Me wrestling with the sandbag

I mad e up a couple sandbags yesterday (FINALLY) after purchasing a couple army/navy duffle bags off of ebay. This was my first time ever using a sandbag for training, and I was completely blown away by how tough this simple tool really is. The cool thing about these is that you can do endless movements, anywhere, anytime. This will seriously challenge your grip strength, core strength, legs, upper back, arms, and most importantly these type of workouts will challenge your ATTITUDE.

I have two bags; one 75-lb bag and one 125-lb bag. If you’ve never picked up deadweight before, be prepared for a rude awakening! It was very simple to make these. I bought 200 lbs of gravel from Home Depot, filled smaller individual bags (made for floods) with 25 lbs of gravel each, sealed them shut with lots of duct tape, threw them in the bag, then filled each bag with old shirts and sweatshirts to give it shape and form. Tie the end with twine and seal over with more duct tape, good to go! These duffle bags are extremely durable too, so the likelihood of having a leak is very small.

The workout itself was pretty random, as it was more of a “feeler” day. We just set the clock for 30 minutes and got to work. We actually ended up going longer (about 45 minutes) because it was so fun and challenging. Basically the format was something very simple: I would start with a movement of my choice for a given number of repetitions, then the next guy would do the same, then the next would do the same; then we would keep doing different things, making it a challenge and competition. This is the great thing about this style of training; you have to keep it fun and competitive!

Another added benefit is the constant change of resistance you will feel. Sometimes the gravel will be on one end of the bag, sometimes it moves around as you pick the bag up; sometimes it will take you 2-3 tries to pick the damn thing up before you succeed!

Check out the videos below of myself and training partners getting after it!

“Sandbag Loading”

“Sandbag Get-Ups”

“Sandbag shouldering, walk and carry”

Leave me your comments and questions about sandbag training below! I’m still learning with this style of training, so it will benefit the both of us!

See ya,

John Cortese