Many people come to this web site and think that bodyweight exercises are the only thing I focus on. Initially, this might seem to be the case but as you search through the entire site you see that I utilize many different training tools and methods to accomplish what I believe to be TOTAL FITNESS.

Bodyweight exercises, dumbbells, Clubbells®, sandbags, climbing ropes...you name it! If there's a tool that I can use to pull myself, and those that train with me, out of my comfort zone and into a new realm of physical or mental strength then you can bet that I'm going to use it!

Heavy bags were one of the first things I used when I started training with Egan Inoue. The challenge presented by sandbags is unique in that the bag almost feels "alive" in your hands when you're trying to manipulate it to a certain position. Trust me when I tell you that picking up a 150 pound sandbag and lifting it over your head is much harder than picking up a barbell that weighs the same amount! The shifting sand, poor hand-holds, and offset center of gravity all collaborate to make your body work harder than it ever has before.

The lift I'm showing you here on this page is a definite ass kicker. For many people, simply lifting the bag up to their shoulder is more than enough. You should know by now that I always like to push things just a little bit further than the average person. Why? Because:

Ordinary men go nowhere. Extraordinary men do.

It's that simple. Now, get your sandbag out and prepare to push yourself to new levels of greatness!

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For this exercise, I'm using a sandbag that weighs approximately 200 pounds.

To start the exercise, straddle the bag and find two points to hold. Using the straps is considered cheating!

Deadlift the bag and get it up onto your thighs. Maintaining the "sitting back" position will allow you to reset your hands underneath the bag. This hand positioning is crucial to getting the bag up onto your shoulder!

Depending on how heavy the bag is you may be able to snap your hips powerfully enough to throw the bag up to your shoulder. Unfortunately, this bag weighs almost 200 pounds and there is no throwing this thing, it's more of a slow, painful grind up to one shoulder.

See the Clubbell® next to my left foot? It's all about pushing your self perceived limits!

Remember that true strength must be worked for!

After the bag is placed squarely across both shoulders, dip your body and drive the weight overhead.

This is NOT what this picture is showing! This is a shot of the sandbag crashing down after a failed attempt at getting it overhead.

Why would I show you a picture of the sandbag bonking me in the head?

Because the weight doesn't always go up the way I want it to! If the sandbag went straight up to the sky without much effort, what would be the point of me lifting it? At this point, the sandbag is being my best friend and training partner by pointing out any flaws and weaknesses I might have in my body and mind.

If you find yourself in this position while lifting, don't despair!

This is your call to greatness!

After repositioning the sandbag on my shoulders, I dipped down and locked it overhead. Awesome!

Once again, depending on how heavy the bag is you can try for single or multiple presses. For some of the best sandbag training methods around, check out workingclassfitness.com!