The benefits of heavy carries for parent’s
What value do you place on being able to pick your children up whenever they hold their arms out? You can’t put a price on that level of empowerment. There’s no gold medal or accolade I wouldn’t trade to know that I can confidently scoop them up for years to come.
Unfortunately parents aren’t known for putting themselves first. Practicing selfcare or even vocalizing that something hurts is reserved for those who don't have little ones to care for. We suck it up, keep our chins high and trek on. I remember when my son Lucas was an infant and he’d wake up every 2hrs. I’d hold him in whatever way necessary just to soothe him. What was the result of months of doing that? My back would be killing me. As parents we’re used to putting our kids needs before our own.
What most parents experience.
Caring for yourself will allow you to take better care of your family.
The drawback here is that this isn’t sustainable. They get bigger and demand more of us there will come a day when we can’t scoop our kids up on demand. Pain sets in and overpowers your desire to carry them. But in the midst of this setback we can find a solution. If you step back and look at the situation through a different lens you’ll see that often times what were lacking isn’t desire to feel better but an understanding how to do so.
A busy parent will usually put off addressing their own pain until it literally stops them in their tracks. The kicker here is that your responsibilities don’t stop just because your back is hurting. One interesting thing to notice is that if a similar movement pattern like standing up from your chair doesn’t hurt but picking your kid up does, there’s a variable causing it that you can focus on. Is it the added weight of your child? If so, that could mean there’s a strength issue. If its the added complexity of maneuvering them then can we slow things down and build stability?
As a dad I sometimes need to carry two sleeping kids upstairs from the car at the same time. Then there’s the adventures of carrying multiple bags on one hand as I use the other to hold one of their little hands. Add onto that all the fun like lifting and tossing them in the air or on my back. I’ll admit, stuff hurts sometimes. But what has helped is implementing a variety of carrying movements into my training routine.
Here is where the use of modified strongman training can be valuable. The term “functional training” gets tossed around with no real context. It’s marketed as elaborate drills involving bands, balance pads and contraptions that attempt to recreate movements rather than regress things to their foundational patterns. Often these drills are curated to make you feel defeated in hopes of creating a dependency on the latest functional training craze. My perspective is that the term functional can apply to whatever training you do that has practical carryover and improves the things you already do.
My top three pics in this department are the traditional Farmers Carry, Bear Hug carry and double kettlebell rack hold. I find these three in particular to have to the biggest carryover to building sustainable strength for parents.
In the Farmers Carry we have to hold a heavy load in our hands in a low position and travel a designated distance. It can be brutal especially if the requisite midline stability has been overlooked.
A couple of dads refusing to take two trips.
Absolute grip strength and strength endurance are two huge benefits to this exercise but what I appreciate most is that by having the humerus in an extended (upper arm in downward facing) position under load we can train ourselves to use our Lats to stabilize our trunks and shoulders and avoid shrugging in response to the stress of the carry itself. Show me a parent who’s shoulders aren’t glued to their ears half the time, I’ll wait.
The bear hug carry requires you to contour your body to the object your moving and create dynamic stability as you maneuver it up into its stationary position. Whether you are standing still or walking its not the usual tall, stacked posture you see in traditional strength practices. Abs, lats, glutes, grip….everything lights up.
“I’ll never let go!”
What it feels like when your baby wakes up at 3am and you need to get up for work at 5:30am.
The most challenging part isn’t the absolute weight of the tool but rather how malleable it is. Scooping up what feels like 200lbs of pudding isn’t easy.
Now we get to one of my personal favorites, the double kettlebell rack hold. I love exploring different iterations of rack holds for sustaining load in front of you in varying postures. The traditional hardstyle hold calls for a rib cage to pelvis stacking and flexed wrists. This version offers stimulus to the scapular stabilizers, upper back and abs like few things do. In the presence of what is sometimes an absurd load you have to stand tall and tight. I find this one invaluable for those moments you need to maneuver you kid in and out of swing, carry a box or move a heavy pot across your counter.
Let’s keep it practical.
This is probably my best prep for when I’ve needed to carry both of my kids upstairs while asleep.
The kettlebell sport version loads the weight on your pelvis and keeps the load close to your contoured frame. Breathing rhythm needs to adjust to accommodate the abdominal compression you’re experiencing. With 140lbs stacked against the front of your body you’re encouraged to expand both posteriorly (backwards) and laterally (outwards at your sides) in order to breath, conserve energy and optimize those moments
when you express power.
Within both of these there are sub divisions and fun transitions you can do such as initiating first drive of a press and freezing just out of the hold. However you cut it, the rack position is a great lynchpin for many of the day to day tasks you don't have the luxury of putting off for later.
The great thing about these exercises is that they can fit in just about anywhere regardless of what your goals are. If you’re short on time, try setting a timer and doing some heavy carry’s with whatever you have lying around the house. Water jugs, milk gallons, paint cans…literally the options are vast. Don't feel limited if you're not able get to a gym. You can even stuff an old duffle with a few bags of rice and get creative. Being a strength athlete there’ll be huge benefits in stacking loaded conditioning work onto your main lifting program. A well placed set of farmers carries after heavy pulls and back work does wonders for grip strength and spinal stability. And if you're looking to reduce long term risk of injury, getting stronger through carry’s is the way to go.
So whether you work a 9-5, are a stay at home parent or you’re a competitive athlete, modified strongman drills like these 3 carry variations offer a strong ROI (return on investment). Let’s build ourselves to the standard of strength and resilience that our kids see us at. In their eyes we’re superheroes, but that doesn’t mean we don’t get to be human. We’re not invulnerable and we shouldn’t beat ourselves up over needing to care for ourselves as well. Find the value in taking care of yourself so that you can take better care of them. Seize the opportunity and claim your power!