How to Unlock Real Strength with Ultimate Sandbag Workouts

It really doesn’t matter. Whether you are trying to lose 30 pounds, help an achy shoulder, or compete in your favorite sport, it is actually the same. What am I talking about? In all those cases we are looking at fitness as a way to make ourselves BETTER! That is what all of us as fitness professionals and strength coaches are looking to do with our clients as well. We are on a constant search for better and that really fuels what we do in our DVRT Ultimate Sandbag workouts. 

While at one of our DVRT educational programs, a coach asked me a simple, but important question, “how do I know where to start my clients with Ultimate Sandbag workouts?” My answer is simple, but complex (you gotta love that about me right;). You start at the beginning! 

What does THAT mean? As I went on to explain to the coach, what makes DVRT Ultimate Sandbag workouts so distinctly different and able to help people find their better is the system of Dynamic Variable Resistance Training. We always start at the beginning. No one workout is more important to another until we discover what you need. 

Okay, sounds cute Josh, you may think, but what does this look like in the real world. Let me give you a very practical example of how easy and yet powerful DVRT Ultimate Sandbag workouts can be. 

Many coaches will ask, “should I deadlift with my client and if so, then do I need a lot of Ultimate Sandbags to keep getting them stronger?” Yes, we start our hip hinge progressions with the deadlift. It is the most stable, it is the least complex, it helps teach concepts of proper movement while building foundational strength. 

The Ultimate Sandbag actually allows people to learn the deadlift easier because of how we can grip, create tension, use feedback, and the design of the Ultimate Sandbag fits people’s biomechanics far more effective than most other tools (unlike most fitness equipment we looked at how people move, their structure, and designed the tool to fit the person, not the other way around). 

Most people can buy into this, but what happens when that deadlift becomes easy? Do I need to make my Ultimate Sandbag heavier? Do I need another Ultimate Sandbag? While those are both options we can certainly use, they may not be the best options for many people. That is why our DVRT Ultimate Sandbag workouts are set-up differently. 

We can take that same Ultimate Sandbag and move into our Front Load position. Now, that weight not only feels heavier, but stresses the core and upper back to a higher degree. This isn’t “hard to be hard”, but actually helps people make better connections in their body that result in making their deadlift better, but also a lot of other movements such a kettlebell swings. It is also a great solution to help people build a more resilient low back, help problematic knees, and even helps create foundational shoulder strength and stability. 

That is a BIG message I want people to take away from our Ultimate Sandbag workouts, it sin’t just about creating more challenges over time, it is constantly teaching them how to use their body smarter! This important point helps us build another layer once we build proficiency in the Front Loaded Good Mornings. 

We can come back to our deadlift position and now start to change our stance. The simple act of moving to our Sprinter Stance brings in the need to not only be strong up and down, but learn to resist motion from side to side and rotation. Why does this matter? Well, simply put, this is how we move in life and REALLY make people better. 

You may guess we can then perform the Sprinter Stance with a Front Loaded Good Morning. See how we are building simple layers to create variation through progression! Once you get this system down it becomes easier and easier to avoid boredom while keeping purposeful with your training!

The really “cool” aspects of DVRT Ultimate Sandbag workouts come when we realize movement strength training allows us almost endless ways to find our better. Especially as we add true real world movement to our exercises. Novel idea right?! 

When we move in our DVRT hip hinge matrix patterns we learn acceleration and deceleration, we learn how to move and resist forces at the same time, we learn how to be strong, stable, and mobile, most importantly we make people better!

Now, if this is a bit overwhelming, don’t worry, I am going to break it down below. However, the purpose of our DVRT Ultimate Sandbag workouts is not to be complicated, but rather, easy! It is kinda like just learning a new language, once you start to get the flow, man a whole world opens up so much bigger and exciting than you ever knew existed before.

So, how does this all look if I were to break it down to levels? While nothing in fitness is purely linear, this does give a good break down of how we can think of progressions and when to use different variations of a movement. Make sure to check out DVRT Master, James Newman’s great demonstration of these drills in the video below. And most of all, remember how you are building better for you and your clients!

Want to know more about how DVRT Ultimate Sandbag workouts are revolutionizing the fitness industry? Check out our upcoming DVRT certifications HERE and online educational programs for 25% with coupon code “spring2018” HERE