The Deadlift and the Farmer's Walk
Deadlifts and farmer carries are independently two of the best exercises you can do to get stronger and fitter. Deadlifts improve your ability to use your posterior chain and entire body to produce force and power safely. Farmer carries improve your shoulder stability, core strength, grip strength, and overall work capacity.
But what happens if you combine them? Good things. Very good things.
Basically, you're going to do trap-bar deadlifts, then immediately do farmer's walks with the same bar. Here's what it looks like, in part:
Because you have to carry the bar after you pick it up on your last rep of deadlifts, you're forced to lower the weight. Your deadlifts become crisp, because they're at a much lower percentage of your 1RM, allowing your technique to be near perfect.
After doing the deadlifts, you still have to walk. You just gotta hold tight and tell yourself that you're not letting go no matter what. It's a test of mental strength as much as it is a test of physical strength.
For Time
Set your trap bar weight at 65-70% of your max trap bar deadlift. Set an amount of distance that you have to travel, like 500 feet. Start a timer. Do 3 reps of deadlifts, then begin your farmer's walk. If you drop the bar, you have to do 3 deadlifts before you keep traveling forward.
When you've reached 500 feet (or whatever you choose), stop the timer. Try to beat that time in future workouts.
For Distance
Set a timer for 10 minutes. See how far you can make it with your trap bar in the given time. Again, every time you set the bar down, you have to do 3 deadlifts before you can travel forward again.
This exercise combo will improve your strength and your work capacity. It also makes a great finisher at the end of your workout. Do it and your back and shoulder strength will skyrocket, along with making everything else you do seem easy.
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