Core and stability exercise

# Suitcase carry

Walking while holding a weight in one hand, like carrying a suitcase. The goal is to stay upright and not lean.

Also called: single-arm farmer carry, one-arm farmers walk

- **Type:** Core and stability

- **Equipment:** Band or dumbbells

- **Area:** Lower back

- **Level:** Advanced

- **Starting dose in Remedy:** 3 carries of 30 seconds per side

## How to do it

- Pick up a dumbbell or kettlebell in one hand using a hip hinge, not by rounding your back.
- Stand tall with your shoulders level and the weight by your side.
- Walk at a normal pace for about 30 seconds, keeping your trunk upright.
- Set the weight down with the same hinge, switch hands, and repeat.

## Form cues

- Walk tall.
- Keep both shoulders level; don’t lean toward or away from the weight.

## Common mistakes

- Leaning away from the weight to balance it.
- Shrugging the loaded shoulder up.
- Starting too heavy. Choose a weight you can carry with good posture the whole time.

## Easier and harder versions

- **Easier:** [Side plank](https://remedyrecoveries.com/exercises/side-plank)

## Why it helps a sore back

Carrying something on one side tries to bend you sideways. Resisting that is exactly what the side-of-trunk muscles do in daily life, from grocery bags to a child on one hip.

## How Remedy uses it

In the app it is called **Suitcase Carry**. Remedy is more likely to pick it if you say your back is bothered by standing or walking or working out. A typical starting dose is 3 carries of 30 seconds per side, and the program adjusts reps as the weeks go on. Every exercise in the app has a demonstration video.

General fitness information, not medical advice. Stop any exercise that causes sharp pain, or pain, numbness, or tingling spreading down a leg.

## More core and stability exercises

[Core and stability

### Dead bug exercise

A core exercise done on your back: you slowly lower an opposite arm and leg while keeping your trunk still.
No equipment · Beginner](https://remedyrecoveries.com/exercises/dead-bug)
[Core and stability

### Bird dog exercise

From your hands and knees, you reach one arm forward and the opposite leg back while keeping your back still.
No equipment · Beginner](https://remedyrecoveries.com/exercises/bird-dog)
[Core and stability

### Side plank from the knees

A shorter-lever side plank with your knees on the floor.
No equipment · Intermediate](https://remedyrecoveries.com/exercises/side-plank-knees)

## Guides that use it
[Guide
### Core exercises for back pain
What “core” really means for a sore back, and a progression from floor to standing.Read the guide](https://remedyrecoveries.com/guides/core-exercises-for-back-pain)

[More exercise guides](https://remedyrecoveries.com/exercises/)

## Get a back program you can actually keep

Free to download on the App Store. Answer a few questions and your first session is ready in minutes.

[](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/remedy-back-pain-relief/id6813745106)[Read the guides](https://remedyrecoveries.com/guides/)

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Source: https://remedyrecoveries.com/exercises/suitcase-carry
Remedy is a fitness and wellness app, not medical care.