Blog Nov 3, 2026
Farmers Walk vs Kickboxing: Which Builds More Real Strength?
Mah Ghasemi has spent more than twenty years coaching fighters and busy adults, and he is often asked the same blunt question: if you only have thirty minutes, should you carry heavy weights up and down the gym, or should you train kickboxing? The farmers walk vs kickboxing debate is a real one, because both exercises look simple and both deliver a lot — grip strength, conditioning, and a body that can handle hard work. But they are not interchangeable. The farmers walk builds a crushing grip and a rock-solid trunk with one loaded movement. Kickboxing builds full-body coordination, striking power, and heart-and-lung fitness with dozens of movements. This guide compares them honestly — what each one trains, what it costs your joints, how many calories it burns, and how to combine them — and gives you exact workouts for both, so you can stop guessing and start training.
Quick Answer
- For grip strength, trunk stability, and carrying strength, the farmers walk wins: few exercises load the hands, forearms, shoulders, and core at once as directly as carrying heavy weights.
- For calorie burn, coordination, upper-body power, and overall athletic fitness, kickboxing wins: it moves your whole body at a higher heart rate and trains skills the farmers walk never touches.
- For fat loss on limited time, kickboxing is the better main workout; for a stronger grip and a sturdier back, add farmers walks as a finisher, not as the whole session.
- The best week uses both: two or three kickboxing sessions for conditioning and skill, plus two short farmers walk finishers of 4 to 6 sets each.
- Start light on the farmers walk — a weight you can carry for 40 metres with a tall posture — and stop any set the moment your shoulders slump or your grip fails.
What Each Exercise Really Is
The farmers walk is the simplest strength exercise in the gym, and that is its power. You pick up a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand, stand tall, and walk. That is the whole movement — and it is brutally effective, because holding heavy weights at your sides while you walk forces your grip, forearms, upper back, shoulders, and deep core muscles to work together for every step. Nothing is isolated.
Kickboxing is the opposite kind of training: not one movement, but a system of them. Punches, kicks, knees, footwork, defense, and combinations, chained together in rounds, at a pace that keeps your heart rate high. A single round can ask you to step, pivot, punch, guard, slip, and kick — and to do it again, faster, while you are tired. That is why kickboxing trains things the farmers walk cannot: coordination between your arms and legs, timing, balance under fatigue, upper-body power, and the kind of conditioning that lets you keep moving hard for minutes at a time. It is also why beginners sometimes find it harder to learn: there is technique to practice, not just weight to hold.
Head to Head: Strength, Calories, and Skill
Start with strength. The farmers walk builds grip strength better than almost any other exercise, because the grip is the limiting factor: your hands must hold the weight for the entire set, and they adapt by getting stronger. It also builds trunk stability — the ability to keep your spine tall and still while your legs move — which protects your back in daily life. What it does not build much is upper-body pushing or pulling power, leg strength through a full range of motion, or explosive speed. You will not develop a powerful punch or a fast kick by carrying weights, however heavy.
Kickboxing builds a different kind of strength: rotational power from the hips, shoulder endurance from holding a guard and throwing hundreds of punches, and leg power from kicks and footwork. It will not build your grip, and it will not load your spine the way a heavy carry does. But it trains your muscles through far more patterns, and it does so while your heart rate stays in the moderate-to-vigorous zone. Exercise scientists rate effort in METs: vigorous martial-arts training reaches roughly 10 METs, while loaded walking and carrying sit considerably lower, because the pace is slower and fewer muscle groups move through large ranges. In plain terms, a hard kickboxing round burns more calories per minute than a farmers walk, and it trains your heart and lungs harder at the same time.
| Factor | Farmers Walk | Kickboxing |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Grip, trunk stability, carrying strength | Fat loss, conditioning, coordination, striking power |
| Calories per minute | Moderate — steady, loaded walking | Higher — vigorous, whole-body intervals |
| Skill needed | Low — stand tall and walk | Higher — stance, guard, punches, kicks, footwork |
| Equipment | Dumbbells or kettlebells, floor space | None for shadowboxing; bag and gloves optional |
| Joint stress | Low impact, but heavy loads stress the lower back if posture breaks | Low impact if kicks stay low; wrists and shoulders need good form |
| Time to learn | One session | Several weeks to move well |
The Farmers Walk Workout: Exact Sets and Loads
Do this twice a week, after your main workout or on its own day, never before kickboxing — tired hands make for sloppy punches. Pick a weight you can carry for 40 metres with perfect posture: chest tall, shoulders down and back, eyes forward, steps short and steady, breathing normally. For most beginners, that is a dumbbell of roughly one quarter of body weight per hand as a starting point, adjusted down if your grip fails before your posture does. Walk at a steady pace, not a shuffle and not a sprint. Tempo: step about once per second, with no rushing. Rest 90 seconds between sets.
| Set | Distance | Load guide | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm-up set 1 | 20 metres | Light — half your working weight | 60 seconds |
| Working set 1 | 40 metres | Working weight, tall posture throughout | 90 seconds |
| Working set 2 | 40 metres | Same weight | 90 seconds |
| Working set 3 | 40 metres | Same weight, or lighter if grip fails | 90 seconds |
| Working set 4 | 30 metres | Same weight, stop early if posture breaks | Done |
Progress slowly: add 2 to 3 kilograms per hand every two weeks, or add 10 metres to one set per week — never both at once. If you train at home with no long hallway, walk back and forth over a 10-metre stretch, turning carefully, and count total distance rather than laps. If you only have one heavy dumbbell or kettlebell, do suitcase carries: one hand at a time, 20 metres per side, 3 sets per side, with 60 seconds of rest between sides. The single-sided version is actually excellent for the core, because your trunk must resist bending toward the loaded side — keep your shoulders level and do not lean away from the weight.
The Kickboxing Workout: Exact Rounds and Reps
Use this 20-minute session on two or three non-consecutive days. Warm up for 3 minutes: march in place, shoulder circles, hip openers, and slow shadowboxing at half speed. Then work in rounds of 2 minutes, with 1 minute of rest between rounds. Punch at roughly one strike per second, breathe out sharply on every strike, and bring both fists back to your chin after every punch. Keep all kicks below knee height for the first month — height comes later, after control.
| Round | Time | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 2 minutes | Jab-cross combinations, stepping forward and back. 40 seconds work, 20 seconds guard hold, repeat. |
| Round 2 | 2 minutes | Hooks and uppercuts, turning the hips fully. Add squats: 10 reps between punch bursts. |
| Round 3 | 2 minutes | Low front kicks, 8 per leg, alternating with jab-cross bursts. |
| Round 4 | 2 minutes | Full combinations: jab-cross-hook, step-back, low roundhouse kick, 6 per leg. |
| Finisher | 4 minutes | Farmers walk: 2 sets of 30 metres at working weight, 90 seconds rest between sets. |
| Cool-down | 3 minutes | Slow walking, shoulder, chest, hip, and calf stretches. |
For a fuller standalone kickboxing session, read the 20-minute beginner kickboxing workout and the 7 common shadowboxing mistakes guide before your first week.
Five Mistakes — and the Fix for Each
| Mistake | What it looks like | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Shoulders creeping up to the ears on carries | Neck tension, upper-back ache after walking | Drop the weight by 20 percent, pull shoulders down and back, and reset before every set. |
| Leaning back or sideways under load | Lower-back ache, uneven steps | Shorten the distance, brace your core as if someone were about to poke your stomach, and stop the set when you lean. |
| Gripping the dumbbell in the fingers only | Weight slipping, forearm cramps | Wrap the whole hand around the handle, thumb locked over the fingers, and chalk your hands if they sweat. |
| Arm-only punches in kickboxing | Shoulder burn, weak strikes, no hip movement | Turn the hip and pivot the foot on every punch; the arm only delivers what the hip creates. |
| Doing carries before kickboxing | Sloppy punches, dropped guard, tired hands | Always train skill first and grip last. Carries are a finisher, not a warm-up. |
In my gym, the farmers walk is a test I trust: I can see in ten steps whether a student is strong where it matters. But I have never built a fighter on carries alone, and I have never built a fit beginner on kickboxing alone without some loaded work for the grip and the back. Use both, in the right order, and be patient. Grip strength is slow to build and quick to lose if you stop carrying. Four sets, twice a week, for eight weeks, will change your hands more than any gadget or grip trainer. And kickboxing will change everything else — but only if you train the technique, not just the sweat. Sweat without form is just tiredness. Form with effort is training.
Modifications: Bad Backs, Weak Grips, and Small Spaces
Bad backs: keep farmers walk loads light and distances short — 20 metres, 3 sets — and never carry through lower-back pain. Brace your core before you lift the weights, not after you start walking. For kickboxing, keep your back tall, never twist under load, and replace roundhouse kicks with knee raises until your back is comfortable. If pain is sharp, new, or travels down your leg, see a clinician before training.
Weak grips: start with a weight you can hold for a full 40 metres, even if it feels embarrassingly light, and add weight only when you finish all sets with posture intact.
Small spaces: both exercises fit in a small room. Walk a 10-metre line back and forth for carries, turning slowly and carefully, and shadowbox in about two square metres with no bag and no jumping. A hallway, a garage corner, or a quiet park is enough. If you want a structured weekly plan that mixes strength and kickboxing, explore the options on the programs page, or start from the kickboxing vs walking comparison to see how kickboxing fits a weekly routine.
A Sample Week Using Both
Monday — kickboxing + carries: warm-up, 4 kickboxing rounds, 2 farmers walk sets of 30 metres, cool-down. Tuesday — walk + mobility: a 20-minute brisk walk and 10 minutes of hip and shoulder mobility. Wednesday — carries focus: the full farmers walk workout, 4 working sets, plus 10 minutes of core work. Thursday — rest or gentle walk. Friday — kickboxing + carries: the same session as Monday, with slightly heavier carries if Monday felt easy. Weekend — one longer walk or a second kickboxing session. That is two kickboxing sessions, two carry sessions, and daily walking — a complete week that builds grip, trunk, conditioning, and skill without overloading any one of them. Reassess after four weeks: if your grip is the weak link, add a third carry day; if your conditioning lags, add a third kickboxing round instead.
FAQ
Is the farmers walk or kickboxing better for fat loss?
Kickboxing, for most people. It burns more calories per minute, keeps your heart rate higher, and trains more muscle groups at once. The farmers walk helps fat loss indirectly, by building the grip and trunk strength that lets you train harder overall — but as a standalone fat-loss workout, it is too slow and too narrow to be the main tool.
Can the farmers walk replace strength training?
No. It is an excellent addition to strength training, but it does not replace squats, hinges, pushes, and pulls through a full range of motion. Think of it as the finishing exercise that ties your strength together, not as the whole program.
How heavy should beginners carry on the farmers walk?
Start with a weight you can carry for 40 metres with a tall posture and normal breathing — for many beginners, roughly a quarter of body weight per hand, adjusted down if your grip or posture fails first. Add 2 to 3 kilograms per hand every two weeks, never more.
Do I need gloves or a bag for kickboxing?
No. Shadowboxing — punching and kicking the air — teaches the same movements and builds the same conditioning, with no equipment and no space for a bag. A bag adds resistance later, but it is never required to start.
Can I do farmers walks with a bad back?
Often yes, with light loads, short distances, and a braced core — and many people find that careful carries actually strengthen the back over time. But if pain is sharp, new, or travels down your leg, see a clinician first, and stop any set that causes pain.
How often should I train each one?
Two kickboxing sessions and two short farmers walk finishers per week is a strong starting point for most adults. Add a third session of whichever one addresses your weakest link, and keep at least one full rest day each week.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. Washington, DC; 2018. (75–150 min/week vigorous-intensity aerobic activity; muscle-strengthening on 2+ days.)
- Ainsworth BE, et al. 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities: MET values for boxing and vigorous martial-arts training. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2011;43(8):1575–1581.
- McGill SM. Core training: evidence translating to better performance and injury prevention. Strength & Conditioning Journal. 2010;32(3):33–46. (Trunk stability and loaded carries.)