Sandbag training?

Hello. As I read in Ross Enamait's books, sandbag training is very effective for combat sports and I said myslef to try it, because generally I work just on bodyweight exercises and I want some muscles too (no sarcasm please ) ).
What do you think? I'm 16 years, 1,90 meters and 72 kg. With how much weight should I start?

Thanks!

 

It sounds silly, but just email Ross himself - he responds to EVERY email and is very giving with advice and suggestions

Good luck!

 

I find weighing a sandbag to be a real chore, so I mostly like to pick a weight I can get for ten reps and then shoot for thirty reps in as few sets and as fast as I can.

My three favorite sandbag exercises are clean and press, Zercher squat and shouldering. Add some chin-up, dips, a challenging core movement (I like dragon flags but I found standing rollouts to wall work okay too) and tack on a short conditioning finisher and I had a program on which I put on 11 lbs over the course of last summer - WITHOUT putting on blubber around the waistline.

Word to the wise, though - after making what I consider pretty good gains, I spectacularly crashed and burned around October. Doing something like that twice a week - maybe three times if you're daring - is just about right. Oh, and don't expect to do much for the remainder of the day; the rest of the week probably won't be too great either.

 

Hello. I don't understand why it sounds silly but thanks for your reply Well Ross already wrote that sandbag training is good so I don't have why to ask him again .

Have a nice day!

 

Hey. Well, you want to say that doing to much can damage you right? Thank you very much for your reply

Have a nice day!

 

More or less, yeah.

And you're welcome.

 

No but he can help you tailor make a program for your specific needs - he is very good!

 

Mhm, I'll try

 

I'd suggest developing a good base of strength with some power and olympics lifts and then start with sandbags.
You'll see improvements much better than going straight to sand bags.

 

^ Care to explain why?

 

He's sixteen saying that he wants to add some muscle.
Im guessing he's not a very strong as it is and doesnt understand how to lift safely.
If he is a gym beast, i apologize.
If he start with olympic lifts he'll develop a good base of strength and understanding of safe lifting which he can then work on developing speed onto with sand bags.
But to be honest i haven't read the book he mentioned.
usually i tell people to get stronger overall then work on specific goals like speed and endurance.

 

I'm sorry but I KNOW sandbags are perfectly viable tools for developing strength and hypertrophy. Simple matter of adding more weight and getting more reps in with it. Resistance is resistance, after all.

They're also dirt cheap to make - in fact dirt is precisely what you need - and so simple to put together that even someone like me, who's about as handy as a drunk gorilla, had no problems doing it.

And I found sandbag lifts to be FAR more forgiving than at least dumbbell lifts (not much experience with a barbell here), not least because if I drop a sandbag it'll at worst burst; if I drop a dumbbell I stand a good chance of making a decent sized dent in the floor.

As far as I'm concerned sandbags are EXACTLY what I would have a beginner use; then when it gets too unwieldy have him move onto barbells and such.

But hey, that's just me.

 

Hello all. This is my first post on this site and the following is a very general recommendation, as I don't know the OP. They may wish to seek out a CMMACC, CSCS or SMAC to work with and personalize a program.

Sandbags are excellent training and I do recommend that any martial artist incorporate their use. However, if the OP wishes to bulk-up muscle wise, I suggest they get on a traditional weight training program composed of the big old fashioned lifts with barbells (squats, BP, deadlifts, pull-ups, dips, etc). This will be the shortest most effective way for him to build a good muscle base. With a formalized traditional program like Wendler:

http://www.strstd.com/

Be sure to get your diet in check too. You need to eat at a calorie surplus or you will be spinning your wheels. You should try to limit that surplus to around 500 calories. More than that and you will be packing on the fat. Calculate your maintenance calories and add 500:

http://www.acaloriecounter.com/diet/calorie-maintenance-calculator-daily-calorie-requirements/

Remember that your muscles are fueled off of various energy systems and you don't want to over-train with a bodybuilding type workout like Wendler. Such a program should only be used to bulk up a bit. Once you reach a level of muscularity, you should consider changing your program to explosive type moves (sandbags are excellent for them) like the snatch, clean and jerk, etc. Your immediate goal if I read your post is hypertrophy.

 

I agree with you, sandbags are great. However, I am completely of the opposite mindset. Barbells and dumbbells are far more precise and just easier to use for a program of hypertrophy. Yes, you can use sandbags for a hypertrophy program, but with them you are working on a weight that is shifting around on you and your body needs to work to lift and stabilize them. And while this is actually the main reason why martial artists should be using them, that quality gets in the way of hypertrophy. The shortest route for the OP to bulk up is a formalized strength program with barbells and dumbbells.

 

Well my way of programming for sandbags is simple: pick a weight I can do for 10-15 reps; try to get in 30 reps with it in as few sets as possible; once I'm hitting in excess of 20 reps on the first set I move up in weight. I haven't read about it, I haven't been told about it, I'VE DONE IT and hence I can vouch that if you eat like a horse (the good stuff, mind you) and REALLY pay attention to your recovery (you probably won't be doing much else anyway) you can get stronger AND bigger; I know because I have.

I'd rather be lifting - even if it is in a less than optimal fashion - than thinking about finding a better way to do it while my weights collect dust.

But hey, I'm just a guy talking on the Internet - feel free to disregard what I'm saying.

 

Thank you very much Frodo. Well you said a big thing! I don't have access to equipments. Anyway...I'll try at first do not freestyle to much, first I'll get the forms, good strenght then trying to be creative

Thank you for you help!

 

Ok,ok let's forget this thing with bulking up, then. If I'll se that I can do 100 push-ups and 50 pull-ups and a one hand push-up I think I'll feel more confident than being bulky

Thank you

 

One caveat my idea comes with... I tacked on the sandbag death march, as I refer to it these days, on top of a year of consistent, productive bodyweight training. Might be worth your while to spend your time getting your numbers up on pull-ups, handstand push-ups, pistols and the like before starting something like I did.

And I will encourage you to drop by the Training Log section. Nothing like Frodocious the Ninja Overseer breathing down your neck to keep you going.

On that note, I'm off to workout. :vanish:

EDIT:

I see you've made a post along similar lines. Go for it, it sure as heck won't hurt you.