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Exercise guide
Suitcase Carry
A loaded walk with the weight in one hand only, so the trunk has to resist bending toward the load for the whole distance — the unilateral counterpart to the farmer's walk.
What this exercise works
- Muscles
- forearm flexors · obliques · quadratus lumborum · erector spinae · gluteus medius · quadriceps · trapezius
- Goals
- strength · endurance
- Equipment
- Kettlebell
- Category
- Strength
- Difficulty
- beginner
Demonstration
Step 1
How to perform the movement
- Stand beside a single kettlebell or dumbbell with your feet under your hips.
- Hinge at the hips, take the handle in one hand and stand up with the weight hanging at your side.
- Pull that shoulder down and back, and brace as if you were about to be pushed sideways.
- Walk forward with normal, even strides, keeping your torso upright and square rather than leaning away from the weight.
- Keep the free arm relaxed at your side instead of sticking it out as a counterweight.
- Carry for the desired distance or time, set the weight down under control, then repeat on the other side.
Technique cues and common mistakes
- Do the same distance on both sides. The whole value is in the asymmetry, and it only works if you load both directions equally.
- If you find yourself tipping toward the weight or hiking the opposite hip, the weight is too heavy — this is a posture drill first.
- Grip usually gives out before the trunk does. That is a legitimate training effect, but if it is always the limit, use straps for the heavier sets.