Beginner sandbag training

[arela]

Hi!

I've started working out recently. I used to do some stuff with a 16kg kettlebell ( swings, clean and press squats, turkish getup) but I've quickly found the bell to be too light for me. And as I can't afford to get a new bell right now I decided to do some sandbag traning. I've found a routine on another board (

https://www.reddit.com/r/weightroom/comments/fj76nr/pandemic_proof_strength_training_a_solution_for

) which consists of :

A. Press Day (With light bag):

1. Sandbag Clean to Press: 3 x 5+
2. Sandbag Floor Press: 3 x 8+
3. Sandbag Rows: 5 x 10+
4. Tricep/Bicep/Delt Work: High reps 8+

B. Leg Day (With heavy bag):

1. Sandbag Clean to Front Squat: 6 x 5+
2. Sandbag Bear Hug Carry: 6 x 10m/30ft
3. Kettlebell/Dumbbell Russian Twists: 5 x AMRAP
4. Kettlebell Swings: EMOM 10 x 15-20

Is this routine okay for a beginner? And if so what the weight of light and heavy bag should be for me? What kind of warm up should I do? With kb ii did some squats and halos and that did warm me up pretty well for that kind of exercises is this kind of warm up okay?

 

[htrobert1]

@arela It sounds like you've established a good baseline to move into a routine like this. Just be cautious at first.

Sandbags and another "fluid" and moveable like this can be an entirely different sensation. You'll end up using more accessory muscles in your core and back. This comes from attempts to stabilize as the weight of what you're manipulating shifts around.

For the first workout or two, you may want to start light and with less reps just to get the feel. It's not the weight that becomes problematic, but how the weight moves.

Second thing, I'm not sure what kind of bag you're working with, but it's often beneficial to work on grip strength as you do this. Grabbing a heavy sack, even with straps, can be limited by grip endurance rather than total muscle fatigue.

Try some things like reverse curls, shoulders retracted farmer's carries, wrist curls. If you have a bar, commando pull ups and dead hangs are great too.

As for the bag weight - hate to say but it's really hard to gauge without seeing your form on things. Would be great if you could get three bags - about 12kg, 20kg, and 30kg. The lightest would be a trial run and would help you build accessory muscles under the new style of workout. Heavier stuff you can progress up to.

From a warm up perspective - shoulders and back definitely! A total body warmup would be smart, but don't neglect your shoulders and back. 30-60 seconds of arm circles front and back x3, upward/downward dog transitions, Angels and Devils (supermans with arms going from forwards to back) will be helpful in getting your joints ready.

But again I stress, GO SLOW to start. Don't let numbers guide your ego into saying "I can handle a heavy bag" right away. You'll get there. This will feel different. Take time to respond appropriately and avoid injury.

Good luck!

 

[arela]

@htrobert1 Thanks for the detailed response!

Sandbags and another "fluid" and moveable like this can be an entirely different sensation. You'll end up using more accessory muscles in your core and back. This comes from attempts to stabilize as the weight of what you're manipulating shifts around.

For the first workout or two, you may want to start light and with less reps just to get the feel. It's not the weight that becomes problematic, but how the weight moves.

I will make sure to take it easy at the beginning. I should be at least a bit accustomed due to my kettlebell training but it's best to take caution. Yea I've heard how to it's a bit different due to the fluid nature and how the sand shifts.

Second thing, I'm not sure what kind of bag you're working with, but it's often beneficial to work on grip strength as you do this. Grabbing a heavy sack, even with straps, can be limited by grip endurance rather than total muscle fatigue.

I've got quite a generic sturdy duffle bag but it does have handles I'll make sure to grab onto them haha. Thanks for the tip.

Try some things like reverse curls, shoulders retracted farmer's carries, wrist curls. If you have a bar, commando pull ups and dead hangs are great too.

I'll try another exercises for sure. Right now all I want is to start training with a sandbag and see what it's like. Unfortunately I don't have a pullup bar and can't have one on how, but I got a carpet hanger on the backyard of my flat.

As for the bag weight - hate to say but it's really hard to gauge without seeing your form on things. Would be great if you could get three bags - about 12kg, 20kg, and 30kg. The lightest would be a trial run and would help you build accessory muscles under the new style of workout. Heavier stuff you can progress up to.

My bag came with three smaller bags inside that i can fill with sand or metal pellets, so they can be as heavy as I want them to be.

From a warm up perspective - shoulders and back definitely! A total body warmup would be smart, but don't neglect your shoulders and back. 30-60 seconds of arm circles front and back x3, upward/downward dog transitions, Angels and Devils (supermans with arms going from forwards to back) will be helpful in getting your joints ready

Okay I will incorporate those!

But again I stress, GO SLOW to start. Don't let numbers guide your ego into saying "I can handle a heavy bag" right away. You'll get there. This will feel different. Take time to respond appropriately and avoid injury.

I've heard that they are way heavier than it might seem. Thank you for you help. I'll take care and go slow