Hyrox Farmers Carry Technique: How to Keep Moving Without Dropping the Kettlebells

By the time you reach the Farmers Carry at a Hyrox race, you have already run 6 km and grinded through five stations. Your grip is buzzing, your lungs are working, and now someone hands you two loaded kettlebells and asks you to walk 200 metres in a straight, controlled line. It looks like the simplest thing on the floor. It is also where a surprising number of first-time racers leak time they can never get back.

If you are training for your first Hyrox in Malta or travelling to a European event this season, this guide breaks down the hyrox farmers carry technique that actually matters on race day: grip, posture, foot speed, and the underrated skill of knowing exactly when to set the bells down and reset. No fluff, no hype, just what keeps you moving.

What the Hyrox Farmers Carry actually is

The Farmers Carry is station six of eight. In Hyrox, the Farmers Carry demands 200 metres of loaded movement using two kettlebells, and you turn every 25 metres depending on the venue. The course is typically an out-and-back layout inside the venue, with a turnaround at the 100-metre mark; you pick up the kettlebells from a designated area, walk the course, and set them down at the end.

Here is where it sits in the race so you can pace it properly. The Farmers Carry is the sixth station, and by the time you reach it you will already have completed 6 km of running and five functional stations: SkiErg, sled push, sled pull, burpee broad jumps and rowing; following this station you have 2 km of running and two remaining functional stations, Sandbag Lunges and Wall Balls. So this is not the finish line. It is a bridge, and how you cross it decides how fresh your legs feel for the back half.

The weights by division

The loads are standardised worldwide, so what you carry in Valletta is what you carry in Vienna. The breakdown by division:

• Open Women: 2 x 16 kg
• Open Men: 2 x 24 kg
• Pro Women: 2 x 24 kg
• Pro Men: 2 x 32 kg

Open Men carry 2 x 24 kg kettlebells and Pro Men carry 2 x 32 kg kettlebells, while women handle 16 kg or 24 kg per hand and men 24 kg or 32 kg per hand across the divisions. In the Doubles category, the kettlebells may be passed or put down at the changeover, and the partner picks them up himself. If you are new to Hyrox, Open is the standard entry category and almost certainly where you will start.

The rules that trip up first-timers

Before we talk technique, know the rulebook, because breaking it costs you time or a penalty. The key points from the official Hyrox rules:

• The kettlebell Farmers Carry begins and ends with the removal and return of the kettlebells from the marked box next to the workout station start and finish line.
• The racer has to carry both kettlebells at all times while they move, and kettlebells must be carried with both arms extended by the racer's sides. You cannot rest them on your forearms or shoulders; it is not a rack carry.
• Putting down the kettlebells to rest is permitted, so long as the kettlebells do not move forward when placing them on the ground.
• The workout station is completed once the racer carries the kettlebells across the finish line and returns them to the correct box, ensuring that the handles remain in the upright position. If the racer fails to return their kettlebells to the correct area or they are not left in the upright position, a 30-second penalty shall apply.

That last one catches tired racers constantly. You survive the carry, you drop the bells anywhere, and you have just handed back the time you fought for. Return them to the box, handles up, every time.

Grip: your real limiter

The Farmers Carry looks like a strength test, but grip strength is required and this exercise engages your upper back and core. For most age-group racers, though, grip usually isn't the real limiter; pacing and fatigue are. The good news is grip is both trainable and manageable within a single carry.

How to hold the bells

• Grip the centre of the handle, not the front or back edge. Centred loading keeps the bell from tipping and twisting, which quietly drains your forearms.
• Squeeze deliberately, not with a death grip from step one. A full-tension crush grip for 200 metres burns out early. Aim for firm and controlled, then intensify only if the bells start to slip.
• Keep the wrists neutral and straight. Let the load hang through a strong, stacked forearm rather than bending at the wrist.
• Hook grip or chalk? Chalk helps if your hands sweat, and Malta's humidity is real. Check event rules on chalk before relying on it, and practise with whatever you plan to use.

Managing grip fatigue mid-carry

You cannot switch hands or rack the bells, but you can manage the burn. If your hands start to open up, that is your cue to plan a set-down, not to fight to failure and drop the bells uncontrolled. A planned reset is faster than a scramble.

Posture: stay tall, stay efficient

The athletes who move fastest through this station are not always the strongest. The fastest Farmers Carry athletes in Hyrox do not just have strong hands; they look rock solid from shoulders to hips, with no collapse and no wasted motion. Posture is what turns raw grip strength into a smooth, repeatable stride.

Your checklist while moving:

• Stand tall with the weights at your sides, keep your core braced and shoulders back.
• Pull your shoulder blades slightly together so the load does not round you forward.
• Let the arms hang naturally and do not let the weights swing excessively. Excess swing wastes energy and knocks you off balance.
• Look ahead, not down at the weights. Eyes up keeps your spine long and your line straight to the turnaround.

A collapsed, rounded carry does two bad things: it makes the bells feel heavier and it drags fatigue into the sandbag lunges and wall balls waiting for you. Standing tall is free speed.

Foot speed: walk with purpose

This is the cue most first-timers miss. Because the bells are heavy and the grip is burning, people instinctively shuffle with tiny, cautious steps. That is slow and, oddly, more tiring.

• Walk with a normal or slightly quick stride; do not shuffle or take tiny steps.
• Keep a steady, rhythmic cadence. A predictable rhythm lets you settle your breathing and your grip into a pattern.
• Do not run or bounce. Bouncing makes the bells swing and spikes your grip demand. Smooth and brisk beats frantic.
• Attack the turnaround calmly. Slow slightly, pivot tight, and rebuild your rhythm on the way back rather than sprinting into the corner and losing control.

For a sense of pace: the 200-metre distance makes this a 90-to-150-second effort for most competitors, while pro athletes complete it in under 90 seconds. If you can exceed 3 minutes, this station deserves priority in your preparation.

When to set down and reset

Here is the strategic heart of good hyrox farmers carry technique. Setting the bells down is legal and, done right, it is a tool, not a failure. Done wrong, it bleeds time.

The reality: if you drop them mid-carry you can pick them back up with no formal penalty, but every drop costs 3 to 5 seconds minimum between setting down, resetting your grip and rebuilding your brace. So the goal is to plan your resets, not react to a grip that is already failing.

A simple reset strategy for your first race

• Aim for zero to one planned stops. If your grip is solid, carry the full 200 metres unbroken. That is the fastest option and very achievable at Open weights with a little training.
• If you know your grip will go, break it once, deliberately. A common plan is to carry to the turnaround, set down for two or three deep breaths, then finish. One clean reset beats three panicked ones.
• Set the bells down under control. Remember the rule: they must not move forward as you place them. Lower with a flat back, place them beside you, do not toss them ahead to gain distance.
• Reset with intent. Shake out the hands, re-brace, re-grip in the centre, then pick up and go. The stop is for the grip, not a rest for the legs.

Across division benchmarks the Farmers Carry shows the smallest time variance of any station, which means there is almost no room to recover lost time here, but plenty of room to lose more if your grip gives out or your pacing collapses. Consistency wins.

Training the carry in Malta

You do not need a fancy setup to prepare for this. A pair of kettlebells or dumbbells and a stretch of clear ground, whether that is a gym floor, a car park, or the Sliema seafront early on a quiet morning, is enough. Build both distance at race weight and heavier carries over shorter distances; for example, 3 rounds of 150 metres at race weight, or 3 rounds of 60 to 80 metres at a load above race weight.

• Distance at race weight: practise carrying your division's load over 150 to 200 metres so 200 metres feels routine.
• Heavier over shorter distance: carry above race weight for 60 to 80 metres to build grip and posture strength.

The most race-specific point is simple. Farmers Carry is a skill under load, and the more comfortable you are at race pace, the less it will spike your heart rate and disrupt your rhythm. So practise moving quickly with the bells in your hands, not just standing and holding them.

Supporting work

Because a strong carry comes from the whole posterior chain and not just the hands, general strength work supports it well. That might mean including exercises such as Romanian deadlifts, heavy shrugs, barbell rows, single-arm carries and front rack carries in your training, while still practising the specific skill of moving quickly with kettlebells in your hands. Single-arm suitcase carries are especially good for teaching your core to resist tipping, which transfers directly to a taller, straighter Farmers Carry.

Gear that actually matters

You do not carry the bells with equipment, but a few sensible choices help you train and race better:

• Competition-standard kettlebells: training with the exact loads you will race, 16, 24 or 32 kg, removes surprises on the day. Standardised bells feel and balance the way race bells do.
• Chalk: humidity in Malta means sweaty palms, and a little chalk can be the difference between a clean carry and an early drop. Confirm it is allowed at your event.
• Footwear: a flat, stable trainer helps you drive a confident stride and turn tightly without your foot rolling.

If you are kitting out for Hyrox training, matching your kettlebell weights to your race division is the single most useful thing you can do. It turns every practice carry into rehearsal.

Your race-day checklist

• Grip the centre of the handle, firm not frantic, wrists neutral.
• Stand tall, brace, shoulders back, eyes ahead.
• Walk with a normal, slightly quick stride, no shuffling.
• Plan zero to one resets and set the bells down under control if you stop.
• Return the bells to the correct box, handles upright, to avoid a 30-second penalty.
• Rebuild your breathing before the next run, because 2 km and two stations still remain.

Master these basics and the Farmers Carry stops being a station you survive and becomes one you use to settle, breathe and set up a strong finish. Train it specifically, respect the rules, and keep moving. That is the whole game.