Simple Ultimate Sandbag Exercises for BIG Results!

Cory Cripe, DVRT Master (Creator of DVRT Movement Strength System)

Even as a DVRT Master, I am constantly surprised at how many subtleties I miss in our Ultimate Sandbag exercises. These are details of movements that you just wouldn’t get until you work day in and day out with people on Ultimate Sandbag exercises and appreciate the little things that make a big difference! A great example is the Sprinter Stance that is such a big part of the DVRT system.

I was intrigued how taking such a small step back could impact the meaning of our Ultimate Sandbag exercises in such a powerful way. I could see the benefit of using a sprinter stance because so many of the exercises are done in the sagittal plane and creating movement strength for the real world has to include all THREE planes of motion. And utilizing the staggered stance is a fantastic way to introduce the frontal plane while still being somewhat comfortable working in the sagittal plane! 

So I started including them into my workouts, and in my clients’ workouts, as well. But I never quite understood the meaning of the sprinter stance, I only knew what you did to make it a sprinter stance … you step back!

Many of you reading this are probably very familiar with the sprinter stance and are likely more ahead of the curve then I was, BUT for that one, or two, Corys out there – this is for you!

The 80/20 rule – Ha! It’s always been an unwritten rule for me how the majority of everything is 80% of something and 20% of something else. Well my first mistake was I assumed – and we all know what happens we we ASSume, right? However, when demonstrating a sprinter stance exercise, clients would wisely ask how much weight should be on the front foot and how much should be on the back foot and my response was … drum roll please … 80/20 ::FACEPALM::

It wasn’t until I ran into Josh at a Perform Better Summit, before he even knew who I was, and I asked him about the sprinter stance and exactly how much should we be putting on the back foot. I found out for the first time in thirty-some years I was wrong about something because his answer was 60/40! And it made sense – sprinter stances still involve two legs! What I was coaching before with the 80/20 (and sometimes 90/10 ????) was basically a single leg exercise.

So, 60/40, but 100% of that 40% better be working! And what does this look like? The toes of the rear foot are roughly in line with the heel of the front foot and the rear heel is up nice and high – I’ve been known to coach a 6-inch stiletto heel! And the balls of that staggered foot are pushing hard into the floor! This is so important for two very good reasons:

Far too often people lose the appropriate tension in the back foot and lose so much value of the sprinter stance! They rock back and the heal drops which is a sign we lose tension. 

The first reason is when you keep the heel up and create tension by pushing the balls of the foot into the ground, it sends a signal to the obliques to hold on to the hips and not allow a swaying motion to the one side. This sway motion will result in a twisting of the waist and that right there, ladies and gentlemen, is not a good thing for your low back. Before you know it, you – or your clients – will be talking about the sprinter stance bothering the low back. Been there, done that! Get that stiff core and working obliques by pushing into the floor with that sprinter stance – remember 100% of that 40% is WORKING!

Here’s a little secret for just you and me …

Throw an XL Mini-Band from Perform Better around those ankles for a more engaged staggered stance experience! 

Reason number two for the 6-inch stiletto heel is to keep the hips not only neutral, but also forward. Wait, what? The tendency is to let the heel drop while performing the concentric (up phase) of an exercise, but a dropping down heel is followed by hips shifting back. And what does this do? Letting the hips rock back will place your low back in a vulnerable position to compensate for a turned-off core, shutting down the glutes, and won’t allow the posterior sling system to work as it should! Not good if becoming stronger in all three planes of motion is your goal – and it should be!

So, think Pretty Woman stiletto heels on the way down and the way up in your Ultimate Sandbag exercises and you will begin to experience a newness to your strength whether its in the hip hinge, squat, press, or row!

Find out more about how the little details in DVRT make our system and exercises so incredibly unique and powerful. Save 25% on ALL DVRT workout programs with coupon code “summersale” including Cory’s DVRT Movement Strength programs HERE