Kettlebell Suitcase Carry

The exercise

Hold one kettlebell beside your body and walk a chosen distance. As an optional coaching approach, use a controllable load, aim for a steady upright posture and set the weight down under control before changing hands. ACE describes the same one-sided carrying pattern with a dumbbell; its strongman coaching article also lists kettlebells as an option. This is exercise instruction, not a guarantee of correcting an imbalance.

ACE · Suitcase Carry instruction · ACE · Strongman training · Pete McCall

What biomechanics does and does not show

McGill and colleagues examined several strongman tasks, including the suitcase carry, in three male competitors using muscle activity, spinal motion and modelled loads. The work describes exercise demands. It does not establish that suitcase carries prevent postural breakdown in HYROX^®, correct every left-right difference, reduce knee valgus, or supply a type of trunk training that bilateral carries cannot provide.

McGill2009 · strongman biomechanics

HYROX^® and training load

The 2026/27 Singles Farmers Carry requires both kettlebells to be carried together over 200 m. Each weighs 16 kg for Women Open, 24 kg for Men Open and Women Pro, or 32 kg for Men Pro. A suitcase carry is therefore an optional training variation, not the race movement. Select its load and distance around your ability; the cited evidence does not validate 3 × 40 m per side twice weekly, fixed weights by sex, or 75–100% of one race kettlebell for everyone.

HYROX^® Singles26/27 · §8.6 · ACSM2026 · individualised resistance training

FAQ

How does it differ from a farmers carry?

A suitcase carry places one weight on one side; a conventional bilateral farmers carry uses one in each hand. This changes the loading arrangement, but does not by itself prove that the unilateral version is a better programme or will prevent fatigue-related posture changes.

ACE · Suitcase Carry instruction · McGill2009 · strongman biomechanics

How heavy should I go?

Choose a load that allows the intended controlled practice. Shorten the distance or reduce the weight if you cannot maintain that control. This is a coaching adjustment, not a diagnosis of weak obliques. ACSM guidance supports individualisation rather than a universal sex-based load or a compulsory 40 m test.

ACSM2026 · individualised resistance training · ACE · Strongman training · Pete McCall

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