Yoke Walk
The Yoke Walk is a functional strongman exercise where you carry a heavy frame across your upper back for a set distance or time. It primarily builds immense core stability, upper back strength, and total-body conditioning under heavy structural load.
Because the Yoke Walk places immense axial load on the spine and taxes the central nervous system heavily, the AI monitors your HRV and sleep data to ensure you are recovered enough for this high-intensity movement. The app tracks your duration and RPE to auto-regulate the weight, preventing structural fatigue while optimizing your work capacity and core stability progressions.
Form Cues
- Create a muscle shelf with your upper traps and press your hands outward against the uprights for stability
- Take a deep 360-degree breath into your abdomen and brace hard before lifting
- Take short, quick, choppy steps to keep your center of gravity under the bar
- Keep your chest tall and your eyes fixed on a point straight ahead
- Don't take long, lunging strides that destabilize the load
- Don't look down at your feet, as this encourages upper back rounding
- Don't let the yoke swing side-to-side
- Don't exhale fully while moving; keep the core pressurized
Common Mistakes
- Placing the crossbar too high on the neck
- Taking steps that are too long
- Rounding the upper back forward
- Losing core bracing mid-walk
Muscles Worked
This exercise is a powerhouse for the posterior chain, placing significant demand on the erector spinae and upper trapezius to support the heavy axial load. While your quadriceps and glutes drive the movement forward, your entire core acts as a rigid pillar to transfer force and protect the spine.
Primary
Secondary
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