|
|
|
|
Rise Of SandBag TrainingBy Josh Henkin
www.UltimateSandbagTraining.com
|
Sandbags have a very rich history,
maybe more so than any other training implement. For
hundreds of years (possibly thousands) sandbags has been
an integral training tool for athletes, specifically
wrestlers. |
 |
Why? They are an inexpensive tool
that is incredibly versatile and can offer the benefits of
unstable training with a challenging load. This is a benefit
that many of today’s unstable gadgets can not provide.
However, the benefits don’t stop there. Greater stabilizer,
trunk, and grip strength can be developed with sandbags as
well as sport-specific drills, mobility work, and a great
conditioning tool.
Improved Stabilizer Strength
In the famous book, Dinosaur Training, Brooks Kubik states,
“You feel sore as you do because the bags (sandbags) worked
your body in ways you could not approach with a barbell alone.
You got into the muscle areas you normally don’t work. You
worked the “heck” out of the stabilizers.” (Kubik, p. 115)
Stabilizer training is not a new concept. Utilizing dumbbells,
cables, kettlebells, and one-arm lifts have long been methods
of improving the smaller stabilizers. Increasing the strength
of the stabilizers can both decrease your risk of injury and
improve performance.
|
|
Why are sandbags unique though?
Sandbags can be thought of as the most “uncooperative”
pieces of equipment. They are different because they will
change their form as you lift them.
Unlike many other training tools, it is almost impossible to
develop a specific groove for any lift. This makes sandbags
a constant challenge as every repetition will be vastly
different. |
Improved Trunk Strength
The non-cooperative nature of sandbags makes using every
muscle possible to lift it crucial. More stable and
predictable implements can cause the body to find a
particular groove. Once this groove is established then one
becomes more efficient at performing the lift and the body
actually decreases the amount of muscles utilized. This
becomes especially true of explosive sandbag lifts such as
cleans, throws, snatches, and shouldering. The trunk muscles
(including those of the low back and abdominal area) have to
work harder to stabilize the body against the awkward load
while moving very quickly. This is very unique to sandbag
training.
Those who have enjoyed kettlebells have also learned of the
incredible benefit on loading only one side of the body.
One-arm lifts with kettlebells place a torque on the body in
both rotation and side bending that the trunk learns to
stabilize against. This is a core reason one-arm kettlebell
lifting is so beneficial to building a solid trunk. Well,
sandbag drills such as the many shouldering exercises and
one-arm lifts can offer the same benefits. However, the
difference with sandbags is that they actually rest on the
body.
Having such a load actually rest on the body forces the deep
and superficial trunk muscles work to a greater degree to
maintain proper postural alignment, end result? A rock hard
torso that is very injury resistant.
With sandbags we can also create amazing rotational drills
that place the body into ranges of motion that would
normally occur during sport. Working through such ranges of
motion with a load prepares the body more appropriately for
the demands that sport produces. When we work on in very
predictable environments we don’t give our bodies the
ability to work through extreme ranges of motions under
duress. Exercises such as shoulder throws, half moon
snatches, and full body twists just provide a small list of
exercises that one can create.
Sport Specific Strength for Combative Athletes
Sandbags have long been a favorite training tool of
wrestlers and combative athletes. In John Jesse’s famous
book, Wrestling Physical Conditioning Encyclopedia, he
states,
“The use of heavy sandbags and their large circumference
forces the lifter to do his lifting with a round back
instead of the traditional straight back lifting with a
barbell. It is this type of lifting that truly develops a
strong back. It develops the back and side muscles in
movements that are identical to the lifting and pulling
movements of wrestling.”
The idea of round back lifting must scare every
chiropractor, coach, and athletic trainer out there.
However, if introduced properly, round back lifting is one
of the best injury prevention techniques available. Most
sports and daily living activities call upon us to perform
some level of round back lifting. A wrestler may be on the
floor in a compromised position, a football player trying to
make a play, a parent lifting their child off of the floor
are all great examples of round back lifting. Sandbags offer
a safe way to start to learn how to use round back lifting,
always start on the light side and with low volume (no more
than 5 repetitions).
Sandbags may be the perfect tool for combative athletes as
they are the only tool that can come close to representing
an opponent. The constant shifting weight of a sandbag makes
it an ideal training environment for combative athletes as
it prepares the athlete for the unpredictability of a fight
on the mats on the ring.
Greater grip strength
EVERYONE can benefit from greater grip strength. I have a
strong belief that all the carpal tunnel and arthritis
problems that our society experience’s is closely related to
the lack of hand training. Of course, their only ends up
being so many hours in the day to train and if we economize
our time then we are more apt to do the smaller detail work
that will have a huge impact in our overall training.
If we look at grip strength a little further we can quickly
see that grip strength is more than simply how hard you can
squeeze your hand (known as crushing strength), rather it
also includes pinching, support, and wrist strength. To
train all these qualities can seem overwhelming, but again
sandbags can be a core tool in developing this well rounded
strength. Because of the gripping action of the bag and the
fact no one repetition is the same, the hands are challenged
in all these ways. The dynamic nature of the sandbag forces
the body to use different grip strategies depending upon the
lift and the level of fatigue one feels. Getting strong at
sandbag lifts means you will find a great transfer of these
hand strength to other forms of training.
FUN!
First and foremost I am a coach. Being a coach I realize a
big difference between ideal and reality. Many times I can
have a program planned that I see as ideal for my client.
However, if they don’t share my same enthusiasm for the
program they likelihood of them adhering to the program
becomes very low. In addition, we are all more apt to work
harder through a program if we find it enjoyable and
motivating.
Because sandbags are so different they are often a breathe
of fresh air for most people’s training programs. Even
taking common exercises such as squats and presses and using
a sandbag makes these exercises as though you were
performing them for the first time.
Increasing levels of fun may sound like a politically
correct thing for a coach to say, but we can not deny the
fact that we are all human. We are less likely to do the
things we do not enjoy. Making training more enjoyable is
what increases our chance of being more productive and
consistent. This is why you see people using different
training modalities and why many have found kettlebell
training to be a favorite. So, don’t sell the fun factor
short.
In The End
I always talk to people about the fact that training is
dictated very little by the tool rather than the
methodologies. Sandbags do open the door for some unique
training techniques that will increase your results. Do not
think that you have to use them solely as I will later
discuss how to incorporate sandbags and kettlebells for
different training goals. These are two tools that provide a
lot of options and compliment each other well for producing
the desired training result. Until then, keep training hard
and smart!
About Coach Josh Henkin
Josh Henkin is owner of Innovative
Fitness Solutions in Phoenix, Arizona. For the past ten
years he has created effective training programs for a
wide array of clients.
Josh is a graduate of Arizona State University where he received his Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science/Physical Education. At Arizona State, he was also a member of the Men’s Basketball Team.
|
 |
Josh is an NSCA certified strength and conditioning specialist, certified club coach with USA weightlifting, and certified Russian kettlebell instructor and a certified corrective high performance exercise kinesiologist. Coach Henkin is well known nationally as an expert in fitness and sports performance training and has been invited to appear at national conferences and write for numerous fitness magazines.
Coach Henkin has dedicated himself to providing cutting-edge, easy to apply training information to the masses. He has created the Ultimate Sandbag for those that wish to get the immense benefits of odd object lifting at home or at their gym, along with the very popular High Octane Sandbag Training DVD. He has also recently released SMASH: Total Conditioning with Sledgehammers. These programs have become so popular because they are effective and they are fun! Check out coach Henkin’s site at:
www.UltimateSandbagTraining.com |
|
|
|
