Suitcase carry vs farmers carry: what each one builds

Suitcase carry vs farmers carry is one weight versus two. The farmers carry puts a heavy weight in each hand, so the load is balanced and the job is to stay tall and hold on. The suitcase carry puts one weight in one hand, so the load tries to bend you sideways with every step, and the job is to refuse. Same walk, very different demand on your trunk.

The farmers carry builds grip, upper back and the ability to carry a lot of total weight. The suitcase carry builds side-to-side trunk stiffness with surprisingly light loads. Most people, and especially Hyrox racers, should do both. Below: what each one trains, what the limited research says, technique for each, and how to program suitcase vs farmers carry in the same week. If you'd rather have carries placed in your plan for you, that's an app that programs your Hyrox prep.

Suitcase carry vs farmers carry at a glance

The farmers carry is a Hyrox station; the suitcase carry isn't. That's the first reason Hyrox racers lean on farmers carries. The second is that the trunk stiffness the suitcase carry builds shows up in every station that needs you to stay rigid while your legs work, which is most of them. Both belong in a Hyrox program you can follow, in different roles.

If you're new to the race, hyrox stations in order run SkiErg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps, rowing, farmers carry, sandbag lunges and wall balls, with a 1 km run before each.

What the research says

Carry research is thin, so hold this loosely. Three studies are useful.

A 2024 electromyography study compared the farmer's carry, suitcase carry and matching stationary holds in college-aged participants. The farmer's carry used two dumbbells averaging 50.7 kg combined; the suitcase carry used a single dumbbell averaging 25.3 kg. Both carries increased trunk muscle activation on both sides, the farmer's carry produced more activation than just holding the same load, and the suitcase carry added extra activation in the abdominal muscles on the side holding the weight. In short: walking matters, and the one-sided load asks something extra of the trunk.

A study of strongman events that included the farmer's walk and the suitcase carry described the stiffened torso as a source of strength that supports joints that can't cope on their own, and concluded that carrying events challenge different abilities than lifting events.

And a study of the unilateral farmer's walk, which is another name for the suitcase carry, increased the load trial by trial and stopped when participants' spinal alignment or gait broke down. That's a useful rule for your own training: the right suitcase carry load is the heaviest one you can carry without leaning.

What the farmers carry builds

• ›Grip, with a heavy load in both hands.
• ›Upper back and traps, holding the shoulders in place.
• ›Trunk stiffness under a heavy, balanced load.
• ›Heavy work capacity: lots of total weight moved for distance, with a low recovery cost.

It's also the Hyrox station itself. The rulebook standard, kettlebell weights by division and pacing are covered in farmers carry alternative explained, along with what to use when your gym has no kettlebells heavy enough.

Farmers carry technique

• ›Deadlift the weights up: hips back, flat back, brace, stand.
• ›Stand tall, shoulders back and slightly down, ribs down, eyes forward.
• ›Short, quick steps. Weights quiet at your sides.
• ›Set them down the way you picked them up.

What the suitcase carry builds

• ›Lateral trunk control: the obliques and the deep muscles along the side of your spine resisting being pulled sideways.
• ›Hip stability: the hip on the opposite side works hard to keep the pelvis level.
• ›Grip, one hand at a time.
• ›Honest feedback. If you lean toward the weight, everyone can see it, including you.

Suitcase carry technique

• ›Pick the weight up from the side with a hinge, not a sideways bend.
• ›Stand perfectly straight. Shoulders level, not hiked on the empty side.
• ›Free arm relaxed, or out to the side for balance. Don't grab your shirt.
• ›Walk as if you had a weight in each hand, short steps, no sway.
• ›Switch hands and match the distance on both sides.

Start lighter than you think. One weight from your farmers carry pair is often plenty, and the load you can carry upright is lower than the load you can merely carry.

Suitcase vs farmers carry: which should you do?

For Hyrox: farmers carries first, because they're the station. Add suitcase carries as a supporting exercise, especially if your farmers carry leans, sways or turns into a shuffle.

For runners: both are good. The suitcase carry is the more running-shaped demand, since running is one leg at a time and your trunk has to stay steady over it. The farmers carry builds more grip and upper back.

For lifters: farmers carries for grip and heavy work capacity after deadlift days; suitcase carries as a trunk exercise that costs little.

For a small space: suitcase carries need less weight and less equipment. One kettlebell is enough.

How carries help the other Hyrox stations

A stiff trunk transfers force; a soft one leaks it. That shows up all over the race:

• ›Sled push: your legs drive, your trunk has to deliver it to the sled without sagging. There's more on hyrox sled push positions and how to train them.
• ›Wall balls: an upright torso in the squat keeps the ball traveling to the target. Trunk control is part of how to train wall balls for 100 reps.
• ›SkiErg: Concept2's SkiErg technique guide says the core and lats drive the power on each pull, with the arms finishing it. The Hyrox SkiErg is the first station, and a strong trunk is the difference between a hip-driven stroke and a tricep pushdown. No machine? A SkiErg alternative like straight-arm pulldowns with a hip hinge trains the same trunk-and-lats pattern.

How to program both in one week

Carries are cheap to recover from, which makes them easy to fit. Coaching conventions, not commandments:

A few rules:

• ›Grip fatigue is real. Keep heavy farmers carries away from the day before a heavy deadlift or sled pull session.
• ›Match your sides on suitcase carries. If one side is clearly weaker, start each set with it.
• ›Progress by distance first, then load. Kettlebells and dumbbells jump in big increments.
• ›Posture is the limit. When the farmers carry shrugs or the suitcase carry leans, the set is over.

How exrsz handles carries

exrsz builds a periodized plan from your goal, schedule, level and equipment. If your goal is Hyrox, farmers carries become more race-specific as the race gets closer, with supporting trunk work alongside. Running and lifting sit in one plan, it adapts each week to how you trained, and it reshuffles missed sessions.

FAQ

What is the difference between a suitcase carry and a farmers carry?

A farmers carry has a weight in each hand; a suitcase carry has one weight in one hand. The suitcase carry makes your trunk resist bending sideways, while the farmers carry lets you carry more total load and trains grip harder.

Suitcase vs farmers carry: which is better for core?

Both work the trunk. A 2024 study found both carries increased trunk muscle activation, with the suitcase carry adding extra activation in the abdominal muscles on the side holding the weight.

How heavy should a suitcase carry be?

The heaviest weight you can carry without leaning, shrugging or changing your walk. A sensible starting point is one weight from your farmers carry pair, adjusted from there.

Is the suitcase carry in Hyrox?

No. The Hyrox station is a farmers carry with two kettlebells, 200 m, under the 26/27 singles rulebook. Suitcase carries are a useful supporting exercise for it.

Should I do suitcase carries or farmers carries for running?

Both help. The suitcase carry trains side-to-side trunk control that suits single-leg running; the farmers carry adds grip and upper back. Put either at the end of a lifting session or after an easy run.