First XV Carries Series: Suitcase Carry

Unilateral training isn’t just for those big compound movements, it’s also for carries (or the 5th movement category as I refer to it). Perfect example is the carry we have today, the suitcase carry. Take a wild stab at why it’s called that…yeah no idea either.

In case you are wondering as you watch this, yes there is such thing as a suitcase deadlift. I like them, but we’re not talking about them here.

-Picking the right load on these can be tricky. Those that are logical thinkers that read the Farmer’s Carry post, will probably assume I’m aiming for about %50 bodyweight. While that’s not entirely inaccurate, and yes that’s about what I’m working with, some things that need to be attended to. Distance, again, will be determined by what you have available and what kind of load you’re working with.

-All carries will be core work to some degree, but these babies turn that up just a notch. This is a great way to double dip into 2 movement ares at once if you’re someone that is a bit shorter on time.

-When the load is too heavy on these for you to handle, you will tend to lean away from he weight. You can see hints of me doing it in this video. Most of the time to correct this I will cue the client to lean into the weight slightly, if that doesn’t fix it then the load’s a bit too heavy and we need to adjust.

-When changing sides and you’re dealing with HAF weight please set the weight down. Then turn yourself around and pick the weight up again like a deadlift. Trying to change hands, even with things that are a bit smaller like KBs and DBs in mid-air just leaves me thinking about broken toes and feet.

-Again there’s dozens of options for what implements to load with. You can use kettlebells, dumbbells, even barbells for a challenge, or if you’re really lucky you can use farmer’s handles like I am here.