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Guides for the farm body

Plain answers to the questions farmers and ranchers ask about backs, knees, grip, balance, and time. Each one has a few moves you can do with what is in the barn. Start with the free mobility routine.

Start the free routineSee all seven guides
Two galvanized buckets, a sledgehammer, a coil of rope, a feed sack, a short fence post, and work gloves laid out on a barn floor.
Most of the gym is already in your barn.

All seven guides

  1. A woman seen from the side kneels on a folded feed sack in a barnyard at first light, one hand on a wooden fence rail.

    Free routine

    The free mobility routine

    Uses: a fence rail, one bucket, one hay bale, a feed sack

    Nine moves, about 15 minutes, in the yard with a fence rail, a bucket, and a bale. Free, and yours to keep.

    Start the free routine
  2. A worn wooden pitchfork leans against a stack of loose hay inside an open barn, dust drifting in the morning light.

    Do chores count as exercise?

    Uses: one bucket, a fence post

    What chores give you, what they miss, and how much time it takes to add the rest on a working day.

    Answers Do I need this if chores keep me moving all day? How much time does it take?

  3. A neat stack of square straw bales against a weathered plank wall, a pair of leather gloves resting on the top bale.

    A sore lower back from lifting and bending

    Uses: a bucket, a hay bale, a feed sack

    How you lift, bend, and carry, four moves that get the hips to share the load, and when to see a doctor.

    Answers What can I do about a sore lower back from lifting and bending?

  4. A coil of hemp rope hangs from an iron hook on a weathered barn post, worn leather work gloves tucked into the coil.

    Keeping your grip strong past 50

    Uses: two buckets, a feed sack, a rope

    Carries, holds, and rope work with what is in the barn, and how to go easy on stiff hands.

    Answers How do I keep my grip strong past 50?

  5. A pair of worn, muddy leather work boots stands side by side on a weathered wooden barn step, dew on the grass beside it.

    Training with knees that already hurt

    Uses: a hay bale, a fence rail, a feed sack

    Plain rules for starting strength work when kneeling and climbing already ache, with four moves.

    Answers Is it safe to train with knees that already hurt?

  6. The steel steps and grab handle of an old tractor cab, dew on the treads, a mown field behind.

    Staying steady around the barn and equipment

    Uses: a fence post, a fence rail, a hay bale

    Tractor steps, wet floors, and rough ground, and balance work to practice at the fence post.

    Answers How do I lower my risk of a fall around the barn and equipment?

  7. A short fence post, a burlap feed sack, a galvanized bucket of sand, and an old tractor tire on packed dirt outside a machine shed.

    What to use instead of gym equipment

    Uses: buckets, bales, posts, feed sacks, a tire

    What each barn tool stands in for, how to load it safely, and an example 25-minute session.

    Answers What can I use instead of gym equipment?

Contents

What the paid programs add

The guides give you a few moves at a time. Each paid tier is a 12-week program: sessions in order, matched to how your body is today, with the work going up week to week.

  • Foundation $49 one-time. Real mobility limits, sore joints, or new to structured exercise.
  • Back in Shape $69 one-time. Moderately active, doing the work, starting to feel it.
  • Full Strength $79 one-time. Few mobility limits and ready to push.
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Caution Check with your doctor before you start. Results vary from person to person.