“Your sandbags are a godsend“
Josh, I just have to tell you how much of a godsend your sandbags have been. I’ve been diagnosed with cancer twice in 12 months. I’m spending this summer going through chemo, and I’ve got a chemo port implanted in my chest which at times gets tender or irritated. I do KB work or lift weights as my energy permits, but I try to walk every day.
Your sandbags allow me to up the intensity of my walks without messing with my chemo port or unduly weighting my arms (that supposedly increases the risk of lymphedema, a side effect of my surgeries and radiation treatments). The one I’m using now is pretty light (around 25#), and I can drape it around my neck like a towel. I shift the sand around every so often so I get a little more core work in while I walk. When the weather’s crummy, I can use it inside the house, going up and down the stairs with it or doing walking lunges and squats – and I never worry about the thing leaking or breaking. Thanks for such a versatile, quality product.
- Teresa Sanders
“My players love using them!”
I work with NBA basketball players and absolutely love the ruggedness and variety the Ultimate Sandbag provides. You can do almost every single “conventional” exercise with them and their portability is great for working with teams.”
I try to keep my workouts fresh with creative and challenging exercises and drills; as long as they are safe, efficient, and productive. TheUltimate Sandbag meet all these requirements. Plus my players love using them!
I most certainly recommend the Ultimate Sandbag System for anyone in the fitness/strength & conditioning industry. Sandbags offer tremendous variety to your training tool box.
- Alan Stein, trainer of NBA players
“…unrivalled in being able to produce functionally strong athletes quickly, simply and effectively.”
As a coach to ultra-endurance athletes (ultramarathon, triathlon, orienteering) I am always on the lookout for tools to help me build stronger, more resilient athletes. If it’s a tool they can use without going to the gym, so much the better, as for many of these athletes training time is at a premium. Coach Henkin’s Ultimate Sandbag is such a tool. In my opinion it is almost unrivalled in being able to produce functionally strong athletes quickly, simply and effectively.
I have tried other sandbags. I’ve made my own from military surplus duffel bags, and I have previously purchased another sandbag from a reputable supplier of strength equipment. They were nowhere near as versatile or as easy to use as the Ultimate Sandbag. Coach Henkin has put a lot of thought into the design of his product and it shows in how quickly athletes can start effective training with the Ultimate Sandbag.
One thing train-at home athletes, and particularly women will appreciate is that the Ultimate Sandbag weight packs don’t leak sand. In fact, they are the only weight packs I have found that don’t leak. I have used yards of duct tape trying to seal other suppliers’ filler bags and I have yet to be successful. I would rather use my time for training than cleaning up after I’ve trained!
- “Woofie” Humpage, CSCS, USAT Triathlon Certified Coach
“Putting new demands in your training with the Ultimate Sandbag System will lead to better results.“
The Ultimate Sandbag has added a whole different stimulus to our clients training by engaging new muscles and burning more calories than before.
Getting our clients bodies to change is always done by putting a stimulus on them that they are not used to. The Ultimate Sandbag has made doing that much easier because no one is used to lifting a sand bag.
Using sand bags in your training with your clients, and yourself, is something that you have to experience for yourself before you believe how dramatically useful it is and effective it is especially for boosting the metabolism and what I call creating more “bang for your buck” with any exercise – you get to work a lot of muscles at once. Putting new demands in your training with the Ultimate Sandbag system will lead to better results.
The biggest advantage with the Ultimate Sandbag is the “Bang for your Buck”! You can do more with one exercise by using a sand bag.
I absolutely recommend the Ultimate Sandbag System!
- Rachel Cosgrove, contributor to Women’s Health magazine
“I highly recommend the Ultimate Sandbag to any trainer/coach“
Since implementing the Ultimate Sandbag into my metabolic programs, I have observed marked improvement in overall ESD (Energy Systems Development) in a way that surpasses programs without the sandbags. With 25 years experience working with clients and competitive athletes, I am well-versed in using many different training tools and modalities.The sandbags have a ‘perpetual progressive” component to them that is difficult to encapsulate. Each time you perform a drill with even the same size bag the body experiences a slightly different stimulus, and that is one of the keys to perpetual progress (not allowing adaptation to settle in)
I observe bodyfat levels decrease while strength in key exercises increases with all other training/nutrition variables remaining same. I credit this to increased work capacity potentiation. Also, the core stability derived from sandbag training is quite unique compared to other protocols with that objective. Sandbag training does a remarkable job of revealing and removing “weak links” in the athlete’s stability and mobility, especially through the trunk and hips.
One of my athletes, a Division 1 football player, made more progress in explosiveness, core stability, and other attributes in the first 4 weeks of implementing sandbag training than was experienced in previous months. Yes, some of this would be the case with any “new” stimulus. However, the continuation of the story is that there was minimal leveling off stimulus even with proficiency in performing sandbag drills. With most other systems, when mechanical proficiency is solid the actual “training effect” decreases. I have not observed that happening with sandbags.
I have also observed increased performance in the traditional barbell lifts/ skills such as deadlift, power clean, snatch, squat, front squat, push press, etc. from using just the 80lb (!) Ultimate Sandbag in my programs.
The Ultimate Sandbag is a reliable and versatile product which is in accord with my “non-philosophy” of training athletes/clients for enhanced function and optimal human performance. Training with the Ultimate Sandbag is consistent with having a system that adapts to the individual’s body instead of trying to manipulate the body to fit some kind of rigid, and limiting, dogmatic approach. The challenge of handling the sandbag is a much needed aspect to any individual’s fitness program. It’s easy to develop ‘kinetic complacency’ with conventional training programs. By implementing just a few sandbag drills into a client’s program all the other parts of the program are enhanced.
I believe that the #1 thing that separates sandbag training from other similar modalities is that every time you pick the same bag it feels different, and the body (neuro-muscular system and all) has to adjust to that reality…which is what true training is all about.
I highly recommend the Ultimate Sandbag to any trainer/coach who is looking for the edge which transcends general fitness. There is nothing “general” about sandbag training (other than it hits just about any muscle that you would want!). Working with the sandbag trains the body in its innate kinetic chains where all muscles are working together, getting stronger as a unit. It’s the ideal “anti-isolation” training tool.
- Vince McConnell, publisher Dolfzine and 25-year Strength Coach
” One tool, thousands of exercises…what more can a strength & conditioning coach ask for?“
Virtually every single one of my clients has met or exceeded their personal fitness goals (be it conditioning, fat loss or strength) with the help of the Ultimate Sandbag. It’s an all-in-one tool. You can push it, pull it, drag it, throw it, press it, snatch it, hold it….whatever you need to do. Explosive lifts, plyometrics, “odd object” lifts and classic strength lifts are all possible. Thanks to it’s versatility, I can create very intense circuits for any of my clients at the drop of a hat.
Instead of having to haul around a variety of training gear (and needing a truck to do it!) I can train virtually all of my clients with just a couple of different Ultimate Sandbag. I can keep them tucked away in the trunk of my car – out of sight, out of mind. I also coach a corporate bootcamp and the Ultimate Sandbag is a great training tool for offering variety. One tool, thousands of exercises…what more can a strength & conditioning coach ask for?
I certainly would recommend it. For anyone starting or expanding an existing training business, the Ultimate Sandbag system offers incredible variety for a modest price. For anyone simply looking to train at home, the Ultimate Sandbag is great for the exact same reasons. One tool that is cheap and versatile!
Honestly, the advantage is several things. Great quality, great price point, ease-of-use and unmatched versatility. Many of what I consider to be the “best” sandbag lifts can’t be replicated in a gym with “conventional” equipment. Try some of these lifts and you’ll feel it after the first workout. Additionally, the unique filler bags in the Ultimate Sandbag allow the user to adjust weight very quickly. Different users and different lifts may require a heavier or lighter bag so this is an absolutely key feature!
Thanks Josh – keep up the kick-ass work!
