only did them with some lighter dumbbells. Goes to show you how out of shape my lower body is. So I'll definitely need to work on my legs some more.
  • cdahl383
    cdahl383 Posts: 726 Member
    Bumping for later - Thanks for all the ideas. I just grabbed my husband's dumbells today to see if I could even lift them. I am starting with 5lbs on each dumbell. Is that too little/light? I am just starting.

    It depends on what kind of exercise you're doing. For bicep curls maybe not but for chest press yes that's probably way too light. I've always tried to stick between 6-12 reps. If I can't do at least 6 reps with good form then its too heavy. If I can do 12 or more reps with good form then its probably too light. Once you find the happy medium then you have a good baseline to start with and you can work from there. I always log all of my lifts as well by date/exercise/weight/reps, etc. I typically do 3 sets for each exercise as well with a 30-60 second break in between.

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