Sandbag Centurion

A simple sandbag endurance session today - so you'll want a moderately heavy bag.

100 Sandbag Cleans
100 Sandbag Push Press
100 Sandbag Back Squats

Complete in any order you choose, as fast as you can.

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

Record your time.

Train hard!

Sandbag Workshop Hits The UK!

Did you hear the good news? I'm running a Sandbag Training Masterclass in the new year! This one is based in the UK but I hope to add a few more during 2013 - principally in the US, Australia and Asia. If you have any suggestions for venues and/or locations then I'd love to hear them (contact me). 

Anyone who attends will be sure to learn lots, get some expert tuition, work hard and have fun! And you'll also be automatically inducted into the Sandbag Fitness Hall Of Awesomeness.

Full details here

Red Lentil Vegetable Soup (Stew)

This warming comfort soup is very simple to make.  This red lentil with roasted red pepper soup was inspired by my talented friend Allison.  It does take time, since the lentils and veggies need to simmer and need to be stirred.  I make this at night after my kids are in bed while talking to a friend or listening to music.  You can really get a lot done while making this soup.  Make it on an evening where you can hang around the kitchen.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Red Lentils (Washed and separated)

1 Zucchini Chopped

4-5 Carrots Chopped

3-4 Garlic Cloves Chopped

Chopped Green Onions 1-2

4 Cups Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Broth

2-3 Cups Organic Low Sodium Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

1 tsp of Turmeric

Himalayan Pink Salt to taste

Add Cilantro to taste

Directions:

Heat up deep pan or pot on medium with 1 Tbs of Olive Oil.  Stir the soaked Red Lentils in olive oil and quickly add the Vegetable Broth and cover.  Take it to a boil stirring frequently so the lentils don't burn.  Once it boils take it down to a simmer.  Simmer for about 20-30 minutes.  Lentils should be soft.

Next add all the chopped vegetables and bring up the temperature while stirring for a few minutes.  Return to a simmer and cover. Add the spices after half hour of simmering.  I enjoy my veggies very soft.  Now it's time to add 2-3 cups of the Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup.  If you love the taste go ahead and add the whole thing. Stir well!  One of these days I'll make a fresh base.  If you want to make your own Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup, then more power to you!  

Let it simmer for another hour if you like it super soft and stir it and check on it periodically. 

Garnish with cilantro and season to taste

EASIER WAY (no veggie version)

Hope you enjoy this as much as my family does!  

Must Have Training Kit For 2013

Do You Have Any Fitness Goals For 2013?

"Fail to plan and you plan to fail"

Sensible words for anyone who is trying to improve their health and fitness for the long term. While I'm always keen to say that the real key is to work smart, hard and consistently - a few purchases here and there can really help. In this newsletter I've written my list of essential Sandbag Fitness training kit to make sure that you smash any and all goals that you have for the forthcoming year!

Train hard!

Matt

Number 1 on the Sandbag Fitness kit list has to be The Complete Guide To Sandbag Training - 188 pages of straightforward sandbag training info, exercise descriptions with images and over half a year of programmes!

Now available in Paperback, eBook (pdf and ePub) and Kindle. And you can currently get the Paperback for 50% off until the 21st December!

Click here to get the Paperback

Click here to get the eBook

Click here to get the Kindle version

If you're still following the sandbag workouts with a homemade sandbag then it might be time to upgrade to one of Brute Force Sandbags excellent products. The Heavy Hitter is my personal favourite:

• It loads to 90kg/200lbs
• It's just the right shape for load carries and bear hugs
• It is handleless so it really develops your grip
• It's practically indestructible

Click here to check out the Heavy Hitter

If you're serious about tracking your progress (you should be) and you want a great timer that will easily cope with all of the workout options at Sandbag Fitness then you need a Gymboss. Affordable and portable, this is simply the best timer out there.

Click here to check out Gymboss timers

Do you need some additional coaching?

Training for a particular goal or event?

I offer coaching services for those who have serious goals or those that need to get the very best results in a shorter period of time. If you can't train with me in person then I also offer Exercise Video Analysis and Online Coaching - both highly effective options.

Click here to get Online Coaching

Click here for Exercise Video Analysis

Click here to book Personal Training Sessions with me

Interested in MMA or other combat/contact sports?

Sandbag Training For MMA & Combat Sports is my 194 page guide to get the very best from sandbag training to improve your strength, speed, power, endurance and agility. It explains, in detail, how to perform over 60 sandbag exercises and includes a full range of training programmes to get you in fighting shape.


Click here to get your copy

My Gift To You

"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."

I started Sandbag Fitness back in 2010 as a way of documenting my training and helping others to improve their heath and fitness. Nothing has changed and I still do it for the reward that comes from seeing others achieve their goals.

You can email me anytime you want with questions, feedback or even just to say hi. I personally answer all emails. Say hi to Matt

Check out a range of free articles here

Get involved in the conversation on Facebook


I hope you have a great holiday, wherever you are and whatever you're doing. 

Matt

Train Like A Man, But EAT Like A WOMAN!

Update: Since writing this article I've had an influx of emails from women confessing to me their struggles relating to these females highlighted in this article.   I took a chance writing this article and have definitely received some rebuttals with no scientific backup.  Dr. Berardi, from Precision Nutrition, has shared this article on his main Facebook page for the females considering some sort of fasting approach to health to give it a second thought.  He's worked with over 10,000 women and has had lots of success and continues to experiment on himself and keeps diligent records of what works and what generally does not work.  To have someone of his caliber along with Dr. Krista  Here is a study he found backing this article up.  New study he found here plus a 60 minute lecture he just did on Intermittent Fasting  here.

Sharing the untold stories of Intermittent Fasting (IF) and other dietary fads. This article is exclusively written for Breaking Muscle. It was an honor to write this and hopefully help women all over the world.  Special thanks to all the wonderful females that helped make this possible for me to write.  

Ladies, we have made some amazing strides in a short amount of time. We�ve moved from pink weights to swinging kettlebells almost as heavy or heavier than we are. Women of all types and ages have taken the leap from weak to strong. Congratulations ladies, we did it! We are still doing it! 

Lauren Brooks

More women are embracing strength as a necessary part of their training. We are clearly not afraid to be strong. The movement of females lifting heavier, while still keeping their feminity, realizing they can feel better without looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger is spreading like wildfire. It was uncommon years ago to see females, much less new moms, swinging around heavy weights or doing pull-ups while smiling at their new baby. It has been an honor to be an integral part of the female movement towards kettlebells, which opened the flood gates to strength and the mastering of pull-ups, dead lifts, and so much more. But have we taken it too far? We train like men and pound for pound some of us are even stronger than men. The question is: are we supposed to eat like men too? 

Ladies... CONTINUE READING HERE

Get 50% Off My Sandbag Paperback!

To celebrate the holiday season I'm offering the chance to get 50% off The Complete Guide To Sandbag Training in paperback!

This crazy offer is unlikely to be repeated any time soon and I might even change it once the egg nog has worn off so make the most of it.

Click here to get your copy

The Plank - How Good Is It?

In recent years the plank has become the "Number 1" exercise for developing core strength and protecting the back from injury. It's an exercise that can be used by a wide variety of individuals and has a much lower incidence of injury associated with it than say a standard sit up or crunch. But how effective is it at developing core strength? Is it just an exercise that doesn't aggravate existing spinal/postural conditions?

The Plank

What is Core Strength?

Another "buzz" word, core strength is heavily touted as the primary goal for most strength programmes in todays fitness industry. Most people incorrectly identify core strength as abdominal strength but it should really be used to describe the stability and strength of the spine as a whole. Thus, we you see an individual following a programme that heavily includes some abdominal and lower back work to promote core stability there is most certainly a deficiency in the programming. When talking about core stability we should think about all of the muscles that assist in supporting the spine, these include:

• Cervical - upper back (rotators, extensors, lateral flexors, anterior flexors)
• Thoracic - middle back (rotators, extensors, lateral flexors, anterior flexors)
• Lumbar - lower back (rotators, extensors, lateral flexors, anterior flexors)
• Transversus Abdominus
• Multifidis
• Diaphragm
• Pelvic Floor
• External and Internal Obliques
• Rectus Abdominis

But we all know that there are many other factors that affect spinal alignment or posture. An individual with excessive anterior flexion through the shoulder girdle (rounded shoulders) is certainly having their posture affected. So we should also consider that shoulder position is another important factor in maintaining spine strength and alignment. This then opens up a whole new area of core strength - one in which we can view the musculature of the entire torso as "core muscles". And if our definition of core strength is to maintain good posture and spinal alignment then this is entirely correct. So, we can also include:

• Deltoids
• Trapezius
• Latissimus Dorsi
• Pectorals
• Gluteals

A slightly different view of core strength but I hope you can appreciate this integrated approach.

Biomechanical Assessment of the Plank

I will keep this section purposefully simple. The plank, in which we are required to maintain neutral spine under load in the prone position, can achieve the aim of activating core muscles. The characteristics are as follows:

• Lack of movement through the pelvis/spine
• Weight supported through the arms
• Position is prone

If we accept that, in exercise terms, we generally improve in the specific areas we focus on then the plank would achieve the following:

• We would improve our ability to activate core muscles and maintain a stable postural position
• We would become strong in the prone position
• The arms would become better at supporting our body weight

This is where we can start to see that the plank has some flaws. Improving strength in a prone position has a very limited application for the general population. In fact most of us display postural problems in the following situations:

• Standing for extended periods of time
• Picking up a load from the floor
• Twisting while holding a load
• Twisting without a load
• Lifting something above the head

Conclusion

While I certainly didn't want to go ahead and bash the Plank as an exercise (I programme it myself), I did want to raise the point that it's important that we qualify the exercises that we select for our own programmes and the programmes of others. I think the Plank has it's place but I certainly don't class it as the best or most effective exercise for most individuals. 

Take a look at the exercises that you are currently practising and try to ascertain the precise benefits that  they provide for you. Is it appropriate to progress or regress the exercise? Have you selected an exercise based on it's proposed benefits rather than it being right for you?

Train hard (and smart)!