Loaded carries are excellent for putting continuous tension on the upper traps...this variation amps that up even more.
Instead of just holding weights at your sides (like in a standard Farmers Walk, which is an excellent exercise), you're going to be raising them up and away from your body while carrying them.
This simple change puts massive tension on the entire "yoke" complex of the upper body (traps and side delts especially).
By holding the plates up and away from your body, you engage more fibers of the upper traps to maintain this position while walking.
Credit to my friend Will Chung for inspiring the idea for this one.
How to do Bumper Plate "A" Carries
First, you'll need a pair of bumper plates. I recommend using bumper plates because they're easier on the fingers and will bounce if you drop them. You can do this one with dumbbells as well, though I find the plates to be more effective.
I'm using 45 lb plates in the demo here.
Get yourself a stretch of floorspace to work with. Put your third, fourth and fifth fingers through the center holes of the plates and hook them in. Your second fingers and thumbs will be flat against the outer face.
Now hold the plates out and away from your body (about 4-6 inches) and start walking.
That's literally it. Walk while keeping the plates away from your body. This forms an "A" position, which is where the name comes from.
When you get to the end of the space you've got, turn around and keep going.
As you can see in the last two pictures, not only do the traps and shoulders get involved, my triceps are contracted very strongly as well, due to the elbow extension required to keep the plates away from my body.
When your upper body fatigues and the plates come back down and contact your legs, that's when you end the set.
I find that happened before my fingers gave out.
Overall, this is a fantastic exercise for developing the "yoke" of the upper back and shoulders, while bringing in the triceps as well.
It's a simple, straightforward and very effective setup!
The Cross-Over Carry is another fantastic one for the side delts.
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