Back · Compound movement

Keg Load

A compound exercise that targets the back with secondary work in quads, glutes, hamstrings, forearms, abs, biceps, traps. Performed with bodyweight.

Primary muscle

Back

Secondary muscles

Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings, Forearms, Abs, Biceps, Traps

Equipment

Bodyweight

Difficulty

Advanced

How to perform the Keg Load

Set your feet either side of the keg, hinge deep with a flat back, and grip the rims or hug the barrel with your chest against it.
Brace hard and lap the keg to your thighs by driving the hips, then re-grip and hug it tight, feeling the liquid shift inside as you move.
Extend the hips and stand explosively, keeping the keg crushed to the chest, then push it up and over onto the platform.
Ride the shifting weight by staying braced and keeping the keg close; the moving contents punish any pause or loss of position.
Load for the prescribed reps or for time to the target height, and record the keg weight with the platform height or reps completed.

Suggested working range: 1–5 reps. Default progression: manual.

•Fighting the shifting contents by pausing mid-lift instead of moving smoothly through the load.
•Hugging the keg loosely so the moving weight peels it away from the chest.
•Lapping the keg with a rounded back rather than a braced, flat-backed hinge.
•Not finishing the hip extension, so the keg stalls short of the platform height.