Wife Carrying

So, you think you're pretty tough?  At your Crossfit club you do "Fran" in 3 minutes you say?  Why don't you try carrying "Fran" through 253 metres of hell instead?  All 175lbs of her!

Originating in Finland this sport is locally known as Eukonkanto.  Its origins are as murky as the sport itself but many believe that it originated in the practice of stealing wives from neighbouring villages.  It has now developed into an internationally recognized sport.

There are a few rules.  The course is about 253 metres long and must feature two dry obstacles (like fences) and a water obstacle (approx 1 metre deep).  You can carry your wife any way you like but she may not touch the ground at any point in the race.

Training for the Wife Carry

You need powerful legs and back to survive the wife carry.  This means Barbell Squat.

Its best to use a squat rack to do the barbell squat.  The rack helps you load the bar onto your shoulders safely.  Feet wide apart.  Heels planted.  Back straight.  Knees out.  Sink down under control and come to a full rest at the bottom (don't bounce Tigger!).  Press slowly upward until your knees lock at the top.  Go for 3 sets of 12.

Deadlift

The Deadlift is a great exercise for developing overall power.  This will work glutes and back muscles.  Just what you need to haul your bride over the gruelling Wife Carry course.  Load the bar up with a humble weight for a set of warm-up lifts and then start stacking the iron on.  Feet wide apart.  Overhand or alternating hand grip on the bar.  Heels planted. Back straight.  Chest up and out.  Now press your feet into the floor until you're standing upright.  Finish the lift by pushing your pelvis forward.  Finally, slowly lower the bar to the floor.  Do 4 working sets of 15.

Cardio

Since you will be doing a lot of running during the Wife Carry.  You need to run in your training.  Run 5 km 3 times a week.  Try to get some hills into your route to beast your glutes and calves.

Burpee Pull-Ups

I'd like to meet the evil genius who invented these.  The cruel offspring of burpee and pull-up.  Its simple:  do a Burpee.  But, as you pop up from your Burpee, grab the pull-up bar and do a pull-up...before dropping back down to do another Burpee...and...just keep going.  This punishment will pay-off as you collect your Wife Carry grand prize.

Technique Training.

Nothing can substitute for the practicality of lugging the Mrs around in training.  This is really what its all about.  She has to work on her gripping technique also.  The most popular carry now a days is "Estonian Style" - head-down, arms wrapped around waist.  Start with short walks around the neighbourhood and work your way up to full 300 metre runs.  Eventually, work some stair training into the routine.  You should do one good wife carry workout per week.

The Prize

The winner gets his wife's weight in beer.  In this photo you can see the proud victor watching as his wife's equal in beer is tallied.

Tom

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