Why do weights in the gym not only need to be lifted, but also carried

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Life hacker explains how carrying weights will improve your fitness, and shows seven good exercises.

You can lift a barbell weighing 250 kilograms, but when asked to move the cabinet, it seems like an unexpectedly difficult task. Lifting weights and carrying them are two different types of activity, it is worth combining them in your workouts.

Why lifting weights is easier than carrying them

When lifting and carrying weights, different movement patterns and different muscles are used. When you lift weights, the movement is as simple as possible - up and down. Walking with weights forces you to tense more muscles in order to maintain balance and hold the object, especially if it is something awkward to carry.

When carrying heavy loads, the body is under load for longer. To lift a heavy barbell once, you need to make a simple movement. Yes, it will be tough, but that’s where it’s over. When you carry a heavy sandbag 45 meters, your body spends much more time under the load.

However, one type of training does not exclude the other. To carry weights, you first need to learn how to lift them.

Why you should carry heavy things

1. Development of functional strength. It is she who will be useful to you in everyday life. For example, you will carry your children when they get tired or fall asleep, commute to the house with heavy purchases, carry weighty bags during renovations or work in the country. If you want to do all of this easily, incorporate weight carrying into your workout routine.
2. Working out different muscle groups. Carrying weights develops core strength, increases hip stability, and trains grip strength - an often underestimated parameter that directly affects any movement with weight.
3. Increasing the capabilities of the athlete. A person carrying weights increases their endurance, they can train longer and more intensely.
4. Development of stability. You can remain motionless under external influences. For example, do not bend under the weight when carrying two weights.
5. Adaptation of the skin and soft tissues to the effects of heavy loads. If you train with a bar and a horizontal bar, only the skin of the palms gets used to the effects, and when you carry heavy stones and bags, the skin and soft tissues of the shoulders and chest also adapt.

How to carry weights

You can do exercises with weights and dumbbells, but the comfortable shape of the apparatus will not prepare you for what you will have to face in life. To develop functional strength, diversify your workouts by carrying other objects, not only heavy, but also uncomfortable: bags, large stones, or even people.

How much weight to use

It all depends on your goals. The lighter the object, the further you can carry it and the more you develop endurance. The greater the weight, the shorter the distance and the better the power is pumped.

Experiment with different weights and objects to find your ideal weight. Be sure to follow the correct technique: carry objects with a straight back, and distribute the weight more or less evenly on both sides of the body.

How often to exercise

Arrange a weight-carrying workout once a week, doing one or more exercises at the end of your workout routine. If you're doing strength training, increase your weight and / or distance each week. If you want to increase your endurance, combine different exercises and note how much you can do before you get tired.

Exercises

1. "Farmer's Walk"

Take dumbbells or weights in both hands and walk with them as much distance as possible in 30 seconds. On the next workout, walk for 45 seconds, then walk for one minute.

2. "Walk the farmer" with a weight in one hand

The exercise is similar to the previous one, but you carry the weight in only one hand. This complicates the task as your body has to use all of your core muscles to maintain balance.

You carry the weight in one hand, then change it and do the same. Start with 30 seconds per exercise for each arm and gradually work up to one minute.

You can combine the exercise with a farmer's walk: carry one kettlebell or dumbbell in the lowered arm and the other in the raised arm.

3. Carrying shells overhead

Raise the dumbbells over your head and carry them for 30 seconds. Increase the time by 15 seconds until you get to a minute.

4. "Waiter"

Do the same as in the previous exercise, only keep the weight in one hand. Do 30 seconds for each hand and gradually increase the time to one minute.

5. Transfer of the sandbag

You can find sandbags in the gym, but they are not everywhere. If you exercise at home or in the garage, buy a bag or make one yourself.

Mark 20-25 meters and go as fast as possible with the bag. You can carry the bag on your shoulder, in a hug, or a combination of the two. Repeat the run 5-10 times at the end of the workout.

6. "Fireman"

This movement can help you in emergencies when an injured person needs to be moved. To perform this movement in a familiar and easy way, you need to train with a person on your shoulders, and not with a heavy bag or something else.

7. Backpacking

You just put on a heavy backpack and go with it. The exercise does not involve the arms, but provides a load on the shoulders, core, and legs. This is good cardio and doesn't put a lot of stress on the knees like running or jumping.

Combine exercises with each other

Choose three exercises from the list and do them at the end of your workout routine. For example, start with a 30 second farmer's walk, then move on to carrying a sandbag and end up with dumbbells or kettlebells over your head - it's a great workout for building endurance and functional strength.