8 reasons to do Sandbag Training
- Sandbag Training is cheap – you don’t need to buy expensive bags (although they’re good), you can make your own very cheaply or simply buy a bag of sand from your local DIY store and use that (just make sure the bag is strong!) – you do not need to invest loads of money into it.
- Anyone can do Sandbag Training – whether you are a complete beginner to exercise or a seasoned pro, you will see results from Sandbag Training.
- Sandbags are the perfect unstable loading mechanism – the sand shifts in the bag creating instability. Why is this good? The muscles you are targeting have to work hard and all the synergistic and stabilising muscles get a good hit too.
- Sandbag Training is functional – it provides you with a full-body workout, where all parts of your body have to work as a co-ordinated unit; every drag, swing, lift or press engages multiple joints and muscle groups forcing the body to work as a synergistic whole.
- Sandbag Training challenges your core – the bag’s centre of mass is constantly shifting, so you will use all the synergistic and stabilising muscles when doing the exercises. Your core will be seriously challenged as you try to maintain postural alignment.
- The Sandbag moulds to your body – this makes many exercises feel more natural than it would with the more cumbersome barbell and dumbbells. This versatility lends itself to many unique exercises such as Shouldering and the Bear hug squat, which cannot be done with traditional free weights.
- Sandbag Training can be done anywhere – you are not restricted to your gym; you can train in your sitting room, garden, local park, even the beach!
- Sandbag Training is challenging – if you’re looking for a great strength and conditioning workout, sandbags are ideal. Whilst training with traditional free weights are great, most people report they can lift 40-50% less weight with a sandbag, compared to the same exercise with a barbell.