Did you ever ask yourself why it’s important to train with odd objects? Well for starters, in life everything is an odd object. From the groceries, your children, and even boxes you need to move. How are you supposed to know how to maneuver them if you have never trained in this domain?
Once we get to standing from all of the fundamental postures (lying, quadruped, and kneeling)we have three options:
- A bilateral stance (squats and deadlifts)
- A split stance (lunges)
- A single leg stance (kicking and running)
If you spend most of your training time in a bilateral stance, which most of us do, you will miss out on about 70 percent of the options available to you that your body needs to train. And when it comes to increasing athleticism, you’ll find far more activities are dependent on a split or single-leg stance than they are on a bilateral one. his is where loaded carries came in. They encompass all possible foot patterns.
Carries exist in a variety of forms. Here is a guide on how to squeeze the most athletic benefit from them:
Farmers Carry
-The simplest carry is the farmer’s carry, or farmer’s walk. Simply begin by grabbing two objects of the same size and weight and carry them for distance or time.
– In terms of challenging the body, the farmer position is the easiest. Just like with foot positions, there are three possible hand positions such as hands down, in the rack position, and overhead. These other positions are by far more challenging from a stability point of view.
Suitcase Carry
-A suitcase carry may be described most easily as a single-sided farmer’s carry.
-The reality of a single-sided carry is that it just doesn’t work well. If you use a moderately heavy kettlebell or dumbbell the weight will hit your leg and make it difficult to maintain posture. Your options are either to reduce the weight or choose a different variation, such as the rack or overhead carry.
Rack Carry
-The rack carry is perhaps the best combination of all for loaded carries. Keep in mind, the weight on your chest will make breathing difficult. The reason this is so important is that good breath function dictates how well you can do just about everything.
-The first variation to attempt is the bottom up kettlebell carry. This is where you flip the kettlebell over and have it balance with the bell side up as you hold your forearm against your chest.
Overhead Carry
-Holding something heavy overhead while maintaining good posture is hard. Even if you have decent pressing abilities many struggle when they have to hold load overhead for any period of time. Even the smallest glitches in their abilities will be highlighted.