Sandbag Training

My Top 3 Eye-Openers from the DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training Level I & II Certification Course

By Jon-Erik Kawamoto, CSCS, CEP, DVRT 1 & 2

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“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.” ~Marcus Aurelius

It’s easy in this industry to get caught up doing what you like. Many become very opinionated and think their way is the best way, but the fitness industry is far from being one-dimensional. As a fitness professional and fitness writer, I try to keep an open mind about different training methods or programming ideas. The “don’t bash it until you try it” is a motto I like to stick with because as we all know, there are different paths to success with health, fitness and in the athletic arena.

I was fortunate enough to participate in the DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training Level I and Level II certification course this past weekend in Vancouver, BC, Canada. I had little experience using an Ultimate Sandbag^TM (USB^TM) and was eager to learn Josh’s DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training system. I knew this course was more than just about “a bag of sand” but didn’t expect to see so many concepts integrated together.

I’m not going to lie. I’ve been in the industry for almost eight years now and have noticed I’ve been caught up in sticking to only a few concepts and training methods (which work) in my own and my client’s programs. I had my mind blown a few times this past weekend and here’s a recap of my top 3 eye-openers from the DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training that are going to change my views on training.

1. The Principle of Progressive Overload is more than just about load

In order to continually stimulate positive adaptations with training, we all know we need to apply the principle of progress overload. This is the basis behind any periodized plan, whether it’s a linear or undulating model. Basically, this principle states that if we do not provide a new training stimulus to our bodies or our client’s bodies, we will cease to adapt and remain idle with our progress. So, what’s the most common method of enforcing this principle? We use more load. The stronger you get, the more load you can lift therefore, the fixation with always wanting to add weight to the bar.However, just because the word “load” is in the word “overload” doesn’t mean it’s the only method of progressing an exercise. What about changing the implement used? Or increasing the complexity of the exercise? How about adding a force vector in a different plane of motion? Depending on the exercise and loading position used in Ultimate Sandbag Training, the difficulty of the exercise can actually be enhanced with less load (unstable implement). Or another example is the lunge. A front loaded reverse lunge is performed in the sagittal plane and requires frontal plane stability. Now, take the rotational lunge: the movement is also performed in the sagittal plane but the movement of the Ultimate Sandbag around the forward leg increases the stability component and adds forces in the transverse plane, perfection of DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training. The load can be the same between these two exercises, but the effects are drastically different.

Bottom line: There are endless ways to progress an exercise and we have to remember, load isn’t the only variable worth changing.

2. The first exercise in each workout shouldn’t be first because it uses the most load.

This second point is an extension of the first. Commonly, we perform bilateral squats, conventional deadlifts and the barbell bench press first in our workouts. Why? Well, they are multi-joint exercises and they typically use the most load. If Olympic lifts or plyometrics are also performed, sometimes they are performed before these compound lifts and sometimes they can be performed after, but for the most part, the exercises that use the most load are commonly programmed first.

Anyway, my point is this: why program exercises with the most load first? Aren’t we supposed to program the exercise with the most complexity first? And we have to remember that complexity is a relative term. What is complex for someone might be too easy for someone else. Therefore, we have to modify the program based on the current abilities of the trainee (but I know you already knew that).

Bottom line: Put the most complex exercises at the beginning of a workout despite the load used. Load isn’t everything.

3. Unstable surface training is too drastic of a change in surface. Change the loading pattern to yield more effective results.

During the 1990s and early 2000s, it was popular to extend unstable surface training from the rehab setting to the gym and athletic setting. This type of training has been shown to be valuable post rehab but what effects was it going to have with healthy trainees? Basically, according to Behm et al. (2010)…

“When similar exercises are performed, core and limb muscle activation are  to be higher under unstable conditions than under stable conditions. However, core muscle activation that is similar to or higher than that achieved in unstable conditions can also be achieved with ground-based free-weight exercises, such as Olympic lifts, squats, and dead lifts. Since the addition of unstable bases to resistance exercises can decrease force, power, velocity, and range of motion, they are not recommended as the primary training mode for athletic conditioning” (p. 109).Therefore, in order to build strength (and stability) we should stand on stable ground. So, you might ask, how do we improve stability if the surface is well, stable? Easy, you change the loading pattern of the implement or change the stability of the implement itself. A simple example is preventing a lateral hip shift (in the frontal plane) when a trainee performs a lunge or step up variation. If a load is held bilaterally and the hip shifts laterally, it’s unstable (yet the surface is stable). So in this situation, the load may be reduced, cueing would be provided to teach the proper hip position and specific muscle activation exercises may be warranted. However, if the hip doesn’t shift (is stable), the difficulty of the exercise can be increased by changing from a bilateral loading pattern to a uni-lateral loading pattern e.g. hip or shoulder position with the USB on the contralateral side. Therefore, the uni-lateral load is going to be unstable and further challenge the hip from shifting laterally. This is true unstable surface training.

The stability of the implement can also be adjusted to create a more unstable exercise. Take for example a full USB^TM versus a half-filled USB^TM. Since the contents (water or sand) are allowed to shift inside the USB^TM during the performance of the exercise, the body will have to react to maintain balance and the correct body position. This form of instability training increases the difficult of the exercise and can serve as a form of progressive overload (connecting this point with my first).

Bottom line: Don’t change the surface to be less stable. Change the loading pattern or instability of the implement.

Wrap Up

There are so many variables to consider when writing and progressing (or regressing) a fitness and/or athletic program. Commonly we get fixated with always increasing the load but there are other factors to consider changing before load such as exercise difficulty and the loading pattern and the instability of the implement. Keep an open mind in this industry because it’s not black and white.

***

Jon-Erik Kawamoto, CSCS, CEP, is a newly certified DVRT Level II Trainer and a Strength Coach and Fitness Writer out of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. He contributes regularly to many major health and fitness magazines and websites and is currently in the middle of a master’s in exercise physiology at Memorial University. Check out more of his work at www.JKConditioning.com and follow him on Twitter at @JKConditioning.

References

Behm, D.G., Drinkwater, E.J., Willardson, J.M., & Cowley, P.M. (2010). Canadian society for exercise physiology position stand: The use of instability to train the core in athletic and nonathletic conditioning. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab, 35, 109-112.

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The Forgotten DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training Exercise

When I think about all the exercises that are possible in the DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training program, the number is insane! Most people get a bit overwhelmed and unfortunately get stuck doing the same old thing time and time again. Trust me, I am not one that is for just doing new things simply for the sake of variety. I have tried very hard in all our DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training blog posts to show you purpose, meaning, and intent. Is it possible though? Can we use DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training for both the goals of variety to training and still be true to having a clear purpose and direction with our training? I know it is possible!

One of my favorite DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training exercises I like to show just how we can combine variety and purpose is the Bent-Over Row. Many people may be slightly surprised that DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training focuses on so much pulling, especially in light how the pull-up has regained so much mainstream popularity. Is the pull-up great? Absolutely! However, a combination of people overdoing the pull-up and not doing it well has made me really re-prioritize the bent-over row in our Ultimate Sandbag Training programs.

What’s the difference, don’t they both require us to pull weight towards our bodies and work our upper back? Yes, but that isn’t the whole story. The pull-up obviously focuses largely on the lats, the big muscle that gives you a v-shape in the upper body. Yes, we get some biceps and shoulders as well, however, the lats are the big point of emphasis. This is important to know because the lats not only function to perform movements like pull-ups, but they are also to internally rotate our shoulders. Do what?! Basically think of the shoulder rounding forward. If there is not balance in your DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training you can quickly develop an imbalance that leads to shoulder issues.

This is a big reason we prioritize the bent-over row in DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training. When we pull horizontally we really stress the muscles that do the opposite, pull the shoulders back giving us better posture and keeping our shoulders in a better position. I know, you can do rowing with a whole bunch of different pieces of equipment, why would we bother with DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training’s version?

Additionally, the Ultimate Sandbag is the ONLY tool that not only has so many gripping options, but can be used one-arm at a time or two arms. All this versatility makes the DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training bent-over rows highly valuable especially with limited equipment. A less appreciated fact is that because the Ultimate Sandbag is designed to have the center of the weight so far away from the handles, any weight used with in DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training feels significantly heavier than with any other tool.

A even more missed benefit of using Ultimate Sandbag Training bent-over rows is the fact we can really incorporate grip strength as well. I have spoken about the fact that when we really try to grip an object, more of our upper body because active, definitely a BIG plus. We not only get stronger, but work more muscles in the same amount of time.

Ultimate Sandbag rows with the Wounded Warriors program.

Here is the big one though, we can perform DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training rows in so many different angles and positions. Often this completely re-invents the bent-over row into a whole new even more powerful drill. Of course we can move some good weight when we are in a strong position, but if we use the DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training concept of manipulating body position and plane of motion, we will see that strong people fail when they are in a more compromised position.

When we do move through this different DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training progressions and variations of the bent-over row not only do we recreate the movement of rowing, but can create some really great complexes. Most people skip over the bent-over row for the sexier pull-up, but here is what you DON’T get with the pull-up.

The bent-over row teaches us the powerful movement of hip hinging. I know, you deadlift, you clean, you are good here. Not quite! Research shows us low back endurance, not strength, are more closely associated with a healthy back. Many times I have seen lifters that are strong, but we make them work through our DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training row variations and you can see trembling through their entire body. Yes, we have serious stability issues here!

Our DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training row variations will also challenge your core. The pull-up is all too many times done with arching of the low back and even swinging. Neither that forces your core to work harder to stabilize the spine and really does quite the opposite. If you look at the position of our DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training rows you will see our trunk is basically in a front plank position and as we move through all types of patterns and positions we can stress the core in brand new ways. This is called a BIG BANG DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training exercise.

Do it, try to make some of these DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training rowing variations a priority in your training and see how your workouts get a spike in variety but with great purpose!