Going One Sided for Better Results Ultimate Sandbag Training

I spend a lot of time in airports. While they aren’t a ton of fun, I can’t really complain either. Traveling the world to share how DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training can change people’s lives is its own reward. However, killing time can be a challenge, there are only so many podcasts, books, and movies you can take in where you just want to do some mindless activities. Browsing fitness magazines are usually an entertaining way to do just that. 

Heck, if WE even got into mainstream magazines things have to be changing;)

Fitness magazines have progressed over the years, but they are still an interesting reflection of many mainstream ideas on fitness. Yet, I can appreciate how they try to slip in good ideas under the guise of giving people what they really want. After all, I know many of the concepts we talk about with DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training aren’t necessarily “sexy” for an audience that is looking to pump up their biceps, sculpt their abs for summer, and all that fun stuff. 

So, when I saw an article on unilateral training for core strength, I was happy that they were trying to give the mainstream fitness audience what they needed while thinking it was also what they wanted. It gave me an idea to discuss an idea of DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training that I probably don’t discuss enough….yes, unilateral training. 

DVRT Master, Annmarie Licatese, shows one of the best ways we use unilateral training in DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training!

Yea, I know, no one goes the gym saying, “can’t wait to dominate my unilateral training today!” Probably not too shocking to hear though, unilateral training is what people need more of and can solve everything from increasing your injury resiliency, improving your traditional gym lifts, and making you more real world strong. 

One of the misconceptions people have about the body is that we are symmetrical beings. That isn’t the case at all and is one big reason we spend so much time in DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training teaching movement in different directions, patterns, etc. When people think of unilateral training they slightly misunderstand it. 

When you mention unilateral strength training most people think only of one legged or one arm exercises. That isn’t COMPLETELY the case. I think a better way of looking at unilateral training is thinking of loading MORE on one side of the body than the other. What’s the difference? 

A single leg squat is a completely one legged exercise so it is obviously unilateral. However, a lunge is still two legged (heck, there are two feet in contact with the ground) but the stance places so that one side is loaded MORE than the other. Okay, cool, semantics? No, again it allows us to build progression and I’ll show you how some of these DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training ideas can be really game changers for your progress. 

The Main Issue with Unilateral Training

What makes unilateral training awesome is what it also causes so many issues for people. Meaning the ability to RESIST movement gives us so many benefits to core strength, stabilizer strength, and more. Yet, when most people do it, we do kinda a lousy job of teaching them HOW to resist these forces. I often feel like most coaches end up feeling like Chris Tucker in Rush Hour. Yelling cues louder and slower doesn’t make it any more effective in understanding how to use our body more effectively. 

So, what is the answer and how can DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training be a solution? One of the big ways we can layer progress and success for people is the use of tension. It is tension that allows us to help resist the forces tryin to pull our body out of alignment. Okaaaaay, so where does DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training come into play? Well, there are two ways we can teach this idea of tension and one that makes the Ultimate Sandbag a really valuable tool. 

Going Off-Set

All the time I get the question what and why do our larger Ultimate Sandbags have flaps on the end and not handles? The truth is there is not point putting handles on larger Ultimate Sandbags because there is nothing you can really do at that point as it puts the shoulders too wide. At that position it is not only ineffective for the body to lift in the position, but makes it actually dangerous to the shoulder. 

What we have the end flaps for is to create a thick grip to use our off-set position. This DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training idea is something we probably don’t discuss enough. Whether it is for deadlifts, cleans, squats, rows, presses, it basically turns any exercise into a unilateral based drill because load more on one side of the body. Why is this unique though?

Rolling the end flaps in NOT pulling on the end of the flap is the RIGHT way to use this grip!

Unlike using just a single kettlebell or dumbbell, creating this tight, thick grip gives us the chance to create tension on the side that isn’t loaded as much and teaches that side of the body to resist unwanted movement. This is awesome for pretty much anyone that wants to build real world strength and this DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training workout with DVRT Master, Troy Anderson, is a great example. 

Small Changes to How We Stand

Social media can be a blessing and a curse. We obviously can connect to people that normally we wouldn’t which makes it all worthwhile, but at the same time people see a 30 second clip and think they understand what you are really doing. When people come to our DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training educational programs their eyes get BIG because they get what our system really allows. Which is almost infinite progress. 

We just discussed using the upper body for more unilateral training, but of course we can do the same for the lower body. Now, I find that to be MORE challenging to people because you are changing their base of support which is a big deal! It is this reason that unstable surface training lost so much favor because the science showed that TOO much instability actually doesn’t make us better, it almost makes us WORSE!

Changing our stability need to be incremental and this is especially true when it comes to our stance. That is why our Sprinter Stance position is a great way to work not only with deadlifts, but presses, rows, cleans, squats, yea, pretty much anything. Starting with a small change of our base allows us to teach the same concepts in the upper body.

Annmarie shows one of our favorite ways to build better glutes and core in this DVRT hip hinge progression

What most people miss is how we are still using BOTH feet! People are so fascinated by the stance they don’t realize that in DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training what we are teaching IN that position. Mostly that both feet are active but at different levels. Of course the front foot is pressing down, but so is the back leg. Keeping the heel elevated is important in keeping proper pelvic alignment so we must really drive with the ball of foot in the ground. Just standing up you can do so and see how your obliques “turn on” when you do this. Now your body is in a better position to resist the motion when you do any of the movements in the Sprinter Stance. That’s key!!!

Once we build that baseline we can use different planes of motion and directional movement to add layers with complexity to our unilateral based training. So, in DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training we don’t just move differently to be different. We do so because that is how our body functions in life and allows us to build progression to more challenging single leg drills like Troy shows here….

More important than getting more exercises is really gaining the intent of the movement. My hope with DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training is to be a guide to understand how to use the body smarter so you can keep making great results and enjoying the process!

Check out our DVRT online education for 35% off with coupon code “restore” HERE (good for our DVRT Restoration Certification, DVRT Pelvic Control & Shoulder Courses)