It took me quite some time to decide to take a leap of faith and try something that seemed so unnecessary. Seriously, why did I need to use a kettlebell? It wasn't as though I didn't have access to enough dumbbells and barbells to make great gains. Ok, it wasn't any great insight that led me to jumping in feet first, rather, the insistence of strength coach John Davies. Yes, simply the recommendation of someone I respected, no sales pitch or ad copy. This was 2002, if I hadn't listened I may have been behind the industry and being like so many trying to fault with a training tool that has obviously revolutionalized the way so many people and coaches train.
Why this story? I feel as sandbags will take a similar path, I don't want to speak anything but the truth. They are the most demanding and result producing tool there is. They are completely unique in nature from the exercises to the feel. This may sound like hype and a commercial, but it is the very reason I began to implement them for myself and my clients.
I can talk about sandbags all I want, but let's face it, I will look bias. That is why I was really excited when Bill Fox contacted me. Bill is a gentleman that I have heard about for many years. In fact, he was one of the first people I read about implementing kettlebells before most of the big names were even known. No, Bill isn't a strength coach, he is an attorney that is serious about fitness. At 48 Bill appears more fit that most 21 year olds! He has tried it all and is very much the classic minimalist. Only using what works I was very excited when Bill wrote to me and told me about his experiences with sandbags. Can I even say he found them more challenging than kettlebells;
External Force - the sandbag revelation
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I've always loved body weight training. Coming from 30 years of martial arts, body weight training will always be my roots. There will be lots of body weight training on this blog - mostly of the Steve Maxwell and Crossfit variety. It's just cool not using any equipment. Well, you need something to do pullups on, but you know, it's still cool.
But how simple is too simple?
My friend Pavel Tsatsouline has a great body weight book called "The Naked Warrior". Read it, (you might want to read everything else he's written too while you're at it), it's about way more then just body weight training, it's about how to get strong. But even in that book Pavel wisely recommends doing a heavy pull to keep the posterior chain strong. Kettlebells work great, as does a barbell. Pull something heavy off the ground to your shoulder, or overhead if you want, and the posterior chain gets worked. Look up Dan John's stuff. I was feeling the absence of this kind of work so I busted out the KBs a few nights ago. It worked and it felt great, but...
Is the sandbag the greatest implement going for simply getting strong? Who knows. Of course barbells can go way heavier, kettlebells are great for high rep work, and so on ad infinitum. I'm just saying I never feel as worked as I do after a sandbag session. I've neglected this tool, but a good friend of mine, a fellow desk jockey who now has forearms like a stevador, has been sharing his revalation with me. After today I think he migh be right. Look for more sandbag work going forward - much more.
Today:
10 rounds w/ a 50lb bag of:
10x shoulder the bag from the floor alternating shoulders each rep
5x ass to heel squats with the bag on whatever shoulder it wound up on
15:03
then
10 turkish getups alternating sides each rep (untimed)
here's a clip from Josh Henkin with some of the movements, and check out Josh's site, he makes nice bags
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io1UK6gxrxw&feature=related"
You can read more of Bill's blog at http://elitefitnesspushingfifty.blogspot.com/
I truly believe the results of thousands and the testimonials of such people speaks far more about a training system than anything marketing can do!
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