It Is VERY Different

I can say it over and over again, The Ultimate Sandbag is sooooo different than anything else! Really, I can say it all I want, but I know the reality, it sounds like the old tiresome marketing that we all get hit with almost daily! So, what does one do? I get great people like all of you to write in with your experiences and it makes things seem so much more real. The greatest gift I get is getting emails from all of you on how my program has impacted you! Today is no different.

Note: Even dogs love our

Sandbags!

A few days ago I received an email from Anthony. Unfortunately, I have never met Anthony, but he was kind enough to share with me what he thought of our Ultimate Sandbag and the programs...

 "I had my first park session with the Ultimate Sandbag a short while ago. I have been doing thrusters (squat with a push press) in an interval fashion for fat loss; and I was thinking that the sandbag training wasn't going to be as brutal (and I was a little concerned about that). After a month of rain, I finally got to the park; and enjoyed the session very much. I did 15:15 interval of the lateral shouldering movement (bag dropped to the outside of the foot). I chose the small bag so I could concentrate on form. I was very surprised at the result. I was very sore in the external rotators, glute max, hamstrings and adductors. I have never been sore in that range of muscles before; the thrusters hitting the quads only with the shoulders being a weak link. I think this is the best exercise (movement) I have done and can't want to go heavier.

Thanks Josh
All the best"-Anthony S.

Anthony experienced simply everything I had talked about. The difference? He had to experience it for himself! One reason I have found myself traveling so much is because I found people needed to experience what this type of training does. You can't "sorta do the same" with any other piece of training equipment. The unbalanced weight, varying shapes, and all the variety make this a devastating piece of fitness equipment. Sounds like a sales pitch right?! Not really, all of what Anthony said he felt was with a small sandbag that is under $100!!! Shoot, a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells of equivalent weight are easily going to run you over that price. It isn't about the sales pitch, it is about changing people's perceptions of fitness and making it dynamic and exciting again!

I loved what Anthony wrote me, but was even more pleasantly surprised when he sent me a follow up email. 

 "Just back from a session. My core feels like it is made of rubber now :-) Anyway I thought I would share a little story since I have a minute.

I was talking to my uncle the other day. My father and his family had a fruit and vegetable business 70 years ago. They are always talking about the old days and how they would be loading and unloading trucks by hand all hours of the day and night. While we all have similar builds, one thing I have noticed about them is that they have much thicker hands than I do. I guess it is from lifting all those 140 pounds bags of potatoes. It is not so different from lifting sandbags. It really tickled my fancy thinking about history repeating, or the more things change the more they stay the same; and just after I purchased the Burly Bag.

By the way, I am really enjoying lifting the sandbag."

No, in fact, in the age where being "old school" is viewed as cool, this is the most old school type of training anyone can perform. Sure, people didn't do it for exercise 100 years ago, they did it for work! However, people were so much more fit then than we see today. Read any old time strongman book and what is the key? It is the amazing tendon and ligament strength that was created with such training. 

Yes, there are a lot of tools that are awesome, but not all are very versatile. What I love about sandbag training is it can produce everything the famous old time strongmen talked about, but can also be used for our modern techniques as well. It gives such a unique feeling that this will become a staple of every fitness program. 

Next week we are going to be releasing some very cool new projects and updates. Keep your eyes out for it and please, keep the great emails coming!!

 

The Truth About Core Fitness

I think there are always two good measures of knowing what is happening in the industry. Because I am usually in my training facility, I don't get to see the mainstream training ideas as much as I use to. Also, I can't look at too many websites or magazines without feeling a little sick to my stomach.

Having traveled quite a bit the last few months it has been interesting to see how people are interpreting still one of the hottest concepts, core training. Scientists and coaches all seem to have their ideas of what core training means. Some are quite complex and other are crude. Hard to say who is right or wrong, most often I tend to think everything is about the context of the individual.

The core training of an elite powerlifter hopefully is different than the housewife that hasn't worked out in 20 years. So, I think it is good to have a philosophy of core training, but progression and appropriate implementation are crucial!

Core training can be hard to nail down because the trunk is a complex structure, add in the hips and you definitely have a lot going on. That is because of all the muscles involved as well as all the nerves that innervate the trunk. So, it isn't as simple as "training the abs", "working the obliques", or "activating the glutes".

See how I break down core training in the new L.I.F.T. certification....

Should YOU Train Like a Fighter?

Recently I was interviewed for a MMA website. I always love to talk training because I think there is so much more you can say than is possible to write, plus I can be long winded in a good way:)

I think talking MMA is great because it is both popular and relatively new. There are so many aspects of MMA training that is makes it one of the more challenging sports to train for. However, let's face it, most of us are never going to get into the Octagon and fight. Yet, I think even every day people can benefit a lot from implementing concepts from MMA.

MMA brings together many aspects of fitness; strength, endurance, flexibility, and skill. However, one could argue that most sports bring these qualities, but MMA is unique in the fact that there needs to be flexibility in some pretty extreme positions. Strength has to be possessed in all ranges of motion for the whole body. Endurance has to be a good mixture of not only anaerobic training, but dynamic and isometric as well.

This may be why MMA athletes generally have physiques many would be very happy to possess. In my KNOCKOUT! e-book I cover how one can use sandbags and other implements to achieve these impressive physiques, however, the good thing about MMA is that is traditionally has been a minimalist approach.

Before "functional fitness" was fashoinable, MMA athletes borrow so much from different arts that allows them to move so efficiently and have strength that is hard to match by many athletes. What lessons could we learn from the training of MMA athletes to use for our own fitness?

1. Train in many ranges of motion: Just thinking of the lunge exercise with a sandbag I can come up with 50 variations that will challenge the body in unique ways to improve both performance and strength.

2. Training isometric and dynamic strength: There is only so much energy and time to train it is hard to think of adding even more can be overwhelming. So, here are some quick ideas of how to add some isometric training....

a. Add pauses to various positions when you perform lifts, great examples are pull-ups, squats, and push-ups.

b. Use variations of bear hug and zercher training to build both trunk and upper body isometric strength.

3. Mix up your anaerobic training: Typically people think interval or circuit training is very hard to vary. Nothing could be further from the truth!

a. Mix up the work to rest ratios: If you are use to training for 30 seconds and resting for 60 seconds, simply add ten seconds to your work or reduce your rest by ten seconds.

b. Change the loading position, instead of doing bear hug squats, simply change to shoulder squats and the exercise becomes new!

c. Keep track of the number of repetitions performed during an interval and try to not let it drop 10% during the whole workout.

d. Perform static positions for the duration of the work interval.

4. Do an exercise you have been putting off: I can say get-ups aren't my favorite, but I probably need to implement them more. Usually we stick with what we are good and familiar with. Try to select at least one exercise in your routine that you have been avoiding.

You see, there are a lot of important lessons to be learned from MMA. Yet, there are easily a lot of mistakes these athletes make. To learn more tips and avoid the mistakes check out my e-book KNOCKOUT! or my recent interview.

Click Here to Listen to Interview

Click Here to Check out KNOCKOUT!

Our 100th and Going Strong!

It is amazing to think that this is our 100th training video! Having breezed through Youtube it is very obvious that we are one of the leaders in fitness and sports performance education. I think the versatility of my training methods makes it so that it is virtually impossible to ever get bored or stagnant.

Nothing is more important than learning how to write great training programs. Check out this video that outlines how to create your own innovative fitness programs.

Education is Most Important!

Education, no one can deny being more educated about a subject matter makes one more powerful. This was my ultimate goal with sandbag training, educate people on an amazing way to train and achieve higher levels of fitness. Yet, I also knew that trying to promote sandbags as a core means of fitness and performance was going to be challenging because there was a limited view of sandbags.

I feel as though we have been making a dent. More and more elite performance programs, top training facilities, and serious home enthusiasts have embraced the Ultimate Sandbag. However, just owning our top of the line sandbag isn’t enough. Using them properly and seeing the true versatility is my biggest concern.

That is why I decided to do more! We have been selling our DVDs and e-books even before I created the Ultimate Sandbag. I thought the concepts were the most important part of training and the need for a better sandbag came a reality much later. Writing literally a hundred programs and showing several hundred drills, I believe our information products can launch some exciting training goals.

So, with economic times being more challenging I wanted to give all of you, our loyal customers, even more! I decided that getting a sandbag wasn’t enough, now when you order any of our package deals you will get much more. You will now get FOUR e-books packed full of programs and drills. In addition you will receive a very special BRAND NEW hour long DVD.

The new Sandbag 101 DVD was shot while I was giving a clinic at the renown Results-Fitness training center in Newhall, California. Results-Fitness is home of Strength Coaches, Alwyn and Rachel Cosgrove. Alwyn had asked to me to give his staff a special clinic on sandbag training. If coaches can benefit from a clinic on sandbag training, you know there is more there than most would imagine. However, you know get to see the whole thing for FREE!

Learn how to avoid the common pitfalls of sandbag training, how to progress successfully, and how to create some killer programs. So, I hope you will be as excited as I am with the new changes and feel even prouder to be a part of a program that is serious about making positive changes.

Click Here to See All the Free Stuff

In Strength,
Josh Henkin, CSCS

http://sandbagfitnesssystems.com

And The Winner Is......

This past month was the first month I offered our testimonial contest. My goal was to get some great feedback from the most important people, YOU! I wasn't disappointed as I was flooded with some great responses and ideas. The winner was to get any package of their desire. The feedback was so great that I couldn't help and pick just one winner and two people, Paul Meyer and Steven Morris, gave me some great insights.

Steven Morris:

Sandbags are great for fixing “strength leaks.” When it comes to training football players and athletes, there can be no leaks! Leaks = injuries and lack of peak performance. So many guys are weight-room strong but can’t transfer that power to the field. Sandbags allow you to take your weight room strength, fix all the holes (common problems are weak obliques, and weak shoulders at odd angles), and make huge improvements in athletic ability.

Athletics is not just about doing weight lifting in a perfect bar path…no, you need strength at all kinds of joint angles and body positions. Sandbags, because they are almost alive, force you into all of these positions and angles and make you stronger in them.

"They are used as either a stand-alone conditioning tool, as part of a Strongman workout (along with Farmer’s Walk Bars and sleds), or as a finisher; a high rep exercise done at the end of a training session to push past mental barriers and increase mental toughness.

Most people overlook the fact that a heavy sandbag can even be used for Sub-maximal (repeating a moderately heavy weight for multiple sets of low reps) training. In fact, this will actually help your weight room lifts by eliminating those ever-present weak points.

How would explain the difference between our sandbags versus homemade versions?

Josh’s bags are bomb-proof. I’ve never had one rip, and the inner bags actually keep the sand where it belongs: in the bag! One of the problems with using store-bought duffel bags is that if they get wet, even in the least bit, they will simply rot away. Josh’s bags can withstand all types of weather and keep on tickin’.

Sandbags are probably the best bang for your buck. Because you can use them in so many different ways, plus the huge amount of exercises you can do, they are a tremendous value. I buy most pieces of equipment based on how many uses I can get from it. With sandbags, the number of uses are endless.

Paul Meyer:

Why did you choose to use sandbags in your training?

I had been to a kettlebell seminar of Josh's and was so impressed that I signed up and paid for the second part of it two months down the line. However it turned out I could not attend the second seminar. So I wrote an email to you guys and you offered me a refund but while I was looking around your website for your email address I came across the Ultimate Sandbag. Immediately I was intrigued and read every article and blog Josh had posted about training with a sandbag. So when he offered me a refund for the second seminar I said, "How about if I just put it towards a one on one training session with you to teach me how to use the Ultimate Sandbag." Josh agreed and in that hour showed me so many interesting, amazing, fun, challenging exercises that I became as giddy as a kid on Christmas day. I immediately bought the Strength Sandbag Package the minute the training session ended, came home and started doing the exercises he showed me again because it was so fun.
What results have you noticed since implementing sandbags?

"One of the first things that I had noticed improve after training with a sandbag was my stability on extreme ranges of motion. I mean one of the first things that I realized when I picked up a sandbag was how clumsy I was with it because the weight kept moving. Trying to do a snatch+lunge movement was impossible and I kept losing my balance. But the more I trained with it the more my hips and trunk really had to start stabilizing all my movements not only in one plane of movement but two and three planes as well.


How have you incorporated sandbags into your training?

When I first incorporated sandbags into my routine I was using it to do very explosive, dynamic exercises such as the snatch+squat+press complex or the half moon snatch (which by the way became one of my favorite sandbag exercises). I really fell that these exercises complement kettlebell training very well so I started combining an exercise from each into supersets. For example I would do 30 seconds of half moon snatches immediately followed by 30 seconds of heavy KB swings. As of now I still use them in that way but I have also started to use just the filler bags themselves. For example, if I want to do a set of curls I don’t use dumbells anymore I just pull out a filler bag and do curls with them. I have found that they are just as effective but because I can’t rap my thumb around them like a dumbell, curls with filler bags really smoke my grip.

How would explain the difference between our sandbags versus homemade versions?

When I brought my Ultimate Sandbag home for the first time I had to show my brother. I started to show him the exercises that could be performed with them. I let him try a couple and he was instantly hooked. He asked, “How much did it cost?” I told him and he was a little apprehensive, “You paid that much!? I bet I could make one just like that for cheaper.” So the next day he set out to make his own sandbag to try an imitate the Ultimate Sandbag. In the end what he came up with was what he believed was a good sandbag. However he made the filler bags out of too cheap of material and too porous and the bag itself was just a military duffel bag. So when he filled it with sand and started exercising he quickly got a nice face full of sand. He also found out that the duffel bag had poor handles for grip so he just started grabbing the bag itself for exercise. However the duffel bag was far too coarse because it was designed for the military and his hands started to get torn up. It was at this time that he turned to me and said, “What did you say the price of that sandbag was again?” I couldn’t stop laughing for ten minutes.

How would you compare sandbags to other training implements?

I would love to sit here and tell you how training with the sandbag is. Like, "it feels this way when you use it" or "it feels just as that other training tool feels like when you lift it", but the truth is that it’s like nothing else that I have ever trained with. It’s simple but complex, easy to use but difficult to use at the same time. You simply have to try it to understand what it’s like.

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New Generation of Core Training

Ooops, I said the "c" word. Yep, I said CORE, don't start throwing stones or rolling eyes quite yet. Yes, I am tired of hearing about the core about as much as anyone. There is so much overhype surrounding this topic, but some of it is actually legit.

It seemed that our industry has gone to too far extremes with the core subject. When it first gained momentum core training was associated as getting away from machine based exercises and getting onto all types of unstable pieces of equipment. This was definitely mainstream for some time and most of us gave it a shot. Heck, with my back issues I was looking for anything that could bring me back to a level of no pain and capable of being in my best physical condition. However, it didn't take long for many of us to figure out while conceptually these ideas sounded good, they just didn't pan out for those not in rehab.

This spawned a complete rejection of core training and the push for the idea of all core training was accomplished in the big lifts (i.e. squat, deadlifts, overhead pressing) came into vogue. The truth is these lifts do take a tremendous amount of core strength. Unfortunately, very few people are truly proficient lifters and have immense weakness in their trunk because they didn't have these exercises in their programs for most of their training career. In addition, many of the old-time strongmen that many of us reference had a large background in gymnastics, wrestling, and manual labor that help build that tremendous core strength.

Core training can be complex because the core is complex. It isn't just about your abdominals, it is about the low back and hips, it is about large superficial muscles and small stabilizer muscles. It is about not just producing movement, but resisting movement as well. It is not about moving just slowly, but explosively as well. Whew! See, core training may be much more than we often give it credit.

I've always felt as though sandbags were a very helpful tool in developing a great core because you could accomplish many of these goals. Holding a sandbag requires both superficial and stabilizer muscles to fire to great levels both to resist movement and maintain postural alignment. You can also create many movements that help teach force production through the core that decreases injury and you can train in ranges of motions and movement patterns that are hard to reproduce with most other training tools.

Allan Hedrick, Strength Coach for the Air Force Academy, wrote in the NSCA journal about unstable objects..

“But, applying the concept of specificity, it makes sense that training with a fluid resistance is a more sport-specific method of training as compared to lifting exclusively with a static resistance, because in most situations, athletes encounter a dynamic resistance (in the form of an opponent) as compared to the static resistance. Further, because the active fluid resistance enhances the need for stability and control, this type of training may reduce the opportunity for injury because of improved joint stability.” (NSCA Journal, Vol.25 Number 4)

While Coach Hedrick was speaking spefically about kegs, we can infer that sandbags would fit this criteria as well. This type of training may also be what biomechanics expert, Dr. Michael Yessis was referring to in his book, Secrets of Soviet Sports Training, when he mentioned to prevent injury we need to train in extreme ranges of motion. With sandbags and the drills in these videos you can see how we utilize sandbags to accomplish these goals.

I want to put forth my first video on this subject matter as it is important to master these drills first.




Got those drills down, then see the next generation of sandbag core drills...

Dropping Fat Fast

It sounds like an ad when you speak about fat loss. I know, I know, you think you have seen most fat loss programs. Yea, there are a lot of them! Usually though they are one type or another. They are intervals, so you don't gain a lot of strength. They are long duration so you don't stimulate your metabolism. They are one exercise focused so you want to die of boredom.

However, we summer peaking its head out, I wanted to show that you could have the best of everything. You can build strength, drop fat, and build muscle within one workout session. The tools we use and promote are the same ones we work hard with our clients to get their great results. Today is showing one of our favorite workouts. It combines repetition work, intervals, mobility, and yes...STRENGTH!!

Take our challenge and see how you do with this workout!

Rope, Kettlebells, & Sandbag Seminar!!

I am very excited to announce our first San Diego seminar with Franz and Yoana Snideman of Revolution Fitness. This is going to be a truly unique seminar as the first time any program will combine Ropes, Kettlebells, and Sandbags into one incredibly unique seminar. You will get not only to be taught some of the top coaches in the industry, but we will cover programming and how to get the most out of your training for tomorrow! See what you might be in for....



At just $169.99 for two days, you can't afford to miss!!

Sign-up Here Today!!

Why Technique is King!

I'll be honest guys, I'm still down with the flu bug, but that doesn't mean I can't talk some good training! I really wanted to address a concept that sounds disturbingly simple, technique. I wanted to build off what I was discussing in my previous post without sounding redundant. I do think some people become paralyzed by this concept, but I think others don't give it enough attention.

If I were to follow the current trend in the industry I would post up some random coach's training video and rip it apart. Basically explaining why this specific coach doesn't know what he is doing, you know what though? I am going to do just that, however, I am going to do it to one of my own videos!

Seems pretty stupid, I know, but I hope you will follow me on my points of technique and that even technique and teaching has progressions that are important. If I asked 100 coaches and trainers if technique was important I bet you 100 would say, "duh! of course!" Then why is it that we all let certain things go and forgo technique at times?

Part of it is that we have the other extreme, those that will find some flaw no matter how much practice is spent with one's technique. This could definitely be paralyzing and discouraging. Treading that fine line is one of the greatest challenges in coaching.

When exercises become more complex, it becomes a huge challenge to show proficiency on every repetition. In addition, when a load gets heavy, the same can be said. I truly believe one of the main reasons that some people don't get a benefit from certain exercises is that they don't give enough attention to details. Others fail because they try to become perfect with a drill and never load. Ugh, it is tough!

So, what does one do? I have found you have to consider one very important thing before you proceed...are you performing this is lift in a competitive nature (i.e. powerlifting, strongman, GS, weightlifting, etc.)? If you are then everything really changes. You have to become dogmatic, you have to learn how to become extremely dedicated and patient because you are basically learning a sporting skill. If your goal is to increase your fitness or athletics by the drill then I have a slightly different philosophy.

1. What are the keys in performing the lift safely? Getting injured by performing a lift is always breaking a top rule. Once injury occurs then all performance and motivation is greatly hindered.

2. Don't overcoach at first, identify the three top cues for getting the most out of the lift. I once heard a trainer bark 15 commands at a client at once, man did that client have a confused look on their face! You can always add details, but there usually are some "big bang" keys that are the best to start with.

3. Have a progression of learning cues in mind. What is most important, then next, then next, then next? As a person experiences success the willingness to learn and be open to teaching increases, athletes are no exception.

So, after this simple ideas let's break down one of my own videos.



Let's take the shoulder clean first. Megan does a great job of keeping the load underneath her and not shortening the movement by extending her hip through the explosive part of the movement. My only cue would for her to be more stable at the bottom of receiving the load. A few times her tails tucks under and under a greater load would be not a good idea. Was it safe? Yes! Was it well done? Yes! Could it be slightly improved? Yep.

The hand walking drill is slightly different. Megan starts in a good position, but as she starts to fatigue her body starts to move into more flexion. Her butt starts to rise and her upper back starts to round more. In addition, I would have her tense her glutes and press inter her feet more to avoid excessive sway. Now, most would say she looks pretty good, and she does. However, to move onto more advanced progressions she would have to demonstrate better control. We may even move a step back to give her more stability. Remember too many people are overanxious to do more challenging drills before they are ready.

The leg curls look pretty darn good. However, I would like to see her perform them with her toes pointed towards her, I am not convinced she is using mostly glutes and hamstrings.

The around the world drill is often overlooked in our system. I see very few people actually implementing this drill. It is one of the more athletic drills and as Megan's performance demonstrates, isn't easy at all. Megan performs one of the biggest faults of the movement by slightly ducking out of the way when the bag is behind her. At this point you would ideally want to see the lifter squeeze the glutes and extend the torso so the bag as a lot of clearance, not flex forward. The time she stumbles also tells me she isn't rooting into the ground to establish a great base.

Is this to say Megan is doing anything unsafe? Nope, in fact, she does a great job, however, her performance would increase by starting to implement some of these tips. Would I stop her from training? Nope, I would have to coach better and maybe implement other drills to make sure she is in a position to perform these drills as best as possible. Megan is a great athlete, but we can all improve.

I hope this demonstrates not to rush past drills, but also not to stop training. We can all do better, take time to be your own critic so you can get the most out of your training!

In Strength,
Josh Henkin, CSCS
http://sandbagfitnesssystems.com

It has been a little time since I've last written, I guess catching the flu and travelling are not a good combination of giving good blog posts:) This last excuse was pretty good though as I spent the weekend as an instructor at the Russian Kettlebell Certification. It was terrific to spend time with a lot of great coaches and teach those that demonstrate such great enthusiasm and passion.

I was intrigued on how so many people have their own take on kettlebell training. To me, there is no right answer as long as it helps people perform drills safely and effectively. However, I have found in training it is key to find the most efficient and fastest ways to get your message across because rarely do people live to train for an implement, rather they train with the implement to get a result.

I did find myself smirking part of the weekend though, I must admit something that has been so controversial in sandbag training was reminded to me this weekend. Some of the other instructors were inquiring about my sandbag program, in fact, Dr. Mike Hartle said he loved the idea a nice simple to use tool.

I had mixed feelings about that comment, while I know Dr. Hartle didn't mean anything negative in his remarks, it made me think about the hypocrisy in the industry. Why are sandbags any easier to learn than barbells, bodyweight exercises, or kettlebells? At the RKC a full day is spent covering two exercises, does this make kettlebells complicated or easy to use?

I think a little of both! No form of training whether it is sport or in the weight room can be done truly successfully if one does not pay close attention to the details. People often fly past the foundational exercises because they think more complicated appearing drills are more beneficial, yet perfecting or increasing your proficiency at these foundational exercises usually results in better training.

I feel the very same about sandbag training, to get the full benefit becoming proficient at the foundational movements is essential. That is why I put together a package that reflects just that, a necessity to follow solid programs and exercises to achieve your fitness goals. Also, realizing that financial times are hard this is a great deal, I am going to give you two DVDs for almost the price of one!

This special will go till the end of the week so make sure to take advantage of my double DVD offer. You will receive Meltdown: The Ultimate Fat Loss Kettlebell Training Program and Synergy: Achieving Your Fitness Potential with Sandbag & Kettlebells. All this for the price of almost one!

Click Here for Our Special Deal!

Assessment Frauds

I admit it! For years I was into assessing people, I wanted to know everything, I wanted to know what was wrong and how to fix them. Good thing for me, there was and is no shortage of assessment systems that claim to identify everything that is wrong with you. Let me tell you, after being involved in most of them, they are mostly a waste of time.

What?! Why?! Don't we have methods that can tell you exactly what is wrong with someone? NO! The body is immensely complex and even more so, the nervous system is amazingly complex. Lack of sleep? Yep, that will mess you up! Didn't eat well? Yep, that will mess you up! Had a fight with your husband or wife? Yep, that will mess you up! Have a cold? Yep, that will mess you up! You see, there are a ton of simple reasons that people may not perform well in testing situations, very simple things that often get overlooked for more complex things that try to seem amazing.

Sure, the science of all these systems sounds great! Oh yeah, they make sense when you talk about them, unfortunately, they don't usually pan out in the real world. There are too many issues that could be going on with someone that makes it impossible to identify one single factor that would fix someone.

I feel that all these systems distract people from the true need which is better coaching and identifying the correct exercises for people. The majority of tests we give people are simply failed because they are new to those that are being tested. If we took as much time to coach people as we did test them, we would have a lot more people that moved and felt better.

A perfect example is bear hug sandbag squat. I have wowed people by taking those that have terrible squats and clean them up dramatically by having them perform this movement. It isn't rocket science, in the squat most people that have problems squatting need some sort of feedback and counterbalance for their nervous system. What happens? Magically because of the weight distribution of the sandbag, people that normally bend too forward at the waist remain far more upright.

No, we didn't stretch them, do corrective exercises, or whatever else people recommend, we just gave them the appropriate exercise. Sure, maybe these people could use some other help, but wow, I have seen it work on some people that are pretty bad off!

So, while it is good to be aware of how people move and their weaknesses, it really becomes much more of an art than a science. See how I describe one of the best "corrective" sandbag exercises.

Size Really DOES Matter!

This past weekend was our first full out High Octane Sandbag Seminar. I was able to share the weekend with Master Kettlebell Instructor, Kenneth Jay. It was terrific to have so many people from around the country in attendance, I can tell you how sincerely flattered I was that people would come as far as Connecticut to attend our weekend.

Over the next few weeks I will cover some of the very important lessons that were learned throughout the course. Yet, today I want to cover one of the most important ones that was reinforced over and over at our clinic, the size of the sandbag does matter!

I joked with those in attendance that online our best selling sandbags are the large packages. People try to equate what size they should use with what they know, barbells, and other weights. However, almost every time in our clinics and workshops the small and mediums sell far better! Why? If you truly understand the role of sandbag training you will know the answer.

Sandbags can be obviously lifted for movements such as squats, cleans, and presses. Yet, if that is the only reason you use them then you miss on some of the beautiful movements that are the most effective. Many of the rotational drills that I teach are the best drills to perform, but require one drop significantly in not only weight, but also the size of the sandbag itself. One could say the same for complexes, density training, intervals, and exercises such as get-ups and chops.

In fact, we had a gentleman in our weekend that could deadlift 700 pounds!!! Amazingly enough he struggled greatly in using the 150 pound sandbag for many of our drills. What was most important for this athlete was to learn that his movement capabilities could be greatly enhanced if he used a small sandbag. For a great majority of the time he use our medium sandbag loaded to 70 pounds. This isn't to say he isn't strong, of course he is, but he did find new ways to enhance his strength that weren't solely based on load.

So, you may be asking, "what should I use?" Here are my general guidelines.

Young athletes (8-13)-Intro Package
Young athletes (14-18)-Strength Package/Intro Package
Female Lifters-New-Intro Package
Female Lifters-Trained-Intro/Strength
Male Lifters-New-Intro Package
Male Lifters-Trained-Strength/Advanced


You will see some cool new changes in the site pretty soon. We are going to educate you guys more on how not to only use sandbags better, but how to pick the right ones for your goals. I hope you will keep visiting to see the very cool new changes along with the new sandbags we are releasing.

In Strength,
Josh Henkin, CSCS
http://sandbagfitnesssystems.com

What The Experts Say.....

Everyone likes to know that people appreciate their work and creativity. Heck, everyone enjoys a good slap on the back letting them know that what they are passionate about and working hard on is quality. I believe that we all benefit greatly from such things and when it comes from the right people it means even that much more!

This past weekend I got to spend time with some great coaches...Alwyn Cosgrove, Anthony Diluglio, Mike Boyle, Rachel Cosgrove, Todd Durkin, and many more! You only get better as a coach by being around such great people, plus it really helps refine your own system and theories on training.

That is exactly what happened when Alwyn Cosgrove (Men's Health writer, published author, and National Presenter) asked me to do a clinic for his staff in Newhall, California. It was the first time I got to present exclusively on sandbag training, from the progressions to programs it was a terrific time to work with great coaches! I was surprised though to see that having these programs are so important as many of even the best coaches don't realize the potential of sandbag training.

This concept is exactly what Anthony Diluglio told me when I presented at his Punch Gym in Providence and he remarked again this past weekend he was surprised about the versatility of this form of training. Anthony put it beautifully, he says you don't lift kettlebells, you move them, but sandbags you can do both! I couldn't put it any better. No matter what the goals, from fitness to elite sports performance, you can quickly adapt sandbags to any training program.

However, my favorite part was when Alwyn introduced my program to the 200 people at the Perform Better tour. Alwyn spoke about the fact his brother came to his facility to train, Alwyn had him perform some log presses and he was able to knock out 170 pounds pretty easily. However, his brother couldn't press a 100 pound sandbag, YES, sandbags are truly the "least cooperative training tool" as Alwyn put it.

Fortunately I video taped my clinic at Results-Fitness and will be offerring it soon as a free DVD whenever you order our sandbag shells or packages, keep on the lookout! Till then enjoy some fun footage I took from this past weekend....

Over 70 Videos and Counting

Yesterday I received an email that really struck home. With all the positive emails I receive it usually only takes one negative one to really get my attention. After all I am typically my own worst critic and really try to listen when someone has something that they believe we can improve upon.

Well, this gentleman told me that my recent release of Synergy was "aggressive marketing". Wow, I thought to myself, I have always thought of myself as a really bad marketer. I have never been one to write the long ad copy, must to the disappointment to my business coach. My efforts have always gone to try to be in your shoes, what would I want to hear?

I guess that is why I stepped back and really took a look at what we were doing and selling, the truth is I feel pretty good about things. We have never been one's to really push email after email of sales pitch after sales pitch. Our newsletters try to be content oriented and not talking about a nice walk that I had with my dogs like some.

In fact, one of my proudest things is that we have over 70 free videos for you to watch to learn new exercises or how to incorporate sandbags into numerous different training programs. My goal is to have over 100 in the next month and a half!

This doesn't mean that we couldn't do more and in the near future we will be doing just that! I hope to put up more videos and have teleconferences so you can ask the questions that you really want the answers to.

Meanwhile, check out one of the must see videos I did some time ago talking about how to start a sandbag training program and mistakes to avoid....




In Strength,
Josh Henkin, CSCS
http://sandbagfitnesssystems.com

Sandbags + Kettlebells = Synergy

Many people still think of me as the "sandbag guy", hey, there are far worse things to be known for! In fact, I am very proud of the fact I have given people a fun and really powerful way to get back their athleticism and fitness. However, to say I am only the "sandbag guy" wouldn't be too accurate.

I have been in the industry for almost 15 years and have tried, seen, and experienced a lot. It wasn't a journey without many challenges including trying to fix many of my own injuries that were severe and limiting. One thing I promised myself though is that I would never be married to an idea simply because I thought it was cool or different. The only way I would incorporate a training concept is if I thought it gave real results, really fast!

There are many tools that could help a training program, however, not everyone wants to build a million dollar facility and the truth is you don't have to. When I began creating Sandbag Fitness Systems my goal was to introduce new training concepts and tools that even ventured outside of sandbags, but would be related in the sense they give fast results and are immensely versatile. I believe that my new training program "Synergy" is a perfect example of this.

"Synergy" is the first time anyone has put forth a training program focused around sandbag and kettlebell training. Both of these tools have been gaining steam as the most innovative and powerful training tools available today. Everyone from elite athletes, runway models, and every day people are using kettlebells and sandbags, but no one is sure how to put it all together. After an exercise by itself isn't too powerful. However, carefully combined in a structured model can yield some pretty amazing things.

This isn't just a dvd though, I wanted to give people more. So, I added two e-books as well. The "Synergy Manual" and "Synergy Diet Lies" gives you just that, more information, more programs to follow and keeps you from falling in the typical pitfalls. Here is a bit of what you can find inside these e-books:

• Over 40 training programs to follow
• The 10 best foods to drop fat
• Three methods to guarantee results
  
• What supplements to take and when
• How to make sure your routines never get boring!

In addition, for one week I am going to provide people with five one hour interviews with great coaches such as Jedd Johnson of the Diesel Crew, Underground Strength Coach Zach Even-esh, Dan John, Brad Nelson, and YES Pavel Tsatsouline! This is what I wanted to give, a complete program. Remember, this is just for one week though and the interviews will be gone!

Click on this link to get your Synergy Training Program Today!

You didn't think I would give you a program too, did you?

New Year, New "300" Workout

The New Year means resolutions and the intention of making major changes. The New Year gives us a sense of starting fresh and wanting to attack our goals with excitement. This goes equally well for your fitness goals, but the obvious question is, "where do I start?"

The New Year also means that I have an opportunity to share with you new training ideas that I have been working on. So, my goal is to answer your question of, "where to start". Coming next week is a full program that will really take care of all of your training questions, but I don't want to wait a day longer to share some of the cool things we are going to be doing.

A few years ago the movie "300" not only broke some box office records, but had a profound impact on the fitness industry. Many loved the idea of functional training and the goal of getting 300 repetitions as fast as possible. However, some didn't understand the positive nature of such training.

If we look past the simple hype of looking like an ancient warrior we can see such a method can be used in our density training model. As I have discussed in the past, density training is a very effective training method to improve strength and endurance. The concept is relatively simple as well, it is about trying to perform work in less time. Used wisely one can build muscle and lose fat at the same time because the volume of work is done to achieve greater muscle, but the calories are burned and the rest intervals are short to induce better fat loss.

The 300 workout was about using compound exercises to complete the workout in a minimal amount of time. For those short on workout time and want to maximize their training time, the 300 workout is ideal. However, there is more than one way to create such workouts and that is why we are starting off the New Year by giving you a 300 workout with some of my new favorite training tools.

We have begun to compliment our sandbag training with two other tools that have a long history of producing incredible results as well; the mace and kettlebell. For those that are unfamiliar to mace training, it is a style of training that has been used by some of the greatest athletes in the world's history. Used to develop strength, endurance, core strength, shoulder flexibility, and amazing grip strength. For a long time it has lost favor just as kettlebells and sandbags suffered. Now you can get the benefits of mace training with our loadable mace! Trust me a little bit goes a long ways!

Also, we are introducing the Bulldog line by my friend Anthony Diluglio. Anthony created a line of kettlebells that are loadable which completely changes the feel of kettlebell training. Not only that, he has them in different sizes that will forever change how you approach your kettlebell training.

See how I put it all together in today's video:



In Strength,
Josh Henkin, CSCS
http://sandbagfitnesssystems.com