The Sandbag Workout

The Sandbag Workout 

Your first step, of course, is to bring home a 50-pound sandbag from your local home-improvement store. Any shape will work. Next, use the four pillars of sandbag training below to build a stronger, leaner, and more athletic body. Simply follow the directions and perform the exercises in the order shown. After you've completed all four, rest a minute or two and repeat the circuit a total of 3 to 5 times.

1. Shoulder the Load

Like a power clean, shouldering a sandbag -- lifting it from the floor to your shoulder in one explosive movement -- requires a coordinated effort from your core, upper body, and legs. It also challenges your balance, because the bag's weight distribution shifts as you lift it.

How to do it: Place the sandbag on the ground directly in front of you. Bend at your hips and knees while maintaining the natural arch in your lower back, until you can grab the bag by its sides. In one powerful movement, rise to a standing position and lift the bag to your right shoulder by forcefully straightening your legs, thrusting your hips forward, and pulling the bag with your arms. Reverse the movement, and repeat.

Your charge: Do 6 repetitions to your left shoulder, followed by 6 reps to your right. Rest 1 minute and then proceed to the next exercise.

2. Walk Off Your Gut

With its awkward shape, a sandbag requires you to expend more energy to lift it. But in addition to burning calories, you can also challenge your toughness and increase stamina with the bear-hug walk.

How to do it: Wrap your arms around a sandbag (or hold it overhead) and walk while maintaining perfect posture -- that is, standing tall with your abs braced, chest up, and shoulder blades pulled back and down.

Your charge: After you've completed your 1-minute rest in the first exercise, perform the bear-hug walk for 30 seconds. Then proceed to the next movement in the circuit.

Hold the bag as if you're hugging it.

3. Grip, Row,   and Grow There's no convenient place to grip a sandbag. To hang onto it, especially in muscle-making moves like bent-over rows, you must crush the bag with your hands and pinch it with your fingers. As a result, you'll train all the muscles in your hands and forearms while intensively training both your back and biceps. How to do it: Grab the bag with both hands and stand with your  knees slightly bent. Maintaining the natural arch in your lower back, bend forward at your waist until your upper body is almost parallel to the floor. The bag should hang straight beneath your shoulders. That's the starting position. Now, without moving your torso, pull the bag as close to your lower rib cage as possible. Pause and then lower the bag to the starting position. Your charge: Do 8 reps, rest 1 minute, and repeat the bear-hug walk before going on to exercise 4. 4. Squat for Strength Sandbag lifts don't have to be complicated to be effective. And few exercises can compare to the classic squat for building total-body strength and muscle. How to do it: Stand holding a sandbag in a bear hug. Initiate the movement by pushing your hips back. Lower your thighs until they're at least parallel to the floor, and then press back up. Too easy? Pause for 2 or 3 seconds in the down position of each rep. Your charge: Perform 5 reps, rest another minute, and do the bear-hug walk again. Then start over with the first exercise.