Conditioning The Body Using A Sandbell

 Happy New Year Everyone. Hope it was full of fun, awesome people and love. This is a time for new goals and making the most of what is possible while beating previous goals. As you know, I change things up quite a bit and get into something for a period. Routines were never a true thing with me but I always find a way to work on something that I find fun but kick ass to do. One of those things is using a Sandbell. It is a tool that works the grip while acting as a Kettlebell, Dumbbell, Medicine Ball and Slam Ball all rolled into one.

Safe to say it is one of the best training tools I have and highly recommend it. I recently ordered a 50 lber which should be here in a couple days or so since I have a 20lber and wanted to amp up my training. A really cool aspect of the SB is the countless exercises you can do that really enhances your functional strength and conditioning. In some of my workouts, I like to carry it across the garage, slam it, shoulder it, do 360's (or Halos) or do some Core Exercises. 

Because of the functionality of the SB exercises, I tend to go the route where I want to train to be useful in the real world. I'm not very fond of Isolating my body and want to get the best out of my training working as many muscles as possible in one shot. One of my favorite workouts was picking up the SB and dropping it behind my shoulders to mimic picking up sacks of flour or potatoes and putting them down, I did this for 10 min. Non Stop which totals well over 100's of pounds lifted, talk about cardio.

I've had my wife use it from time to time and she'll do dozens of sit-ups with it which is pretty awesome to watch. For her brief workouts after work, I don't hold back training her so one workout I had her carry it for distance and then go do step ups, had her do this for 5-10 minutes with little to no rest. She still tells me how much she hates me for that LOL. 

The idea of real world conditioning is to train to be useful when it is needed. Shoveling snow isn't always easy to do but if you got a good lung capacity and can still use your strength continuously, that tells you you're in pretty decent shape. Lifting boxes even properly can hurt somebody if their strength and mobility aren't there but when you can train for function and work the muscles from every possible angle, it'll make things easier to move and you won't have trouble with your back or legs. When it comes down to it, train to avoid injuries as much as possible. Don't do things that runs a high risk of injury if your body isn't prepared for it. 

Sandbell Training is a kick ass way to build functional strength and conditioning to the degree where you're training with live weight and can work the muscles and tendons that regular weights can't touch. Grab a hold of one and with the right exercises, you can build a rugged body that will be useful and not just to look like a million bucks.