Sandbag Programs

Josh Henkin, CSCS www.sandbagexercises.com

It has been years since a fitness program that has caught more attention than the “300” workout. The movie about the great battle at Thermopalyae truly spawned excitement about our physical conditioning. No doubt the amazing physiques the actors of “300” obtained were largely due to the hard work of Gym Jones. The concept behind the training though is a time travel back to the time of the Spartans.

Ancient warriors never thought about “arm day”, or how to get “separation” in their quads. Life was brutal, constant threat of battle, having to hunt for your food, dealing with the elements, and often performing manual labor all day because that is how you survived! Spartan society was very military oriented and huge into physical training because of the military mindset. However, they were not the only society to value physical fitness. The earliest Olympics were held in Athens and was also used as a test of military prowess. Other societies such as Arab and Hindu cultures used highly demanding physical programs to build quality athletes and citizens. They all used some form of physical fitness for the same reasons. A good soldier, being able to gather their food, and dealing with all the challenges life faced. A “New” Concept? I am constantly highly amused by the idea that the idea behind the 300 training is something drastically new. While it may be for those that have become caught up in our modern bodybuilding society, it is far from anything new.

The amazing transformation trainer, Mark Twight, was able to accomplish with the actors of “300” www.gymjones.com

(Gerard Butler)

Corrective exercise specialist, Paul Chek, first coined the term “primal patterns”. This term refers to movements that are fundamental to our bodies and not just the muscles that are involved. If we think back to our ancient ancestors, you would see people picking things up off the ground, throwing objects, running, jumping, putting things overhead, climbing, so forth. What happens? You develop that tremendous body that is actually works as good as it looks! Can this be adapted to our modern age? Of course! In fact, you will often find that your workouts are more enjoyable, challenging, and motivating because you get out of the boring standard workouts. I am not going to lie, they are hard, sometimes gut wrenching workouts. However, the rewards both mentally and physically are truly empowering. Putting it Together The concept of the “300” workouts are based upon several key components.

Full Body Lifts

Short Rest Intervals

Short Workouts

Focus on Time The original “300” workout was the following: “300” 25x Pull-up + 50x Deadlift @ 135# + 50x Push-up + 50x Box Jump @ 24” box +

50x Floor Wiper @ 135# (one-count) + 50x KB Clean and Press @ 36# (KB must touch floor between reps) + 25x Pull-up 300 reps total As you see from the above workout several training implements were utilized. I believe nothing would be more fundamental to a true “300” workout like sandbags. Since sandbags would be a tool that the soldiers from Sparta may have actually used we are going to make sandbag exercises the core of our routine. Yes, we will add some other modalities, but sandbags will be at the heart.

Here is one most important key, this was NOT a workout done every workout. Rather these are workouts to be used possibly once a week integrated with other training methods. The amount of work done is so extreme that it will take your body time to recover. Select one of these workouts a week to act as a challenge for yourself. Give yourself a maximum of 40 minutes to complete the workout. If you can not finish in that time, simply record your repetitions and if you desire try the next week to beat your repetitions. You can also use these as a test to see if your fitness is improving. Perform one workout and then don’t do it again for one month. Perform the training session again and see if your fitness has improved. Workout 1 Around the World: 100 (50 each direction) Shoulder Squat: 100 (50 each direction) Push Press: 50 repetitions Overhead Lunge: 50 repetitions (25 each side) Workout 2 Squat Thrust: 50 Pull-ups: 25 Power Snatch: 50 Shoulder Get-up: 50 (25 each side) Hindu Push-ups: 50

Strength Coach, Ray D’Alessio, performing the shoulder get-up with our lifting specific sandbags. The Ultimate Sandbag has quickly become the tool of choice for people that need “300” type fitness…FBI, Naval Academy, Professional Athletic Training Centers, and Elite Bootcamps. www.sandbagexercises.com

Chin-ups: 25 Split Jumps: 50 (25 each leg) Workout 3 Power Snatch+Overhead Lunge: 50 reps (25 each side) Zercher Squat Jumps: 75 reps Half Moon Snatch: 50 reps (25 each side) Jump Rope: 100 jumps Pull-ups: 25 Workout 4 Bodyweight Row: 50 reps Shouldering: 100 reps (50 each side) Clean and Press: 50 reps Overhead Get-up: 25 reps Tuck Jumps: 50 reps Deck Squats: 25 reps Workout 5 Clean+Front Squat+Press: 50 reps RDL+Bent-over Row: 60 reps Squat Thrust+Chin-up: 50 reps Pistols: 40 reps (20 each side) Around the World: 50 reps (25 each side) Feet Elevated Push-up: 50 reps Workout 6 Shouldering: 100 reps (50 each side) Zercher Squats (end of set perform a zercher walk for 50 feet): 50 reps Sandbag 3-Point Row: 50 reps (25 each side) Squat Thrust+Mountain Climber Comb: 50 of each Workout 7 Over the shoulder throw: 50 reps (25 each side) Chin-ups: 25 reps Shoulder Lunges: 50 reps (25 each side) Clean+Front Squat: 75 reps Shoulder Get-ups: 40 (20 each side) Star Jumps: 60 reps

Workout 8 Power Snatch+Overhead Squat: 50 reps Deck Squat+Pull-up: 50 reps Jump Rope Running: 100 reps Lateral Zercher Lunge: 50 reps (25 each side) Dive Bomber Push-ups: 50 reps Workout 9 Shovel Pass and Run: 50 reps (25 each side) Push Press: 50 reps Box Jumps Zercher: 25 reps Bodyweight Row: 50 reps Mountain Climbers: 100 reps V-ups: 25 Workout 10 Shouldering: 100 reps (50 each side) Bear Hug Squat: 100 reps Pull-ups: 50 reps Push-ups: 50 reps

www.sandbagexercises.com

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