Ah the sandbag, who would have ever guessed that a bag of dirt would be our new favorite piece of workout equipment. Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing that takes the place of a good set of dumbbells but move over kettlebell, the sandbag just took your place (or at least just sat down next to you).

     If you are a sandbag veteran then you already know why this is such a great exercise tool and how much fun/torture many of the exercises done with one can be. For those of you who are new to sandbag training or at least interested in trying it you need to know that starting light and slow is a must but once you have the basics down, let the fun begin. Start with a 10 pound bag and once you feel comfortable with its unpredictable nature and you have perfected your form then start dumping in more sand. The bag that Kelli is using is 25 pounds but can be made lighter by removing more sand. Also there are options for bags all the way up to 100 pounds or more if you are really up for a challenge. Sandbags can't really be adjusted on the fly so it forces you to use the same weight for multiple moves all of which require different tactics and control than almost any other type of equipment. Though being forced to stay at the same weight the whole time can prove to be a challenge when you get tired it also forces you to push your limits when shooting for a goal of a specific number of repetitions.

     This style of training has the fun brute force feel that kettlebells do but with a more dynamic feel that always keeps you guessing and correcting.  The biggest difference with sandbag exercises is the fact that the weight is almost constantly shifting as the sand runs from one area of the bag to the other. Just when you think you have a good grip on it the sand moves and you have to adjust. This is about as good as it gets when it comes to keeping your body guessing.  Another nice plus is that because the sand shifts you have a relatively soft weight that allows you to bear hug it, toss it on your shoulders, do clean and press, or snatch motions, and all without bumps or bruises.

     In this routine we will be going through 6 different exercises utilizing a sandbag and though it is best to use the same equipment we are, you can modify these motions to use a dumbbell or other (safe) improvised devise. Each exercise will be done in a timed interval of 30 seconds on and 10 seconds off twice per exercise. In-between each exercise there will be a 30-45 second break as the next exercise is being explained and you can take this time to rest or if you want to get more of a calorie burn try jogging in place or doing quick bouts of high knees to really get yourself tired.

     The exact calorie burn of this workout depends on a lot of factor the main one being how heavy of a sandbag you are using. However the estimated calorie burn for this routine is 5.5 calories per minute on the low end and 8.5 calories per minute on the height end. For this 21 minute sandbag workout video you can expect to burn anywhere from 117 to 182 but potentially much higher if you are using a heaver weight.