"It Is Just A Walk!"

Recently I was very happy to be able to visit an old friend, Alwyn Cosgrove. Visiting friends that are in the industry always leads to fun times of "talking shop". Alwyn though is no typical trainer. Many may know him as one of the most sought after strength coaches and his terrific facility is a great demonstration that he not only can talk the science, but coach as well.

When I visited we of course got quickly on the topic of sandbags. Alwyn being a leader in the industry was given some popular "sandbags" but was quickly disappointed by their durability and the fact they simply didn't act like a sandbag. I have yet to see another bag that has our versatility and is still a sandbag. Remember if it doesn't move, it isn't a sandbag.

Of course I didn't hesitate to bring Alwyn some of our bags. Quickly we were devising of horrible ways of torturing people with the sandbags. Unfortunately for Alwyn's trainers they were the victim of our ideas. It is funny when you start brainstorming you remember great techniques and sometimes the simplest ideas that you had forgotten about.

That is when we decided to torture one of his best trainers, Craig. You have to understand Craig is no slouch! An accomplished powerlifter and author, Craig seemed up for our challenge. I could have devised many different ways to get across my ideas of sandbag training, but I reverted back to one of the most simplistic, but best ways to use sandbags...carrying!

Why carrying? Sandbag carrying was one of the most fundamental forms of training. It would improve:

Endurance
Ligament and Tendon strength in the hips, ankles, and back
Core Training
Upper Back Strength
Mental Toughness

I have to admit, we did put Craig through hell, but he was up to the challenge. Craig walked for about 2 minutes straight with a 100 pound sandbag on the shoulder, bearhug, and zercher position wihtout putting the bag down!!

You can take the same challenge by putting this drill at the end of your training as a finisher. A great way to round out a program and perfect for team training. You can select time or distance as your marker. It is amazing how fatiguing and rewarding such as simple exercise can be.

A special thanks to Alwyn and his great staff for their support and willingness to be abused!