Issue 067
November 2010
Like medicine balls for the 21st century.
The power bag is essentially a high-tech sandbag. With many years of research and development behind them, Power bags have been used by high-performance athletes, the armed forces, the emergency services and fitness professionals since 2003. The power bag’s sand contents shift as the bag is moved to provide a more challenging training environment than standard resistance-training equipment, and is normally used for rehabilitation, strength work or conditioning.
Why?
Power bags are suitable for all levels of fitness. They allow you to combine core-stability training, Olympic lifting and medicine ball training. A power bag is more unpredictable than an Olympic weight, forcing the user’s body to adapt to shifts in encumbrance. That’s how it helps with core stability. Otherwise it provides an agreeable alternative to that traditional instrument of torture, the medicine ball. Another bonus is portability. If you’re off to the track to do sprints you can bring your power bag to do some resistance sprints and strength work too, and the surface wipes clean of mud. But a power bag’s greatest advantage to fighters in particular is that it enables us to replicate exact fighting movements under resistance (see our drills to the right). Moreover, power bags are soft so can be thrown and slammed with minimal risk of injury, to yourself or others. You can go 100% on these things without worrying too much about breaking them.
DRILLS
Burpee slam and sprawl
Starting in the standing position with the power bag overhead, perform a deep squat and slam the bag into the floor. Kick your legs out behind you and drop the hips to the ground keeping your head up. As soon as you reach the sprawl position bring the legs back in, stand up straight and with just a slight bend in your arms raise the bag over your head.
Wall walking
Grip the power bag in both hands across your chest. Sit on the floor with your legs fully extended and your back against the cage or gym wall. Work your way up to standing by using your legs and turning your shoulders from side to side.
Alternate leg resistance shot
Grip the power bag over your shoulders, change your level and simulate a wrestler’s double leg shot. Stand back up and repeat off the other leg. As you don’t have your hands to balance, your posture while shooting should improve, plus the weight will develop power and drive. Only do this on mats, naturally.
Dynamic floor press
Lie on your back and rest the power bag across your chest. Using both hands explode upwards and throw the bag off to one side. Scramble up as quickly as possible, retrieve the bag and repeat the process on the opposite side. Perform the drill over a period of time or as reps.
POWER BAG BUYING GUIDE
The power bag is an excellent piece of equipment readily available for purchase from the Internet. It’s safer and cheaper than a kettlebell plus easier to transport: the smaller ones will fit in a rucksack, without damaging your back by bouncing around, or it can just be lugged around across your shoulders. There are sizes to suit everyone, from 3kg up to 50kg. If you only buy one then a 10kg or 15kg would be the most versatile. If looked after the bag should last a couple of years or more and it’d be a valuable addition to your training kit.
Ben Vickers teaches MMA and conditioning at the MMA Clinic, London.
www.themmaclinic.com
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