A few years ago back when I was working in the gym I’d never heard of sandbag strength training.

It sounded something they’d do in strong man contest, I didn’t think I’d be able to use sandbags with my clients.

However when I left there to start up my outdoor personal training company I was searching the internet for ways I could still challenge my clients but without using barbells and dumbbells.

I didn’t fancy using resistance bands, I’ve never been a big fan of the type of bands you see in commercial sport stores, they may be O.K for your grandma but personally I think if your young fit and able you can lift proper weights.

The 1st day my sandbags arrived I headed off to the builders wholesalers and bought 2 x 20kg bags of sand and went to the park to fill em up and have play with some basic lifts.

I figured 40 kg would be conservative as I usually lift heavier in the gym.

But…

As soon as I threw the sand bag up for a clean it came down on my chest like a ton of bricks, lifting a 40kg sandbag feels totally different to a 40 kg barbell!

After a few reps my forearms were beginning to throb then after a few more reps my heart was pounding, I knew I was gonna be in for tough workout.

To be honest after a 30 minute total body workout I was totally exhausted, this type of training hit me in a totally different way than I was used to in the gym.

The workout…

Sandbag clean and press x 8
Sandbag zercher squat x 8
Hanging knee raise x 8
Push up sandbag row x 8
Sandbag Turkish get ups x 8
Sandbag reverse lunges x 8

Perform exercises in a circuit and repeat for 2 sets, rest 30 seconds between exercises.

Like kettlebells sandbags are great for challenging both strength and endurance simultaneously and because the bag is unstable and moves around your body has to use more muscles to control it.

Sandbags are excellent for outdoor or in home training and compared to dumbbells and barbells they’re cheap.

I’m not saying sandbags should replace dumbbells or barbells but I’d definitely recommend adding a sandbag to your arsenal of tools.

Click here to check em out….. Sandbag Strength Training

Train Hard!

Dan Clay

Dangerously Fit Personal Training
Personal Training Sydney
Boot Camp Fitness Sydney
Corporate Fitness Sydney