Minute of Strength #9

• Video of the week: ropes, sandbags, and rocks, oh my!
• You don't need no stinkin' machines
• Hefting the mailbag
• Sandbagin' it with Josh Henkin

Video of the Week: ropes, sandbags, and rocks, oh my!

Kettlebells are wonderfully versatile-- and some claim them to be "perfect". The fact is, there are lots of dirt cheap ways to get lean and strong. This week, we take you back to your high school gym class days with a look at the dreaded "rope climb". For good measure, we also give you a fresh perspective on sandbags and rocks.

No machines required
Anthony DiLuglio, RKC

The state of American fitness is appalling. Everyone is looking for the path of least resistance.  I tell new clients at Punch Gym: “This workout is not for everyone. If you are looking for a magic pill, you won’t find it here. This is hard, brutal work. Nothing in life worth anything comes easy. It takes hard work and dedication.”

Probably not a good way to attract new business… just good business!

Walk-in’s come into Punch every day looking for treadmills, elliptical machines, or the new “arc trainer”. What the heck is an “arc trainer” anyway? Pal, the only arc here is that big food blister sticking out of your shirt!

The idea of this week’s MOS is to show that you don’t need any fancy gym toys to get fit. I use ropes, sandbags, and boulders in the video. If you don’t have a rope to climb, go outside and find a tree to do pull-ups. If you don’t have a sandbag, check out Josh Henkin’s article below. Then visit his site (www.sandbagexercises.com) and buy one… or just make your own. As far as the boulder goes… well, you are on your own. Take it out of your neighbor’s wall!

Here are some cool ways to train with these simple tools:

Workout 1:

Repeat 5-10x

Mailbag motivation








Hey Anthony,

My name is Mike and I run a Crossfit gym in L.A. I bought your first dvd several months ago from DD, and we've done bits and pieces of the workouts here and there. In other words, we've used the 5-4-3-2-1 rep scheme on certain exercises, we've done Triple Crush sometimes, but we had never done the full workout until this morning.

Last night I watched the dvd and took notes on what to do, then this morning I led four guys through the complete workout. We all used (only a) 16kg kettlebell, 2 minute rounds with 45 seconds of rest, and lemme tell ya...it was an absolute SMOKER!!! Of course, the last round was the 3-minute snatch test, and that was awesome to do at the end of everything else!!! (I got 83, which I thought was pretty good).

Long story short, I liked the workout enough that I came home and immediately ordered your second dvd, this time from YOUR site. Thanks for puttin' these out; I've trained with Kettlebell Concepts and Mike Mahler, and still you're giving me excellent new ideas for my kettlebell training.

Mike in L.A.
www.valleycrossfit.com

Sandbag Fitness
Josh Henkin, CSCS, RKC

We have access today to more strength training information, fitness tools, and exercise philosophies than ever before. It can get overwhelming and sometimes we lose focus of our ultimate goals for the sake of using that “newest” or “hottest” training tool. I love new gadgets as much as the next guy, but let’s cut through the marketing hype and find out what gets results, fast, simply, and safely.

I have had remarkable success integrating the decidedly low-tech “sandbag” into my clients’ routines. Why sandbags? For one thing, there are few fitness tools with a longer history. In ancient times, athletes would lift giant bags full of rice, hay, beans, and sometimes even sand! The longstanding popularity of this training style is ultimately rooted in its proven versatility and effectiveness.

Sandbags separate themselves from other training tools for one major reason: you can’t dial into the implement. What do I mean? With most other training tools, one can get the “groove” of the lift and quickly appear very proficient and falsely “strong’ in that move. This can be true with kettlebells, dumbbells, barbells, and many more. Eventually the tool or lift stops becoming effective as less muscle is used due to the increased efficiency of movement. Sandbags actually change their shape and load distribution differently with every repetition-- making it much harder to find that groove.

Sandbag training is also special because you can perform very unique movements that challenge the body in new ways. Shouldering a sandbag (a simple, yet very demanding movement) is the cornerstone of sandbag training. Like a power clean, shouldering takes the bag from the ground to the shoulder in one movement. Sounds pretty easy… until you discover the bag lacks an easy grip, changes the load distribution as you lift it, and does not always allow for a smooth lift! I like to call the sandbag a “live” weight. It is phenomenal for those wanting a stronger trunk, powerful hips, and unbelievable conditioning.

The basic sandbag lifts are relatively easy to learn and lend themselves to any training level. The variety of exercises and possible combinations seem to be truly infinite. Sandbags can be a stand alone training tool or implemented easily with barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, bands, etc.

IFS Power Circuit Training
This is not your father’s circuit training. Instead of high repetition machine work, we focus on quality of movement along with developing strength and power. Most sandbag exercises are multi-joint and will train the whole body in a simple three day a week schedule. You will get nasty strong and develop unstoppable conditioning!

These circuits are to be done with one minute rest intervals between drills. You can reduce the rest by 5 seconds every time you repeat the circuit. Perform for a total of 3-5 times.

Workout 1:
Shoulder and Squat: 5 repetitions each side
Push Press: 15 repetitions
Zercher Lunges: 20 total
Half Moon snatch: 10 each side
Bear Hug Carry: 100 yards

Workout 2:
Clean and Split Jerk: 6 repetitions each leg
Deadlift and Row: 10 of each
Shoulder step-ups: 30 seconds on each shoulder
Zercher Get-ups: 6 repetitions
Overhead Walk: 1 minute

Workout 3:
Power Snatch and Overhead Lunge: 8 repetitions
Bear Hug Squat: 15 repetitions
Shoulder Lateral Lunge: 10 each shoulder
Goodmornings: 15 repetitions
Shoulder Get-ups: 5 each side

Sandbag training is not a fad and wasn’t made for infomercials or the weak at heart. It is tough, gutsy training, and creates a rock solid trunk, powerful body, and long-lasting endurance. Try it for yourself and see the immense benefits of sandbag training.

Josh Henkin is owner of Innovative Fitness Solutions (www.ifsstrength.com) in Scottsdale, Arizona. Coach Henkin has presented nationally in the field of fitness and sports enhancement. He is also the author of the High Octane Sandbag Training manual and DVD (www.sandbagexercises.com). You can reach Josh directly at josh@sandbagexercises.com.