Sandbag Workouts You Can Do Anywhere

With recent changes in the world that made working from home (or anywhere) a bit more common, it’s no surprise that everyone’s fitness routines followed suit. Gone are the days of needing to have a gym membership with the rise of calisthenics and other bodyweight exercises.

Sandbag workouts are becoming more popular. It’s one of the most versatile fitness equipment you can get. It’s portable and doesn’t take up much space. You only need to fill it up with sand to your desired weight, and you can start working out.

Not only is it easy to use, but using a sandbag puts you up for a bigger challenge than when you lift with a dead weight. The center of gravity is always shifting along with the sand, moving back and forth, so your core is engaged in a completely different way, even if you’re not doing a move that’s targeting your core.

Now if you’re completely new to the idea of working out with a sandbag, here’s a couple of exercise ideas you can do—no gym needed.

Full body sandbag workout

The curtsy lunge

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and hold the sandbag by the side handles with your palms facing in. Step with your right foot back on a diagonal, behind your left leg. This engages your inner and outer thighs as you bend your left knee to lower into a curtsy lunge. Make sure to keep your back straight and chest lifted throughout the move. Press through your left heel to return to the starting position, then repeat with your left foot.

There are several ways you can position your sandbag for this move. You can:

Position the sandbag over just one shoulder:

Over both of your shoulders:

Stretched overhead:

Front rack:

The hammer curl

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and hold the sandbag by the side handles with your palms facing in. Bend your elbows to lift the sandbag to your chest, then lower it back down.

The burpee

Stand with your feet slightly wider than your hip’s width, holding your sandbag by its side handles. Hinge at your hips to lower the sandbag to the floor as you bend your knees to jump into a high plank position. Be sure to engage your core to maintain a straight line from your head to your toes. Then, jump your feet back to your hands and drive through your legs to stand back up. As you rise, use the momentum from your lower body to lift the sandbag and, in one quick motion, drive your elbows up towards your shoulders, and press the sandbag up overhead. Finally, lower the bag to the ground and repeat.

The snatch

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your back slightly bent to the front. Hold your sandbag with extended arms closely above the floor. Swing your sandbag to the front of your chest and in the turning point, lift it over your head. Finally, move the sandbag slowly back to the initial position, then lower it in a controlled drop to the floor.

The lateral pull

Lower your body until your chest is an inch from the ground, then drive up by fully extending your arms. With your right arm, pull the sandbag from your left-hand side and move it to just outside of your right shoulder. Repeat on the other side.

These exercises make for a full body workout as they target your upper body, lower body, and core. Keep in mind to fill up your sandbag to a weight that’s challenging, yet still lets you keep good form. You can perform 20 reps of each move, but remember to rest for a minute between exercises, and rest for at least 1 minute and a half after finishing 3-4 sets. Of course, if you want to kick things up a notch, you can rest for less time in between exercises or rounds.

There’s a lot more advanced moves that you can perform with a sandbag, but these five alone can already get you a total body workout. What are you waiting for? Get your own Polyfit Workout Sandbag and level up your own exercise routine!