What is a suitcase carry exercise?
A suitcase carry is a loaded carry performed with a weight in one hand. Imagine walking through an airport with one heavy suitcase—that is essentially the movement pattern. In the gym, you usually use a dumbbell or kettlebell, stand tall, and walk without letting the load pull your torso sideways.
The exercise is closely related to the farmer carry, but the one-sided load changes the challenge. Instead of equal weight on both sides, your trunk and hips have to manage an asymmetrical force with every step.
I incorporate suitcase carries regularly in my own workouts to maintain strength and agility. I also like the real-world carryover: hauling grocery bags from the grocery store is basically a less organized version of the same job. That's personal experience, not medical advice or a promise that this exercise prevents injury.
Suitcase carry vs farmer's walk
This is one of the most-searched questions around the exercise, and the distinction is straightforward. A farmer carry normally uses two weights—one in each hand. A suitcase carry uses one weight on one side. Both train grip and loaded walking, but the suitcase version adds a stronger anti-side-bending demand.
That difference is why this deserves its own exercise guide rather than being treated as another name for farmer's walks. In a study of loaded carry patterns, researchers explicitly separated bilateral farmer carries from unilateral suitcase carries and measured differences in trunk-muscle activation. Other gait research has also shown that carrying a unilateral weight changes hip and trunk demands compared with unloaded walking.
Suitcase carry muscles worked
Grip and forearms
You still have to keep the weight in your hand for the entire set. A heavy kettlebell or dumbbell makes grip an obvious part of the exercise, which is why suitcase carries fit well beside our grip strength content.
Obliques and abdominal wall
The load wants to pull your torso toward the weighted side. Your trunk has to resist that lateral flexion. This is why suitcase carries are often described as an “anti-lateral-flexion” core exercise rather than a side bend.
Back and spinal stabilizers
Research comparing loaded carries and holds has measured activation in muscles including the longissimus and multifidus during suitcase carries. The practical takeaway is not that you need to memorize anatomy; it is that staying upright with an off-centre load requires active trunk control.
Hips and glutes
Walking with unilateral weight also changes demands around the pelvis and hip. Research on unilateral weight during walking found increased hip-abductor activity on the side opposite the weight. Again, that study does not prove a specific long-term training outcome, but it explains why the movement feels different from an evenly loaded farmer carry.
Legs and calves
Every rep is still a series of loaded steps. Quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves keep you moving while the rest of the body controls the uneven load.
Suitcase carry benefits
Practical one-sided strength
Real life is rarely perfectly symmetrical. Grocery bags, toolboxes, luggage and boxes often end up heavier on one side. Training does not need to mimic every household task exactly, but learning to move calmly with an uneven load has obvious practical relevance.
Core training while standing and walking
If most of your core work happens lying on the floor, suitcase carries offer a different problem: remain tall while moving through space. They can complement planks, side planks and other trunk exercises without replacing them.
Grip work
Like farmer carries and dead hangs, suitcase carries give your support grip a job. Because only one hand works at a time, you can also notice side-to-side differences more easily.
Coordination and agility
I personally like the way the exercise makes me pay attention to my steps and body position. I use “agility” here in the everyday sense of moving under control, not as a claim that suitcase carries alone will turn someone into a faster athlete.
How to do a suitcase carry correctly
- Place one dumbbell or kettlebell beside you.
- Pick it up without twisting. Hinge or squat as appropriate for the implement.
- Stand tall before moving. Let the arm hang naturally.
- Keep your shoulders roughly level. Do not hike the weighted shoulder or collapse toward the load.
- Walk slowly enough to stay controlled.
- Turn carefully. The asymmetrical load makes rushed pivots unnecessary.
- Finish the set and switch sides. Unless you have a specific reason not to, train both sides.
The biggest form cue: don't lean away from the weight
A common compensation is to dramatically shift your torso away from the dumbbell. That may let you survive a load that is too heavy, but it defeats the clean movement pattern most people are trying to practice. NASM's carry guidance emphasizes staying tall and reducing load or distance when posture breaks down.
Think “zipper straight up and down.” Your body will naturally make tiny adjustments as you walk; you do not need robotic stiffness. You are simply avoiding a visible side bend or shoulder hike.
How heavy should a suitcase carry be?
The right weight is one you can control. Because the load is unilateral, I would rather start lighter than I would for a two-handed farmer carry. If you immediately lean, shorten your steps, hold your breath excessively or cannot put the weight down safely, the load is telling you something.
Searchers often want a percentage of body weight. Research studies sometimes use percentages to standardize experiments, but that does not automatically make those percentages appropriate prescriptions for a recreational beginner. Your grip, training age and movement quality matter.
Dumbbell vs kettlebell suitcase carry
Both work. A dumbbell is widely available and easy to load in small increments. A kettlebell's handle and hanging mass feel slightly different, which some people prefer. Use the implement you can hold securely and progress gradually. There is no need to turn equipment choice into a philosophical debate.
How long should you do suitcase carries?
For a beginner, 20–30 seconds per side for two or three rounds is a reasonable practice format—not a universal prescription. You can also use distance. The set should end while your walking still looks like walking, not after the weight has dragged you into a sideways shuffle.
As you adapt, add a little distance, time or load. Changing one variable makes it easier to understand what actually improved.
Suitcase carry workout example
After your main lifting, carry on the right for 20–30 seconds, rest briefly, then carry on the left for the same duration. Rest 60–90 seconds and repeat for two or three total rounds. If one side feels less coordinated, resist the urge to punish it with dramatically more volume; focus on clean repetitions.
Suitcase carry for groceries: why the comparison actually makes sense
This is one reason I enjoy the exercise. Grocery bags rarely distribute themselves into two perfectly matched loads. Carrying one heavier bag from the car requires grip, walking, trunk control and the ability to manage an off-centre load. The gym version gives me a controlled way to train that general pattern.
That does not mean you should turn grocery day into a max-effort workout. Real-world objects can have awkward handles, shifting contents and uneven weight. Training is useful partly because the environment is more controlled.
Suitcase carry vs farmer carry vs offset carry
Suitcase carry: one load in one hand. Farmer carry: equal or similar loads in both hands. Offset farmer carry: weights in both hands but intentionally different loads. Start with the basic versions before adding asymmetry for its own sake.
Common suitcase carry mistakes
Using too much weight
If the dumbbell dictates your posture, lighten it.
Leaning away
The goal is to resist the sideways pull, not counter it with a dramatic lean in the other direction.
Hiking the shoulder
Do not spend the entire set trying to touch your shoulder to your ear.
Holding your breath for the whole walk
Brace enough to stay controlled, but a normal training carry should still allow breathing.
Only training your “good” side
For general training, switch sides and pay attention to differences rather than hiding them.
Walking too fast
Speed magnifies sloppiness. Own the position first.
Where suitcase carries fit after 40
They fit the same philosophy as old man strength and farmer's walks: build strength that has some relationship to things you actually do. They also complement bilateral carries nicely. I do not see the suitcase carry as a replacement for squats, hinges, presses, rows or aerobic exercise; it is a useful accessory.
If your recovery is already stretched, adding more exercises is not automatically better. Our guide on why recovery can feel slower after 40 explains why total workload matters.
Frequently asked questions
What is the suitcase carry exercise good for?
It combines unilateral grip, loaded walking and trunk control in a very simple movement. The one-sided load is what distinguishes it from a standard farmer carry.
What muscles does a suitcase carry work?
Grip and forearms, abdominal and back musculature, hip stabilizers and the muscles used for walking all contribute. Studies of unilateral loaded walking and suitcase carries support the idea that the asymmetrical load changes trunk and hip muscle demands.
Is a suitcase carry a core exercise?
It can reasonably be programmed as one because the trunk must resist the lateral pull of the load, but it is also a grip and locomotion exercise. Categories are less important than understanding the task.
Should the weight touch my leg?
Occasional light contact is not catastrophic, but the weight should not be bouncing off your thigh every step. Give your arm room to hang naturally.
Is a suitcase carry better than a farmer carry?
No universal winner. Farmer carries let you handle bilateral load; suitcase carries emphasize asymmetrical control. They work well together.
How to progress the suitcase carry without making it sloppy
Progression does not have to mean grabbing the next giant dumbbell. First make the same load look cleaner: level shoulders, controlled turns, steady breathing and no exaggerated lean. Then add a few seconds or a short distance. Only after that feels routine do I like increasing weight. This keeps the exercise useful instead of turning it into a contest to see how crooked you can walk.
You can also progress the environment carefully. A longer straight lane requires more continuous steps; a shorter lane adds more turns. I would master straight carries before using lots of direction changes. If your gym is crowded, wait for a clear path rather than weaving around people with a heavy kettlebell in one hand.
Suitcase carries and side-to-side differences
One advantage of unilateral work is that differences become obvious. One hand may tire sooner, one direction may feel less coordinated, or one side may tempt you to lean. Notice those differences without diagnosing yourself from them. They can simply give you a reason to slow down, use a manageable load and make both sides equally deliberate.
If a difference is large, painful or getting worse, that is a different situation from ordinary training asymmetry and deserves appropriate professional assessment. The exercise is a training tool, not a self-diagnostic test.
Bottom line
The suitcase carry is one of those exercises that earns its place through usefulness rather than novelty. One weight, one side, controlled steps. I keep it in my own training because I value strength and agility that show up outside the gym—including something as ordinary as getting the groceries inside.
Sources & further reading
- PubMed — Quantification of muscle activation during loaded carries
- PubMed — Hip and trunk muscle activity during walking with unilateral weight
- PubMed — Hip abductor activity carrying loads in one or both hands
- NASM — Functional strength and loaded carries
Tim Lekach founded Vitamin Hippo in 2020. He writes about men's healthy aging from the perspective of someone over 40 who actually tries many of the exercises, routines and products discussed here. Personal experience is identified as such and kept separate from published evidence.
More about Tim and Vitamin Hippo →