Health and Fitness
Sandbag Workouts For Ultimate Beginners
A sandbag is a bag or sack with sand.But this is not the case. Do you know the uses of this sack of sand?
Constant workouts with this simple sandbag stabilize your muscles. As the sand shifts around the sandbag, it forces your body to rebalance itself while doing exercises.
Best Sandbag Workouts
You’ll have to work hard to control the constantly shifting centre of mass. This provides benefits in the real life situation to control awkward objects or things.
This special dynamic resistance provided by sandbag workouts can develop your muscles in a way that any barbells or dumbbells cannot. That is, it is an effective workout tool.
Some of the basic qualities it delivers are
- Build stability
While doing workouts using a sandbag, you have to put a lot of effort into controlling the centre of mass which is constantly-shifting. By practicing this, you can build strength and stability.
- Improve sports performance
Even though there are many workout tools, sandbag workouts and exercises provide some special skills and it also improves your sports performance. It develops strong shoulders, legs, and backs which are perfect for sports activities.
- Grip workout
Sandbag workouts are grip workouts too. You cannot lift a sandbag without working on your grip. So this is a benefit for you when you use sandbags as your workout tool.
- Can be done from anywhere
This is an important benefit of sandbag workouts that other tools can’t deliver. You can do sandbag workouts from anywhere you like. Also, sandbags are durable, cheaper, and affordable.
Beginner bodyweight sandbag workouts
- Sandbag clean
Sandbag clean is a multi-muscle exercise. It will stimulate your lower body, core, and your upper body as well. Thus this exercise is a great one for building muscle strength and burning calories.
Along with providing physical strength, sandbag clean is a good cardiovascular workout too. By stacking a few sets of sandbag cleans back to back, your heart rate goes quite up.
Here are the steps to perform the sandbag clean.
1. Stand steady by placing your feet about hip width apart
2. Position a sandbag down by your feet
3. Bend on your knees by keeping your back straight
4. Grab and hold the sandbag from the floor
5. Bend the arms and drive the sandbag towards your shoulder
6. While passing the bag in the midway of your body, release the bag by moving the arms down beneath it and catch it by balancing on the upper arm.
7. Now balance the sandbag in a full standing position
8. Keep the elbows up and upper arms parallel to the floor
9. Bend the knees and keep your back straight
10. Slowly lower the sandbag down to the floor and release it.
11. Repeat it.
- Sandbag shouldering
Sandbag shouldering a simple workout using sandbag. It is a full body exercise that works with strength and conditioning simultaneously.
But there are some important aspects to consider while doing sandbag shouldering.
Make sure that there is no rotation of the hips or shoulders and don’t let the bag swing away from your body while doing sandbag shouldering.
Here are the steps to execute a sandbag shouldering exercise.
1. Place the sandbag lengthways between your feet
2. Bend down and grab the sandbag
3. Drive the sandbag and extend your hips into a tall standing position
4. When the bag passes the midway of your body while driving it, pull the elbows back and in
5. Now keep the bag close to your body and land on your shoulder
6. By standing and stabilizing this position, bend down and place the bag back into its original position.
7. Repeat it.
- Sandbag front squats
Front squats are great muscle building exercises and they emphasize on the quads, core, and back. It is a medium difficulty workout and it mainly works for your abdomens and legs.
It also helps with attributes like speed and power. Front squats can be easier on the lower back as it does not compress the spine like it would in a back squat. It will give you more explosive power and mobility.
Here are the instructions to perform sandbag front squats.
1. Stand straight with a sandbag resting on your upper chest by balancing with the crook of your arms.
2. Place your feets in a shoulder width apart with toes slightly pointed out
3. Slowly draw your body towards the floor
4. Keep your weight on your heels while moving
5. Stop and hold the position when your thighs drop just below 90 degree, and hips reached below the knees
6. Knees should be in a line with toes and chest
7. Drive the sandbag back to the original position by pushing up to a straight standing position
8. Use the upward momentum to press the sandbag overhead
9. Now lower the sandbag down to rest on your upper chest
10. Repeat this for at least 10 times
- Sandbag back squat
The sandbag back squat is a strength building exercise that will allow you to lift the most weight.
Look at the instructions to perform back squats with sandbags.
1. Get the sandbag up onto your bag, horizontally across your upper back
2. Place your feet shoulder width apart and slightly turned out
3. Push your hips back into the squat
4. Bend your knees and bring your body down to the floor
5. Stop and hold the position when your knees are parallel to the line on your hip
6. Hold the position for some seconds and drive the hip back and return to the original position
7. Repeat it for at least 10 times
Recently, sandbag training and workouts have gained huge popularity because of the flexibility it provides.
Shutdown of gyms due to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, were a setback for everyone who loves fitness. Sandbag workouts were a relief for many of us at times like these.
Say goodbye to all the expensive gym workouts and tools. Sandbag workouts are effective like them or more than them and cheaper too.