Suitcase carries are one of the most effective core exercises personal trainers can incorporate into their clients’ workouts. The exercise involves picking up a kettlebell on one side only and walking, which might sound simple but requires considerable strength, balance, and coordination, especially when the weight is heavy enough to be challenging. The suitcase carry is considered a progression from the farmer’s carry (where you carry a weight in each hand), and it’s highly functional—mimicking everyday activities like carrying groceries or a suitcase.
Benefits of the Suitcase Carry
Suitcase carries are a compound exercise that works multiple muscle groups, providing a wide range of benefits:
1. Core Strength and Stability: The unilateral nature of the exercise forces your core muscles, especially your obliques and deep abdominal muscles, to stabilize your body against the weight’s pull. This action is known as anti-lateral flexion, which helps build a strong, injury-resistant core.
2. Improved Grip Strength: Holding a weight for an extended period will significantly challenge and strengthen your grip. This can benefit athletes, weightlifters, and anyone looking to enhance overall functional fitness.
3. Shoulder and Upper Back Engagement: The muscles in your shoulder girdle and upper back, particularly the trapezius and deltoids, are engaged to maintain proper posture and shoulder alignment throughout the movement.
4. Hip and Glute Activation: Walking with weight on one side requires the hip stabilizers (gluteus medius and minimus) to work harder to maintain balance and prevent lateral tilting. This helps improve lower body strength and stability, reducing the risk of injury during daily activities or sports.
5. Practical Functional Fitness: The suitcase carry mimics real-life scenarios, such as carrying a bag or moving objects, making it a highly functional exercise that enhances day-to-day strength and coordination.
Progression from Side Planks
One of the best progressions from traditional floor-based core exercises is moving to exercises like the suitcase carry, which requires you to get off the floor. While side planks are excellent for building core stability, particularly in resisting lateral flexion, the suitcase carry takes it a step further by incorporating movement and a load.
By performing suitcase carries, you train the core muscles to resist movement, which is how they are functionally designed to work. Unlike side planks, which isolate the core in a static position, suitcase carries engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously, making them more dynamic and practical for real-world application.
How to Perform Suitcase Carries Correctly
To maximize the benefits of suitcase carries and minimize the risk of injury, it’s crucial to perform them with proper form:
1. Pick Up the Weight: Start with a kettlebell or dumbbell placed beside your foot. Hinge back by pushing your hips behind you, keeping your spine neutral. Bend your knees slightly, grip the weight, and lift it off the ground using your legs and glutes—avoid rounding your back.
2. Establish a Strong, Tall Posture: Stand tall with your shoulders pulled down and away from your ears. Brace your core muscles by engaging your abdominal muscles, creating a solid foundation to support the weight. Keep the weight slightly away from your body to engage the lats and prevent it from resting against your side.
3. Walk Slowly and With Purpose: Begin walking in a straight line, taking slow, controlled steps. Your goal is to maintain an upright posture without leaning towards or away from the weight. Imagine walking as if balancing a book on your head to encourage a straight and steady gait.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Despite the apparent simplicity of the suitcase carry, there are several common mistakes that can undermine its effectiveness and increase the risk of injury:
– Leaning Over: Tilting toward the side with the weight, rather than keeping a straight posture, reduces core engagement and increases strain on the spine.
– Shrugging Shoulders: Allowing the shoulder carrying the weight to rise up toward your ear can lead to tension and strain in the neck and traps.
– Favoring One Side: Compensating by leaning away from the weight is another common error, reducing the exercise’s effectiveness.
– Rushing the Movement: Moving too quickly defeats the purpose of the exercise, which relies on controlled movements for maximum muscle engagement.
– Allowing the Weight to Rest Against the Body: This diminishes the challenge to the stabilizing muscles and reduces the overall benefit.
Next Steps After Mastering the Suitcase Carry
Once you’ve mastered the basics of the suitcase carry, you can add variety and further challenge yourself in the following ways:
1. Increase Weight: Gradually increase the weight you carry, but ensure you maintain proper form. Remember, if your posture breaks down, it’s too heavy.
2. Extend the Distance: Increase the distance of your carries to improve endurance and core stability.
3. Vary the Grip: Use a towel or “fat grip” around the handle to challenge your grip strength differently.
4. Use Different Equipment: While kettlebells are most commonly used, try carrying dumbbells, sandbags, buckets, or other objects for variety and to simulate different real-world scenarios.
5. Add Balance Challenges: Perform the exercise on an uneven surface or while balancing on one leg to further engage stabilizer muscles.
Integrating Suitcase Carries into Your Workout Routine
Incorporate suitcase carries as part of a comprehensive strength and conditioning program. They can be added to a circuit, used as a standalone core exercise, or included in a warm-up to activate stabilizing muscles. Start with shorter distances and lighter weights, and gradually progress as your strength and form improve. Aim for 2-3 sets of 30-60 seconds per side, focusing on maintaining proper form and alignment.
Final Thoughts
Suitcase carries are a versatile and effective exercise for building a resilient core, improving grip strength, and enhancing overall functional fitness. Whether you’re a personal trainer or a fitness enthusiast, suitcase carries can be a valuable addition to your training toolbox. Focus on proper form, progress gradually, and embrace the challenge of this deceptively simple yet highly effective exercise.
References
Biel, Andrew, et al. Trail Guide to the Body: A Hands-on Guide to Locating Muscles, Bones and More. 5th ed., Books of Discovery, 2014.
Boyle, Michael, et al. Advances in Functional Training: Training Techniques for Coaches, Personal Trainers and Athletes. On Target Publications, 2010.
Cholewicki, Jacek, et al. “Effects of External Trunk Loads on Lumbar Spine Stability.” Journal of Biomechanics, vol. 33, no. 11, 2000, pp. 1377–1385., https://doi.org/10.1016/s0021-9290(00)00118-4.
Ian Nimblett, CFSC, CSCS, NFPT-CPT and is a functional strength & conditioning coach, personal trainer, and author. He is the founder and owner of Premier Fitness Group LLC in South Salem, NY, a world-class functional training facility that provides private, semi-private, and group training.
