6 Unconventional Workout Tools You Need To Add To Your Training! (Part 2)

Farmer Walk Handles, Ruck Plates, and Change Plates!

Two weeks ago, we talked about simple, effective, & AWESOME equipment that is lesser known than your regular dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, sandbags, and such. For some reason, equipment like the Battle Rope, Yoga Rings, and Multi-Grip Bar haven’t received the same level of attention and universal integration into the fitness world!

We want to make sure that you are informed about all the great gear out there so you don’t miss out! Especially if you are stuck in a rut or banging your head against a plateau, adding some new exciting equipment to the repertoire can open exciting opportunities for growth!

Today, we’re adding Farmer Walk Handles, Ruck Plates, and Change Plates to our list of Unconventional Workout Tools YOU NEED!

If you have any questions beyond what we cover in this blog, please reach out!

We are happy to answer the questions you have! Feel free to reach out over email or Facebook. We love chatting! 😉

NOW… all aboard the Learning Express!

FARMER WALK HANDLES

Our Farmer Walk Handles require a two-in-one explanation since we’ve got two options.

• Farmer Walk Handles – these look like barbells with raised handles;
• Compact Farmer Walk Handles – these resemble an odd looking “L”.

The beauty of farmer walks is the simplicity of them. Load them up. Walk as far as you can. Maintain a strong upper body position – shoulders set back, abs tight, and pull yourself into a hollow body hold. That’s it.

Follow these steps and you’ll feel the burn in your glutes, quads, calves, back, shoulders, core, forearms… ALL AT ONCE!

The Bar-style is ideal for people with more space and looking for an extra stabilizer challenge. The weights are placed a considerable distance from the handle, which requires you to balance the bar as you walk.

And, with the raised & centered handles, the Farmer Walk Handle is more conducive to your workout (i.e. less frustrating) than trying to take a Barbell for a one-handed loaded carry!

As for the Compact Handles – they are named “compact” for a reason! One Compact Handle takes up a fraction of the space the Bar-Style Handle does. The handle also sits above the load; so while you still need to maintain a solid core throughout your loaded carry, the challenge of balancing the weight in your hand is greatly reduced.

Farmer’s walks can totally be done with a variety of other equipment – kettlebells, dumbbells, paint cans, milk cartons full of sand – but the beauty of having these handles are the versatility. Unless you are at a commercial gym, chances are you don’t have a wide range of free weights to play with.

But if you have a barbell, I assume you already have a range of plates you can add to these handles to meet your workouts’ specifications. Both Handles are compatible with 2” opening Bumper Plates!

So by now, you have realized how AWESOME and necessary Farmer Walk Handles are… but which handles should you go with?

If you’re looking for an intense farmer carry exercise, the Bar-Style has 14” sleeves and a weight capacity of 400 lbs. They weigh 15 lbs each.

The Compact Handles are also very strong – their weight capacity is 300 lbs per handle – although the loadable sleeve length is 10” per handle. They weigh 7 lbs each.

For context, our 45 lb plate is 2.75”-wide. Either way, you can get a challenging and calorie-burning amount of weight on either contraption!

FRACTIONAL & CHANGE PLATES

Look at these itty bitty cutie patooties!

Ok, enough of that. Because, in reality, these plates are HUGE!! At least in terms of impact!

Our Fractional and Change Plates range from 0.125 KG to 2.5 KG. They can be bought as an entire package (7 pairs of plates; 14 total). Or, they can be bought as a set of Change Plates (5 pairs of plates; 10 total) OR a set of Fractional Plates (2 pairs of plates; 4 total).

These plates are in KG and intended for Lifters – Power and Olympic – working to establish new PRs by fractions of a kilo at a time. When you’re at your max, anything more than what the Change or Fractional Plates offer feels like you’re adding 100 lbs.

These plates allow you to make small progressions quicker, which translate to larger progressions over time!

As well, these plates are awesome for accessory work of very small muscle groups!

For example, the Lying Down External Rotation is a great Rotator Cuff Strengthening exercise. It requires a very light weight – 1-5 lbs is enough to get your Rotator Cuff stronger and avoid some very common - and very painful - should issues. 

RUCK PLATES

Rucking is an exercise that is foundational to special forces training. Military soldiers fill their rucksack (i.e. backpacks) with provisions and equipment and carry them for miles on end. Sometimes their bags weigh over 100 lbs.

Rucksacks = heavy back packs filled “Ruck” = Ruck Plates are born! They have made their way into the mainstream as civilians have realized a) they hate regular cardio and b) they strongly respect military personnel. As such, RUCKING has become a thing.

As Rucking – i.e. carrying a backpack full of weight – became popular, Ruck plates became necessary since having a flat, set weight is much easier to load; compared to cramming a bunch of stuff awkwardly into a pack!

And that brings us to the present: Synergee is selling Ruck Plates because we believe they are beneficial and useful for athletes like you.

What are the benefits you gain from rucking?

• It is a simple and cheap way to workout
• It is less impact on your joints and builds upper body strength better than running does, while also burning more calories than just walking
• Rucking with others builds a sense of community and adds a lovely social aspect to the physical benefits of becoming stronger, fitter, and faster

If you’re looking for a good workout, doing a 20-minute walk and perhaps a few Russian twists, burpees, and clean and jerks with the plate will definitely do the trick.

Official Rucking Challenges are a little more extreme: the “Light” challenge is 4-5 hours, 7-10 miles, with 10 lbs or 20 lbs. The Heavy challenge is 24+ hours, 40+ miles, with 20 lbs or 30 lbs. Wowza.

Our Ruck Plates are available in 4 different weights. And of course, they can be mixed and matched to give you the workout you’re looking for!

DID WE MISS ANYTHING?

Does that clear a few things up? Is there anything else you were wondering about the Farmer Walk Handles, Change & Fractional Plates, or Ruck Plates?

Drop us an email or a message on Instagram or Facebook. And we're always checking on our Messenger (in the bottom right corner of this screen). And did I mention we love to chat?!

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