Farmers walk

[Guest omniexist]

I'm going to make some farmers walk handles. How thick should the part where i hold them be?

[Guest Matt Brennecke]

Mine are 2' on the shaft, and then I have a handle that is 1" up above. If you mean how far apart should the collars be, I would say between 24-30". It depends on how long your stride is. You definitlely dont want to hit your plates when you walk.

[Guest Reverend]

I think it more depends on exactly what you've got it mind... your question is a bit vague.  

It sounds from Matt's reply like he's referring to the type of plate loading setup that J.V. Askem was recently shown carrying in an issue of MILO.  Personally, I'm a bit more of a cheapskate.

I've got a couple of IronMind's plate loading pins, complete with carabiners.  And, I have a couple of different handles.

One set of handles is made of 2" thick PVC pipe, each about seven inches long.  I ran heavy nylon cord through each and attached them to the carabiners.  I also have a couple of six inch lengths of regular old 1 inch metal plumbing pipe, same setup.  With this I can vary the amount of weight and the distance with the grip, as the mood suits me.  

This approach keeps me interested, but seems to bother my neighbors somewhat when they see me walking down the street.  Needless to say, I won't be carrying any engine blocks with this setup, but it's having results.

--the Reverend

[blueshadow]

That sounds like a pretty good set-up Rev, I picture your toys kind of like portable kettlebells! By the way do not pay too much attention to your neighbors, they are probably wishing they had the guts to do what you are doing and also hoping someday to be in as good a condition as you are!

                                            JJ

[apdwler]

I have a few ideas on my site. Also a link to another site.

One of the best ideas I have heard, if you want standard size handles, is to use two super curl bars or two tricep bars. The super curl bars REALLY work good. There is a lot of room, so if you drop it you will easily miss your toes!

http://www.geocities.com/fightraining

Sorry, I just woke up. The info is about how to make farmers walk bars. For handle size, its kind of dependent on what you are doing them for and your hand size. For me anything less than 2 inch is mainly an overall workout. Anything above two inches is mainly a hand workout. However, hand size plays a big role in the measurements.

[Rick Browne]

A trap bar works well for faramer walks too. Of course, the inertia of the weight is different, at least it is to me. The weights of the trap bar being lateral and away from the legs as opposed to weight being directly underneath your hands, gives a different feel. It is a smooth ride though. I use 5 different implements for farmers and I experience different force from each one

[Guest Reverend]

That sounds like a pretty good set-up Rev, I picture your toys kind of like portable kettlebells! By the way do not pay too much attention to your neighbors, they are probably wishing they had the guts to do what you are doing and also hoping someday to be in as good a condition as you are!

                                            JJ

Portable Kettlebells would be as good a way to describe them as any.  Thanks for the encouragement, but I don't think the neighbors are necessarily too envious of my "shape."   :0

This sort of thing, along with pushing your car down the street every so often, definitely sends a message, though. Like the Far Side cartoon says, "This is nature's way of saying 'don't touch.'"

The Reverend

Pastor of Disaster

The Iron Pulpit