I’ve written before about how to make a cheap sandbag and I followed that up with a post about training with sandbags.
If you’ve been bitten by the bug that gets some of us sometimes and feel the need to hoist a heavy weight without the safety and predictability of a barbell, then check out these tips that I’ve learned the hard way.
Tip #1: weigh your sandbag regularly
This applies most to those of us who keep our sandbags out of doors. I use a piece of tarpaulin to keep it (mostly) dry but it still gets a bit damp occasionally. The extra water in the material (I use an army surplus bag to hold my sand) makes it heavier and the amount that the bag can vary will surprise you.
Tip #2: use small weights plates to increase the load incrementally
There is nothing sadder than training with the same weight implement day after day after day. For improvement to happen, we usually need to increase the load carried.
However, adding extra sand to your sandbag is both time-consuming and tedious. I’ve found that it’s perfectly possible to use a few spare weights plates to bump the weight up by 5kg (10lbs) or 10kg (20lbs) before adding extra bags of sand. That way, I can programme sandbags into my routine and steadily work the weight up from week to week.
One extra tip, though, if you are going to use weights plates as extra ballast. Don’t forget where the plate is in the bag. I tend to use quite tightly packed sandbags and if I put the weight plate on the side that I approach the sandbag to pick it up , it digs into my chest. It’s an easy solution: just turn the sandbag around and grasp it from the other direction! Not what you want, though, if you’re working to the clock!
Tip #3: decide what you want to use your sandbag for most and set it up to do that
I have used my sandbag for a number of different exercises, including:
- Lifting and carrying;
- Lifting and loading; and
- Cleaning to the shoulder
I found that I preferred the sandbag to be quite solid for lifting and carrying but I liked the bag to have a bit of material free to hold onto for lifting and loading. On the other hand, for cleaning to the shoulder, it’s easiest if the bag is nicely floppy. I decided that I probably benefited most from the lifting and carrying, since I could use most weight that way, so I’ve set my sandbag up so it behaves more like an oddly-shaped Atlas stone.
Wrapped tightly and tied off for easy lifting
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