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When talking about strength and working out, most people’s minds tend to wander off to a singular place the gym. While it’s true that gyms have become a really popular concept in the 21st century, it wasn’t always this way.
People used to train using a variety of methods when gyms weren’t as widely available or didn’t exist in the form that we’re familiar with. The idea of going to a gym and lifting some weights for a few days a week is relatively new.
Traditionally, strongmen often came from farming families where manual labor wasn’t optional.
A perfect example of people getting strong without the help of any gym equipment is the workers who work at a farm, a ranch, a construction site, or a lumber mill. This is where the idea of farmer’s strength comes from.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at what this term means and how it’s developed, so without further delay, let's’ get right to it.
What is Farmer’s Strength?
In layman’s terms, Farmer’s Strength is the strength that’s developed by working day in and day out doing a labor-intensive job.
Since farmers who depend on manual labor have to exhaust themselves every day, they develop almost inhuman stamina and the ability to lift giant loads.
This often boggles the urban gymgoer who usually visits a gym 3-4 times a week.
Farmer’s Strength is something that goes against the generally accepted principles followed by bodybuilders and weightlifters.
The gym rats think that working out every day is counterproductive and no one can build any significant strength that way.
However, when we see farmers and manual laborers who don’t abide by these principles, it’s clear that there's more than one way to develop strength.
How to Get Farmer's Strength
Developing the coveted farmer’s strength isn’t usually voluntary as the people in whom this strength is witnessed, don’t usually do anything extraordinary. All that these people do is hard work every day without a break.
Since a farmer or a laborer doesn’t have the option of taking a rest day, they’re forced to work out without break. These people also don’t focus too much on their diets and counting their macros which is something that the sedentary urban class is infamous for.
What this means is that to develop true functional strength, the human body has to be subjected to stress every day coupled with a rich diet.
But can you get “Farm Strong” if you are not a day laborer of some kind?
Top Exercises for Getting Farm Strong Without the Farm 👩🌾
1. The Farmers Walk
This is a pretty easy exercise to do. Simply pick up two heavy dumbbells and carry them. Maintain good posture and as you get more advanced you can use more specialized tools to really substantially increase the weight.
💡 Quick Tip: We highly recommend these farmer walk handles but only when you're ready to go beast mode!
Synergee Farmer Walk Handles
2. The Sled Push
The sled push is a fantastic strength and conditioning exercise. Farmers actually spend a lot of their time physically pushing large cows around the farm.
There's a good chance we may have made that last part up but regardless we think this is a great functional farm related exercise.
💡 Quick Tip: You want to skip Amazon for any push/pull sleds. The ones they have on their are expensive and lack quality. Instead check out Rogue Fitness this time for amazing affordability and quality.
The Rogue Dog Sled
3. The Log Clean and Press
Now this one is a one heck of an exercise. It combines elements of both the dead lift as well as the press and since it's a power move it's a great conditioning exercise.
The log bar adds a particular challenge and provides for an interesting grip variation when compared to a normal barbell.
💡 Quick Tip: Titan Fitness has a great log bar at a great price! And in this case they sell it on Amazon so you can take advantage of that sweet, sweet quick shipping.
The Titan Fitness Log Bar
