Farmer Carries with Monkee Grips: Setup, Technique and Progression

A farmer carry is a loaded walk with a weight in each hand. Adding Monkee Grips changes the surface and orientation you hold: your hands grip vertical rope while the weights hang below. You can use this variation to practice holding rope under load during an exercise you already know. The starting point is a secure attachment, a manageable weight, and a controlled walk.

If you already perform carries, you do not need a separate, complicated grip routine to try this. Begin with a short carry, notice what limits the set, and record a setup you can repeat.

By Monkee Grip · Updated October 15, 2026

1. What changes when you hold rope?

A conventional farmer carry asks you to support a load using the implement's handle. With Monkee Grips, you hold the rope attached to that handle. Your hand position, contact surface, and the way the load hangs change.

You may find the rope version more demanding on your hands at a lower weight. Treat that as feedback for choosing your load. A harder-feeling grip does not, by itself, show that an exercise builds muscle faster or produces better results than another handle.

Choose the tool for the session. If you want to carry heavier conventional handles, keep practicing them. If you want to add rope-holding practice, use the rope variation. Neither requires replacing every other exercise.

For the broader exercise background, see our guide to farmer-carry benefits, muscles worked, and programming. For a brand explanation of the handhold, watch Why Monkee Grips Feel Different.

2. How to attach Monkee Grips for farmer carries

Start with two weights that stay stable on the floor and have suitable handles with enough room for the attachment. Use one grip per weight. Keep the weights grounded while you attach the grips.

1. Inspect both grips. Check the rope, loop, and stitching for damage or unusual wear. Inspect the weight's handle for sharp edges or anything that could cut or abrade the attachment.
2. Pass the loop around the handle. Position the attachment so the weight can hang evenly and the rope will not rub against a sharp edge.
3. Pass the rope grip through its own loop. Pull it through and snug the loop around the handle. This forms a girth hitch; follow the same attachment principle described on the rope grips product page.
4. Match the two sides. Check that you can take a similar hand position on each rope and that both attachments are seated.
5. Perform a low test lift. Lift only far enough to confirm that each attachment stays put, the implement hangs as expected, and there is clearance beneath it. Set it down and adjust before starting the walk.

Check clearance with your own equipment. The rope places the weight below your hand. Your height, the handle shape, and the size of the weight all affect whether it clears the floor. If it drags, catches your leg, or cannot hang securely, change the equipment or use a conventional handle.

The setup shown here uses the grips' own attachment loops. Cable-adapter hardware is a separate accessory for suitable cable connections; it is not required for this girth-hitch carry setup.

3. Choose a load you can carry and put down deliberately

Your conventional farmer-carry weight is a reference, not a requirement. Begin with a lighter load and a brief test. You should be able to pick up both weights, stand without a pronounced lean, walk smoothly, and lower them under control.

Do not choose a weight solely because you can break it off the floor. The set includes walking, any planned turn, and the return to the ground.

• Rope slipping immediately? Reduce the weight before trying to extend the set.
• Weights swinging or striking your legs? Slow down and check load, attachment position, and clearance.
• Unable to finish with a controlled set-down? Shorten the next carry or reduce the load.

There is no universal starting weight that accounts for every hand size, grip material, implement, and training history. A short, repeatable carry gives you more useful information than a maximum attempt on unfamiliar equipment.

4. Perform the carry: pickup, walk, and set-down

Choose a flat route with clear space beside your legs and a safe place to put the weights down. Keep other people out of the lane.

1. Set your hands before lifting. Take a secure hold on the rope with your fingers and thumb. Avoid wrapping the rope around your wrist or fingers.
2. Lift into a comfortable standing position. Bend through your hips and knees as appropriate for the pickup. If you cannot pick up the implements under control, change the setup or load.
3. Keep your torso steady. Let your arms hang at your sides. Avoid deliberately shrugging, forcing your shoulders down, or leaning backward to hold the load.
4. Walk with short, controlled steps. Breathe throughout the carry. Move at a pace that lets the implements remain controlled.
5. Plan turns before fatigue. Use a broad, slow turn where space allows. If the route is too tight, set down, reposition, and begin another short length.
6. Finish before the rope escapes your hand. Stop walking, steady the implements, and lower them deliberately with your feet clear.

The American Council on Exercise farmer-carry reference provides a conventional dumbbell example. The attachment and clearance checks above address the additional rope setup.

When to end a set

End the set when you can no longer keep the rope secure, the weights begin swinging beyond your control, or your walking position changes substantially. Stop for sharp pain, numbness, or dizziness. Grip fatigue is not a reason to wait for an uncontrolled drop.

5. No room to walk? Use a stationary hold

A stationary hold uses the same grounded setup and pickup, followed by standing in place while holding the load. It gives you a way to practice the rope hold when a walking lane is unavailable.

Stand in a clear area, keep the weights steady beside you, and lower them before the grip starts to fail. Start with a brief hold so you can check the attachment and your ability to finish deliberately.

A hold is not identical to a carry: it removes the steps and turns. Log it as a separate exercise rather than comparing hold seconds directly with walking distance. If neither option feels controlled, reduce the weight or choose another starting exercise from the Grip Training Hub.

6. Track your carries and progress one variable at a time

A useful record tells you what you actually did. Write the load per hand, the grip version, sets, and either distance or time. Also note chalk use, route, and where the carry fell in your workout when those change.

For example, a carry performed after heavy rows may feel different from the same setup performed fresh. Switching from jute to cotton, changing rope diameter, or adding chalk also changes the comparison.

Repeat a manageable session until it feels consistently controlled before adding a challenge. If the next weight jump is too large, keep the load and make a small distance or time adjustment instead.

These entries show how to keep a record, not a timetable you must follow. Our grip-strength testing guide covers consistent testing conditions in more detail.

7. Coaches: turn one pair into a shared training station

One pair can serve a station where two athletes take turns. It does not equip two athletes for simultaneous two-handed carries.

1. Prepare the station: one pair of grips, suitable weights, a marked lane, and a recording sheet.
2. Athlete A carries: Athlete B stays outside the lane and records the chosen distance or time.
3. Reset: A sets the weights down. Check the attachments and adjust the load for B.
4. Switch roles: B carries while A records. Add recovery time if needed rather than treating every swap as the next immediate set.

Coach the same movement standard for everyone, while adjusting the load to each athlete. Keep a count of completed, controlled sets rather than rewarding whichever athlete holds on until a drop.

For wrestlers, obstacle-course athletes, or other teams, use this as accessory training alongside sport practice. A different grip challenge does not establish improved competition performance. Visit Teams & Organizations for equipment planning and team inquiries.

8. Train for what you want to keep carrying

Groceries, luggage, tools, and garden supplies give carrying strength a practical purpose. They also vary in shape, balance, and handhold. A gym carry offers a more repeatable way to practice supporting a load while moving.

Choose a concrete goal: carrying a manageable weight for a short route with a steady walk and a deliberate finish. You can work toward that without chasing the heaviest implement in the gym.

An example first session

This is an adjustable coaching example for someone comfortable lifting and walking with weights, not a researched Monkee Grip protocol or a universal prescription.

Try the session once, then assess how your hands and forearms recover before repeating it. If it fits comfortably within your existing training, one or two sessions a week can be a practical starting schedule. Adjust around other pulling and grip work.

If your priority is a heavy deadlift, row, or another grip-dependent lift, avoid arriving at that exercise with hands already exhausted by carries. Place the carry after the priority work, or on another suitable day.

The 2026 ACSM resistance-training guidance emphasizes consistent participation and adapting training to the individual. That supports choosing a manageable routine; it does not validate the particular carry durations above.

Your next step: choose one controlled carry you can repeat. Explore Monkee Grip rope grips for current material options and pair contents, or use the Training Hub to compare other starting exercises.

Common questions about farmer carries with Monkee Grips

Are rope grips better than normal farmer-carry handles?

They provide a different handhold. Choose rope when practicing that grip is part of the session goal. Keep conventional handles when you want to train with those handles or prioritize a load you cannot control on rope.

How heavy should my first carry be?

Use a load you can pick up, walk with, and lower deliberately. Start lighter than your usual conventional carry and establish a new baseline. A fixed percentage of bodyweight will not account for your equipment and grip setup.

Do I need the cable adapter?

No, not for the girth-hitch attachment around suitable weight handles described here. The cable adapter serves a separate connection purpose.

Can I use chalk?

Follow your facility's rules and the product's current care guidance. Record chalk use because changing it can affect comparisons between sessions. Chalk does not replace a secure attachment or an appropriate load.

What if the weights touch the floor?

Stop and reassess clearance. Select a suitable implement or use the conventional handle. Do not shorten the setup with improvised knots or wrap rope around your hand to make the carry work.

Should I carry until my grip fails?

For the introductory sessions here, finish while you still control the set-down. An uncontrolled drop does not improve the usefulness of your training record.

Does this research prove Monkee Grips produce better results?

No. The references below address conventional carries, strongman biomechanics, and general resistance training. They do not compare Monkee Grips with other products or establish faster strength or muscle gains.

Sources and further reading

Independent references help explain the training context. Product instructions and brand videos explain the equipment shown.

1. American Council on Exercise: Farmer's Carry. A conventional dumbbell-carry reference.
2. McGill SM, McDermott A, Fenwick CM. Comparison of different strongman events: trunk muscle activation and lumbar spine motion, load, and stiffness. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2009;23(4):1148–1161. doi:10.1519/JSC.0b013e318198f8f7. This biomechanical study included farmer's walks among several strongman events; it was not a Monkee Grip training trial.
3. American College of Sports Medicine: 2026 resistance-training guidelines overview. General guidance for healthy adults, including consistency and individualization.

Research on strongman events, including the farmer's walk, describes demands on the torso and stabilizing system that differ from traditional lifting. That gives loaded carries a useful training context; it does not show that everyone needs them or that a particular rope grip is superior.

About this guide: Monkee Grip makes the rope grips featured here. Setup guidance is based on the current product instructions. The example workouts and progression choices are practical coaching suggestions, separate from the findings of the linked research. Sources and product details checked October 15, 2026.