Suitcase carry
A one-sided carry that forces the trunk to resist sideways bending.
What it is
A loaded carry with weight in one hand only. The asymmetric load tries to bend you sideways, and resisting it trains the obliques and quadratus lumborum far more than a two-handed carry does — while still building grip.
Muscles worked
Primary: Obliques, Quadratus lumborum, Forearms. Secondary: Gluteus medius, Traps, Core.
How to perform it
- Set a single heavy dumbbell or kettlebell beside one foot.
- Hinge with a flat back, grip it, and stand up by driving through the legs.
- Stand perfectly upright — do not lean away from or towards the weight — with the shoulders level.
- Walk for a set distance keeping the torso vertical, then set it down and repeat on the other side.
Common form faults
- Leaning away from the weight to counterbalance. Reduce the weight until you can stay vertical. Leaning defeats the entire purpose of the exercise.
- Hitching the loaded shoulder up. Keep the shoulders level and the loaded arm long; let the trunk, not the trapezius, do the resisting.
- Doing one side and not the other. Always match sides, and start with the weaker one.
Programming
Programmed by distance or time per side. It is a genuinely effective oblique exercise disguised as a carry, and it is one of the more back-friendly ways to load lateral trunk stability.
Plan your training
Variations & substitutions
Frequently asked questions
- How is this different from a farmer's carry?
- The single-sided load creates a sideways bending force the trunk has to resist, which the balanced two-handed version does not. It is a core exercise first and a grip exercise second.
- How heavy?
- Light enough to walk perfectly upright for the whole distance. The moment you start leaning, the weight is wrong.
Written and reviewed by Mathew Beale, MSc Biotechnology, University of Reading.
Last reviewed: