A few years ago, I discovered the two-move exercise combination I call The Eagle. I named it after the school’s mascot where I taught at the time. It pairs the farmer’s walk with the double-kettlebell front squat.

It’s simple on paper, but the workload is incredible. An athlete does 8 double-kettlebell front squats, and then drops the weight to his sides and does a 20-meter farmer’s walk. He then does another 8 squats, followed by another 20-meter walk. He repeats until he’s finished 8 circuits.

Fair warning: That goal often isn’t met.

There’s nothing magical in the choice of exercises. It’s the patterning movement of loaded carries mixed with the grinding movement of squats that makes it an extremely hard workout. Plus, the two kettlebells play a huge role. You never put them down. The metabolic hit of the workout is accelerated by the grip work, the fact that you must wrestle with kettlebells the entire time, and the sheer volume of carrying the load.

The Eagle is a great prep program for an athlete. However, I usually modify it for the gym goer. I call it the Goshawk, and here’s how you do it: Instead of two weights, use one. Perform a suitcase carry—holding the weight by your side like it’s a piece of luggage—and the Goblet Squat—holding the weight in front of your chest with your hands around the top of the weight. You can use a kettlebell or dumbbell for this.

Strive for 8 squats, but switch hands every 20-meter carry. This workout is about a third as hard as The Eagle, but the workload is still tough. It can be done anywhere, too. I’ve performed it on beaches and parks without any problem. If you have a weight, you can do the workout.

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