Farmer's Carry Load Matchup | Friends

Quick Intro

Farmer’s Carry Load Matchup is a strength contest that stops short of a maximum. Each partner carries a pair of dumbbells, one in each hand, over a fixed distance, adding weight attempt by attempt. Each stops climbing at the heaviest load they could still have carried about 10 metres further with good posture. The partner whose final load is heavier, compared relative to their own body weight, wins.

How to pick up, carry and set down the weights is covered at Farmer’s Carry. This guide covers the matchup: how to build up the loads, how to judge the reserve and how to compare two people of different sizes.

It is a strength contest, written for adults and older teens, and not suited to young children.

What You’ll Need

A set of dumbbells in steady steps, enough to go well above a comfortable carrying weight.
A clear, flat lane, marked at the carry distance, for example 20 metres.
Somewhere to note each attempt.

How to Play

Agree the carry distance and the starting weight, something both partners can carry easily.
Agree how the loads will be compared: relative to body weight, or as raw load if your body weights are close. Settle this before the first carry.
Take turns. Each partner carries the starting weight over the distance.
If the carry was done with good posture and you could clearly have kept going, step up to the next weight for your next attempt.
Keep stepping up, one turn each, with full rest between attempts.
Stop climbing when a carry no longer feels like it had about 10 metres left in it with good posture. Your last carry that did have that reserve is your result.
Compare results as agreed.

Judging the Reserve

The contest is the heaviest load you can carry with about 10 metres left in the tank. That stops it from becoming a test of who will push hardest into a carry that is already failing. Signs that the reserve has gone:

the shoulders start to round forward or the body leans to one side;
the steps get short and shuffling;
the grip starts to open before the end of the lane;
you are counting down the metres to the line.

When any of these show up, that attempt is past the reserve. Your result is the previous load. The partner watching can call it too; agree that their call stands.

Comparing Two People of Different Sizes

A heavier person can usually carry more, so comparing raw loads favours the bigger partner. Scoring relative to body weight makes it a fair contest: divide the load carried, both dumbbells together, by your body weight. A partner of 60 kilograms who carries 60 kilograms in total scores 1.0; a partner of 90 kilograms who carries 81 kilograms scores 0.9, and the first partner wins.

You do not need to weigh in front of each other. Each person can weigh themselves privately, work out their own figure and share only that number. If your body weights are close and you are both happy with it, comparing raw loads is simpler.

Staying Safe

This is not a maximal test. Stop climbing while about 10 metres of reserve remain. Never push into a carry that is clearly failing.
Stop the moment posture breaks down. Set the weights down under control.
Rest fully between attempts. A rushed attempt is a weaker one and more likely to go wrong.
Clear the lane of anything to trip on, and set down and pick up the weights with a straight back and bent knees.

Common Mistakes

Big jumps in weight. Step up gradually. A large jump can skip past your real result.
Leaning to one side. Uneven dumbbells or a tired grip tilt the body. Use matched dumbbells and keep the shoulders level.
Racing the lane. Speed is not part of the score. Walk steadily with good posture.

Fitting It Into a Session

The load matchup needs fresh grip and a fresh back, so it goes after a thorough warm-up and before other grip or carrying games. Keep it away from dead hangs, rope work and deadlifts in the same session.

Deadlift Load Matchup uses the same idea with deadlifts.
Farmer’s Carry Race is a speed contest over a distance with a set load.
Carry Steal is a chase game with a carry.
Suitcase Carry, with one weight in one hand, makes a different contest that tests the side of the trunk.

FAQ

How big should each weight jump be?

Use the next dumbbell up each time, or a few kilograms at most. Smaller jumps give a more accurate result.

Do we both have to use the same distance?

Yes. The distance stays the same for both partners and every attempt.

What if we both end at the same relative score?

Call it a draw, and settle it in a rematch another day.