Carrying heavy weights seems to have no value except to strengthening your grip. But when you perform a movement like the barbell overhead carry exercise and pick up the weights and walk around, you’ll realize there’s a lot more to carrying than meets the eye.
Your shoulders and lungs burn with every step and any deviation while walking will feel double. In addition, the voices inside your head will tell you to stop smoking due to the intense discomfort you feel. Then you will realize that there is much more to carries than meets the eye. But with a simple tweak, you can take your hauling game to a whole new level. What is? He carries a barbell above his head.
Here we’ll explain what overhead carries are, the benefits of the barbell overhead carry, how to perform an overhead carry, programming tips, and overhead carry variations if the overhead carry. overhead barbell is not for you.
What is overhead barbell carry?
There’s no question that regular carries (next door, shelf, suitcase, or cup) are tough. But walking with a barbell overhead takes this to another level due to the increased leverage. The further the weight is from the working muscles, in this case, the legs, the harder it is to carry. Carrying a barbell overhead will put the entire body under tension and each step is a test of single-leg balance. This means starting on the lighter side with overhead carries, somewhere between 60-80% of your barbell overhead press 1RM works best.
How to do a barbell overhead carry
- You have two options to place the bar in the upper position. First, and the most preferable option is to push it overhead from the squat rack. The second is a clean and press from the floor. A grip wider than shoulder width works well here.
- Once the bar is pressed overhead, make sure your wrists are in a neutral position, elbows are locked, and your biceps are level with or behind your ears.
- Take small, slow steps forward paying attention to your gait and the position of the bar. Walk 20 to 40 meters.
- Return the bar to the squat rack or the floor carefully.
trained muscles
The overhead bar carry is a full body exercise due to the superior position and its dynamic nature. Here are the main muscles trained by carrying the bar overhead.
Upper part of the body
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- forearms
- upper back
- rotator cuff
- triceps
- all three delts
lower body
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- anterior and posterior nucleus
- buttocks
- hamstrings
- calves
Benefits of carrying the bar overhead
Overhead carries, when done with good form, will improve your
- Better posture: Anything short of good posture when performing overhead lifts is a sure way to lose your balance and hurt yourself. carrying weights above the head reinforces good posture and strengthens the muscles necessary for a better posture.
- Encourage proper breathing patterns: Chest breathing is great when you need to breathe quickly when being chased by a wild animal. But most of your breathing should come from your diaphragm. Doing the overhead carry makes it difficult to breathe from your chest when carrying heavy weights overhead and therefore encourages better breathing patterns.
- Shoulder Stability: Your rotator cuffs are working like crazy to keep your shoulders in your sockets and all three deltoid muscles are on fire to keep the bar in the top position. carrying weights above the head improves shoulder stability due to increased time under tension of the entire shoulder girdle.
- Better Balance: Each step with the bar overhead is a single leg stance. Any loss of balance will be magnified here, so be careful. The last thing you want is to end up on a training failure video.
- Conditioning and Mental Toughness: All loaded carry and in particular overhead carry will teach you to deal with discomfort and to walk with a load. This has fantastic carryover in and out of the gym.
How to add it to your routine
There are a couple of ways to program overhead bar transport. The first option is part of your strength programming, or the second option is part of your main routine before lifting weights. Whichever you choose, do it early because this is a physically strenuous exercise that requires your full attention.
Here are a couple of examples.
1A. Bench Press Variation
1 B. Overhead carry with bar – 40 yards
basic triset
1A. Overhead carry with bar – 40 yards
1 B. Stability ball plank – 30 seconds
1 C. Half Kneeling Pallof Press: 12 reps on each side.
Suggestions of weight, series and repetitions
Below are guidelines on how to program the barbell overhead carry for strength and hypertrophy. These are guidelines only and can be modified to suit your personal goals.
Hypertrophy: Time under tension and volume is the key to gaining muscle with any exercise, including the overhead carry. Performing three to four sets, walking more than 40 yards using 60-80% of your overhead press 1RM is a good starting point.
Strength: Increasing the weight and reducing the distance you travel will increase your strength in the overhead position. 3 sets of walking 20 yards using 80-90% of your 1RM overhead pressing will challenge you.
Barbell Overhead Carry Variations
Overhead barbell carries are an advanced variation and are not for everyone, especially those who have shoulder mobility issues or suffer from shoulder pain. In these cases, incorporating an overhead carry variation can provide the same kinds of benefits as a barbell carry. in your routine is key. Here are three top variations to add flavor to your carry game.
