Strength training is a great way to increase muscle mass, promote higher immune and cardiovascular function, fight depression and boost overall health.
There are many different strength training methods, from 5×5 strong lifting regimen to power lifting and even olympic lifting techniques.
The recent popularity of Crossfit and other dynamic action workout techniques have led to the proliferation of practical application workout methods that mimic real life actions to promote muscle growth.
The farmer’s walk is one of these movements. If you’ve ever carried an entire load of groceries from your car to your kitchen in one trip, you’ve probably got a good feeling of what the farmer’s walk is all about.
One of the primary issues in using weight equipment to perform the farmer’s walk, however, is the amount of weight needed to perform the movement correctly.
The high weight required often bends inferior bars, so it’s important to use a strong, rigid bar for the exercise.
Steelflex, one of the world’s leading providers of gym equipment, offers a purpose-built solution for this issue with their SteelFlex Ape FH1 Farmer’s Walk Handles.
What is SteelFlex Ape FH1 Farmer’s Walk Handles?
The SteelFlex Ape FH1 Farmer’s Walk Handles is a compound, dynamic action full body practical action exercise.
Perfect for boosting lean muscle mass incredibly fast while simultaneously burning away unwanted muscle mass, the farmer’s walk is a big, heavyweight lift with minimal risk of injury.
An incredibly simple exercise that’s hard to mess up, the farmer’s walk consists of finding the biggest, heaviest weights in in the gym, lifting one in each hand and walking as far as you can.
Engaging all of the major muscle groups at once, the farmer’s walk first engages the arms, requiring a fitness enthusiast to flex forearm muscles to exert grip strength while keeping the weights away from the body with the biceps and triceps so they don’t interfere with walking.
The back and shoulders must work in unison during the farmer’s walk to carry the brunt of the weight, forcing exercisers to contract the muscles to keep the shoulder blades compressed and together.
The core and lower back are used to stabilize the weight of the muscle and prevent back injury, while the quads, hamstrings and glutes provide the shifting power to lug the weight around.
SteelFlex Ape FH1 Farmer’s Walk Handles
The SteelFlex APE FH1 Farmer’s Walk Handles provide a solution to many of the problems encountered when trying to use traditional bars, kettlebells or dumbbells to perform a farmer’s walk.
Olympic bars, although long enough to support the weight required to perform an effective farmer’s walk, are far too long to balance the weight adequately, creating a dangerous and unwieldy weight.
Dumbbells and kettlebells have too wide of a profile, forcing the walker to rely too heavily on the biceps and triceps, reducing the efficacy of the walk.
The SteelFlex APE FH1 Handles are perfect for performing a farmer’s walk, at just 5’ long and 12” of plate loading space on each end.
With 8” of grip handle space, the FH1’s hang the center of gravity of the plates you’re lugging below the knuckles, weighing 18lbs each.
Able to carry up to 12 Olympic plates per handle, the SteelFlex APE FH1 Farmer’s Walk Handles are flat black powder coated bars that provide the ultimate solution for any fitness enthusiast keen on getting the most out of their farmer’s walk efforts.
Best of all, each bar is rated to hold 540 pounds of weight before bending, meaning you’d need to be able to walk a solid half ton before upgrading.
Pricing & Availability
SteelFlex Ape FH1 Farmer’s Walk Handles are available from the SteelFlex website and are priced at $229 USD.
Whether you’re looking for a long term investment for your home gym or are seeking a unique way to provide high weight capacity farmer’s walk equipment to your personal trainer or professional gym clients, the APE FH1’s are a solid, reliable choice.
