You pick a heavy, shapeless bag up off the floor, hug it to your torso and walk with it. The sand shifts under your arms and the weight sits in front of you, so the skill is a clean pickup, a hard squeeze the whole way, and staying tall without leaning back to balance the bag. From the side or front we read your posture under the load and how much you sway. The squeeze and the brace are yours to feel.
Pick it up and hug it
Straddle the bag so it sits on the floor between your feet.
the bag right under you, not out in front.
Get your hands under the bag and grab the canvas on the sides. If the bag won't give you a hold, rock it to work your hands underneath.
a real handful of canvas in each hand before you pull.
Brace your trunk before the bag moves. With odd objects your upper back usually rounds over the bag, and that's expected. What you want is a stiff, still trunk while you lift, not a back that keeps rounding as you pull.
your whole midsection locked before any weight leaves the floor.
Hinge to pull the bag past your knees, then sit back and pull it into your lap.
the bag resting on your thighs, your hips back.
Re-grip from the lap: wrap your arms all the way around the bag and squeeze it hard with your lats and upper back.
the bag pinned between your arms and your chest.
Drive your hips forward and stand up tall with the bag hugged to your torso. Stand all the way up before you take a step.
hips through, standing tall, the bag still tight.
Squeeze and stay tall
Keep squeezing the bag into your torso the whole carry. The sand shifts away from wherever you're not squeezing, and if you relax the bag folds over in the middle.
a constant hug, never a rest.
Keep the bag close and stay tall. A heavy load in front of you makes you want to lean back to balance it. Pull the bag in against your body so you only need a small lean, rather than letting it sit out in front and leaning way back.
shoulders roughly over your hips, the bag against you.
Walk controlled
Take short, controlled steps. Expect a shorter, slower stride than in a farmer's walk. That's how your body keeps its balance with a load in front.
steady steps, the bag not bouncing.
To turn, turn your feet in small steps. Don't twist your trunk under the bag.
your hips and shoulders turning together.
Set it down or let it go
To finish, reverse the pickup: sit back and bring the bag onto your lap, then lower it to the floor between your feet. Don't throw it down.
a controlled set-down, not a heave.
If your hug is failing or your back starts rounding mid-carry, stop and set the bag down rather than walking on. If it's slipping too fast to lower, let it go to the floor in front of you, keep your feet clear, and don't chase it down with a rounded back. In competitions a distance carry is usually measured where the implement comes down, so check your contest's rules.
you decide when the bag comes down, not the bag.
Feel it
Your arms, upper back and whole trunk squeeze the entire time, and walking is noticeably harder on your trunk than just standing with the bag. Your hug usually gives out before your legs do. If you find yourself leaning way back, the bag sliding toward your belly, or your back rounding more with each step, set the bag down and use a lighter one.
Fix-its
- You lean way back to balance the bag The bag is sitting too far in front. Pull it tighter into your torso so its weight sits closer to you, and stand tall. If you can't stay tall, the bag is too heavy for now.
- The bag folds and slides down You relaxed the squeeze. Keep hugging hard the whole carry. If it gets away from you, set it down, lap it again and re-grip rather than walking on with it low.
- Your back keeps rounding as you pick it up Brace before the bag leaves the floor, and lap it first instead of trying to hug it straight up from the ground. Some upper-back rounding over the bag is normal; a back that keeps moving as you pull is not. Use a lighter bag while you learn.
- You twist to turn Turn with your feet in small steps so your hips and shoulders move together.
- You throw the bag down at the end Reverse the pickup: lap it, then lower it between your feet. Throwing heavy bags stresses your back and shoulders.
Drill
- Pickup practice with a light bag: straddle, lap, re-grip, stand tall, then back to the lap and the floor. Do this before you add any distance.
- Heavy carries: 4–6 sets of 25–40 ft, focusing on a constant squeeze and staying tall.
- Lighter bag for speed: 2–3 faster runs over a longer distance, still with short, controlled steps.
- Add a turn in the middle of the course and practise turning with your feet, not your trunk.
- Film from the side to check you stay tall without leaning far back or folding over the bag.
Sources
- Decker, Fagley, McNally et al. — A Comparative Biomechanical Analysis of the Farmers and Zercher Carry Exercises, Int J Strength Cond (2026)
- Anderson, Meador, McClure et al. — A Biomechanical Analysis of Anterior Load Carriage, Ergonomics (2007)
- McGill, McDermott & Fenwick — Comparison of different strongman events: trunk muscle activation and lumbar spine motion, load, and stiffness, J Strength Cond Res (2009)
- Hindle, Lorimer, Winwood & Keogh — The Biomechanics and Applications of Strongman Exercises: a Systematic Review, Sports Medicine - Open (2019)
- Winwood, Hume, Cronin & Keogh — Retrospective Injury Epidemiology of Strongman Athletes, J Strength Cond Res (2014)
- BarBend — Matthew Barker (CSCS), Why Every Athlete Can Benefit From Sandbag Training (2023)
- OSHA — Filling, Moving and Placing Sandbags During Flooding Disasters (fact sheet, 2010)
- Strongman Corporation — National Records: carry event rules (2023)
Last checked 2026-10-26.