We Have the Edge

Most people are just flat out confused! They are a little familiar with powerlifting, a bit with Olympic lifting, ok, know some "functional" exercises and they try to jam it all together into a big mess. You see most people feel like they don't have the power to change things. They have to deal with the status quo and use what little they may know about different training methods.

However, we have the edge! We are actually seeing the needs of our clients and creating programs, exercises, and tools that address those needs. It makes coaching so much better to use these methods to address specific needs rather than trying to squeeze people into such a confined philosophy box.

Our certifications and workshops are about to launch for the new year and one of the biggest concepts I could teach people is to look at adding complexity to movements. Sure, if you are a powerlifter try to squat 600 pounds, but all the research shows that it isn't the strongest athletes that are the best, it is the most powerful athletes.

One of the most underused ways to develop power, athleticism, and fitness is through more complex movement patterns. Sure, I have seen the goofy exercises, but I am not talking about those where people stand on one leg and scratch their nose while they try to curl a dumbbell. I am talking about adding force from different angles of the body while moving in sometimes explosive means.

The Ultimate Core Strap and Ultimate Sandpack have definitely open the door to a lot of cool new exercises. So, while our new sites are ALMOST here, I wanted to share some initial ideas with the two videos above. We can resist movement, produce movement, and this all results in an amazing training stimulus that nothing else can replicate!

Watch these videos, try the metabolic workout and you will see what I mean.

We are close to our new sites, so until they go up, you can get these great tools here!!!

Ultimate Core Strap: $29.99: Click Here

Ultimate SandPack (back pack): $169.99: Click Here

New Workouts for the New Year

Starting to accomplish those 2010 goals means putting them into motion as soon as possible. The past week I began showing you 50 unique upper body exercises, such drills besides being amazingly effective make training fun again.

Being motivated and consistent often means having new challenges, this new year of 2010 has already started off with a bang with new training tools to compliment our Ultimate Sandbag to bring you dynamic training routines.

Nothing feels better than regaining athleticism or actually ACHIEVING your training goals. Using workouts like the one above brings fun new challenges and excitement to training. It is a great way to start off the new year! Wait, tomorrow will be one more new big release!!!

Can YOU Keep Up with Pink?

This workout can make even the toughest men feel very humble, see if YOU can get through it!

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!!

 

Making it in the Fitness Industry

When I started the L.I.F.T. certification I wanted to really address the issues of being in the fitness industry. After all, being involved for 15 years I can tell you that there were more than a few times that I contemplated actually getting out. Let's face it most of us that get into the industry do it because we love two things, to train, and to help others. Unfortunately, most like myself, ignore the fact we do run businesses and need to make a living for us to continue to do what we love.



That is why I thought it was critical to develop a business component to the L.I.F.T. program. While I have a lot of surprise guests to contribute, one that I knew could really give some powerful insights to how to take your training business to another level and help those that are just starting up. My good friend and colleague Troy Anderson gave some amazing ideas and tips in his hour interview on how to make it in the fitness industry. You can't miss this two part series!!


Listen to Troy Anderson's Business and Marketing Concepts Part I

This is like NOTHING else!

I joking call this year my "2009 World Tour", but to be more accurate it is more like "2009 US Tour"! That's right in 12 weeks I am going to have been in 7 different states doing workshops and conferences. It is very exciting even though it is also completely exhausting. Especially because it most cases when Monday hits I am right back in the gym!

I am not one to complain, ok, not TOO much! Mostly because it has been so cool to see the responses people have had to the Sandbag Fitness Systems program. It is great to see people's eyes light up when they see the program in action. This is probably because it is so drastically different than what everyone is doing! I can say that confidently because I have been a witness to what some of the biggest names and programs in the industry are doing, and guess what? These are the same people that are most excited when they see the Sandbag Fitness Program (SFS).

I know, what are you missing out on? I will give you some of the secrets.

One of the biggest benefits is that I am able to show people what true functional training is really all about. The cool thing about the SFS program is that it can accomplish fitness and performance goals. Heck, it can do it by itself if you really wanted. In many situations coaches have to switch apparatuses depending if they are doing strength, speed, power, core, or movement training. It is amazing that you can simply change the weight or size of bag and accomplish everything with this program. Yes, you can train to be stronger, faster, more agile, greater endurance, and be more flexible!

I know Josh, that sounds like more senseless and silly internet marketing! I couldn't agree more, however, don't take my word for it, check out what the Indiana Football State Champs have to say!

"I recently purchased two Ultimate Sandbags for our high school football team's off-season training. The players are use to using free weights and a few specialty machines, a power runner and a power thruster. When I first introduced the sandbags to supplement the work they were accustom to doing with free weights, they thought it was going to be a piece of cake. After all the bags only weight 50 and 70 pounds each. These guys are use to moving 200 to 300 pounds regularly. They were quite surprised at how challenging a sandbag can be. After a few sets there was a lot of huffing and puffing.

Cardinal Ritter High School of Indianapolis is a small private school without a lot of money to spend on equipment. The couple of hundred dollars I spent on the Ultimate Sandbags will pay bigger dividends than machines costing thousands of dollars and when the weather is nice enough for us to move outside the bags will come with us while the machines stay inside.

Thanks for all the ideas and information that you continually share with your customers. It has been a big help for me and the team.

By the way, Cardinal Ritter is the 2008 Indiana State Champs and we do not intent to rest on our laurels."
Larry Timko

Not all movements are equal, if they were it would be great to spend all day doing biceps curls. However, we know that big movements stimulate more muscles and more anabolic hormones (ok, you get more buff when you do them!). When people see that you can do snatches and cleans with the sandbags they get pscyhed! After all, they are far more difficult with a sandbag than any other piece of equipment. Yet, the biggest surprise comes when people see shouldering, half moon snatches, split cleans/snatches, overhead chops, and the far great movements that create a more athletic, incorporate more muscles, and just yield better results.

Results however, can come in many forms. One can be just getting people out of pain!! Pain is often the biggest demotivator and when people get introduced to our pre and post-rehab programs they can't wait to start using these techniques. Yes, sandbags are not neccessarily just for intense strength training, but creating better movement and rehabbing injuries. Backs are especially amazing to heal with the SFS program.

Listen to what personal trainer Tony Tomich noticed implemented SFS program...

"I'm a Personal trainer, I use your Ultimate Sandbag System with all level clients male and female, athletes and stay at home moms, and all levels in between. All quickly realize the difficulty and benefits of incorporating sandbag training into their regular workouts. Its like nothing else ! After just a few workouts back problems are going away, improvement in all other areas of fitness are evident. Your sandbags have a permanent place at Real Life Personal Training. Rock On !"

How can you learn these techniques? Hey, the over 100 FREE videos online are a great place to start (http://www.youtube.com/user/SandbagFitness), but we are at more and more events. I hope you will check out the SFS program and see us at some of our events.

Oh, and don't miss out on seeing our first upcoming certifications coming in September!!!

Now that I am coming home expect more videos, cool new bags and so much more!!!

I am psyched about helping people improve their lives and I hope you will help me achieve this goal!

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

What your training is lacking

It is hard, it is hard to find time to squeeze everything into a training program that we all should. However, that is the difference between a well laid training program and taking a shotgun approach to fitness. Making time for the "little things" ends up making the "big things" actually work.

I often laugh to myself when people say they didn't get anything out of a particular exercise or program. The truth is that one has to ask, "did you follow the program exactly outlined or did you make your own modifications?", or "did you do the exercise right?"

Recently I got to interview a coach who really has put it together and realizes how everything impacts performance, yes EVERYTHING does! I remember years ago reading an online magazine called Dolfzine. It seemed so cool as it had great minds like Krista Scott Dixon, Dr. Mel Siff, and many more top coaches and scientists writing for it. Little did I know how heavily involved that Vince McConnell was in creating such a great project.

Not only has Vince worked with and studied great coaches, but he has 25 years of coaching a vast array of clients himself. Not too many coaches have been great athletes themselves and coached every sport from football to tennis and helped young kids and elderly adults. That definitely demonstrates some unique insights into fitness and performance. Vince was kind enough to talk about his experiences and thoughts on training. Oh, and his favorite new tool, "The Ultimate Sandbag".

Listen to Vince McConnell's interview here!!

The Misuse of Strongman Training Part II

Wow! Did I get some emails about my last post! It seems as though I really struck a nerve with a lot of people that have strong feelings about the pros and cons of Strongman training. First, we have to clearly define Strongman training, I am speaking specifically of the events in Strongman Contests. This would include:

Log/Axle clean and jerk
Farmer's Walks
Yoke Walks
Tire Flips
Stone Lifting
Car Pulling

Sure, I am missing a few, but these are the most common ones. Strongman training is not sledgehammers, bent pressing, kettlebells, get-ups, etc. This falls into general training as this is not training used in competitive strongman events.

So, what is my problem? It isn't with any of the events or lifts, it is purely with how they are employed and who they are used with. It has become commonplace to quote some of the greats of old time strength training; Saxon, Hackenschmidt, Jowett, and many others. These men were immensely strong and athletic, but there is many things that are often not mentioned about their training.

1. Most of the old time lifters came from a background of manual labor, often farming or other industrial jobs. This meant years of intense physical training building their fitness and supporting system of ligaments and tendons.

2. The old time lifters were often very proficient and even competitive in wrestling and gymnastics. This gave them strength in a wide array of body positions and angles. It provided them proper conditioning to handle high intensity loads, and possessed amazing dynamic flexibility.

3. All these men would discuss the important role of spending time performing general exercises for an extensive period of time before pursuing more intense training.

4. This was a time before highly processed foods that often impedes and impacts recovery.

All things considered, these men did not really perform the strongman lifts of today and to make comparisons is highly inaccurate.

We only hear the benefits of doing Strongman training, so what are some of the drawbacks?

1. Heavy walking exercises can often place a great deal of compressive forces on the spine and/or hips. Because it is very hard to stabilize the pelvis under these conditions one's hip girdle gets negatively impacted. Don't believe me? Test your hamstring and hip flexor strength and flexibility after doing heavy farmer's walks and/yokes! Impeding hamstrings and hip flexors is devastating to an athlete and can destroy performance. For general population it can cause back pain and discomfort in the long run.

2. Farmer's walks especially torch the upper traps. For many people, they possess an unusually high level of activity and stress in the upper traps. When they perform these lifts they can develop severe neck restrictions and pains. This is a place for referral pains as well and can cause shoulder and upper arm type of pain symptoms.

3. Stones and tire flipping place the body in an imperfect lifting posture. Again, if the lifter is not proficient at bracing and understanding how to stabilize their pelvis the back can potentially get injured. A great deal of time needs to be spent teaching pelvic stabilization and core strength in many positions including extended.

4. Thick bar work and heavy duty gripping can cause some major problems in the elbows. Because these muscles can get easily overworked, tennis elbow type of symptoms.

Many people tend to forget that Strongman training is training for a sport in of itself. As with many sports, there are aspects that are not healthy, but necessary for performance. Especially at the higher levels of sport one increases their risk of compounding the negative aspects. That isn't to say that you couldn't use these lifts, in Part III I will discuss how to wisely implement such exercises.

A Lesson from Levi

Those following me for some time will definitely recognize the three furry guys that walk around during my video shoots. I would hold them out of them, but it just wouldn't let people know what it is really like to train at my facility.

All three are great rescue dogs that often get a hello from clients before I do! There is Lucy who is the oldest and pure Boxer, Ms. Attitude supervises most training at the gym and can demonstrate a mean step-up! Elliott is the largest and often has the biggest mouth, of course he is all show and will often roll over his back before he would ever bite. Then there is my youngest Levi, a Boxer and Greyhound mix, agile, goofy, and not sure if he is bright, but darn cute!

Ok, they are occasionally a bit rough to handle, especially when other dogs are around. Levi may be the worst twisting and crying and basically throwing a temper tantrum. Usually this isn't much of an issue, but this past weekend I had a large heart attack. Levi broke loose and was in a dead sprint, that Greyhound and Boxer mix makes for a lightening bolt of a dog! Sprinting after him with over 120 pounds of dog with me was not an easy feat.

There was sprinting, jumping over bushes and rocks (desert landscape is no joke!), dodging people, making sharp turns, and other adventures on my wild chase. Eventually I was able to track him down, it was nerve wrecking as I am not sure if he would avoid traffic or other dangerous situations. My point? This is where all the things like "being in shape", "functional", and "training like an athlete" come into play. I was able to run fast, be agile, endure, and accomplished what would be most of my fitness goals.

This is really the test of training programs, can you transfer what you do to the real world. Can you go out and play with your kids and feel good and strong? Can you go out with friends on the spur of the moment and enjoy yourself like you did in your teens? Can you move the couch and not be laid up for days because you threw out your back? This is all about good training and this is why I designed Sandbag Fitness Systems.

I hope you will share with me some of your stories on how training has helped change YOUR quality of life!

Move Over Jillian

There is no shortage of fat loss "gurus" and experts out there. Turn on the television early Sunday morning and you will be overwhelmed with the amount of infomercials and programs available. You would think with all this information out there we wouldn't be approaching a country obesity rate of 70%!!!!

The truth is that many of these programs, including popular programs such as "The Biggest Loser", give people a false idea of what real fat loss training is all about. That is why I was very excited to interview a true fat loss expert, John Alvino. Don't be mistaken, John is not just about looking good, he trains people to perform at elite levels as well.

Having read John's programs for years and hearing about his amazing success it was a unique opportunity to pick his brain about getting fast fat loss. If you haven't heard of John you need to! He has authored numerous articles for fitness magazines as well known as Men's Fitness. John has trained bodybuilders, fitness competitors, elite athletes, are real people. His 20 year history of getting results speak for themselves.

During this awesome hour long interview we learned some really interesting things...

• Why whey may not be the best protein supplement.
• How to use sandbags and kettlebells into fat burning workouts.
• The truth about low carb dieting.
  
• Is soy as bad as they say?
• How a busy person can get the same fat loss results as an elite athlete.

Don't miss it and hear the interview here!!!

Don't miss John's amazing Fat Loss Program! Check it out here!!

Sandbags Can't Build Muscle, B.S.!

I often hear it, "sandbags are good for conditioning, but don't do much for building muscle." Huh?! How is that possible, load is load. If anything, sandbags have a greater potential for building MORE muscle because more muscles are being stimulated, THE number one rule in building muscle!

I've ranted about this enough times, so don't listen to me, listen to an expert. Strength Coach, Jason Ferrugia, is just that! Jason is known for two things, building some serious muscle and creating some bad ass fighters!

In Jason's book, "Fit to Fight: An Insanely Effective Strength and Conditioning Program for the Ultimate MMA Warrior", he states the following about sandbag training...

"The beauty of sandbags is that unlike some of the other strongman implements, they can be used almost anywhere (even in a stuffy public gym...


Sandbags challenge your strength, balance, stabilization, and coordination and provide an extremely brutal workout. When you lift a barbell the weight is evenly distributed, and never shifts. But when you lift a sandbag, the sand is constantly shifting around, which makes it incredibly challenging."


Oh and what about making your own? Jason isn't against it but read this....

"The only problem is this can get very messy and will make adjusting the weight of the bag more of a pain in the ass than it is worth."

Jason goes on to outline some of his favorite routines and exercises and the book is definitely a great read. You can pick it up http://tinyurl.com/dj3ose

Does Jason like our bag? You be the judge....

"I've been a big fan of sandbag training since 1996 and have used a wide variety of bags since then. I can honestly say that Josh Henkin's Ultimate Sandbags kick ass and are unquestionably the best on the market. They are also the only ones I use at Renegade Gym with all of my clients. The filler bags instantly eliminate the old school problems of having a huge mess to clean up every time you used your sandbag. And the multiple grips give you a ton of different options to choose from. Josh definitely set the new standard in sandbags with these bad boys. "

Jason Ferruggia
Strength & Conditioning Specialist
Chief Training Adviser, Men's Fitness Magazine
www.JasonFerruggia.com

Sandbag 100 Challenge

I hope the holidays have all treated you well, but like most holidays the chances are you endulged a little too much! That's ok, that is why I planned to release my second Sandbag Challenge this week. I figured many of you could use the workout!

The Sandbag 100 is based upon the principles of density training. By having a goal of a set number of repetitions in mind you focus should shift from counting mindless repetitions to how fast you can accomplish this workout. I would advise you use a weight that you could normally perform 10-15 repetitions with for each exercise. The fatigue comes fast because of the awkwardness of the sandbag so don't try to be too tough right at the start.

Alternating between squat cleans and clean and press is a fantastic way to hit every muscle in the body and still work on your strength, endurance, fat loss, and mobility all at the same time. Don't think either that I accidently prescribed cleaning the bag every time for both exercises either! This is a great trick that I learned from Strength Coach, Dan John. This repeated cleaning will strengthen you whole back side and teach you how to be proficient because as you get tired you will find your form wanting to change, don't let it happen! Plus, the cleaning for the squat clean is a little different for the clean and press. You will notice a little more upper body movement with the clean and press and full lower body power for the squat cleans, a really nice compliment.

Oh, and please don't ask where is the Burly Bags, they are planning to be released in June. I love it though as it is nice to have a bag that can load in between the medium and large and the slightly smaller dimensions make it for pressing overhead. It truly completes the set!

Was Tabata Wrong?

Certain things make shock waves, they completely change the way people do things. Sometimes this is either for good or bad reasons. In the last few years the Tabata interval training protocols have done just that. For those unfamiliar, a Japanese study demonstrated that a specific interval training protocol improved both anaerobic and aerobic capabilities. This was shocking for two reasons...

1. The control group that performed moderate intensity only improved aerobic abilities and nothing really to anaerobic. This wasn't shocking as training is thought to be very specific and cause specific adaptations. However, the Tabata interval protocols improved both significantly.

2. The Tabata protocol only required four minutes of work being performed, while the control group performed an hour.

When this research came about people were excited! Heck, four minutes of work could be better than an hour? Can't beat that. So, what did people do? Many began trying to implement the Tabata protocol into their training. Yet, unlike many things in this industry, the original ideas where changed and misapplied. So, really are you doing the Tabata protocols?

I want to propose some issues with both the study and the way people are applying what seems to be potentially a great concept.

1. The study did not compare this form of intervals with any other form of interval training. The study compared the Tabata protocols to a steady state "moderate" level of training. How does Tabata compare to other forms of interval training? There needs to be some direct comparisons and studies to see if there are even more optimal forms of intervals.

2. In the study the Tabata protocols were performed 5 days a week. If you perform them 1-2 will you still get the benefit of the training? We don't know if frequency has anything to do with the results.

3. The study was done on a mechanically braked cycle ergometer, this means CONSTANT motion. Too many people are trying to apply the concepts with exercises that have a break built into them. For example, kettlebell swings, snatches, front squats, shouldering, are all bad choices because their is not constant motion with any of these movements, there is a rest period no matter how brief compared to cycling.

4. The other issue is the intensity, in the study it was "intensity of about 170% of VO2max" that means to the absolute max. Not kinda hard, pretty hard, it means with nothing left to give! You couldn't possibly being performing Tabata correctly and then go train like many are claiming.

The truth of the matter is that we really don't know the answer to some of these questions as with most research, more is needed. Other forms of interval training have been shown to be incredibly powerful and are often underused and misused. That is why interval sets is an integral part of my program. However, you have to follow some rules as well.

1. You have to choose drills that allow quick fluid motions and not long breaks (i.e. get-ups are a bad idea). Shouldering, bear hug squats, push jerks are all good drills.

2. You have to use a very sub-maximal weight to keep the intensity high and not allow fatigue to accumulate so fast you can't perform the interval. Since sandbags generally don't lend themselves to percentage based training you will have to use an RPE or a weight you can perform 20-30 reps normally.

I have always been a big fan of interval training, in fact, you can read an article I posted almost ten years ago!

Josh Henkin's Interval Article

Want to see some of the Tabata actual study? Read Here

Single Leg Blast Training

Want to get strong, squat, want to get faster, squat, want to get more muscular, squat. That is traditionally what all the classic strength books say. Heck, if you asked me a few years ago those same questions I would have said the same thing. You can't get much better than squatting, or can you?

Some time ago I read an article on how a elite level Eastern European soccer team didn't do anything of the sort. In fact, they only performed step-ups and lunges for their lower body strength training. At the time I thought this was garbage, of course they had to squat and deadlift, you just can't load the body same if you don't.

I'll admit it too, I had a personal bias because I greatly enjoyed doing those lifts and while I did single leg training, I did it almost as a great after thought. It wasn't till years passed and working with more people and myself that I began to reevaluate what was most important.

It seemed as my interest in becoming more athletic, not just lifting big weights grew, I actually found myself feeling less athletic just focusing on squats and deadlifts. I found my hips feeling locked up and change of direction type of drills or those that required great hip mobility felt awkward and far too difficult. With my clients I noticed the great instabilities that became very pronounced whenever we did single leg training. I knew I was going to have to give this much more thorough examination.

Over time I found single leg training, especially lunging to be far underrated. That is why I created this single leg blast complex. It combines multi-directional movements with some bilateral power generation in different planes. Sounds like the best of both worlds? Try it out and you will see what I am talking about!

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

First Sandbag Challenge

I'll admit it, training day after day can be a little bit hard. Motivation is easy to lose without a clear direction and goal. For most people having short and long-term goals are vitally important. Long-term goals may vary from losing 20 pounds, dropping 10% body fat, eliminating back pain, to a host of other things. However, short-term goals are often best laid out some performance benefits.

Because we all can improve in performance rather quickly. Taking on the challenge of a workout can often inspire motivation and better adherence. That is why I wanted to put out the first Sandbag Challenge: Melt. Why Melt, well, if you do the workout right you can feel that you are melting unwanted body fat, but also burning up apathy and laziness.

Simply, you can do this program without being driven. It is challenging enough to be performed by even the most advanced athlete, but can be modified for a beginner as well.

What weight should you use? I would recommend the following guidelines:

Beginning women: 40 pound small bag
Trained women: 70 pound medium bag
Beginning men: 70 pound medium bag
Trained men: 120 pound large bag

Follow the workouts below and get ready as the competitions are coming. Yes, this is the first in a series of videos that will get you prepared for competitions where you can win major prizes by getting in great shape now. Just follow the video and let me know how you like the first Sandbag Challenge!



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

Big Changes are Coming

It use to be that I would read muscle magazines with the eagerness of the teenager I once was. I couldn't wait for the next "Get Huge Arms" article, little did I know it had been recycled about ten different times. Fortunately, I learned pretty early on that most muscle magazines are good for keeping your table steady and little to do with training. However, in the past few years I have used magazines to reinforce to my clients the "crazy training" we are doing is actually simply ahead of its time.

My clients often thought I was just trying to make them look silly by having them use kettlebells, or push sleds, or hoist sandbags. Then magazines such as Men's Health, Men's Fitness, and even Muscle & Fitness started to do articles on the benefits of these movements. I loved to cut them out for my clients, heck, they felt like they were doing something special as this was cutting edge for most people.

Well, I have very happy to say that this trend keeps going. In this month's Men's Health both the TRX and my friend Anthony Diluglio's "Ropes Gone Wild" program is featured. Oh yes, there is a mention of a sandbag, but my poor Men's Health associates really missed the boat here. I won't get into it right now!



However, I really recommend people stop off and see the new Men's Health this month as it does call the Ropes Gone Wild program "The Best New Cardio Tool of 2009". I have actually been using the ropes quite a bit myself as I recover from a stupid triceps injury. Not being able to do too much with my arm, I have found the Ropes Gone Wild program to be really perfect as I keep some upper body conditioning and movement. In fact, I have combined the sandbag work into a really great fat burning circuit like the one below...

The Best Training Tool You Aren't Using

It is one thing for me to speak about the benefits of sandbag training. Of course there are always going to be skeptics that think I am just trying to sell my program. Well, firstly, I wouldn't be talking or developing a program I didn't believe in, there are so many unique factors with sandbag training that make it a must have in training programs.

Recently, Strength Coach, Steven Morris, wrote an article for Elitefts.com about the top 11 strength exercises for athletes. Guess who was on the list? Yep, our sandbag training program. Read Steven's article here.

I had never spoken to Coach Morris before, but I was intrigued by his insights in using our program with his athletes. Coach Morris agreed to spend an hour with me discussing how he trains his athletes and how sandbags relate to the development of his athletes. Not only did we talk about sandbags, but proper periodization, progression of different age levels, and common mistakes of most sporting coaches.

Listen to Coach Morris' Interview Here

Want to see the top sandbag drills for combative athletes? Check out this week's training program....

Want to Win a FREE Sandbag Package?

Ah, got your attention? Listen, I really do understand that the economy just sucks right now. People are really thinking about what they can spend their hard earned money on. Heck, I know how it feels, I am thinking about myself where to make better decisions and keep with things that are very meaningful to me. One of those is this great program Sandbag Fitness Systems.

I found a way to make everybody happy! We are reformatting our website again, I am always a believer we can do things better and we've got some really cool things coming on the way. However, we want to get the message about the power and benefits of sandbags to more people. There are a lot of people on the fence on whether or not this is for them. I wouldn't do this unless I believed this was such an amazing training program for results. However, coming from me all the time can keep people skeptical.

That is how you can help make our program stronger and win a FREE package of your choice. How do you do that? We want to hear more about your experiences and your story. We want others to see how real people from different backgrounds have found success with our program. So, here is what we are doing. Every month will have a contest to see who has the best story. What are we looking for? Well, let me share with you a great example we recently received....

"Hi Josh,

I just wanted to write you to tell you how much I love the Ultimate Sandbag!! I've been into Kettlebell's for 2-1/2 to 3 years, and trained with them exclusively, I've gotten Great results from them, and can't complain, but I did feel I was perhaps missing something or could improve my training somehow. I've heard about Sandbags, but never gave them much thought. When I finally learned more about them I decided to give them a Try. I ordered the Medium Ultimate Sandbag. I was seriously impressed with the quality, to often something looks great online and when you get it, your disappointed, but I was very Happy with the Ultimate Sandbag.

First it looked really Cool, and not like a bag of Dirty Laundry. It also has 4 different Handles & 2 Flaps on the ends and can do things you can't with a Homemade Sandbag. I love sticking to the basics, but like to vary my grip to keep the Stimulus fresh, this is really easy with the Ultimate Sandbag! I thought a Sandbag was a Sandbag, and made three Homemade ones 50lbs & 75 lbs. out of Sand and a 105 lbs one out of Pea Gravel using Duffel Bags. It wasn't anywhere near as fun as using the Ultimate Sandbag, it looked like a Bag of Dirty Laundry, it wasn't adjustable. There wasn't anything I could do with it that I couldn't do with the Ultimate Sandbag, and of course there was Plenty of things I can do with the Ultimate Sandbag that I couldn't do with the Homemade Sandbags. Good luck trying to Clean a Homemade Sandbag over your head to the back of your shoulders for OH Clean/Squat Combos, or "Around The Worlds" or "Halo's" or even "Side to Side Swings. I wouldn't feel safe with a Heavy Homemade Sandbag whipping over my head or worst a Clients Head, you can only do those Drills safely with the Ultimate Sandbag.

The Material on the Ultimate Sandbags were more forgiving, enough Grit to keep a good grip and develop some serious Grip Strength, but not too Rugged like homemade Sandbags that ripped the skin off the back of your fingers and knuckles, I'm still a Bartender, no one wants a drink handed to them from a Gnarled up hand with skin missing lol. I also found that I didn't have to reset my grip mid set with the Ultimate Sandbag. I also love wrapping Towels around the different Handles to make a really thick Grip. I also love using the Ultimate Sandbag for Curls, because of the different handles, I can run 1-1/2" Manila Rope through it, and do Curls with different Width Grips, something you can't do with a Homemade Sandbag. Plus you can also attach Flex bands around the Ultimate Sandbag, and the Handles will keep it from slipping off and step over the bands then you can do Bear Hug Squats, Shouldering all with the Dynamics of Bands! To make a long Story Short, I lost the Duffel Bags & Kept the Sand and Gravel and Bought a Large Ultimate Sandbag which is easy to adjust the weight with! I'm going to experiment with Heavy Duty 6 Mil Zip Lock bags, in 10 lbs increments to adjust the weight, after all it only takes a few seconds to adjust the weight of an Ultimate Sandbag. BTW, Love the New Handle Design, and the Red Logo on the Side makes it look even cooler! As Versatile as the Kettlebell is, the Sandbag is just as Versatile, if not more! Kettlebell's used to be hands down my favorite Training tool, now it's the Kettlebell & the Ultimate Sandbag are my favorites! Your not going to get a Cheaper piece of equipment that can deliver so much! I read somewhere that if you can Lift a 250 lbs. Atlas Stone a 250 Lbs Barbell feels like a Toothpick, I feel the same comparison can be made with the Ultimate Sandbag! If you can Through around a 130 lbs Sandbag, a 135 lbs Barbell is going to be a Joke!

I am Underground Strength Coach Certified & Crossfit Kettlebell Certified, My Gym will only have The Ultimate Sandbag, and nothing else. After all why Take your Training Serious if you are going to train with Cheap Gear? The Ultimate Sandbag is easily the "Texas Bars" of Sandbags, and I learned the Hardware, a Sandbag is a Sandbag....NOT!!!

I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to make such a Cool piece of Equipment! Sorry for the Long e-mail, but I love my Ultimate Sandbag lol!!! Thanks for everything Josh, Keep up the Great work!

P.S. I'm loving the Syngery Program, my two Favorite Tools Kettlebell's and The Ultimate Sandbag! Life is good!"

Sincerely Pedro A. Morales

Cerfied Underground Strength Coach
Cerfitied Crossfit Kettlebell Instructor

Of course this was amazingly gracious of Pedro, yet, everyone may not be as confident as what to write. Instead of making you guys guess, we came up with what we want to hear from you. Remember, not only does this give you an opportunity to win something FREE, but help us improve so that we can give you and everyone the best training program possible. Entries are due by the March 30th so don't miss out!

Oh, did I mention that you can promote your business to thousands of people with this program as well? Write down the answers to these questions and send them to me at jsandbags@hotmail.com

1. Why did you choose to use sandbags in your training?





2. What results have you noticed since implementing sandbags?





3. How have you incorporated sandbags into your training?




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




5. How would you compare sandbags to other training implements?




6. What would you change or like to see from Sandbag Fitness Systems?




7. How would you explain the benefits of the various handle attachments?




8. What would you like to see different in our sandbags?



9. What new programs would you be interested in?



10. What would you like to see new on the site?




I ________________________________________agree to allow Innovative Fitness Solutions to use my testimonial in all marketing campaigns. Please provide your email:______________________________ Website:_____________________________


We got some new great training videos this week so be on the lookout!


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

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...