If you are seeking quick results for muscles groups that are normally underused in almost all of your workouts, then you need to incorporate a sandbag workout into your fitness regime. Conventionally fitness gurus believe that as long as you are lifting weights, you are gaining strength. Most of the times, gym goers are not concerned about which weight they are lifting, be it kettlebells, dumbbells, weights or barbells. The common rule is that the more weight you are able to lift up reflects your body strength. Though the logic may seem convincing, it isn’t really effective.
Technique
A strong body doesn’t simply mean lifting heavy weights. To truly achieve an athletic body, you need to focus on muscles that are missed most of the times by lifting static weights. Research has indicated that relating strength to higher weight lift is misleading. Disparity in weight stability targets underused muscle activation. Studies have also shown that picking up an instable weight in a particular body position leads to more muscle activation than simply lifting heavier weights. Lifting a dumbbell in an instable body position can be more beneficial for muscle strength than picking up heavier barbell in a well-balanced body position. Usually people associate stability of workout to effectiveness of the results. However, just like the weights that you pick up, stability is a variable factor that can be altered to suit your workout needs. A few other variables that directly correlate to the effectiveness of your fitness regime are:
- The position in which you hold weight
- The way you stand up holding the weight
- Stability of the weight that you have lifted
- Your body speed with which you lift the weight
- Your daily workout period
- Your rest time between workouts
If you carefully analyze the factors mentioned in the above list, you will realize that by just focusing on lifting the heavier weight you are essentially missing out the essence of your strength training. Since sandbag is a flexible source of weight, it assists athletes in working out in all postures and styles.
Sandbag Workouts
Sandbag is amongst the most useful gym items, but still its importance is largely overlooked. This may be due to the perception that a sandbag is more of a household item in contrast to hardcore gym irons. Though assembling a sandbag doesn’t require much of engineering, its vital role in toning underused muscles cannot be ignored.
Unlike other gym weights, the weight in a sandbag is not contained at a single point and stays in a state of motion; it directly impacts the stabilization muscles which go unnoticed in normal weight lifts. Since it is an odd weight lift, it creates a higher impact on the body, leading to quick results even for the most underused muscles.
Following sandbag workouts can help you attain maximum whole-body strength.
Picture: RDX Fitness Training Sandbag
Workout 1 – Good Morning!
You can begin your sandbag workout with this simple exercise. Put the sandbag behind your neck, supported by the shoulders, making your shoulder blades protrude backwards. Slowly move your head forward towards the knees causing a bend in the back. Stop at the knees and then rise up to the standing position. The whole movement would feel as if you are bending to greet someone with the sandbag on your shoulders.
Target Muscles – The core, hamstrings, lower back
Workout 2 – Let’s Go Around The World
Hold a sandbag with both hands and stand feet shoulder width apart. Start moving the sandbag and your arms in a circular motion from left to right, going backward then coming forward. Repeat the same in opposite direction. By performing this exercise you are making use of biggest feature of the sandbag – full instability. This would evoke muscle sensations that are missed by other weight lifts.
Target Muscles – Underused shoulder muscles, chest, arms and back
