Sandbag Workouts

Sandbag Workouts

Try Sandbag Workouts for Challenge, Efficiency, and Fun

Including sandbag workouts in your exercise routine can be a nice break from the monotony of using traditional fitness equipment.

Consistency has its benefits, but that doesn't mean your workouts have to be boring.

With a sandbag, you can:

  • Achieve additional challenge through the distribution of weight
  • Enhance efficiency by including unique combinations or supersets, and
  • Have more fun, since there's something primal about picking up a heavy sandbag for lifts, carries, or throwing

For our sandbag workouts, it's ideal to have a sandbag. This can be store-bought or self-made. If a traditional sandbag isn't available, you can get creative with a weighted backpack or canvas grocery bag.

Here are 3 options for online purchase:

  1. Perform Better: Economy Ultimate Sandbag
  2. Brute Force: Athlete Sandbag Training Kit
  3. GORUCK: Sandbags 2.0

Skip ahead to the sandbag workouts.

The Benefits of Sandbag Training

Using sandbags in your workouts is a unique way to improve strength and overall fitness.

Unlike traditional weights (e.g. - dumbbells, barbells, etc), the weight of a sandbag is distributed unevenly and shifts as you move. This forces muscles to adapt and stabilize during as you perform your exercises, resulting in enhanced overall strength, stability, and coordination, and mimicking the unpredictability of sport and everyday movement.

Lunge Exercise with Sandbag

With clients, it's simple to adapt sandbag use for different fitness levels and goals, whether those be:

  • Building strength
  • Enhancing endurance, or
  • Improving one's overall fitness

And, the use of sandbags fits well with my philosophy of a focus on training movements rather than training specific muscles in isolation.

Train Movements, Not Muscles

This means focusing on exercises that improve how the body moves as a whole, rather than isolating individual muscles. Training movements is better-promoting of muscle gain, fat loss, and caloric burn because there's so much more muscle involved at once in, as an example, something like a squat to overhead press exercise than there is in a standing, single-arm bicep curl.

We shouldn't overlook the element of fun in your training sessions. The more you enjoy the process, the more consistent you'll be. And, that consistency is what lends to achievement of goals and results you'll be proud of.

Speaking of Fun Workouts

Let's get to the real fun...your sandbag workouts!

Disclaimer

As detailed in our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, by engaging in any physical activity or exercise program with Adelante Fitness, you acknowledge and agree that you have consulted with your medical professional and have obtained medical clearance to participate. The workouts and training programs shared on AdelanteFitness.com and in our newsletter contain only recommendations and are intended to be used for educational purposes only. Actual exercises, volumes, and intensities are undertaken at the user's sole discretion and are performed at the user's own risk. Adelante Fitness LLC makes no express or implied warranties regarding this content.

Your Sandbag Workouts

Sandbag Workout #1

Off-Kilter Carry Combination

Exercise

A1) Shoulder-supported, alternating walking lunges

Notes

16 reps (8 each side)

Start by standing with a sandbag resting on one shoulder, stabilizing it with the same side hand. Perform a total of 16 walking lunges, alternating legs with each step, ensuring that your front knee stays above your ankle and your back knee gently taps the ground. Keep your chest up and core engaged to maintain balance and proper form.

Exercise

A2) Shoulder-supported, tightrope walk

Notes

As many steps as needed to return to the walking lunge starting line

After completing the lunges, turn around with the sandbag still on the same shoulder. Walk back to the starting point in a heel-to-toe fashion, focusing on balance. Keep your body tall, and ensure your shoulders and hips stay level.

Description

Perform 4-6 rounds of the circuit, with zero rest between exercises, and 30-90 seconds between rounds.

Recommendations

This combination is best-performed following general, specific, and core warmups and before primary or major movements, exercises, or combinations.

Benefit

This combination of exercises effectively targets lower body strength, core stability, and balance. The walking lunges build strength and endurance in the muscles of the lower body, while the tightrope walk enhances balance and coordination. Consistently incorporating these exercises into your routine will improve muscular endurance, stability, and overall athletic performance.

Questions or Stories

Have a question about this workout? Did you give it a try and want to tell us how it went?

Share your question or story here!

Disclaimer:
This training program contains only recommendations and is intended to be used for educational purposes only. Actual exercises, volumes, and intensities are undertaken at the user's sole discretion and are performed at the user's own risk. Adelante Fitness LLC makes no express or implied warranties regarding this content.

Additional Reflections on Sandbag Training

Sandbag Training

A benefit that's been consistent over time when introducing clients to sandbag training is their shift from too strict a focus on the total weight being lifted to a prioritization on proper form and exercise execution.

Maybe it's that sandbags aren't as often marked as well as traditional weights in displaying poundage. Whatever it is, I've found it common that clients will less often pick up a sandbag that's too light for them, opting more often for those that introduce an appropriate challenge.

It's the sort of stretching outside of your strength comfort zone that comes from this that puts you in the fast lane toward achieving your fitness goals.

We're all a lot stronger than we typically realize!

Whatever the weight you're lifting, as a client of mine, you can be certain that I'll be there to ensure your proper form.

To see if we'd be a good match, just hit the "Start training!" buttons wherever you see them!

Yours in fitness,
Boh

David Bohmiller

David Bohmiller, MBA, MS, CSCS, TSAC-F
Founder and Lead Trainer at Adelante Fitness LLC
(He/him/his)

Join Us & Start Your Free 15-minute Workouts!

Try More Of Our 15 Minute Workouts



Share this on: