View Full Version : Sandbag Training
NousDefionsDoc
01-06-2010, 20:57
I got a sandbag for Christmas. Looking for new exciting ways to use it. I've got the pdf from powerbag and another one from somewhere else. If anybody has good ideas I'm all ears.
Ambush Master
01-06-2010, 21:10
FULL OF SAND, IN A RUCK, ON YOUR BACK..................MOVE OUT!!!!:D:munchin
(Use caution in areas that have "Man-hole" covers!!):eek:
I got a sandbag for Christmas. Looking for new exciting ways to use it. I've got the pdf from powerbag and another one from somewhere else. If anybody has good ideas I'm all ears.fill it with sand, use it like a medicine ball or a dumbell...?:munchin
You might e-mail Rob Shaul over at militaryathlete.com
I know his Afghanistan training program uses a lot of #80 sandbag work and his squad PT sessions incorporate a lot of uses for them. He's pretty good about answering e-mails with specific questions as well.
I got a sandbag for Christmas.
Guess you should have been nicer to Momma last year. :D
Zach Even-Esh has some good stuff on sandbag training.
http://zacheven-esh.com/blog/homemade-sandbag-training/
Rob Shaul's stuff is pretty basic movements, mostly turkish get-ups with the 80# bag.
cornelyj
01-07-2010, 17:40
This is a crossfit workout I just did the other day with sandbags. Don't carry on your back, carry in front with your biceps and lower back working it. Have Fun with your new bag.
TEAM WOD
(teams of 2) – only one person can be working at one time.
Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
200 meter Sandbag Run
20 Push ups (with sandbag on back)
Team CANNOT drop sandbag. If sandbag is dropped, team must complete 10 burpees each. 1 round consists of a 200 m sandbag run and push ups.
NousDefionsDoc
01-07-2010, 18:11
FULL OF SAND, IN A RUCK, ON YOUR BACK..................MOVE OUT!!!!:D:munchin
(Use caution in areas that have "Man-hole" covers!!):eek:
Wrong on so many levels ;)
Blitzzz (RIP)
01-07-2010, 20:10
The label "Guerrilla" doesn't mean destroying yourself physically or even growing body hair...
Oh yeah, NDD I'd use the Sandbag for a gun rest for shooting...
This works well for me – used it after 2 Nijmegen 100 mile marches and over the past 25 years. It takes about 15 minutes. It is based on a yoga position. It should:
• Relieve tired or cramped legs and feet
• Gently stretch the back legs, front torso, and the back of the neck
Sit sideways against a wall -- as close to the wall as possible. With one smooth movement, swing your legs up onto the wall with your back, shoulders and head resting on the floor.
Rest the sandbag on your feet. Raise your legs straight keeping the sandbag on your feet and hold your legs vertically in place against the wall.
Stay this way anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. Be sure not to twist when coming back down.
98G
BigJimCalhoun
01-07-2010, 22:04
You might e-mail Rob Shaul over at militaryathlete.com
I know his Afghanistan training program uses a lot of #80 sandbag work and his squad PT sessions incorporate a lot of uses for them. He's pretty good about answering e-mails with specific questions as well.
Here is his sandbag video
http://mtnathlete.com/subpage_details.php?subpage_ID=189&page_ID=25
I word of caution on the wood pellet filling. I bought some last year and move them around from the bag to a pack, to a bucket, etc. They dry out and get dusty. We have had furnace issues due to dust and I suspect it is related to these pellets.
Another idea is little rocks. Sand can be a real mess inside of a basement.
Valentinius
01-07-2010, 22:47
I would recommend Zach Even-Esh as well. I think he has a 30 day for a dollar trial membership on his site http://www.undergroundstrengthcoach.com/ The membership comes with a sandbag training pdf.
I filled mine with wood pellets too, with no problems as yet. I have also read that you can get 40# bags of rubber bark like they lay in playgrounds at Lowe's or Home Depot. That you don't have to worry about moisture like the pellets, or if you live in a clime where they don't really sell wood pellets. I know I sweat like crazy doing 10 minutes of 80# get ups that Rob Shaul is a fan of. Be sure to Zip-tie that bad boy though...I had mine explode open after dropping it after one of those grueling 10 mins. I'm still finding those little pellets.
Favorite excercise wise, I like adding in rounds of Cleans in after my weekly Front Squats.
Boomer-61
01-08-2010, 07:53
The Complete Sandbag Training Course by Brian Jones. $13.95 at the Iron Mind site. Might be able to find it on www.half.com for less. I have the book and it is certainly complete. I think it's one of those training tools you can do just about anything with ie clean and press, farmers carry, Turkish get ups etc. Let us know what you think about it after you've used it for a while.
Boomer
Blitzzz (RIP)
01-08-2010, 09:08
Always on my soap box, I am constantly at odds with these systems of exercise that require much hard work and deliver minimal at a fairly high risk of injury.
The exercise and conditioning world hasn't changed since the days of the Roman Gladiators. Regardless of who names it or what the new espousals are made. These systems falsely claim greater strength through what ever "new" system is designed. They all will make you stronger if done as prescribed. The risk is alway injury and soreness and honestly, minimal strength gains for the work.
Anyone with a serious desire to be seriously more powerful, and deeply conditioned with tremendous anaerobic and aerobic endurance. At present there is only one "new" system, and that is free to members here and can not be out delivered by any of these thing you post here. It is the Blitz system, and no matter your argument, you cannot disprove this system with the use of any other.
Ok, that's just me getting irritated with all of the less than best systems hype touted as "great" just because they seem and are hard.
YOU Can do no better than Blitzing.
www.performancemenu.com has some videos of sandbag training movements. A good source for proper form.
Boomer-61
01-15-2010, 07:22
You could make the argument of why do something new and different at all. It is rare that I see something truly new. I was reading one of Pavels books on stretching a while back and noted that much of what was written in it I had read in a book called Stretching Scientifically 18 years ago. I don't think there is one perfect fitness training system. I think some are more dangereous than others or one may be more market driven than another but what makes a system yeild good results is: compliance, progressions, specificity. Any system has a design in mind and a purpose for that design. What is the goal of that system? Is the system designed for increasing strength, mass, coordination, endurance or a little bit of all the above? Careful consideration needs to be given to your goals and the purpose of that system. The progressions have to be realistic. Most systems move too fast in one way or another which does not allow the body time to adapt to the increasing work loads. Time under load in whatever form needs to be carfully and incrementally increased to avoid injury. Once you've decided on a system and understand the goals and progressions of that system, stay within its disign. Sneaking extra sets or overlapping systems with the mind set of "more is better" is not always true. Sometimes more rest is better.
So why look for something new and different? Because we get tired of the same old thing. Sand bags look like they could be fun, they break the confines of the weight room, weight machines and specific movements. I think they were intended to be used for combative arts training because they don't react in a specific or predictable way each time like a barbell or machine does. They mimic the unpredictablity of an opponent. If you have a good fitness/strength base before you take one on I think you're no more likely to get hurt using one than you are while using a barbell. If you are foolish, you can get hurt doing most anything. :lifter
the squid
01-27-2010, 14:26
Sarn't,
Sandbag getsups are a killer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbW3G1x0Gxw
Sandbag clean and squats:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56ISWsrMNEk
Sandbag Half moons:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK9jX9KXhkU&feature=related
A few that looked interesting to me.
Lacking a sand bag (but wanting to try the lunges and get ups and such), I've taken to using a small child. My son thinks it's hilarious, and the workout is good. :P
Lacking a sand bag (but wanting to try the lunges and get ups and such), I've taken to using a small child. My son thinks it's hilarious, and the workout is good. :P
:D That should be filmed. But don't, someone will throw a fit.
Blitzzz (RIP)
01-31-2010, 19:26
Boomer-61 "You could make the argument of why do something new and different at all. It is rare that I see something truly new."
That's because none of this is new. Sandbag swinging is nothing more than the Roman Gladiators did. It's all old with "new" names. Blitz is the only truly New system out there. I stand to be corrected by anyone out there that thinks there is another out there. I know, there is not.
Blitzzz
testedone
01-31-2010, 20:21
Sandbag training would be new to me, but I would call it a work detail ;)
(picture below is from November 1990 making sand bags in Bahrain before the kickoff)
On the subject of new, I see at the gym (Civilian Health club) so many "new" methods that it makes me laugh...people are paying trainers to tell them how to do Iron Mike's, 8 count body builders..etc..etc...
Most of the things out there are considered new ideas but have been around for years they just call it something else... I think I am in the wrong line of work...I could ,make so much money it seems on "smoking" people in the civilian world... :D
I think I am in the wrong line of work...I could ,make so much money it seems on "smoking" people in the civilian world... :D
http://www.sealteampt.com/
This one is out here in Richmond, Va. They're ALL over the place!
steel_eel
05-04-2010, 07:29
Here is his sandbag video
http://mtnathlete.com/subpage_details.php?subpage_ID=189&page_ID=25
I word of caution on the wood pellet filling. I bought some last year and move them around from the bag to a pack, to a bucket, etc. They dry out and get dusty. We have had furnace issues due to dust and I suspect it is related to these pellets.
Another idea is little rocks. Sand can be a real mess inside of a basement.
I am using rubber mulch. It's not dense like sand is, and it won't dry out.
My two pennies. Back to lurking.
Boomer-61
05-07-2010, 13:15
Blitzzz,
How long have you been promoting the Blitzzz method?
Blitzzz (RIP)
05-07-2010, 14:38
I constantly search for anything Really new. You can look up "German Volume Training" or UHR. these talk a game but I can guarantee they can't deliver what Blitz Does. If you find something really new please let me know , and tell why it is new, and not just a revamp.
Additional note: there is a person on this site that is pushing a military press at 105# x 97 reps/min that = 10,185# /min. No other system provides this quantity of unrested work.
Surgicalcric
05-07-2010, 17:27
...Additional note: there is a person on this site that is pushing a military press at 105# x 97 reps/min that = 10,185# /min. No other system provides this quantity of unrested work.
I see you dogging a disproportionate amount of the stuff people post in here as not being "new." Just because "it" isn't new doesn't mean it is bad or wrong and that your "new" system is right Blitzzz.
A couple questions for you, is the guy you mention above pushing free weight (dumbbell/barbell) or weight attached to a device that limits the range of motion thus stabilizing the weight, like a nautilus or cable machine? If he isn't using free weight for the numbers above has he done so? If he hasn't what do you believe would be the difference? I would be interested in hearing the variation between controlled lifts (machine) versus non-controlled (free.) I know they are going to be very different based on my own experience (squat vs leg press, seated overhead press (machine) vs push-press; bench-press vs chest press)
Having said all that I can see how your program may benefit those with injuries who cannot use free weights but that's about where it ends.
Personally I don't buy the whole idea of the Blitzzz being the all, end all of strength programs and as such you should give the attacks on other methods of training a rest. However if the Blitzzz is the the all end all, why isn't it being utilized by strength coaches nation wide? Why aren't world class strength athletes doing Blitzzz instead of sweating under the relatively uncontrolled ranges of motion provided by barbell training? Have you marketed it yet? If not I would say that if it is as good as you claim you have missed a great opportunity to get the word out about the Holy Grail of workouts, not to mention the money you could be making...
So, let us know when a Blitzzz-er takes the gold in the Olympics, Pan-Am games, or wins the Worlds Strongest Man, or some renowned strength coaches start implementing your program as a replacement for the tried and true and I will give give it another look. Until then I will stick to the barbell and bumper plates, kettlebell/dumbbell, sandbags and pull-up bar.
After all, my team mates wont have cables supporting their weight from moving fore and aft or side to side when I am picking them up off the battlefield...
Crip
Blitzzz (RIP)
05-07-2010, 18:02
Just because "it" isn't new doesn't mean it is bad or wrong and that your "new system" is right Blitzzz.
A couple questions for you, is the guy you mention above pushing free weight (dumbbell/barbell) or weight attached to a device that limits the range of motion thus stabilizing the weight, like a nautilus or cable machine? If he isn't using free weight for the numbers above has he done so? If he hasn't what do you believe would be the difference? I would be interested in hearing the variation between controlled lifts (machine) versus non-controlled (free.) I know they are going to be very different based on my own experience (squat vs leg press, seated overhead press (machine) vs push-press; bench-press vs chest press) I can fine out what he's using. It does work with free weights. I don't think it's the end all but I do know there is no other system that delivers even close. I check all the time.
Having said all that I can see how your program may benefit those with injuries who cannot use free weights but that's about where it ends.It hardly ends with rehab.
Personally I don't buy the whole idea of the Blitzzz being the all, end all of strength programs. If it is, why isn't it being utilized by strength coaches nation wide? Why aren't world class strength athletes doing Blitzzz instead of sweating under the relatively uncontrolled ranges of motion provided by barbell training? I guess I've not really been seen by any of them. They much like you have a very difficult time really trying to understand the systems outcomes.
Fortunately It is being picked up by a local university for better documentation.
Let us know when a Blitzzz-er takes the gold in the Olymics, Pan-Am games, or wins the Worlds Strongest Man, or a renowned strength coach starts implementing your program and I will give give it another look. Until then I will stick to the tried and true barbell, kettlebell/dumbbell, and sandbags. After all, my team mates wont have cables supporting their weight from moving fore and aft when I am picking them up off the battlefield...As to this, How many P90Xers have either. I did get to train a x pitcher for the Atlanta Braves who ruined his shoulder and came to me for Blitzing inorder to go to try outs again after 13 years of not pitching. He ended up being 2mph slower than they were looking for,( I'm not a pitching coach) but he was able to pitch over 300 balls without fatigue or pain. His brother who was a pro pitcher also instructed him on a different style of pitching and I suspect that difference may have caused him not to make it, because his timed balls were much better than when he changed styles. Who knew?
I really am not into arguing the Blitz with those who can not honestly place a disclaimer on it. Not having tried it and experienced it.
I respect your input here and believe it benefits the troops, but you're only able to speculate on it's true value.
Crip
Respectively Dave
Surgicalcric
05-07-2010, 18:25
...I respect your input here and believe it benefits the troops, but you're only able to speculate on it's true value...
Respectively Dave
I am generally not one to just jump on anything "new" especially when it comes to my workouts that I will be honest about.
That said it may help if you quantify some of the things you say. Those of us who have been lifting for a while (more than 5 years continuously) know how much our lifts vary based on whether it is true weight (free) or whose stability is controlled -relatively- by a set of cables and/or rods/bushings. I and many like me here and elsewhere dont care that a guy can lift 105 X times in a minute; I want to know what his max lift is with free weight.
You want to win us over, have some of the guys who are your prime students measure their strength with a barbell (deadlift, bench press, front/back squat, squat clean, etc) for 1 or 3 RM? Or do 80 lb sandbag get ups for 10 minutes (a great test of core muscle strength...) Again, quantify it for us...
Crip
ETA: Great work on the pitcher BTW. Rehabilitating shoulder injuries is tough, I know. As I said earlier, I have no doubt as to the validity of your program for rehab of injuries or for a program for those seeking generalized fitness, but I just dont believe it to be relevant for battlefield fitness/strength.
Blitzzz (RIP)
05-07-2010, 20:24
"Those of us who have been lifting for a while (more than 5 years continuously) know how much our lifts vary based on whether it is true weight (free) or whose stability is controlled -relatively- by a set of cables and/or rods/bushings. "
Interesting, How much have you gained in 5 years of lifting from the start until now?
NousDefionsDoc
05-07-2010, 21:01
This thread is about sandbags, not lifting free weights. There are other threads for that.
steel eel,
Where are you getting your rubber mulch?
Me and The Kid are using playground sand in a Rogue Fitness bag. It's great.
Surgicalcric
05-08-2010, 05:47
This thread is about sandbags, not lifting free weights. There are other threads for that.
steel eel,
Where are you getting your rubber mulch?
Yeah, yeah, yeah... :p
I would like to know about the rubber mulch as well.
Crip
Rubber mulch works great. I made an 80lb. sandbag a couple weeks ago from an old duffel bag and rubber mulch from Lowe's. It was about $7 for a 20lb. bag. It's bulky enough, doesn't shift around on you like sand or other materials might, and easier to find (in the South, anyways) than the wood pellets that the Military Athlete guys recommend. I've used it on a few workouts, and it holds up well, and works great for getups, cleans, and carries. The only downside is that $28-30 is a bit pricey, but still better than a lot of online vendors that sell sandbags for $60+.
NousDefionsDoc
05-08-2010, 09:22
Should have known Lowe's. I asked them about the wood pellets and they didn't know what I was talking about. I kind of like the shifting around though - stabilizers.
I was able to find wood pellets at Home Depot for $5 per 45lb. bag. Not sure if they have them at all Home Depots. I haven't had any issues with dust but I'm in a bit of a soggy location.
steel_eel
05-12-2010, 12:31
Edit: Someone already answered the question.
steel_eel
05-17-2010, 10:32
Have you created any sand bag exercises? Let's see them.
Here is one:
The Bear Went Over The Mountain 80# bag.
Begin with the sand bag lying lengthwise, bottom facing you, your legs shoulder-width apart. Squat down to bear hug the bag, and immediately sling it on your right shoulder while thrusting your legs up. Using both arms, lift bag over head to opposite shoulder (not unlike exercise used in group log pt). Bear hug the bag, squat down to starting position, and return bag to its original location. Repeat exercise with left shoulder first. This is one rep.
YouTube user "RobShaul" has some good sandbag exercises. He runs Mountain Athlete/Military Athlete. I like what he has going on across the board, and I actually prefer his routines over most CF programs.
Boomer-61
02-17-2011, 15:03
I finally put together a bag of my own and used the wood pellets. I found them at Northern Tool and Equipment. If they don't have them in stock you can order them to that store and not have to pay shipping. The 40lb bad was $6. I used a parachute bag filled with two bags of the chips. I just left them in the plastic. The weight to fill volume ratio is good.
A standard army duffle will hold 120# of wood pellets. Open up the bag and just dump them in. No room for more pellets than that.
I used rice in my sandbags. There is an asian market couple min away (the closest store to my house) and I got a good deal on alot of rice so I made a couple sandbags and a punching bag.
Fine sawdust is alot heavier but the rice is easier to handle, however alot of sawmills and workshops will be happy to give you their sawdust.
Before I made some sandbags I had leftover bags of concrete that had hardened a long time ago and where just lying around, I used that for training too and its nice too.
Just throwing ideas out there.
The duffel is great for a heavy sandbag, but you can also build a bulgarian bag using an old inner tube (or dish out a couple hundred bucks for an "authentic" bag). Also, Tractor Supply has inexpensive wood pellets.
http://mountainstrength.squarespace.com/article/2010/7/1/making-the-diy-bulgarian-bag.html
Some workouts with the bulgarian bag:
http://thestrengthdoctor.com/?p=695
I used rice in my sandbags. There is an asian market couple min away (the closest store to my house) and I got a good deal on alot of rice so I made a couple sandbags and a punching bag.
Fine sawdust is alot heavier but the rice is easier to handle, however alot of sawmills and workshops will be happy to give you their sawdust.
Before I made some sandbags I had leftover bags of concrete that had hardened a long time ago and where just lying around, I used that for training too and its nice too.
Just throwing ideas out there.
Just don't put the saw dust bags near the fire... :lifter