3 Key Reasons to Perform Loaded Carries
The often forgotten about loaded carry should be performed by all
Most people know they should be performing key foundational movement patterns in the gym on a regular basis. Like the squat, lunge, hinge, and upper body push and pull variations. But the loaded carry — literally picking up a really heavy object and walking with it — is an often forgotten key movement pattern. I know don’t see it performed much in my gym.
And I think that’s for good reason too. Most don’t know how to perform them or simply aren’t convinced of their importance. There are three key reasons we should all be doing heavy-loaded carries — for both health and performance. In fact, I’ve heard some leading exercise professionals describe them as the epitome of training efficiency. This article will outline those reasons, and explain how to do the main loaded carry variations.
1. Whole-body Exercise Encourages a Cardio and Endurance Effect
Doing a loaded carry variation means recruiting a large number of muscles. For this reason alone, we can expect to see a decent increase in heart rate as many muscle groups are contracting at once. This cardio effect becomes very apparent when you try a loaded carry yourself — just look down at the heart rate…
