Exercise
Dumbbell Suitcase Carry
How to Perform - Dumbbell Suitcase Carry
- Select an appropriate weight dumbbell you can hold firmly with one hand, making sure it's challenging but not compromising your posture.
- Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart, engage your core muscles, and pull your shoulders back and down away from your ears.
- Grasp the dumbbell firmly in one hand, allowing it to hang naturally at your side with your palm facing your body and your arm fully extended.
- Brace your core as if preparing for a punch, and slightly squeeze your glutes to stabilize your pelvis before beginning to walk.
- Begin walking forward with a normal stride length, keeping your torso perfectly upright without leaning away from the weight.
- Maintain a neutral spine throughout the carry, resisting the urge to tilt sideways, and breathe normally as you walk.
- Keep your shoulders level and square, focusing on creating tension through your obliques and lateral core muscles on the weighted side.
- After completing the prescribed distance or time with one arm, switch the dumbbell to your opposite hand and repeat the exercise.
Important information
- Keep your wrist neutral and grip firm to prevent the dumbbell from swinging as you walk.
- If you notice your shoulder dropping on the weighted side, choose a lighter weight until your core strength improves.
- Make sure you're walking with a natural gait—avoid shortening your stride or walking stiffly.
- Track the dumbbell weight and carry distance/time to progressively overload this exercise as your stability improves.
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The Dumbbell Suitcase Carry stands as a deceptively simple yet remarkably effective functional exercise that builds real-world strength with minimal equipment. This unilateral loaded movement targets multiple muscle groups simultaneously, making it a versatile addition to various training protocols whether you're into HIIT circuits, CrossFit WODs, or traditional bodybuilding splits.
At its core, the exercise brilliantly challenges your core stability as your abs and obliques work overtime to prevent lateral flexion while carrying weight on just one side. This anti-lateral flexion component makes it particularly valuable for developing a bulletproof midsection that transfers to both athletic performance and daily activities. Your forearms receive substantial stimulation as they maintain a solid grip on the dumbbell throughout the duration, building that crushing hand strength that carries over to nearly every other lifting movement.
The glutes activate significantly during the suitcase carry as they help stabilize the pelvis and maintain proper alignment while moving under an asymmetrical load. This engagement pattern mirrors real-life scenarios like carrying groceries or luggage, bridging the gap between gym performance and functional capability. The unilateral nature of the exercise also exposes and addresses muscle imbalances between your left and right sides.
Strength coaches particularly value this intermediate movement for its carryover to deadlifts, farmers walks, and other compound lifts, as it reinforces proper bracing techniques and body position under load. The exercise stimulates significant metabolic demand when performed for distance or time, making it equally at home in a strength-focused session or as a conditioning component in more intense protocols.
For optimal results, progressive overload principles apply perfectly to the suitcase carry – gradually increasing weight, distance, or time under tension will continually challenge your body and prevent adaptation plateaus. This versatility makes it a staple movement that delivers impressive returns on investment for core strength, grip endurance, and overall functional fitness without excessive joint stress.
FAQ - Dumbbell Suitcase Carry
The Dumbbell Suitcase Carry primarily targets your core muscles (especially obliques), forearm grip strength, and shoulder stabilizers. Your glutes, quadriceps, and lats also engage significantly as they work to maintain proper posture and prevent lateral flexion under the asymmetrical load.
Stand tall with shoulders back, core braced, and one dumbbell held at your side like a suitcase while keeping your torso completely upright. Walk with a normal gait, maintaining level shoulders and hips throughout the movement, resisting the urge to lean away from the weight.
For beginners, use a lighter weight and shorter distances (30-40 feet). To increase difficulty, use heavier dumbbells, increase walking distance, slow your pace, or add a second dumbbell of different weight to create an offset load that further challenges your stability system.
Include suitcase carries 2-3 times weekly, either as part of your core training or as a finisher to your regular workouts. The exercise is low-impact enough to be programmed frequently without excessive recovery demands, making it ideal for consistent skill development.
The biggest mistakes include leaning away from the weight, hunching your shoulders, rushing through the movement, and using momentum rather than control. Also avoid gripping the dumbbell too tightly which can cause unnecessary forearm fatigue before your core gets properly challenged.
