Functional exercise: suitcase carry

yoga book / functional exercise / suitcase carry

  Instructions and details with working links, available as a PDF to download or print


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Last updated: 23 July 2026
Name: __
Common name: plantar flexion-oriented walking
Level: A

Classification

classical: Functional exercise
psychomental: __
physiological: __

Contraindication

Effects

(742) Strengthening the abductors

The unilateral load places greater demands on the abductors on the contralateral side.

(752) Strengthening the adductors

The strengthening of the adductors caused by the unilateral load is correspondingly less than that of the
abductors, due to the significantly shorter lever arm.

Preparation

Follow-up

Derived asanas:

Similar asanas:

Diagnostics (No.)

(852) Strength of the plantar flexors, The supinator und Pronators of the ankle

Weakness of the abductors would manifest itself in a lack of stability and a tendency not to be able to keep the pelvis level, but rather, when the leg is the support leg and weight is bearing on the contralateral side, to allow the pelvis to drop on the side bearing the weight.

(742) Schwäche der Abductors:

Weakness of the

(742) Schwäche des Braking system des Ankle:

A weakness in the ligamentous system of the ankle joint would, under increased weight, manifest as a lack of control over supination and pronation, that is, as a wobbly sensation and a lack of control in the subtalar joint.

(742) Schwäche der Rumpfmuskulatur:

Weakness in the core muscles manifests as difficulty in resisting the load-induced lateral-flexing moments. The upper body then bends more or less towards the side bearing the weight. The weight also amplifies the pendulum-like movement of the arms and can increase the tendency to rotate of the upper body.

Instructions

  1. Take a dumbbell in your right hand, grip it firmly and walk a set distance, or as far as any limitations – such as those in your core muscles or grip strength – allow.
  2. Go to the other page.

Details

  1. This exercise is very similar to the Farmer’s Walk. The difference, however, is that the load is on one side only, which makes a significant difference, particularly in the lower limbs and the hip muscles that stabilise them, but also in the core. The weight suspended from the hand is positioned well outside the centre of rotation of the hip joint, creating a moment that tilts the pelvis relative to the respective supporting leg. In the hip joint of the support leg this is an abductor moment, which must be counterbalanced by the adductors; in the contralateral support leg it acts as an adductor moment, which must consequently be counterbalanced by the abductors. In contrast to the Farmer’s Walk, there is no counterweight on the contralateral side, so the abductor moment is correspondingly greater. The abductor moment on the ipsilateral side is smaller, as the horizontal lever arm is considerably shorter. Further cranially, the weight generates a lateral flexion moment in the segments of the lumbar and thoracic spine, which must be counteracted by all lateral flexor muscles; these are the oblique abdominal muscles, the lateral flexor components of the autochthonous back muscles, but also the quadratus lumborum and, to a lesser extent, the latissimus dorsi.
  2. The exercise can be performed in your usual footwear, barefoot or in barefoot shoes. It is advisable to try out these options. Anyone who is not used to walking barefoot will notice that their feet are less able to cope with the strain, which can lead to blisters forming relatively quickly. This is all the more true here, as one foot bears significantly more weight than the other. If blisters form under MTP 2 and MTP 3, this is a good indication of spread foot.
  3. In the case of foot deformities, these can have a significantly greater impact than in exercises with a symmetrical distribution of weight. This is particularly relevant in cases of more advanced flat feet, as the impulse generated when the foot on the same side as the body’s centre of gravity strikes the ground is transmitted via the leg axis to the subtalar joint, where it promotes pronation of the calcaneus. Naturally, the intervening knee joint is also subjected to a slight valgus impulse, which, in cases of lateral meniscal lesions or laterally predominant osteoarthritis.
  4. A foot that is not positioned correctly, placed too far laterally, may be more prone to supination trauma under the greater weight on one side, if there is already a predisposition to this.