Sandbag to mimic Strongman

[gobbla]

Everyone dreams the dream of having their own home gym (of professional in JP's case ).

Strongman (pure or influenced) lifting\training has been of interest to me...as it seems to be one of the most practicle of all methods of weight training. The only real reason I've never tried it is the specialized equipment involved...and the distinct lack of knowedge on my part.

What I was wondering is if I created a set (or ten) of sandbags, does it sound feasible that I could create a reasonible facsimile of a strongman type environment? Atlas stones, farmers walk, various squats, presses, and throws...any other suggestions\ideas?

For a fully functioning standard home gym I was looking around 1,500 give or take...for a complete sandbag setup...roughly 200. This and transportataion is easier, as we have weight limits per move and sand is cheap enough to dump out between moves total wieght around 10lbs vs 700lbs of equipment.

[GqArtguy]

Ill get back to this later on in the evening but the short reply is that you can do a lot of things with sandbag training like farmers, c&j, throws, carry and holds, etc.

Theres a book by Kubrik (sp?) I believe at Ironmind on sandbag training. Just look up Dinosaur Training at Ironmind and browse through their books. There are links to make your own logs, stones, etc if youre willing to get a little industrial.

[DKing]

For very little money and time you can easily make a pretty awesome strongman setup. It won't be the exact same but if you aren't looking to compete, who cares.

Sandbags are great. Also get a couple kegs and fill them to different weights. Try talking to liquor stores and bars about buying kegs. Should be around $10. Or do it my way and have a party, buy a keg, charge everyone $5 and keep the keg and some profit. Way more fun. Kegs are great for loading, pressing, carrying, and throwing.

Then find a tire dealer in your area and go pick up a really big tire. They give them away all the time because it costs them money to get rid of them.

A sled for dragging is also very cool. An old tire will work, but so will a 4x4 with metal mounted on the bottom, a hook in the side and two pipes on top. We have one that cost like $10 took 15 minutes to make and can hold like 1000 lbs.

Add a barbell and weights and you have a pretty kickass strongman gym.

Danny

[Lost Dog]

If you want to do things like "stone lifting," you could search out or buy paint buckets with lids. They can be filled with water, sand, rocks, etc. They can be stacked somewhere, too (for neatness).

Water weighs 8.31 lbs per gallon and is cheaper (and easier to find) than sand, too.

Good idea about the sandbags in a variety of sizes. If you're short on space, you could make small ones and have a large duffel to put those in for when you want larger ones.

[gobbla]

MUA HA HA HA HA HA!

Dufel bags x 2 = 0 (stupid military is finally good for something)
Sand x 300lbs = 15
Sandbags x 10 = 15

full "state of the art home gym" $30

I'm all giddy Now I just have to get on the other side of the stupid ocean!

[Phaedrus49er]

I've been working with sandbags for about a month, and for about two months' worth of gym dues, I created enough bags and setups to keep me out of the gym for just about anything I can think of except for the occasional view. Definitely worth the miniscule investment, and when you're done working out, you can throw all the smaller bags into the one big canvas bag in a corner, and it takes up no room.

As for the strongman stuff, just about everything can be replicated, and I have to imagine that using a sandbag in place of an atlas ball would actually improve your atlas ball performance given the pliability of the sandbag.

[cappuccino]

I've even been tempted to try the sandbags after reading Phaedrus' log. Thought they would come in handy on the days I missed out on the gym or wanted to do a little something at the house.

I like creative cost savings, plus it's fun to make stuff!

[Faraz421]

ironmain training is mighty appealing, sucks that its off to college, cant exact have sandbags and old tires lying around the dorm.... or can i ?

kidding, but good suggestions so far, definately go for it Gobbla, its sure to be something youll really benefit from/enjoy.

[Phaedrus49er]

Originally posted by Faraz421:
cant exact have sandbags and old tires lying around the dorm.... or can i ?

Trust me, you can do whatever you want as long as (a) it doesn't violate fire code and (b) it doesn't piss off your roommates too much [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Ogedei]

Just came across this comment in a t-nation article....I thought it seemed like a pretty cool idea for sandbag training...

2. Sandbag training: You'll obviously need a large bag and several smaller ones. Ironmind sells a kit cheap. You fill each small bag with sand (let’s say that each can hold 25 pounds) then add them at will to the larger bag. This allows you to vary the weight to lift.

The whole article...
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do...ydra?id=700722

Og.

[Phaedrus49er]

Originally posted by Ogedei:
Just came across this comment in a t-nation article....I thought it seemed like a pretty cool idea for sandbag training...

2. Sandbag training: You'll obviously need a large bag and several smaller ones. Ironmind sells a kit cheap. You fill each small bag with sand (let’s say that each can hold 25 pounds) then add them at will to the larger bag. This allows you to vary the weight to lift.

The whole article...
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do...ydra?id=700722

Og.

Ya know, for all the cross-posting that goes on here, seems like no one reads a whole lot on here:
http://forums.jpfitness.com/noncgi/u.../t/003897.html
http://forums.jpfitness.com/noncgi/u.../t/003887.html

[Ogedei]

God knows I don't have time to read every post, i'm not TG ya know!

Og.

I still think the small sandbags in the big sandbag is a cool idea [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Phaedrus49er]

Originally posted by Ogedei:
God knows I don't have time to read every post, i'm not TG ya know!

Og.

I still think the small sandbags in the big sandbag is a cool idea [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Yeah, you aren't complaining about your boobs getting too big The bags-in-bags setup works great. I have eight 25lb bags that I can use individually or throw multiples into a big canvas bag for heavier full-body work.

[JesusFreak]

Check this out Gobbla. Rossboxing.com Ross Enamait boxing trainer uses sandbag training as part of his workouts. He has a book that is totally devoted to it. Below is a link to several topics in his forum on sandbag w/Os, making them, etc. Also there is a link to his website.

I have learned alot from this guy. He will also personally answer your email (quickly).

http://p101.ezboard.com/BBSForum.sho...oxingforumfrm7 Type in SAND BAG at the "Search Words" entry.

http://www.rossboxing.com/index.html

[Phaedrus49er]

FWIW, I did a short, simple sandbag workout yesterday, and my core is still substantially fatigued despite having done no targeted core work. Definitely a full-body impact regardless of just about anything you do with them.

[RedLefty]

A little inspiration for creative workouts, since Danny mentioned kegs earlier in the thread.

I know, I know the picture is ripe for quips and puns about "workouts", "proper form", "posterior chain" and whatnot. Bring 'em if you got 'em.