2 Ultimate Sandbag Fitness Ideas for Instantly Better Strength

Greg Perlaki, DVRT Master UK (Creator of DVRT Dynamic Warm-up program)

As someone who still struggles with hip mobility and foot issues I really value smart functional training solutions that DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Fitness has to offer. I can only be so much enthusiastic about it when I fully believe in it. Experiencing first hand what these training concepts are capable of is pretty amazing. When I start to train inpiduals the first thing they notice that they feel taller or have better posture and increased flexibility. It’s no surprise for me as the DVRT system build their progressions from the ground up creating more core tension using the hands and feet tapping into the body’s natural chains. When the core muscles are firing well they allow the extremities move more freely. So that results in increased mobility in the hips, shoulders, hamstrings and thoracic spine area too.

Here Josh is explaining why in DVRT Ultimate Sandbag fitness programs we place such emphasis on the hands and feet.

Starting from the ground up allows us to create a foundation that is really solid and more layers can be build upon. Being successful in DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Fitness comes down to some very basic and simple concepts. It’s the use of our hands and feet. No! That’s it??? Let me explain.

There’s a huge difference between placing the hands on the floor in a high plank or actively grabbing with our fingers spread out. Doing the latter retracts the scapula, turn on the lats (our biggest stabilizer muscles) and activate the core which again gives that more stable environment that allows the limbs to move better. It’s best to learn this when starting our DVRT journey to get more comfortable with the concept in easier positions like Bird Dogs, Deadbugs, Press Outs and so on.

While helping Josh present DVRT Ultimate Sandbag fitness concepts at the Perform Better Europe conference, it was awesome to see people change so drastically from these simple ideas. 

This concept goes further when using our Ultimate Sandbags. The intent of an exercise is much more important than the exercise itself. Staying with the plank example we don’t necessarily want to do Lateral Drags first just because they look cool and they’re ‘good for you’. Rather start with an ‘easier’ stand point like Bird Dogs and ISO Pulls to build that foundation by activating the core, lats by creating tension in the handles of the Ultimate Sandbag and then going through all of the above makes our Lateral Drag so much more stable and we will have all the benefits that such an exercise offers.

Active grip goes a long way when grabbing the outer shell of the sandbag like in Press Outs, Arc Presses or Diagonal Lifts/Chops. This helps to create that tension in the core and lats by pulling the slack out of the USB.

The Press Out Squat is another good example of the grip-core connection. We don’t just push out the Ultimate Sandbag to counterbalance the squat. It’s turning on those lat stabilizers through gripping the bag that produces an upright torso and we feel more centered and connected than ever before in a squat.

Not many people would think how important is to use the feet when training. We tend to forget about them completely. However they can be the make or break between a stable plank and an ‘okay’ plank as the feet turns on the glutes and helps stabilizing the pelvis during planks when they are pushed into the ground.

Lunges are particularly important in this regard as they have different directions so our feet are forced to work harder however a great way to learn lunging is doing exercises in Kneeling, Half Kneeling positions first. A Half Kneeling Press Outs, Arc Presses and Chops are perfect for that as the toes are tucked under in the rear foot so we can stimulate the glutes better while become more stable again. Essentially the Half Kneeling position is a Lunge with the knee resting on the floor. They still have the ability to build up all the components of the lunge, activate the core (by creating tension in the Ultimate Sandbag) and push into the feet to engage the glutes. The tension in the USB is crucial again as it activates the muscles along the chain of the body (check out in the video at the end of this post)

Feet play major role in every possible position of DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Fitness. Whether is it planks, bird dogs, glute bridges to all the standing positions such as bilateral and unilateral stances, emphasizing the feet leaves us stronger and more balanced.

To be successful in your DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Fitness journey the following three things go a long way:

• Use the hands and feet actively
• Create tension in the Ultimate Sandbag
• Slow movement first before you go fast

Find out how you can dramatically change the way you move, perform, and feel with Greg’s new DVRT Dynamic Warm-up program HERE.