If you are looking for something new, can’t stand the gym or just can’t afford it, pick up a sandbag for an economical way to get in a full-body workout in half the time.
Sandbag Training for Women
A staple training tool for the military, martial artists and strongmen, the sandbag is often associated as a tool in elite performance for male athletes. The sandbag isn’t just for the boys though, women should also consider sandbag training to improve cardio, strength endurance, and flexibility. The following three benefits can aid both beginner and experienced lifters who decide to try this all-in-one fitness tool.
Sandbag Training Benefit #1: Functional Fitness
Sandbag training is functional fitness, it develops muscles in places you didn’t even know existed. Many women believe functional fitness is standing on a bosu ball curling 1 kg dumbbells, but how does that apply to the real world?
Sandbag training develops real world strength and stability because of the constantly shifting nature of the implement. The sandbag never isolates any specific muscle, forcing you to use stabilizer muscles that remain dormant with a barbell or dumbbell. The body adapts to the sandbag’s instability by developing a stronger core, giving you that oh-so-elusive six-pack.
Sandbag Training Benefit #2: At Home Training
Sandbag training provides a full body workout making them ideal for home training. In today’s fast-paced world we need to fit our workouts in where we can. Sandbags are a great solution, they engage the entire body, drastically decreasing workout times. This gives you more bang for your buck, not to mention the small size helps to easily store between workouts.
Sandbags are also very portable, you could use it at the gym, at home, or take it to a nearby park and get some fresh air. Similarly, if you travel a lot, the sandbag works nicely for the jet-set crowd. Just empty it, pack it, and fill it upon arrival.
Sandbag Training Benefit #3: Easy for Beginners
The same instability that makes sandbag training functional also makes it perfect for beginners. When a newcomer enters the gym and picks up a barbell for the first time, the risk of injury is extremely high. Amateurs often lack proper guidance when it comes to technique or form and could potentially cause themselves a great deal of pain.
The sandbag’s unstable nature makes it forgiving, a beginner lifter with less than stellar form can still get a great workout without running the risk of injury. Additionally, the sandbag contains just two ingredients; a bag and sand. This makes it easy to progress, when the initial weight becomes too easy to work with, add more sand.