Issue 037

May 2008

By Barry Gibson

There is a lot going on in the world of Internet marketing around the subject of sandbags and other ‘functional’ training. The problem with the word functional is that the conventional, commercial-gym bunnies have grabbed it and abused in a way that’s quite removed from the original sense. 

Functional training was supposed to be a far cry from the Land of Chrome and Ferns and its ab rollers and thigh masters! But the big health clubs jumped all over it. So now we have them preaching the benefits of instability training which, while valuable, still doesn’t beat training in an intense manner and lifting heavy. You get people doing 8kg presses while sitting on a stability ball — and that’s them being functional!

So this month I’m trying to set the record straight about sandbags. You’re getting no-nonsense info on how to make

one and what to do with it. See how Fighters Only always delivers the good stuff?

Grab yourself an army duffel bag from a surplus store. This won’t cost you much. Get some heavy-duty bin bags, then buy some bags of play-sand from your local hardware store. These are usually quite cheap and you can get a deal if you buy four or more. This would do but I also bought some sandwich bags and duct tape and made mini sandbags using doubled-up bags and securing them with the tape. Each mini bag weighs around one kilo, it’s well worth the time spent if you do have an accident, as it’s not a whole 25kg bag of sand spilled all over your head. Place these mini bags into the black bin bags and double these up too – tape the top and place in your duffel bag. Repeat this until you have the desired weight in your bag. You’re now good to go. 

What do you do with it?

Well, if it’s heavy enough, just picking it up will be sufficient to tax your body. Pick it up and bring it to one of your shoulders, place it back down and repeat by bringing it to your opposite shoulder. Before you know it you’re shouldering your sandbag! This is a great conditioning exercise and very taxing on the body. Below you’ll find a complex that you can perform with a sandbag that will blast your athleticism through the roof and pay great dividends in strength, power and endurance. 

Why are they so great?

Stability is the reason. I, and most people I know, can comfortably lift 50kg off the floor on a barbell. However, a 50kg sandbag is a totally different animal. The supporting musculature has to fight the pull of gravity as the sand slips its way to the floor through your hands and arms. This makes for a mighty battle, especially on your grip, which in my opinion is a sorely neglected aspect of MMA training. The above example is of a deadlift. What about a clean and press? Pushing the weight overhead forces all of your core muscles to get involved and, due to the nature of sand, every rep will be different because the sand shifts so much. Now that is what I call functional training!

The best advice I can give on this is to go out and make yourself a sandbag and train with it. Lift it, carry it, press it, walk or run with it. Do whatever floats your boat with it, just start using one straight away. 

Example workout

Here is that little complex to try. Get yourself outside with this one if you can too. Some fresh air will do you the world of good!!

Burpee clean and press x 8

Zercher squat x 8

Shouldering x 8 (4 reps per side)

Zercher lunge x 8 (4 reps per leg)

High pull x 8

Floor Press x 8

Body lock hold and carry x 100ft

Do this without rest between exercises and keep rest time to one minute between complexes. Perform four to five rounds of this. Your work capacity and all-round usable strength will go to levels you didn’t think possible. Now get out there and do it!