In sandbag it is hard to see a professional fitness apparatus, as it looks like a regular bag filled with sand. It is in this way that the name of the inventory appeared, which literally translates from English as “bag with sand”. Is this simulator effective for sports training and how to use it correctly?
Sandbag device
Externally, the sandbag resembles a tightly packed gym bag. Inside you can find a lot of small bags with a burden, which are called fillers. When performing physical exercises, they perform the same purpose as pancakes for the neck: they increase the weight of the projectile and increase the intensity of the loads. Regularly alternating the number of fillers inside the sandbag, the athlete can adjust the power of the training and diversify the personal training program. The more fillers in the bag, the more effective strength training.
Depending on the dimensional parameters of the fillers and the capacity of the projectile, you can find a large range of sandbags. Their weight varies from 10 kg to roomy 100-pound simulators. On the bag is about 5-10 pens, due to which it is easy to vary the variations of exercises with a simulator for different groups of muscles. With a sandbag you can:
perform various modifications squats;
perform frontal and rear attacks;
make projectile jerks up;
practice shrugs;
lift the simulator over your head;
to exercise the press of the chest and shoulders.
The bag with the load perfectly adapts to the body build of the athlete and adapts to the maximum to its anatomical and physiological features. It can be concluded that the sandbag is a more convenient, comfortable, gentle analogue of the bar, which fits perfectly into a home fitness corner. This compact sports simulator can be taken with you to any place: to the country or the beach, on a vacation or a business trip. Folded bag takes up little space, and fill it with any cargo at hand is not difficult.
Varieties of fitness equipment
How ideally to choose an individual sandbag for regular classes? For girls, a bag with a weight of not more than 10-20 kg. For novice men, an inventory weight from 20 to 40 kg will be suitable. Strength exercises and crossfit trainings can be performed with a filling of 45 to 60 kg, and professional weightlifters weighing less than 60 kg of equipment are considered insufficient. For young and novice athletes, an optimal solution will be a bag with one volume filler, not exceeding a mass of 10 kg.
The model range of modern sandbags is characterized by the variability of performance: equipment can be selected both by the number of fillers and by the size of the bag itself. Handles are located in different parts of the bag – the more of them, the more functional the inventory can be considered. Sandbags are made of artificial materials: such fabrics have increased strength and are able to withstand high-intensity fitness exercises, even if the bag is filled to the maximum with fillers.
How to choose the right inventory
When selecting a sandbag, you need to take into account many important nuances. When fitness exercises with this projectile center of gravity is regularly shifted. This means that the intensity of physical load with a sandbag is higher than when working with a standard neck. If an athlete easily lifted a neck weighing 30 kg, this does not mean that he can lift the sandbag as easily and simply. For this reason, when performing physical exercises, it is necessary to objectively evaluate the capabilities of your own body.
When choosing a simulator for power fitness, it is necessary to pay special attention to the quality of tailoring of the product and accessories. It is recommended to purchase the most wear-resistant sandbag models with water-repellent impregnation, smooth seams and additional stitching in the area of the handles.
The most reliable sandbag handles are most often made of compacted sling or sturdy rubber. Fillers are also made of compacted wear-resistant material and have an additional closure system so that the contents do not spill out and do not stain the bag from the inside. High-quality stitching of all fabric elements will ensure the safety of fillers in the fall or when performing powerful physical exercises.
Dignity exercises with a unique projectile
In the process of doing exercises with the sandbag, all the muscles of the body, including the deep muscles, are included in the work. This means that training with this unique projectile will be most effective for pumping relief and increasing muscle volume. The bag with sand ideally adapts to the anatomical features of the athlete, so the projectile rests on the shoulder joints or chest much more comfortable than the usual barbell.
Also, fitness training with a simulator help:
to break up fat deposits at an accelerated rate and burn off excess calories;
to improve the oxygen metabolism in the body by increasing the intensity of training;
normalize metabolism and lymphatic drainage;
to work deep muscles;
to establish the work of the heart muscle, respiratory and cardiovascular systems;
speed up blood circulation.
Best Sandbag Exercises
To heal the spine and strengthen the spinal muscles, place your legs at the level of your hips, grab the sandbag by the handles and understand the trainer to your back during expiration. If you lift the simulator over yourself and lower it to the chest area, you can carefully work out the muscles of the shoulder area.
Squats with a sandbag on the shoulders are ideal exercises for the gastrocnemius, gluteus and femoral muscles. Ordinary walks with sandbags improve athletic endurance and increase the body’s strength.
Among young athletes, the classic deadlift with sandbag, with torso modification, modification of twists on the press, rotation of the bag around the head, side and frontal attacks and various jumping elements (step aerobics, jumping onto the platform, variations of berpi) are especially in demand. All physical exercises are recommended to be performed in the standard mode of 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions.
One of the main advantages of a sandbag is an affordable price. The simulator is much cheaper than a standard barbell with pancakes and other heavy equipment for power fitness.
The effectiveness of the sandbag is confirmed by European and American law enforcement and security personnel. Sandbags are widely used for training military, rescue, fire, police. This projectile is especially popular in the ranks of professional weightlifting athletes.
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