Hyrox Farmer's Carry

The farmer's carry is Station 6 in Hyrox and it is deceptively brutal. You pick up two kettlebells (24 kg each for Open Men, 16 kg each for Open Women) and carry them 200 metres. That does not sound far — until you realise your grip is already compromised from the sled pull two stations ago, and your shoulders are burning from the row. The farmer's carry is less about raw strength and more about endurance under load. Every second you hold those kettlebells, your forearms are under isometric tension. The athletes who crush this station are the ones who have trained their grip to outlast the distance, and who walk at a brisk, purposeful pace rather than shuffling forward hoping for the finish line.

Technique Breakdown

Efficient technique on the farmer's carry is the difference between a fast station time and a painful one. These are the key steps to get right — especially under race fatigue.

1. Pick up the kettlebells efficiently. Hinge at the hips, grip both kettlebells, and stand up with a deadlift motion — do not round your back. The pick-up is a small deadlift and should be treated as one. A poor pick-up wastes energy and can tweak your lower back before you have taken a single step.
2. Lock your shoulders down and back. Once standing, pull your shoulder blades down and back as if you are putting them in your back pockets. This engages your upper traps and lats, which share the load with your forearms. If your shoulders creep up towards your ears, the full weight hangs from your grip alone.
3. Walk with short, fast strides. Long strides cause the kettlebells to swing, which wastes energy fighting momentum. Short, quick steps keep the weight stable and allow you to maintain a fast walking pace. Think "power walk" — not shuffling, not jogging, but an aggressive, purposeful walk.
4. Breathe from your belly. The temptation is to hold your breath during the carry because your core is braced. Force yourself to breathe with your diaphragm — belly expanding on the inhale, contracting on the exhale. If you hold your breath for even 20 seconds, you will feel light-headed by the 100 m mark.

Pacing Strategy

Pacing on the farmer's carry is not about going slow — it is about going sustainable. Here is how to approach it.

• Do not put the kettlebells down. Every time you set them down, you lose 5–10 seconds: stopping, resting, re-gripping, re-lifting, and re-starting. If your grip is about to fail, slow your pace to buy a few seconds of recovery while moving.
• Target a pace of roughly 1:30–2:00 per 100 m. That gives you a total time of 3:00–4:00 for the full 200 m. If your carry is consistently over 4:30, prioritise grip endurance in training.
• Focus on landmarks, not the total distance. Pick a point 20 m ahead, walk to it, pick a new point. Breaking 200 m into 10 micro-segments is mentally easier than thinking about the full carry.
• Start at a pace you can sustain for the full distance. Starting fast and fading means you will have to set the kettlebells down — which costs more time than a slightly slower start would have.

Common Mistakes

These are the errors we see most often at Hyrox events. Avoid them and you are already ahead of half the field.

• Gripping the kettlebells too tightly. A death grip burns out your forearms in the first 50 m. Grip firmly, let the handle sit deep in your palm (not in your fingers), and rely on shoulder retraction to share the load.
• Swaying or leaning to one side. Lateral sway means your core is not braced. Engage your obliques and keep your torso rigid. If you notice yourself leaning, slow down and reset your posture rather than compensating with a lean.
• Looking down at the ground. A forward gaze helps you walk in a straight line and keeps your posture upright. Looking down rounds your upper back, shifts the load onto your grip, and slows your pace.
• Setting the kettlebells down "just for a second." There is no such thing as a quick rest during a farmer's carry. Stopping and restarting costs more time and energy than slowing to a near-crawl and keeping the weight moving. Commit to zero drops.

Training Drills

You do not need specialist equipment to train for the farmer's carry. These drills work in any commercial gym and directly transfer to race-day performance.

1. Heavy farmers carry: 4 x 100 m at race weight (or heavier) with 2-minute rest. Focus on zero drops and consistent pace. Time each set — consistency matters more than speed.
2. Grip overload carry: 2 x 50 m at 120% race weight. This teaches your grip what "heavy" feels like so that race weight feels manageable by comparison.
3. Dead hangs: 3 x max time from a pull-up bar. Simple and effective — builds the sustained grip endurance that prevents drops during the carry.
4. Kettlebell suitcase carry: 3 x 100 m per side (one kettlebell at a time). This builds the anti-lateral flexion strength that keeps your torso upright when one side fatigues faster than the other.

Weights by Division

The farmer's carry weight varies by division. Here are the official specs for every Hyrox category.