Breathless 8 x 8 Sandbag Workout

Good morning!

Today's workout will challenge your endurance. There are just four exercises in each round, but the number of rounds is relatively high–when most of my workouts have five to six rounds, this one has eight.

But the great thing about workouts like this where you have to do a little bit higher number of rounds is that they challenge not only your physical but also mental toughness, so they help you grow stronger also in your mind.

When you do a hard workout, there may be moments when you have to talk yourself through it. There are moments where you may want to give up. But unless there's a real reason to do so (like pain–you should never keep working if you're in pain, or dizziness or extreme fatigue), you should keep working. The feeling after completing the workout is worth it!

To do this breathless 8 x 8 Sandbag Workout, you need either a sandbag or a bag filled with heavy stuff. Last week, we talked how to make your own heavy bag. Simply use a backpack or duffel bag, fill it with a few bags of rice, make sure it's closed properly and get to work!

Here’s what you need for this workout:

Equipment:

Sandbag or any other heavy bag, filled with heavy stuff. Three exercises out of four in this workout will be done using this bag.

You're going to do Ground to Shoulder, Back Squats and Incline Push ups (or your preferred variation of push ups) using this bag.

Bodyweight. The most important piece of your workout equipment 🙂

Time:

This workout will take you 20-25 minutes, depending on how fast you move and how many breaks you take.

Place:

Preferably outside or backyard, but inside works equally well. You really don't need much room for it.

Noisiness: Doing High Knees may wake up your baby or bother your downstairs neighbors, so if you're worried about that, you should workout outside.

Workout:

You’ll be doing eight rounds of four exercises with the heavy bag: Ground to Shoulder, Back Squats, Incline Push Ups, and 100 High Knees in place.

See how one round of the workout looks like:

Here’s How to Do the Exercises:

Ground to Shoulder

Stand with your legs about hip-width apart. The bag is between your legs. Lift the bag up, keeping the back strong and straight, and swing the bag up on your right shoulder. Put the bag back on the ground, then lift it up to swing it on your other shoulder.

Back Squats

Lift the heavy bag up overhead, then place it on your shoulders. Stand with your feet about shoulder or hip with apart. The foot positioning can be slightly different for everyone–your toes can point directly forward or they can turned slightly out. The important thing is that when you squat, your knees should exactly follow the direction of your toes.

Keep the knees stable (don't let them turn in), core strong, and do a squat. Push yourself back up to your starting position. Again, keep the knees stable and exactly in line with the toes.

Incline Push Ups

Incline push ups, where your hands are on an elevate surface, are a little bit easier than regular push ups, as putting the hands higher takes some weight off from the upper body. To make your push ups harder, put your feet up–that adds some weight to your upper body.

For the easier version (which I used in this workout) put your hands on the heavy bag. Keep the core tight, then bend your elbows. The right elbow positioning is around 45 degrees from your body. Return to the starting position.

The rest of your body should stay in the plank position throughout the movement–don't drop of lift the hips up!

High Knees in Place

Stand straight with the feet hip width apart, looking straight ahead. Come up to your toes and start running in place, bringing your knees as high as you possibly can. Your heels shouldn't touch the ground at all while running. Remember to also move your arms–that helps you to “run” faster!

Conclusion

That's it for today! Remember, this workout is totally doable with any heavy bag, it doesn't have to be a sandbag. If you tried this workout, let me know how it went!