Ultimate Sandbag Training and Jump Rope Workout

DVRT Master, Annmarie Licatese, (Creator of DVRT Busy Parent, and DVRT Run Strong Programs)

Do you ever find yourself in a slump, needing a little extra kick in the butt? I have to be honest, it doesn’t happen to me often but lately with all of life’s busyness, my butt needed to be kicked….hard.

It isn’t that I am not working out, I am. In fact, I am just coming off the tail end of half marathon training all winter which has left me feeling a bit fried.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE running but the monotony of my running routine along with the formation of some bad habits (aka nightly glass of wine), has me a little bored and about 5 pounds heavier which I affectionately refer to as my “winter weight”.

While it’s hard to admit, it’s the truth and after seeing myself in a few recent race photos, I knew I needed to do something about it.

SO, when an email came up in my inbox from Crossrope Jump Ropes about a 30 day summer challenge I was intrigued.

Typically, I don’t do challenges. They’re rarely designed with rhyme or reason and offer little benefit except “growing the booty” and lord knows that I don’t need any more junk in the trunk. For real though, it’s not that I am not strong; I am very functionally strong, it’s just that there is a layer of liquid love (wine) over my muscles that could use some shedding.

What is different about this challenge is the fact that they use their weighted jump rope system and incorporate them into actual workouts over the 30 day period. Some are just using the ropes alone (think tabata style) while others are a mix of bodyweight and rope exercises.

The appealing part about the challenge is that it marries perfectly with the DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training workouts that I am already doing which are both fantastic ways to build both endurance AND strength. Some of the workouts are even designed ladder style which is a simple yet powerful way to get the most out of your workouts.

The workout below is one that I put together using the ladder concept with Ultimate Sandbag Training and Crossrope Jump Ropes. You can increase the difficulty of the rope exercises by using a weighted rope or doing a more complex move (alternate feet) for the listed reps.

For women, I recommend using a Power Ultimate Sandbag for beginners or a Strength Ultimate Sandbag for those that are more advanced. For men, I recommend using a Strength Ultimate Sandbag to start with and advancing to a Burly.

As far as this challenge goes for me personally, I am committed to cutting down on the wine (1-2 glasses a week) NOT giving it up because I’m about moderation, not deprivation.

That, in conjunction with 30 days worth of jumping ropes incorporated into my routine, I hope to see some results. I plan to post an update here at the end of the challenge….possibly with before and after pictures depending on how it pans out ?

For more workouts like this, check out my Run DVRT Strong eBook as well as my DVRT Busy Parent’s Fitness Program HERE.