Working with the Sandbells lately, I've been testing out different things and using both the 20 lber and 50 lber. From 360's to Bear Hug/Shoulder Carries to slams and squats along with other things, it has been an interesting experience but one particular workout I tested out on was one of those nasty ones that just kicks you in the ass and beats on you until you're done. Supersets has been one of my go-to conditioning methods to really tackle the muscles and just go back and forth with little to no rest while on a timer.
Yesterday, I did two styles of supersets in one workout that was tough as fuck but it was worth the sweat and the hard work. The first superset was doing 5 sets (rested as needed in between) of shouldering the 50 lb Sandbell 10 times and then Bear Hug Carry for 10 Yards 2x. That was interesting and had that labor feel to it but the second superset was just out there, even for me and I didn't think I could pull it off. It's stupid simple but it really tackles the muscles hard especially in your core and legs because of the explosiveness. It was back to back of 10 slams with the 20 lb Sandbell and 20 Step Ups (10 per leg) for 20 min non stop.
You read that right man, you slam as hard as you can and then work the legs in the Step Up exercise. This is the idea to work a ballistic or explosive exercise while working your cardio at the same time. It doesn't sound like much but when you're repeating these exercise without a break and your lungs are just on fire, it makes you think twice about giving something so simple a hard time. Your conditioning is tested big time because in certain sports like Football & Wrestling, you need to be able to flip that switch at a moment's notice and become a force to be wrecking with in the blink of an eye. The slams hit just about every muscle in the body, the step ups hit all the muscles in the legs so you can work on weaknesses and keep up with your cardio without needing to run.
Slams are like the standing equivalent to a Sprint where you go as hard as you can for a short period of time. You can use a slam ball if you want but the sandbell is different because with this, it doesn't bounce and you can use momentum to keep going. You slam and have to pick up the bell fast, with a ball you can catch it on the bounce which is also great for explosive training but the bell just stays there when it drops. The sandbell works your grip as well so you're working the tendons and ligaments of your hands, forearms and elbows as you use it and because of how quick you need to be, it's great for grip agility and you end up sometimes squeezing or pinching in order to pick it up.
Step Ups need no introduction, I've discussed them many times and have shown and wrote out many workouts with them and there's a reason why I love them compared to Squats or Running. With this superset, you can "rest" that heavy heart rate when you do Step Ups because they bring things down a notch yet you can still go and build strength in the legs. Step Ups are not meant to be done as sprint because if you do them too fast, you can trip or slip and hurt something, yes there's a pace to them to a certain degree but they're mainly a cardio or conditioning exercise that can be done for hundreds of reps without the overkill of lactic acid buildup. You can breath a bit "easier" with Step Ups but never underestimate them.
This superset can reap a ton of benefits and doesn't take up much space. You build muscle while building cardio at the same time, you build durability, explosive strength & power, Leg Strength and Endurance, Boosting your HGH & Testosterone, doesn't take up a ton of time (doing this for 20-30 min would be more than enough for most, in the beginning if you're good at these, start with 5-10 min and build from there) and it's a great idea to build up your conditioning for MMA, Wrestling, Football, Baseball, Kickboxing, BJJ. It can also be used as a stand-alone workout or a finisher (if you do no more than 10-12 minutes) to really tackle the fat burning mechanism after your regular workout.
It's hard, it's tough as hell and will test you physically and mentally. When you've built up a solid level of endurance from doing this, you may find that you won't get as tired from doing other things. Your lungs will get stronger, your muscles can be set to 9000 in the snap of your fingers and be able to go with gas left in the tank. Keep being amazingly awesome and send in your comments or shoot me an email. Train hard and train with a vengeance.
If you like to use music to get you going and pumped up for action, here's one of my favorite songs by Peyton Parrish called Dane.....
