IF YOU'VE EVER grabbed a few bags filled with groceries and lugged them back to your car, then into your home, you've already engaged with the real-world application of a weight room exercise. For anyone keeping track of gym-world buzzwords out there, that's functional fitness.
Carrying an object like groceries or a gym bag is as functional as it gets when it comes to our everyday lives. In the gym, we call this very natural movement the suitcase carry. When done properly, it can be one of the best exercises for building core strength and even a sneaky-effective tool for conditioning—along with helping people of all ages “function” better in their everyday lives.
Taking the suitcase carry from an everyday move to a crushing strength building and conditioning drill requires a bit more than just walking from Point A to Point B. Effectively executing the suitcase carry requires a combination of strength and stability to get to the end of the road (or in this case the other end of the gym) while gripping as heavy a load as possible, according to MH fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S.
“Most of us do this in our daily lives, yet never really look at it as exercise,” Samuel says. “[But] we can take it from an everyday thing we do to something that's going to help make us stronger, protect us from injury—and prep us for real life too.”
The Muscles You Use for the Suitcase Carry
- Legs
- Shoulders (Deltoids)
- Rhomboids
- Arms
- Forearms
- Abs and core
Performing the suitcase carry should be a total-body effort. When you break it down, the move requires leg strength to walk as you hold on to a heavy load. That in turn requires plenty of grip strength—utilizing your forearms, as well as your biceps, shoulders, and the rest of your upper body muscles
Putting it all together, though, requires a connection with your core muscles. And in this case we’re really focusing on a training idea known as anti-lateral flexion. Because you’re only holding a weight on one side, anti-lateral flexion requires your core to fight off the urge to tip to the opposite and instead work on maintaining a balanced position.
“My goal when I'm doing the carry is to not tip to either side, and that's going to require a lot of abdominal control is going to require every single muscle in my core to be very, very involved,” Samuel says. “That means my glutes are going to be involved, my hip flexors are involved, and every single muscle—my rectus abdominis is going to play a key role in this, my obliques play a key role in this... and my lower back muscles have to fire, too.”
Benefits of the Suitcase Carry
- Builds strength
- Great for cardio and conditioning
- Real-world application (functional use)
Picking up a heavy load, holding it on just one side without falling over, then walking for a challenging distance requires heavy work from your core, arms, and shoulders—more specifically your forearms. The longer the distance, and the heavier the load should be enough for you to feel the burn in your arms, making this a great strength training accessory move.
If the burn in your arms wasn’t enough, the elevated heart rate you should be experiencing after walking a set distance under load will remind you that the suitcase carry is great for conditioning as well. Just don’t forget the key element for an effective workout: Hold on to something heavy. Five pound weights won’t cut it with this exercise if you want to make strength and conditioning gains.
How to Perform the Suitcase Carry
While the suitcase carry is a natural movement, there are key form elements involved if you want to make the most of the exercise. While holding a ton of weight on one side of your body might take a ton of effort, the goal here is to make it look nearly effortless. Easier said than done—but easily achievable if you follow these tips.
Key Points for the Suitcase Carry
- Shoulder Position
By carrying a load on one side, we tend to also focus on keeping the shoulder of the side you're carrying the weight level. However, maintaining tension on both sides is essential, Samuel says. You want to squeeze both blades down and back as you thrust your chest forward. “If somebody sticks a pencil in between your shoulder blades, you essentially want to squeeze the heck out of that pencil,” Samuel says.
- Focus on Your Grip
Holding a heavy object requires a tight grip. Think about flexing and squeezing as much as possible. Doing that will not only help you hold on—you’ll also get some valuable forearm muscle work.
- Control Your Core
Don’t forget to flex your abs. This will help you drive your rib cage as close and tight as possible. This will help you fight the urge to tip from side to side. Maintain all of that tension, and the walking becomes the easy part.
Cues for the Suitcase Carry
- Pick up the weight with one hand. Grip the handle of the implement as hard as possible.
- Engage your core, creating full-body tension. Squeeze your shoulder blades, too, and thrust your chest forward. Keep your neck in a neutral position, with your gaze straight ahead.
- Walk forward, maintaining full-body tension. Keep your shoulders level. If you need, extend your non-working arm out for balance.
Equipment You Can Use for the Suitcase Carry
- Dumbbell
- Kettlebell
- EZ-curl bar
- Weight plate
- Barbell
It really doesn’t matter which piece of equipment you use for a suitcase carry as long as it’s heavy. But you can increase the difficulty level by utilizing different pieces of gear every now and then. For example, a loaded EZ bar will hit your forearms harder than say, a kettlebell. Using a barbell will require a little more forearm balancing than a short bar.
“I really, really encourage you to try to mix it up,” Samuel says. “You're gonna get a lot of benefit from playing with a lot of those tools. They're going to also make other suitcase carry variations you do a lot better in terms of reps and sets.”
How to Use the Suitcase Carry in Your Workouts
According to Samuel, walking for time and/or distance is the best way to properly attack the suitcase carry. A good starting point may walking for 20 meters one way, then switching arms and walking 20 meters back. Another option would be to walk 30 seconds one way, switch arms, then 30 seconds back. Three to four sets should work best, either as a warmup—especially for beginners—or even as a finishing move after deadlift or leg day for more advanced gymg-oers.
“Pick up something really, really heavy, work to make it look easy—and it's not going to be easy,” Samuel says. “It's not going to feel easy, but your goal is to work to make it look easy as you walk, and that's how you're gonna get a lot of bang for your buck with the suitcase carry.”
