Todays Workout - The Jet

5 Pull Ups
10 Sandbag Push Press
10 Sandbag Shoulder Squats (change shoulder each round)

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes.

Men aim for a 30kg sandbag; women aim for 15kg.

Record your score.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - The Devil's In The Details

100 Sandbag Shoulders.

Men aim for 50% bodyweight; women aim for 50% bodyweight.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

15 - 1 of the following exercises (perform 15 repetitions of each one, then 14 etc.):

Sandbag Floor Press
Sandbag Shoulder Get Ups (switch shoulders at 5)
Sandbag Zercher Squats
Sandbag High Pulls

Men aim for a 40kg sandbag; women aim for 20kg.

Record your time.

Train hard!

This could well be a pretty long workout for you, so here's a nice long music video to go with it!

Todays Workout - "I Ain't Goin Down No More"

5 Sandbag Clean and Press
Max Pull Ups

Rest for 3 minutes and repeat for a total of 5 rounds.

Aim for the heaviest sandbag you can handle for 5 reps and record both the max weight and max repetitions for you Pull Ups.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - Matt and the Wheeled Warriors

Todays workout was inspired by one of my favourite cartoons as a kid - Jayce & The Wheeled Warriors. Check out the video below if you want a blast from the past!

Run 400m
10 Push Ups
20 Sandbag Cleans
30 Sandbag Back Squats

Repeat for a total of 3 rounds as fast as possible.

Men aim for a 40kg sandbag; women aim for 20kg.

Record your time.

Train hard!

You might be wondering what it was about that cartoon that inspired this workout. They drove a lot and this workout contains some running - that's it. A fairly tenuous link you'll agree. 

Sandbag Training For Tough Mudder

I recently had an article published here in the UK in Outdoor Fitness Magazine. It covered a few specific sandbag training programmes that would help you get through the Tough Mudder. I know that many of those following the blog have been unable to get a copy as they don't live in the UK so I thought I'd provide a taste of the training info here.

For those of you that can get hold of the magazine, I urge you to grab a copy - it really is very good.

Click here to check it out

For everyone else, here's a taster of some of the sandbag training exercises that you can use to get around the course.

Try this workout to build endurance

Complete 5 rounds of the following sequence:

1 Sandbag Hill Sprint (top to bottom)

10 Sandbag Thrusters

10 Sandbag High Pulls

10 Sandbag Chest Throws

Use a sandbag weight that challenges you to complete all 5 rounds.

Sandbag Hill Sprint

Thruster Start

Thruster Finish

High Pull Start

High Pull Finish 

Chest Throw

Todays Workout - You're Not Serious...

I felt like getting really stuck in today. I've been at the computer too much recently and wanted to get a lot of energy out. It worked.

100 Sandbag Shoulder Squats (switch shoulders as you wish)
100 Sandbag Push Jerks
100 Sandbag Cleans (Power)
100 Pull Ups

Men aim for a 30kg sandbag; women aim for 15kg.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - Run Forrest, Run!

Run 400m
10 Push Ups
20 Sandbag Front Squats

Repeat for a total of 5 rounds.

Men aim for a 40kg sandbag; women aim for 20kg.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - Sandbag Tabatas

Tabatas have been given a rough ride recently and they're still highly misused but it's been awhile since we did any here on Sandbag Fitness so here we go!

20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest. Repeat for a total of 8 working intervals. 1 minute rest between exercises.

Sandbag High Pulls
Sandbag Push Press
Sandbag Back Squats
Sandbag Walking Lunges

Record your aggregate score for each exercise.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - He Man (or She-Ra)

A simple strength workout today focusing on 2 key sandbag training skills - Bear Hug Squats and Overhead Presses.

5 Heavy Sandbag Overhead Presses
Max Sandbag Bear Hug Squats

Rest for 1-2 minutes and repeat for a total of 5 rounds.

Record your max weight lifted and max repetitions for the Sandbag Bear Hug Squats.

Train hard!

The Art of Practice: 5 Key Elements for Perfect Practice

"Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.� � Vince Lombardi

Does practice make perfect or does practicing perfectly make perfect? Practice comes down to more than just the actual practice session. Patience along with determination are other qualities you should work on to make the most out of your practice.

We are an instant gratification generation and many of us expect to get results and have an amazing skill set overnight. We all want the magic formula that gets you from zero to hero in minutes. Without patience not only will you...

Read the rest right here on Breaking Muscle

Todays Workout - He's Like A Piece Of Iron... (bonus Rocky video!)

You'll need courage and resilience to get through this sandbag strength workout today.

5 Heavy Sandbag Ground-to-Overhead
Max Pull Ups (or variation)

Repeat for a total of 5 rounds with 2-4 minutes rest in between each round.

Rest for 3 minutes.

5 Heavy Sandbag Front Squats
Max Press Ups (or variation)

Repeat for a total of 5 rounds with 2-4 minutes rest in between each round.

You should aim to lift the absolute maximum weight that you can in your sandbag, ideally reaching fatigue during the 5th rep in each set. If you're scratching your head thinking "why have I been given so much rest?" then you probably aren't lifting heavy enough...

Record your score and max weight.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - Deception

Todays workout is simple but deceptively tough.

5 Pull Ups, 10 Sandbag Deadlifts, 10 Press Ups. 10 rounds.

Men aim for a 50kg sandbag; women aim for 30kg.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Random Acts of Kindness

�Kindness is more than deeds. It is an attitude, an expression, a look, a touch. It is anything that lifts another person.� Unknown

Have you ever done something for someone without expecting anything in return?  Have you ever helped someone you don�t even know? Did you know that doing something nice for someone without any strings attached can literally be just as rewarding for you as it is for the other person?  Raises seratonin levels and makes you more pleasant to be around. 

A few weeks ago I celebrated my 33rd birthday.  Rather than have a big celebration, I chose to lay low and be with my family.  Throughout the day I thought it would be nice to go to my local Eastern Refloxology place for an hour treatment to have a bit of pampering.  When I walked in the lady at the front desk told me there were no openings.  She asked if I could come back in a few hours and I told her I�d be having a small family birthday dinner by then.  Once she heard the word birthday she immediately got on the phone with another location and had someone drive over to accommodate me.  I was thrown back by her kindness.  She said to me �I can�t let you leave without having something special for your birthday.�  I sat down in the waiting room with a big smile.  As I was waiting, a couple came in for their appointment.  They sat next to me and we began to chat.  The lady was from London so we immediately hit it off. 

When the masseuse arrived from the other store she wished me a happy birthday when she walked in.  I was a bit embarrassed and thanked her profusely for coming just for me.  The couple wished me a Happy Birthday and we said our good-byes.  Normally for reflexology they take you in a quiet room with about 10 other people and lounge chairs.  She took me to a private dark room with my own lounge chair for extra special treatment.  I felt like a princess.  For a full hour I had one of the best reflexology experiences I�ve ever had.  I nearly fell asleep several times, which doesn�t ever happen to me.  I was so relaxed and was able to check out fully.  It was just what I needed!  

When my reflexology treatment was all finished I walked to the front desk and pulled out my wallet to pay.  The lady at the front desk told me that it was all taken care of.  I looked at her confused.  She said, �That couple you were talking to paid for it.�  I looked at her speechless for a moment.  I told her that I had just met that couple and couldn�t believe the kindness.  I gave the masseuse a huge tip and left feeling on top of the world.  I wanted to thank the couple but they were still in their massage.  I left a note thanking them and leaving my information to hopefully pay them back some how.  

I may never see that couple again but they left something with me.  They left the gift to me to continue and pay it forward.  Now it�s my turn to give little random acts of kindness.  I feel these acts can come in so many different ways.  Doesn�t have to be large purchases.  It could be going out of your way and doing a good deed like randomly paying for someone�s coffee behind you.  Smiling at someone, looking in their eyes, and sincerely asking how their day is going.  Humans are good people.  When we are a plugged in to our phones or electronic devices we lose the real human contact interaction.  If I had been plugged in waiting for my masseuse I would have never spoken to the nice couple that was in the waiting room.  Two things I�d like to work on are randoms acts of kindness and unplugging from my devices to be fully engaged with the person I�m with or just be engaged with myself.  I�m ever so guilty of having my phone on me when I�m not with my kids so I can get updates constantly.  I will work on only checking from time to time.  In reality we survived without the phones and constant updates!  Would love to hear some random acts of kindness stories that you have been involved with some how.  Thanks for reading, now go out and make someone�s day!