Avoid This Common Ultimate Sandbag Training Mistake!

When it comes to “sandbag training” there aren’t a lot of rules. Just grab and do “stuff” is how most people approached using a sandbag. Heck, when I began working with my own homemade versions in the early 2000’s, that’s pretty much what I did. Unfortunately, for that reason, the idea of using a sandbag to be anything other than just a novel piece of strength training wasn’t very popular.

That is why we began the idea of DVRT (dynamic variable resistance training). We wanted to get people away from what the implement was and more so how to use it to create real change in their training.

I remember back around 2003, having to be really convinced by a mentor that kettlebells were something different than a dumbbell. It wasn’t till I went to the RKC that year and saw HOW the kettlebell was being used to teach movement that I fell in love with the tool. You see, it wasn’t just doing “stuff” with the kettlebell that I liked, it was the thoughtfulness of what the movements and techniques were teaching about movement.

Fast forward of us doing DVRT for almost 15 years and we still kinda battle people focusing on the Ultimate Sandbag versus what we do with it. Trust me, most people wouldn’t guess that the Ultimate Sandbag is more complex to build than almost any other fitness tool (the amount of different components of the Ultimate Sandbag are far more vast than most realize), but again, the tool only gives us potential.

In the hands of a smart coach and lifter the Ultimate Sandbag transforms into a pretty amazing functional fitness tool. Sadly, for those that just look for a “sandbag” it ends up being just a bag of sand.

Knowing what to do is just as important as what NOT to do. That is why I wanted to share a few strategies to avoid probably the MOST common error in DVRT. Yes, a few weeks ago, DVRT Master, Steve Holiner, wrote about a big part of it a few weeks ago HERE.

Steve called the mistake “the lurch” that is where we lower from the top of our power clean with the arms, not the hips. The issue with this technique is that it puts a lot of force through the elbows, shoulders, neck, and back.

While Steve gives great advice in the video above, how can we use all the great progressions that DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training has to offer, but avoid the lurch?! The answer lies in just knowing a few of the easy steps that our system has to offer.

Again, many times on social media people see an exercise and don’t realize how to build it up, 0r break it down. The easiest way to start delving into the great progressions that DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training has to offer is to simply break the movement down into parts as I show below.

Coming down in a more stable environment and THEN moving into our move complex hip hinge is the way we can bridge the foundational movements of DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training to the more sophisticated ones. Instead of jumping into the hardest versions, looking to make incremental progression is key. This is REALLY important since the lowering of the weight has both the best potential to build injury resiliency, but not used wisely, can cause injury.

Are you going to get hurt in repetition number one? Probably not, but what happens over time is you find that your elbows start to ache, your shoulders don’t feel great, and you can have a weird pain in the upper traps/neck. These structures aren’t great for absorbing high levels of force that is why using the hips is so important.

People sometimes think that our DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training progressions are simply too hard, too complex, you name it. What they really miss is the system behind it that allows us to build success.

What I respect most though is coaches that can admit they didn’t do things perfectly and found ways to get better. We live in a weird age where everyone thinks perfection occurs each repetition or workout. The reality is that most of us are continually working on our skills.

That is what DVRT master, Cory Cripe, talks about below. You see how these concepts are important no matter what level of DVRT Ultimate Sandbag training movement we are discussing! Follow this path and you will be shocked at the results you can achieve. Don’t and you will be disappointed in how your training stalls.

Remember, it isn’t the tool, but how you decide to be a craftsman/woman!

During this challenging time we want to keep you going in a positive direction. You can save 20% on all our Ultimate Sandbags, online eduction, and DVRT workout programs just using code “save20” HERE. Stay strong!