Suitcase Carry

The suitcase carry is a loaded walk where you hold a single dumbbell or kettlebell at your side like a briefcase. It mainly trains the obliques on the opposite side of the weight and challenges your grip, with support from the traps and glutes.

Set up by standing tall with your feet about hip-width apart and the weight beside one foot. Hinge at your hips, bend your knees, and grip the handle firmly. Stand up straight with the weight hanging at your side, shoulders level, and the weight clear of your leg.

Begin walking with slow, controlled steps. Stay dead level - no lean. Keep your torso upright, your hips and shoulders square, and your free arm relaxed or slightly out for balance. Walk the assigned distance, set the weight down under control, then switch sides.

Take a breath in and brace your midsection before you start, as if preparing for a light push to the stomach. Keep breathing steadily as you move. To make it easier, use less weight or shorten the distance. To make it harder, add weight or increase distance only if your form stays solid.

Fault: Leaning or tilting toward or away from the weight. Fix: Brace against the side-bend, stand tall, and keep your shoulders and hips level throughout the walk.

Fault: Letting the loaded shoulder drop or the wrist bend backward. Fix: Grip the handle firmly, keep the arm long, and hold the wrist straight.

Fault: Holding your breath or relaxing the core. Fix: Brace before your first step and maintain steady breathing for the entire carry.