Sunday, November 30, 2008

Get fit with sandbags

By Marcus Martinez

One of the main reasons kettlebells are so effective is due to how much effort it takes to control them. The energy expended not only builds a solid, overall strength, but also burns calories like nothing else. These are the same reasons sandbags are one of the most effective training tools available.

What would be more intense, trying to lift a perfectly balanced bar over your head, or a shifting mass of weight? Controlling and moving a sandbag works out your core and increases workout intensity because of unrelenting motion of the object you're trying to move.

The overhead press is one simple routine that can have huge benefits. It requires both full-body strength and a great grip to perform each rep. Ever tried to pick up a sandbag? Not too many ways to grip it, and it constantly wants to fold out of your grasp. This leads to a high-intensity workout.

If you don't have time for an hour of cardio and you still want to shed pounds of fat, a basic sandbag routine could do the job. You don't need much space, and the only piece of equipment you need is a bag, and sand. Not too complicated.

Anyone involved in full-contact sports could benefit from the grip building affects of sandbag training. From wrestling to a variety of martial arts, the ability to grab and hold onto someone is vital to winning. People in law enforcement or the military could also benefit from this grip-strengthening effect.

You could create your own sandbag using a bag, duct tape, and sand, but it may be easier to just buy one created for fitness training. The Ultimate Sandbag created by Innovative Fitness solutions was created specifically for sandbag exercises and is about as tough as anything gets.

With the Ultimate Sandbag, you get the versatility to train at home or anywhere you want, the variability to use new training protocols so the results you're looking for don't stagnate, and overall ability to train for power and strength as well as conditioning and fat loss. Working with sandbags has given me a great tool to add to my arsenal in increasing my strength and conditioning while developing a solid, aesthetically pleasing physique. Whoever said you have to do cardio 45 minutes a day to bun fat never tried sandbags.

Ultimately, life is about variety, but there is a fine line between too much and not enough. Too much and you risk never becoming fully proficient in a particular skill. Not enough and you run the risk of overtraining injuries as well as boredom. Sandbags offer a wide array of exercises and workouts while keeping you on track with your goals of a strong and conditioned individual. If you are going to give sandbags a try I am convinced that the Ultimate Sandbag is the best out there and will definitely not disappoint.

About the Author:

No comments: