It can sometimes be a very good thing when a woman is carrying around an extra 200 pounds.
Yes, you read that right.
There’s a certain type of weight for which it’s a sign of superb fitness if a woman is carrying it around.
It’s not fat weight. Two hundred excess pounds of fat weight is NEVER good for the body. It’s always bad.
The surplus weight that a woman SHOULD be carrying is made of metal.
Shutterstock/DisobeyArt
This exercise is called the farmer’s walk. You simply walk around holding a weight in each hand, arms hanging straight.
If you visit a typical health club or gym and stick around for a while, you won’t likely see any women, or men, for that matter, doing the farmer’s walk.
Why do few people do this exercise?
One reason is that the more serious strength builders may figure they’re getting all the weight training they need, what with the deadlifts, shoulder shrugs, rows, presses and squats.
Less experienced gym patrons may think that in order for strength training to work, the arms must bend.
The farmer’s walk is a very legitimate exercise that works several muscle groups and joints at the same time.
Benefits of the Farmer’s Walk for Women, Including Plus Size
• If you can do this exercise for about two-and-a-half to three minutes nonstop holding a 35 pound plate, dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand — your low back, shoulders, arms, wrists and hands will never fatigue when carrying heavy luggage at the airport. In fact, this may be achieved even with a 25 pound weight.
• It will enable you to carry heavy grocery bags by their handles across the longest parking lot without fatiguing.
• You’ll be able to effortlessly carry anything this way in day-to-day living.
• Helps tone the entire body.
• Improves core strength.
• Improves balance.
So where does the 200 pounds come in?
A woman can train her body, even if she’s full figured, to walk around carrying 200 pounds.
However, as a former personal trainer, I would also point out that it’ll require a long time of serious all-around training before you’d be able to hold a hundred pounds in each hand and walk around.
Start out with smaller goals.
Women should start out with between 10 and 15 pounds in each hand, depending on their fitness level. There’s no need to walk around for more than three minutes, but the minimum should be 20 seconds.
There’s three ways to carry 200 pounds.
• Hold a 100 pound dumbbell in each hand (requires significant grip strength). It’s possible for a woman to achieve this strength, but for the farmer’s walk, it’s just not practical. The next two ways are advised.
• Load a “hex bar” or “trap bar” (many gyms have these) with weight plates. The bar alone weighs 45 pounds. You can then walk around inside the bar.
Hex or “trap” bar
• Load a farmer’s walk contraption with weights. Powerlifting or CrossFit gyms may have these particular bars. The image at the top is an example.
If you’re already carrying around an extra 200 pounds of fat, do not think of your obesity as a built-in farmer’s walk every time you move from Point A to Point B.
The farmer’s walk is NOT built into ANY body.
I recommend this under-valued exercise for women of all sizes. It’s particularly great for large women because it doesn’t require any “embarrassing” motions or positions. It’s easy as heck for anybody, any body.
For women lacking self-confidence, training your body to carry an extra 200 pounds will make you feel wonderful.
