Todays Workout - A Bit of Everything

10 Sandbag Deadlifts,
10 Sandbag Thrusters,
10 Push Ups,
10 Sandbag High Pulls.

As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes.

Record your score.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - Pushin'

Get over the holiday with this simple but challenging workout.

100 Skips,
20 Sandbag Thrusters.

5 rounds as fast as possible.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - Skipping Around

200 Skips,
20 Sandbag Back Squats,
200 Skips,
20 Sandbag Overhead Presses,
200 Skips,
20 Sandbag Back Squats,
200 Skips,
20 Sandbag Overhead Presses,
200 Skips,
20 Sandbag Back Squats,
200 Skips,
20 Sandbag Overhead Presses.

Complete as fast as you can.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Sandbag Fitness sale - get up to 50% off some cool sandbag-swag

Click here to check out the sale

How can you say no to young-Matt?!

Todays Workout - A little bit of everything!

100 Skips,
10 Push Ups,
10 Sandbag Deadlifts,
5 Pull Ups,
5 Toes-to-Bar.

Complete 10 rounds as fast as possible.

Record your score.

Train hard!

Optimizing Muscle Building and Diet - A Guest Post by Examine.Com

I regularly get emails from people asking about specific dietary practices when trying to build muscle. Well, I asked the guys at Examine.Com to share their most current knowledge on the topic - here it is!

Optimizing Muscle Building and Diet

To ensure optimum muscle growth, a caloric excess is vital. Theoretically, it is possible to build muscle on a mild caloric deficit, but an excess makes the process go much smoother. It doesn’t matter where your calories come from, assuming you’ve hit your protein targets, but “healthier” food tends to be the better option.

Protein targets are in the range of 1.5-2.2g per kilogram of bodyweight (.7-1g per pound) for non-obese people. If you are obese, calculate your protein needs based on your height, while substituting an overweight or normal BMI to avoid the overconsumption of protein. Too much protein isn’t a bad thing from a health standpoint, but it is unnecessary.

Pre-workout nutrition

Regardless of what you eat during the day, you should aim to exert maximal power during your workout. A pre-workout meal, snack or supplement protocol is essential for hitting that max.

When determining your ideal pre-workout nutrition, keep in mind:

• Carbohydrates, protein and creatine should be present in your blood, in elevated levels, during your workout.
• Take care to avoid upsetting your stomach or inducing nausea, as this will impede your workout.

Fatty acids are not an important part of pre-workout nutrition. If you have stomach issues, take care to determine the best way to consume protein before your workout. Everyone is different, but a good way to determine your ideal protocol is:

1. Take about half of your sugar before your workout (Gatorade is a great option), and sip on the rest during your workout.
2. If sugar didn’t cause any stomach issues, add a little bit of protein (about 6-12 grams) to your pre-workout mix. If Gatorade and protein taste awful to you, consider swapping it for table sugar or blending fruit into the protein.
3. If step 2 causes stomach problems, consider experimenting with isolated BCAAs or hydrolyzed protein sources. They are easier to digest.
4. Once you have a mixture of glucose and amino acids that works for you, use the same mix for a week and track your performance. If performance is good, increase your dosage and continue tracking your performance.
5. Eventually, increasing your dosage will not improve your workouts or your recovery. When that happens, record your ideal mix. Congratulations, you have determined your ideal pre-workout shake.

The average person will have an optimal shake of 80g of carbohydrates and 20g of amino acids, meant for an hour-long workout. Find out what works for you!

................................

If you want to learn more about supplementation and stay up to date with the very latest research then I can highly recommend the Examine.Com Supplement Goals Reference Guide - a huge, evidence based reference that tells you exactly what the research says about hundreds of supplements. And all this without any marketing hype or spin. Plus, until Midnight Friday you can get it for $10 off. 

Click here to find out more

Todays Workout - Stir It Up

5 Heavy Sandbag Thrusters,
5 Chin Ups,
5 Heavy Sandbag Cleans,
5 Box Jumps.

5 rounds as fast as possible.

Record your time.

Train hard!

And here's some fantastic 80's pop:

Todays Workout - Grip It

100 Skips
10 Chin Ups
10 Heavy Sandbag Overhead Presses
10 Toes-to-Bar

5 rounds as fast as possible.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - High Rep Heartache

100 Sandbag Back Squats, 100 Press/Push Ups, 100 Sandbag High Pulls, 100 Sandbag Push Press, 100 Sandbag Shoulder Cleans. Complete any way you can.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - If It Bleeds We Can Kill It

Huge apologies for the gap between posts here on Sandbag Fitness - work and other projects have been stupidly busy. I've still been training though and I hope you have too.

5 Heavy Sandbag Thrusters
50m Sandbag Load Carry
10 Heavy Sandbag Shoulders

Repeat for as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes.

Straight to the Bar Gymchat

The guys over at Straight to the Bar kindly invited me to one of their Gymchats yesterday. Check it out:

You can also take a look at the recent article I wrote for them about Sandbag Training Protocols here:

Sandbag Training Protocols

Todays Workout - Heatwave

It's hot here. Really bloody hot. Especially when you train in what is essentially a metal box during the hottest part of the day.

10 Heavy Sandbag Bear Hug Squats
10 Sandbag High Pulls

As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes.

Record your score.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - Atlas

This workout is courtesy of longtime Sandbag Fitness follower Josh (i.e. you can blame him). It's called Atlas, presumably because after you finish it you'll feel like you've just spent the past few rounds lifting the moon. It's a real shoulder-killer.

15 Shoulder-to-Shoulder Sandbag Presses
10 Sandbag High Pulls
5 Handstand Push Ups

10 rounds as fast as possible.

Men aim for a 40kg sandbag; women aim for 20kg.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - Master Blaster

20 Ground-to-Overhead with a heavy sandbag. The bag must rest on the ground between reps and your should go to full extension overhead.

Aim for a sandbag that challenges you on the very first rep.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - Sandbag Fitness Rules!

5 Pull Ups,
10 Sandbag Thrusters.

10 rounds.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - The Bear Necessities

10 Sandbag Bear Hug Squats,
30 Push Ups.

As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes. Your sandbag should be heavy!

Record your score.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - Toe The Line

10 Sandbag Overhead Presses,
10 Sandbag Back Squats,
10 Toes-to-Bar.

10 rounds as fast as possible.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - Twist and Shout

5 Knees-to-Elbows,

10 Sandbag Thrusters,

50 Sandbag Wood-chops.

Complete 5 rounds as fast as possible.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - Sandbags Suck

100 Sandbag Thrusters,
100 Sandbag Shoulder Squats (alternate shoulders as necessary),
100 Sandbag Cleans.

Complete all reps as quickly as possible.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - Simple

30-20-10 repetitions of Sandbag Thrusters and Pull Ups.

Men aim for a 30kg sandbag; women aim for 20kg.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - Get it Done Son!

Run 1km,
20 Sandbag Zercher Squats,
20 Sandbag Push Press,
20 Sandbag Shoulder Squats,
20 Sandbag Bent-over-rows,
20 Sandbag Back Squats,
Run 1km.

Record your time.

Choose a sandbag weight that challenges you.

Train hard!

New workout and get a free sandbag training book!

5 Sandbag Bear Hug Squats,
5 Chin Ups,
25 Push Ups.

As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes.

Men aim for a bodyweight sandbag; women aim for 60% of bodyweight.

Record your score.

Train hard!

May Promotion

Get a free paperback copy of my book, The Complete Guide To Sandbag Training, with every purchase of our Special Edition Sandbag!

Click here to check out the deal

Todays Workout - It's Complex...

5 Sandbag Cleans,
5 Sandbag Push Press,
5 Sandbag Zercher Squats,
5 Sandbag Zercher Good Mornings.

Complete 5 rounds as quickly as you can - aim to complete each round without rest but you can rest as needed between rounds.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - Unarmed and Dangerous

10 Sandbag Zercher Squats,
5 Sandbag Shoulder Get Ups

As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes. Switch shoulders for the get ups between rounds.

Men aim for a 40kg sandbag; women aim for a 20kg sandbag.

Record your score.

Train hard!

An Alternative Approach To Exercise Prescription - Part 2

Are you interested in exercise programme design? Do you want to maximise results for yourself and/or your clients? My article series 'An Alternative Approach To Exercise Prescription' covers a range of different movement patterns with progressions and regressions and is ideal for fitness coaches, physiotherapists and anyone interested in improving their health and fitness.

The second part of my exercise prescription series in sportEX Dynamics Journal is accessible here:

http://content.yudu.com/A23jne/36DY10-20/

Click to launch the full edition in a new window.

Easter Special Offer!

If you don't yet have a copy of The Complete Guide To Sandbag Training then there's no better time to grab yourself a copy on Amazon. For the Easter weekend the Kindle version is a massive 80% off RRP! And don't worry if you don't have a Kindle, you can read it using Kindle Apps too.

Click here to get your copy

Todays Workout - Run Forrest, Ruuunnn!

This workout is a tough conditioning challenge so be prepared to suck at it the first few times you give it a go.

Find a hill of approximately 50m. Put a sandbag that is around 25% of your bodyweight across your shoulders and run to the top of the hill as fast as you can. Walk back recovery to the start (or run if you're feeling brave) and repeat.

Aim to complete as many hill sprints as possible in 20 minutes.

Record your score.

Train hard!

Get sandbag training books here

Todays Workout - Dude, Where's Your Sandbag?!

The sandbag was ever so slightly frozen today (oh, the joys of training in an un-heated garage!) so it was bodyweight only.

5 Pull Ups,

10 Press Ups,

15 Squats,

100 Skips.

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes.

Record your score.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - Twist and Shout

10 Pull Ups (or variation),
20 Sandbag Overhead Press,
50 Sandbag Round-the-Worlds.

Complete 5 rounds as fast as possible.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Sandbag Fitness On Breaking Muscle

Did you guys see my recent sandbag training series on the popular Breaking Muscle blog? If not, don't worry - you can check out all of the articles here:


5 Week Sandbag Workout Program: Week 1 - Get Started

5 Week Sandbag Workout Program: Week 2 - Building Strength

5 Week Sandbag Workout Program: Week 3 - Planes of Motion

And the good news? It's not finished yet! I have 2 more weeks to go so make sure you keep an eye on the blog.

Matt

New workout - The Triplet From Hell!

5 Heavy (seriously, as heavy as you can manage) Bear Hug Squats,
10 Pull Ups,
20 Push Ups.

5 rounds as quickly as possible.

Men and women should aim for a sandbag between 50-100% of their bodyweight.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - Two's Company (and also horrible)

10 Sandbag Thrusters,

5 Pull Ups.

As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes.

Men aim for a 40kg sandbag; women aim for 25kg.

Record your score.

Train hard!

Todays Workout - A Blast From The Past

This is a workout back from the 28th August 2010 (click here to see the original).

20-1 Sandbag Thrusters and Burpees.

Start by performing 20 Sandbag Thrusters then 20 Burpees. Then move onto 19 of each, then 18 etc.

The last round is 1 repetition of each.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Did you see the new Sandbags?

Just Lift Some Heavy Shit And Shut Up

Take the heaviest sandbag you can handle (preferably without handles) and lift it from ground-to-overhead for 20 reps. If you get the loading right you should start to struggle around 5 or 6 reps and probably end up dumping the bag after some unsuccessful reps later on in the set.

Record the weight of your bag and the time it takes you to complete the 20 reps.

Men and women should aim for a bodyweight sandbag.

Train hard!

Todays Workout: Hug Me!

10 Heavy Sandbag Bear Hug Squats,
10 Pull Ups,
10 Heavy Sandbag Overhead Presses.

As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes.

Men aim for a 60kg sandbag; women aim for 30kg.

Record your score.

Train hard!

Please Vote For Your Favourite Sandbag Blog!

I'd really appreciate your help.

Please take a moment to go and vote for me in the Breaking Muscle 2013 Fitness Blog Contest - it'll only take 1 minute and I'll love you forever. For real.

You just need to click on the link below an then enter 'Sandbag Fitness' in the comments field at the bottom. You can also add the URL of the blog.

http://breakingmuscle.com/contests/2013-top-10-fitness-blog-contest-nominate-your-favorite-blog-win

Look how happy you'll make me if you vote

The Beginners Guide To Improving Your Health and Fitness

I originally wrote this post on Facebook but thought I'd share it here too as it had such a great response. I make no apologies for the fact that it's very straightforward.

The beginners guide to improving your health and fitness:

1. Lift some heavy stuff. As you get stronger, lift some heavier stuff.

2. Get comfortable lifting your own bodyweight. Work out increasingly cool ways to do this.

3. Move around. A lot. And every now and then do this like your life depended on it.

4. Eat a predominantly unprocessed diet. And don't eat too much.

5. Don't worry about small details. If you just do these things consistently then most of your questions will start to seem quite silly.

Todays Workout: Simple But Deadly

Todays workout is straightforward (so yes, you can try it) but can be as tough as you want it to be.

5 Pull Ups
10 Sandbag Thrusters

Complete as many rounds as you can in 15 minutes.

Men aim for a 35kg sandbag; women aim for 20kg.

Record your score. Click here for technique pointers

Train hard!

Get the book on Amazon

Todays Workout: Sandbag Strength Training

5 Heavy Sandbag Bear Hug Squats
5 Heavy Sandbag Overhead Press
20m Load Carry with a Heavy Sandbag

Rest for 2-4 minutes and repeat for a total of 5 rounds.

Men aim for a 50kg sandbag; women aim for a 30kg sandbag.

Record your max weight.

Train hard!

Todays Sandbag Fitness Workout

Another deceptively simple workout today.

100 Skips
20 Press Ups
5 Heavy Sandbag Bear Hug Squats

Complete 5 rounds as quickly as possible.

Men aim for a 50kg sandbag; women aim for 30kg.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Todays Sandbag Fitness Workout - Push and Pull Pairing

This is a simple and quick workout that'll test even the best conditioned athletes.

5 Pull Ups (or variation like Body Rows)
10 Sandbag Thrusters

10 rounds as fast as you can.

Men aim for a 20kg sandbag; women aim for 12.5kg.

Record your time.

Train hard!

No Gym, No Equipment, No Worries!

It's been a little while since my last post due to the holidays but we're back today with a bang!

10 Sandbag Floor Press
5 Sandbag Get Ups (each side)
200m run

Repeat for as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes.

Men should aim for a 30kg sandbag; women aim for 15kg.

Record your score.

Train hard!