Hardcore Upper Body Training

To say things have been busy and hectic is a HUGE understatement! I hate to miss giving you great updates so I took advantage of my time training to share with you all what I like to do in training. Being busy is the life of a great coach and many of your clients. Maximizing results is a combination of picking the right exercises and the right formula. Check out this upper body workout that has allowed me to keep my strength from my Strongman days, but has kept me without all the aches and pains a lot of my competitors get!

Big news! We are coming to Orange County for an action packed day October 17th at the Premier Koh Physical Therapy Clinic! For more information email Davis Koh at: davispt@gmail.com

The New Age of Group Fitness

I went into great detail last time about the fact we have to evolve or perish! That means everything from our training methods to our business models. As renown strength coach, Alwyn Cosgrove, states, the future of fitness is in group training. How you structure your group training models can vary greatly. Sure, lots of methods work from large bootcamps to smaller semi-private training models are all means to help both the clients and instructor enjoy the coaching processes that much more. Let's face it, coaches and trainers get into the industry to help people, but if you are so exhausted from the extreme long hours of one on one training, how much benefit are you providing your clients?

It is great that many coaches and trainers have found that group training is the way to go for longevity, however, just as with one on one, group training can be good and very bad! Planning far ahead and having a strong training philosophy is key in making these programs a long-term success. That is a major reason that I love The Ultimate Sandbag so much. The challenges that face a coach working with a group are numerous. From working with various ability levels to teaching fun and innovative exercises, the work is actually much more, fortunately so is the payoff!

I find that educating people on the versatility and power of these programs is of the utmost importance. That is why two weeks ago I was in Long Beach for the Perform Better three day summit. With some of the top names in attendance (Mike Boyle, Robb Rogers, Alwyn Cosgrove, Eric Cressey, etc.) you couldn't help but learn something helpful.

I did as well especially when I got to speak with many of the coaches, both who were lecturing and those in attendance. One in particular was Cameron Hedges of Results Fitness. Cameron is the head of group fitness at Results Fitness and has been implement our Ultimate Sandbags for some time. Listen to how Coach Hedges implements our Ultimate Sandbags and get a sneak peek into my presentation on the proper use and programming of sandbags.

You Evolve or Die

Well, without getting into a big debate over evolution, this is one of the basic principles in our world. Now, you can talk in terms of Darwinism or heck, just the sporting world! No, don't doze off yet! This isn't a lecture over Darwinism or a debate on evolution, it is rather a fact that our current world faces including myself!!!

They say that all sports are copycats, meaning whatever system the best team ran, all the others want to start to copy. A good example is last year's Miami Dolphins. Two years ago they won only one game, last year they threatened to make the playoffs. This was incredible considering they really didn't upgrade their players. Instead, the new coaching staff implemented an unusual offense that surprised many teams, called "Wildcat".

This offense is run through the college ranks, but never seen in the pros. Knowing that the Dolphins didn't have the players to really compete in a traditional pro football offense, the coaches got creative, really creative! Although they did not go to the playoffs or win a Super Bowl, their turnaround was one of the biggest ever in the NFL. The result was that almost every team now thinks about how to implement this unusual offense into their own team's program. There was an evolution and a lot of "thinking outside the box" that allowed the Dolphins to experience success.

Where the heck am I going with all this? It reminds me a lot of what were are doing with our Sandbag Fitness Systems program. It began as a simple idea, I wanted a sandbag that met the needs of my strength program. Now it has evolved into a full blown system that goes way beyond the concept of simply a sandbag. "The Ultimate Sandbag" is now a training tool that solves movement limitations, aids in increasing performance, and is a staple in fat burning programs of some of the top coaches in the country.

This idea of evolution can also be thought in terms of our "Ultimate Sandbag" itself. As the demands on "The Ultimate Sandbag" rises, so does our design. As many of you may have noticed we have gone through many designs, specifically on our filler bags. One of the most powerful aspects of our "Ultimate Sandbag" is the function of our filler bags. Being able to change weight and be clean about it is something that truly separates "The Ultimate Sandbag" from any other sandbag like product on the market.

You will now see a new evolution on these filler bags. We recently tried two have two inserts, but that was extremely costly and did not serve the purpose we were hoping. Now, you will see one filler again, but we have new aspects of this filler that will truly allow us to evolve and keep growing the program into something the industry continues to recognize as a leader.

What About All the Others?

Is there any other industry that is so prone to flip flop behavior and ideas more than the fitness and sports performance industry? Really, between "core training", "functional training", and "sport-specific training" it seems that these popular buzz words are so popular that you can ask ten different coaches what they mean and probably get ten different answers.

One that cracks me up is sport-specific training. I love when parents want their 13 year old to perform sport-specific training! These kids have so little training background that such training is useless as they need to build a base of strength, endurance, and flexibility. Nowadays, this trend is so bad that it is having a large negative impact on their training!

Then you have another group that tries to replicate sporting movement with weights. That isn't sport-specific training, that is foolish and often results in ruining the sport skill that you are trying to improve.

There is the group that believes you should just try to get crazy strong in the weight room and this will take care of everything on the field. You know the team that brags about their bench and squat numbers, but ends up having a very average record for the season.

Then there finally is a group that shouldn't perform any strength training. Yes, in the modern age there are still coaches and sports that think strength training makes you immobile and lose your sporting skill. One of the sports is the one I grew up playing, basketball.

No, basketball players are training, well sorta! There are still a lot of players and coaches that think strength training is going to mess up their shot. In fact, legendary strength coach, Vern Gambetta, once told the story of working with the Bulls in the 80's and how upset the head coach was about the guys lifting! That isn't THAT long ago.

Of course you have those that do train, but they bodybuild, try to powerlift or olympic lift. It is as though we try to cram athletes into our strength training paradigms. A good coach can recognize not only the needs of the athlete, but the challenges they face as well.

I feel outside of football our interest in really developing strength programs for other sports is very limited. Firstly, basketball players typically have terrible leverages because of their height. Trying to force them to do the same lifts guys who average 5'7 excel in is a little crazy!!! Can they benefit from them? Maybe, but is there a better way? That is why I believe sandbags are such a terrific tool when implemented correctly. Remember the goal of athletics isn't to make your athletes better lifters, but better athletes.

Want to see an example of how powerful sandbags can be for not only producing powerful results, but problem solving? Check out today's video:

A Powerful Combination

I just came back from the Long Beach Perform Better Summit and had such a great time being around some of the great strength coaches in the industry! Those that work with the most elite athletes and those that are running the most successful training businesses. Throughout the whole weekend everyone shared innovative ideas from training to how to run a more successful training facility. 

It is funny how many are saying the same thing, just in a slightly different way. However, out of all the information shared one theme rained throughout. This was the idea that group training is the new age of personal training and coaching. The age of one on one personal training is dying quickly. I love how renown strength coach, Alwyn Cosgrove, explains why this long time used business model is so ridiculous. 

What is done in a group atmosphere? Swimming lessons with kids, martial art classes, firearms, SWAT and military training, physical therapy, and about all team training! The idea that we still have one on one sessions is absolutely ridiculous. Sounds great right? Our clients enjoy their training more, we as coaches enjoy the training and build more successful businesses. However, there is just one little problem, how do you set up an effective group training environment. 

One of the many goals in my L.I.F.T. certification is to answer this question. This is one of the most powerful benefits of my Sandbag Training and the L.I.F.T. certification, it is that they are perfect for group training facilities and can be easily adapted to these programs to provide the clients with a fun, but highly effective training result. 

There are many great coaches already having great results with this type of model. One of this is Dale Buchanan of Supreme Ultimate Fitness. Dale has created very unique programs that fall into the same mindset of the L.I.F.T. program, I highly recommend you check them out! 

Coming soon is more videos demonstrating how to organize the most unique and powerful training programs in an systemized manner. Check out our upcoming certifications HERE!

Q & A

Something that I've been meaning to do is really get our Q & A blogs going. So many people write me in with great questions that I want others to learn from their questions. Please, please send in those questions that you have been hesitant to ask because it could really help others! Today is one of our first Q & A blogs.

Hi Josh,

I just purchased the Strength Package, including the High Octane DVD.  I did Program One yesterday.  I want to make sure I'm starting off correctly, and I have a few questions.

 

1.  I am 48 years old, just under 5'7", 140 lbs.  I have always been thin and relatively weak, and have had trouble maintaining an exercise program.  I think I will enjoy the Sandbag and stick with it.  I am interested in long-term cardiovascular health, as well as building, toning and defining my body.  What weight do you suggest to start?  I chose 45 lbs., which seemed comfortable yet challenging.  Will I see benefits at this weight, or do you think I should increase it right away?

 

2.  Is it safe and beneficial to do the workouts on consecutive days, or should I go every other day?

 

Thanks for your help.  I love the Sandbag and will tell everyone I know about it.-Mike C.

Weight is always relative! Without knowing it you used one of the most common methods of assessing weight which is RPE (rate of perceived exertion). I have long said that sandbag training weights should be dictated by how challenging it feels, not by the number on the scale. A sandbag generally will be lighter than any other strength training implement you have used in the past because of how awkward and "noncooperative" they are. If the weight feels challenging, but allows you to maintain good form then it is the right weight. 

The programs on the High Octane DVD were designed to be performed every other day. Now, COULD you do them on consecutive days? Yes, however, you may need a few days after this to recover. Most people don't realize that sandbag training greatly fatigues the nervous system because of all the muscle coordination needed and this is far more fatiguing that just tiring out the muscles. That is why generally I give a day in between for workouts, yet, I realize that some people's schedules do not allow for this. So, to be realistic you can do back to back days but give time for recovery especially if you are beginning to feel very tired or excessively sore. 

 

A Special Situation

Ok, this was COMPLETELY unplanned!!! When I launched our new filler bags last week I wasn't anticipating getting slammed with so many emails from customers who already had our product just wanting our new white liner. The question quickly became, "can I buy just the white liner" and to be honest my initial answer was no!

Not because I am trying to be a tough guy, just the opposite. We have quite a few people email daily confused about which Ultimate Sandbag is right for them, adding the white liner option would make things even more confusing. Additionally, the new filler bags are not cheap! Keeping things in the USA is very important for me, but it does come with a higher cost. Yeah, you may see that our prices were raised slightly, but we actually decided to eat some of the cost because selling a superior fitness tool is more important than doing it for cheap and making more money! Doing them together did make it a little more manageable. 

However, since I want to give you guys what you really want and thank you all of you that have been such strong supporters, I am going to do a one week special on the white liners. Here is the deal though....you will only be able to purchase them buy themselves for one week, they won't ship out till a week from tomorrow as we will only order as many as we need. So it will take 2-3 weeks to get your white liners. In addition, they must be used in some type of canvas filler, we won't guarantee any of them that were used by themselves. 

Believe it or not, all that we do is with you guys in mind and we want your sandbag training experience to be the best it can be. So, you can choose from the three sizes below:

Buy Your 10 Pound Liner

Buy Your 20 Pound Liner

Buy Your 50 Pound Liner

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!!

 

Burly Bag Opening

Wow! To say a lot has been going on is a huge understatement. I have been working so hard at making some changes that are far needed to get Sandbag Fitness Systems to the next level. The first very cool completed project was the new Burly Bag. Yes, A LOT of people have been writing me to get a hold of the new Burly Bag. Originally the bag was designed to be an intermediate between our medium and large sandbag. Then there was a mistake! The manufacturer sent me something much bigger, this bag instead of being able to hold up to 120 pounds could hold 200.

At first I was pissed! Then I started to work with the bag and realized this was actually far better than I had originally designed. Instead of simply having an intermediate bag we had created something brand new. With the length of the bag being the same as the medium, but the load able to go heavy, this became a very unique sandbag. What did I find?

1. When the bag was not filled full it began you at the toughest pulling position creating the best position to develop superior full body power. This pull is stronger than any other type of implement because the weight is also completely against you so you have to generate more force to get the bag moving.

2. The perfect tool for increasing overhead pressing strength. I know you can press with a host of objects, what makes the Burly Bag ideal? People speak about awkward implements, but sandbags are completely unique. Having pressed about every type of strength implement I can say for a fact that sandbags are far and away the most unstable. This makes the Burly Bag a powerful tool in increasing stabilizer strength and makes any other training tool feel much easier!

3. It is amazingly diverse as it can replicate just bout any form of strength training. One of my favorites is how you can use the Burly Bag in a similar fashion, this time without ripped up forearms or a bad back!

The Burly Bag isn't the only new change. Possibly even bigger is the creation of our new filler bags. I had a choice, a tough choice. The filler bags were originally designed to be as durable as possible and still be affordable. It was also awesome that we could have them made in the US. I still felt like they needed more, our customers deserve more. This was so tough because I had to both find a manufacturer that could make the change and more importantly still make it affordable.

I like to believe after a lot of hard work this was accomplished. What is different?

Extra durable stitching was added

The way the stitching is laid is now reinforced

There is now an additional layer to the filler bag that prevents leakage.

Unfortunately this cost quite a bit more! However, it seems more than worth it when you see the new filler bags. The best part is this is done with only a minimal increase in our prices. I decided that Sandbag Fitness Systems would take the rest!! Being able to deliver an incredible training tool is more important than anything. So, now all orders will have our new fillers and the new Burly Bags will come with 3-50 pound fillers.

So don't wait, I am launching an incredible special to save you $40 that will only last till Monday night!! The Burly will come in two styles, black and camouflage, you choose the challenge!

Purchase the Black Burly Bag: Click Here : Just $158.99

Purchase the Camouflage Burly Bag  :Click Here:  Just $168.99 

Note: This is a pre-sale, Burly Bags will go out a week from Monday and arrive in 3-5 days for domestic shipments. 

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....

The 5 Best Exercises You Aren't Doing!

What five exercises will go a long ways in helping you champion the "3 Rounds of Hell"? They may not be the one's you were thinking of. Watch today's video and let me know how your progress of the "3 Rounds of Hell" is going. Next week we have some exciting announcements!!!

What a Navy Seal Has to Say...

Since I first talked about the "3 Rounds of Hell" I have had so many great emails from people telling me how brutal it was and how almost impossible it seems. I began to think if I had made the challenge too hard as I had yet to receive an email or video about anyone accomplishing it. Then the challenge got its own test! 

A former Navy Seal and current special operations soldier "Tim" came back to Arizona after some recent military training. "Tim" is absolutely no stranger to hard workouts, the times I have worked with him it just simply amazes me his mental toughness, it is just from another planet! However, after catching up with "Tim" for a bit he asked me if I had anything new for him. That is when I thought I would unleash the "3 Rounds of Hell" on him. To say he was excited was an understatement! 

The next day Tim dedicated his whole workout to trying to accomplish the "3 Rounds of Hell". I was very intrigued to see if someone could get through it or would I have to modify some of the criteria? Tim weighed in at 215 so we figured out he would use the large sandbag loaded to 150. After a brief, but focused warm-up Tim tackled the challenge. The first round seemed almost easy, the second you could tell some fatigue was coming, the third he almost looked mortal!!! He did it!! Yes, Tim completed the "3 Rounds of Hell", but laid on the ground for a good ten minutes. 

Tim thought it was a heck of a challenge because it tested not only his strength, or endurance. It tested his willpower, his hands, his upper body, lower body, EVERYTHING! Sad thing is he was contemplating a "5 Rounds of Hell"! Well, until more mortals accomplish this goal I think I will stick with the three rounds, but that doesn't mean I don't have some tricks up my sleeve.

I am going to start launching a video series on how to train for the "3 Rounds of Hell". Most people would assume that simply trying to do more and more work with shouldering would be the best route, but that isn't so. There are many supplementary exercises one should employ that will greatly enhance your ability to get through the challenge. 

The first mistake people make is they don't realize that the upper body is heavily involved with repeated bouts of heavy shouldering. Often it is the hands, upper arms, and upper back that fail people. The gripping and shifting of the weight can seem as though it adds severe weight to an already heavy implement. What can you do? These are exercises I like to implement and will talk more about in later videos:

1. One-arm shouldering

2. Bent-over row grabbing on the sides

3. Bear Hug rowing

4. Bear Hug walks

The next most common mistake is that people don't have good enough flexibility in their hips to keep the repeated hip drive going. When people are tight and try the challenge they will find that they start using their low back as a prime mover and they move very inefficiently and become tired VERY FAST!

What can you do? These are some of my favorites...

1. Hurdle Zercher Squats

2. Overhead Lunge

3. Heavy Bear Hug Squats

4. Overhead Chops

Of course you also have to be strong in the hips and low back. What can you do besides just shouldering? 

1. Shouldering Suspended Lunge

2. Zercher Goodmornings

3. Get-up Bridge

4. No Pivot Half Moon Snatch

So, you see there is far more than just shouldering over and over. These twelve supplementary exercises will go a long way in building that foundation. Next time I will show you some of them in action and we will go more into how you put it all together into a program that will let you dominate the "3 Rounds of Hell" like Tim did!

Quality is the Proof

I was so shockingly (but pleasantly) surprised when I opened my email today and saw a video link by New York based bootcamp instructor, Nii Wilson. It wasn't that Nii emailed me, in fact, he is a incredibly enthusiastic trainer. The surprise was the video he made completely unsolicited by me. Nii had spoken to me some time ago about how excited he was in regards to the quality of our sandbags. While I always appreciate the kind words, Nii's perspective was very unique.

Unlike most people, Nii had spent time in the military and in their logistics department that was in charge of materials for soldiers. This meant that Nii was more than familiar with the concept of army duffel bags and their use for training. There are a lot of people that still try to argue with me that a homemade version of their sandbag is the same as our Ultimate Sandbag. Others believe that it is close enough that the extra money isn't necessary. Well, after Nii's video I was even more amazed how our research and development had created such a unique training tool. 

Making a perfect product is pretty tough, but we stand behind our Ultimate Sandbag and often help people out if anything seems wrong. This is far more than most companies that won't even write back. Check out Nii's well done video though and see if the Ultimate Sandbag is for you!!

Lessons of Adversity

I was laying there in bed, just wishing that I didn’t have to get out of bed because my head was pounding, my right arm throbbing, and oh feeling  a little nauseated doesn’t help. No, it is the flu, cold, or any new disease. It is the normal process of dealing with oral reconstructive surgery that I have been going through for the past year.

Why tell you this? I find every injury and situation has taught me a lot about training, attitude, and how to coach people better. It is also my hope to share my own challenges because I know many of you are facing similar situations and you are putting forth everything you can into finding motivation to train. 

Trust me when I tell you I understand the such challenges. Coming from someone who absolutely LOVES to train, push themselves, I have found the last year extremely challenging. However, I have found some techniques that have made it a little easier.

1. Train! That may seem weird or easy for me to say, but there are days where I feel like it is an accomplishment getting out of bed and being able to work with my clients. Yet, I feel so much better to train, but how do you get to that point? My first rule is to find anything that allows you to train, that might be simply going for a walk, do some biking, yes, get on the horrid cardio equipment at the local gym. More times than not simply doing a simple workout will improve both your physical and mental well-being. 

That also goes for your strength training. The sandbags have been a great means for to do a lot with very little energy. Performing brief circuits very frequently has been an important way for me to keep my metabolism and strength gains stable. In fact, recently I was in Chicago for a conference and was able to train with my good friend Nick. Nick is one strong guy, especially for his bodyweight. I felt less than adequate because Nick always displays amazing energy and enthusiasm and lately I have been working hard for both. 

Barbell back squatting was on the menu for the day and to be honest, it was one of the last things I felt like performing. At a bodyweight of 180 Nick was performing clusters with 335, most impressive! Me on the other hand? 335 for most my size should be a relative easy weight. However, I hadn’t barbell back squatted probably in six months or so. I had to move to sandbag squatting variations to take pressure off neck and hoped to take this time to strengthen my trunk with the sandbag variations. In addition, I moved to more single leg work as my form of keeping my leg strength up. 

I was inspired by Nick’s work though and although I could tell my body was more than off I wasn’t going to let him completely show me up! Getting underneath the bar I was a little bit nervous about what the results would produce. It wasn’t just about my body, but what if all this other work really didn’t transfer, after all much of my ideas weren’t practiced by elite or very experienced lifters. When I walked out of the rack though I felt strong, stronger than I typically had with this weight on my back in the past. While I didn’t have the endurance to perform many repetitions, I was extremely excited about the transfer that I had experienced and that when this surgery was done I would reach new heights in my training. 

1. Nutrition is MOST Important: This can be equally as challenging, food often tends to be emotionally based as well. Think of when you have been most down, MOST people will often let their nutrition go. This is also a challenge considering when you aren’t well only certain foods sound good. Yep, there are days where the only thing that sounds tolerable is crackers or soup. So, what do you do? What you have in the house is of utmost importance. For me, that meant having flaxseed based, gluten-free, crackers on hand. It meant having homemade vegetable soups ready to go made out of the crock pot. Don’t worry though, I am not perfect either, but making these plans will go a long way in making you not fall into many of the common pitfalls.

Nutrition isn’t important for the reasons you may be thinking. Sure keeping yourself in shape is important (especially for those that are going to be having to deal with surgery), more important is avoiding the cycle that often occurs with feeling horrible (both mentally and/or physically). The cycle usually follows feel bad>eat badly>feel even worse. Poor nutrition increases inflammation in the body and can keep one’s mood low. This is a recipe for disaster!

Good nutrition can do exactly the opposite. Various foods can act as an anti-inflammatory, improve healing, help mood, and keep your conditioning from getting poor. As I mentioned it isn’t always easy, but if you are determined to stay on the right path you can always make better choices. 

1. Set new goals: Yes, sometimes new goals feel like “getting out of bed”, “being able to workout”, or a host of others. Realistically, new goals can be created and progress can be made. For me the opportunity to focus on some new sandbag training goals have been very helpful. That is really where the “3 Rounds of Hell” originated. There is incredible value for so many with this challenge, but for me it was about developing a goal for myself to keep improving my power and stamina. This leads me to creating new programs and testing these methods to continue the growth and evolution of this system of training. 

This isn’t about making anyone feel sorry for me, rather, hopefully giving inspiration to others that may be going through their own personal challenges. One of my biggest inspirations was my step-mother that fought Stage IV breast cancer for seven years. No matter what came her way she had a positive attitude. Even when it was obvious the cancer was winning she never showed a poor attitude, in fact, she was doing charitable events for breast cancer awareness till she could no longer get out of bed. That type of persistence and attitude has given me the perspective that no matter how lousy I feel day to day, that is is all temporary and the majority of my life will be spent feeling great and hope to help other find methods that help inspire them to live healthier lives. 

Limited Edition Women's Sandbag

Who are the most willing, open-minded, and likely to get involved in a coaching program? WOMEN!!! Having coached for 15 years I can honestly say how much easier women are to work with than men. Why? Firstly, women are primarily interested in results and feeling better. Typically, women don't come into a training situation trying to pretend they are still in their high school football shape or demonstrate how tough they are (even though these guys haven't moved from their office chair in 20 years!) 

Women are open to new ideas and if you actually listen to what they want, sandbag training is perfect for them! Sandbag training is a highly athletic and a graceful form of training that stimulates strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular endurance. Possibly the most important, it isn't that typical iron weight that can often be a big turn-off to many women. 

That is why I wanted to create something specific for all of our women. Too often women are forced to adapt into men's programs or follow cheesy women's infomercials. That is why I created the "Femme Fatale Fitness Program". The programs are the same ones I use for my female clients at my facility. Programs that have helped numerous women go from 50 pounds overweight to wonder women! 

Alright ladies, you too have your challenges though. You can fall into the traps of marketing or our "social norms". However, it doesn't mean you have to be perform bad fitness programs to try to conform. Your problem areas are different from guys, but don't think cheesy machine exercises are the way to go. Very dynamic, fun, and effective exercises can be utilized to deliver much better and faster results. Yes, that is the basis of the "Femme Fatale Fitness Program". 

To launch our program I wanted to do something exciting and fun! So, we created a limited edition women's pink camouflage bag. A very cool looking sandbag that is the same dimension as our small sandbag, but with handles on the ends as well to be more versatile for women. This isn't a sales pitch. I only have about eight bags, so this is truly, first come, first serve. In fact, you will have to email me for the special link to purchase the bag. 

This is going to be an experiment for us of sorts as well. Not only did we create a limited edition sandbag, your response will determine if we make more!!! However, I wanted to move away from people just focusing on the bags themselves, so we are going to give you two secret workout programs that I demonstrate to start getting results today! Lastly, we are going to offer two options for payment, you can pay in full or try our experiment of a payment plan to help those that are dying to get their hands on the bags, but just getting hit hard with the current economy. 

So, if you are ready to jump on our NEW "Femme Fatale Fitness Program" email me directly at jsandbags@hotmail.com, remember we only have 8!!!!

3 Rounds of Hell is Here

After I spoke about my challenge of "3 Rounds of Hell" last week I received a ton of emails!!! Some wondering how to do it, some how to train for it, and some doubting it could be done! I'll admit, my initial challenge was pretty brutal, but that is how I wanted it. Yet, I feel like there are things I needed to clear up....

1. Why shouldering the sandbag? This seems to be the most fundamental lift that encompasses the most overall body strength. We can load it very heavy or use a more moderate load and the drill won't be limited by blisters on the hands, major technique flaws, or anything other than the drill itself.

Where some lifts test a dominant area of the body (i.e. upper or lower body strength) shouldering requires everything! If you don't have proper hip or low back strength, you will know it! If you don't have enough upper body strength, you will know it. You simply can not cheat the movement.

2. Are there rules? The only rule I have come up with so far is that the movement must be a clean shouldering repetition. You can't inch it up the body or rest it on the legs. It must explosively reach the shoulder from the pulling position in one clean rep.

3. Can you scale the challenge? I don't think everyone should have the same rules. As of right now this is how I see the challenge

Men:
180 or under: 120 pound sandbag
180-220: 150 pound sandbag
220-270: 170 pound sandbag
270 and over: 200 pound sandbag

Women:
130 or under: 50 pound sandbag
130-150: 70 pound sandbag
150-180: 90 pound sandbag
180 and over: 100 pound sandbag

I will admit, this challenge is not well tested. That is the fun part about what we are creating with Sandbag Fitness Systems, we are writing the book on sandbag training. Unlike most other forms of physical conditioning there is not textbook on sandbag fitness that everyone follows, we are writing the rules. In fact, I wanted to take the challenge for a run myself, heck, I can't ask others what I am not willing to do.

Yep, it kicked my ass! I think within two weeks of training for it I will have all three rounds nailed down. However, I can honestly say that my hips, back, and arms were completely toast! My heart was racing and I KNOW this will have amazing carryover to so many other fitness goals.

In the next few weeks I will write much more about how one progresses and trains for such a challenge to dominate the hardest fitness challenge!

The Hardest Fitness Challenge Ever?!

I still hear it all the time, "sandbags are great for conditioning, but don't do much for your strength." How ridiculous is this? I always know this is someone that has really never spent any serious time sandbag training. Instead of trying to rationalize to people that sandbags can make you strong I wanted to place a challenge to prove my point.

The trouble is, "what is being strong?" Being able to lift a lot is great, but just being able to lift a lot isn't tremendously beneficial. Being able to reproduce feats of strength repeatedly is far more impressive. I took one of the best sandbag drills and created a challenge to see how many people could perform strength and endurance? No, I didn't want this to be easy, I wanted it to be a brutal test of fitness.

What is the test? Initially it was taking our large sandbag, loading it to 150 pounds and performing 10 shoulders (5 each side) within one minute. Many people weren't even able to last through this challenge. Heck at a recent conference I had a former football player who weighed 300 pounds unable to complete this challenge as he thought his heart was going to explode! I wasn't satisfied though.

I wanted to see how people really could recover and do it again! So, the NEW Sandbag Fitness Challenge is the "Three Rounds of Hell" drill. It is shouldering the 150 sandbag 10 times in one minute, resting one minute, and repeating this for two additional rounds. Don't worry, women can do it too with the 70 pound sandbag!

Want to see how hard the 150 pound bag shouldering is? I placed the challenge to an excited trainer at the recent Perform Better Summit. Want to see if he was able to make it? Oh btw, if you make our challenge you have to perform a CLEAN shouldering movement, no stopping at the chest! I was in a good mood here:

Fitting Everything In

Options, there almost seems like there are just too many of them. Trying to fit in strength, power, speed, stability, corrective, and endurance work altogether seems virtually impossible. This is especially true when you are not a professional athlete and get paid to train. I'll be honest, with things getting busier and busier for me there seems to be only so much in the tank.

It isn't a desire, but like many people, we only have so much in the tank for our energy and making sure we are balanced individuals and achieve all our goals isn't so easy. Yet, that isn't an excuse, it simply means we need to find better and more efficient ways to train. It isn't about doing all strength, or all conditioning. Having balance in training is just as important as life.

So, how can you do it? I think Synergy is a great example how! We can simply focus on three training implements, tools you can have in a gym, outside, or at home. Simplicity doesn't mean an inability to get great results. In fact, I have found using the special Synergy Complexes you can feel and perform better. How do I know? I have used these very complexes to maintain my maximal strength and conditioning during these busy times. See what they can do for you!

Beating The Gym's Ass!

I have long used sandbags in my training programs, however, it has only been the last few months they have really taken center stage. Having so many toys in my training facility it is often hard to use only one, however, I have found as I got busier and busier that I did tend to drift towards the sandbags. Yes, I have TRXs, Jungle Gyms, and kettlebells, I also have bands, sleds, and a ton of other great toys, but why the sandbags?

The best reason is that I know that any exercise I perform I am going to be challenged more than I could by any other tool, yes, even more than a barbell. One arm kettlebell snatches with a 32kg bell is a vacation compared to snatching with two hands a 90 pound sandbag! A 250 barbell front squat is no big deal compared with a 150 pound sandbag zercher squat. You can see that it is hard to find a equivalent for sandbag work. More muscles=better results!

It could also be that sandbags are so amazingly versatile. With a kettlebell you can hold it in the rack position by the shoulder, overhead, or by your side, however, with a sandbag you can have it on the shoulder, overhead, in the zercher, in the clean position, bear hug, or even on the back. Instantly you have six different variations of almost any exercise.

Grip work? Oh yea, sure lifting heavy bars helps your grip, but digging into a sandbag is like nothing else. The constantly shifting weight and awkward nature of the sandbag makes it an unusual grip tool. Just ask grip expert John Brookfield who recently became a fan of our sandbags!

Of course nothing can say more than movement over muscles. The quality and number of movements one can perform with the sandbag are endless. Feeling athletic is so far underrated and is really what makes people feel strong and powerful. The athletic drills you can create and perform truly make you feel half your age, or that you can compete with anyone!

The key is how you put it all together. This is the first video shot at my new facility and demonstrates how to put together all these great properties of sandbag training!

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