Trainers: This Unexpected Piece of Equipment Will Level Up Your Workouts

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Trainers: This Unexpected Piece of Equipment Will Level Up Your Workouts originally appeared on Men’s Fitness.

Move over, dumbbells—sandbags are here to level up strength day. By integrating sandbags into your strength training routine, you access something dumbbells simply don’t bring: instability.

When working with sandbags, the load shifts mid-movement, adding dynamic resistance to your sweat session. We spoke with experts who break down the benefits of sandbag training, who benefits most from it, and how to successfully add it to your fitness routine.

Benefits of Sandbags

Sandbags work the full body in ways other pieces of equipment can’t.

1. They Present an Excellent Full-Body Challenge

When using sandbags, the load is unpredictable. What exactly does this mean? The weight distribution changes and your muscles are consistently adapting in real time, says Josh York, C.P.T., founder and CEO of GYMGUYZ.

“You’re not just training for strength; you’re training for control, coordination, and real-world functionality,” York says. “It turns every rep into a core challenge and activates stabilizing muscles you didn’t even know you had. Bottom line? Sandbags make your body work smarter and harder.”

In fact, sandbags put your entire body to work.

“The shifting load of a sandbag constantly alters your center of mass and joint angle demand, turning simple lifts into full-body challenges,” explains Nik Signore, C.P.T. at The Edge Fitness Clubs. “For example, a clean with a barbell is predictable, but a sandbag clean activates your core, grip, and stabilizers more aggressively because of the inconsistent distribution of weight.”

2. They Train Your Muscles to Work Together

When your body becomes familiar with an exercise like a dumbbell curl, it locks into a predictable groove. But with sandbags, there is no groove, York says.

“Every movement forces micro-adjustments. That instability means your core has to brace harder, your grip has to stay active, and your nervous system has to stay fully engaged,” York explains. “Even a basic movement like a squat turns into a total-body effort because you’re constantly stabilizing. This forces your muscles to work synergistically, not just in isolation, which is how you build real-world strength and injury resistance. It’s strength training meets athletic training, every single set.”

3. They Improve Functional Fitness

Functional fitness is all about improving the way you move with better strength, control, and endurance.

“Sandbags replicate these demands perfectly,” says Signore. “They train your body to produce force while also bracing, rotating, and adapting in less-than-ideal positions. This makes them especially useful for injury prevention and performance carryover to sport and life.”

The sandbag is quite awkward. That’s a good thing. It means it doesn’t have handles where it’s convenient and it moves around—just like when you’re lifting grocery bags or picking up your squirming child.

“That awkwardness forces your body to develop balanced, usable strength,” York points out. “It teaches coordination, proprioception, and how to generate power from your core outward. You’re not just training muscles, you’re training movement. And that’s where the true magic of functional fitness lies.”

Who Benefits The Most From Sandbag Training

The great thing about working with sandbags is that this method of training is scalable. It’s great for everyone, from beginners to fit athletes.

“[That said,] if I had to highlight who really benefits, it’s people who want to get stronger in a way that’s functional, not just aesthetic,” York tells us. “That includes tactical athletes, people in physically demanding jobs, weekend warriors, and everyday folks who want to train for life. If you want better coordination, endurance, full-body strength, and resilience, that ‘go-anywhere, do-anything’ fitness, sandbags are a must-have in your toolbox.”

The Best Types of Movement Patterns for Sandbags

Sandbags are excellent tools to be incorporated into full-body, multi-planar movements, such as throws, carries, lifts, presses, and slams.

“You can take standard strength moves like deadlifts, cleans, and squats, and make them dynamic and explosive,” York explains. “Add bear hug carries or shouldered carries to train core stability and grip strength. Do rotational lunges or slam variations to work the transverse plane, something most traditional workouts ignore. The bag lets you train vertically, laterally, and rotationally all in one session. That’s key for athletic performance and longevity. The more directions you can train in, the more bulletproof your body becomes.”

A High-Intensity Sandbag Burner

York shares a 30-minute, high-intensity sandbag workout that’s a total-body burner. It combines conditioning, strength, and explosiveness in one circuit.

Sandbag weight majorly depends on fitness level and the form of training you’re focusing on. According to York, most reap solid benefits with a bag weighing between 20 to 60 pounds. Beginners should start in the 20 to 35-pound range as they get used to the instability. Those with more experience can aim for 40 to 60 pounds, while advanced fitness enthusiasts training for strength gains may use 70+-pound sandbags.

“The sandbag should feel somewhere between moderate and heavy, depending on the movement. It should be awkward, challenging, and force your entire body to engage,” he explains.

The routine below fires up every major muscle group while ensuring your heart rate stays in the fat-burning zone.

“The cleans and slams spike intensity, the squats and presses build strength, and the carries develop grip and postural control,” York says. “You’ll leave drenched, stronger, and more functional, all in under 30 minutes. It’s efficient, effective, and fun.”

Rest for 30 seconds between each exercise. Repeat for 4 to 5 rounds in total.

6 Sandbag Cleans

Place the sandbag on its side on the ground.
Stand tall over the sandbag, feet shoulder-distance apart.
Hinge at the hips, bend your knees, and take hold of the sandbag.
In a smooth motion, deadlift the sandbag up toward your knees, hug it close to your body, and then heave it over your shoulder.
Complete 6 reps.

8 Overhead Presses

Stand tall, feet shoulder-distance apart.
Clean or hoist the sandbag up toward your chest so it’s situated in a front rack position.
Engage your core and press the sandbag overhead until both arms are completely extended.
Use control to lower to the front rack position.
Complete 8 reps.

10 Front Squats

Begin standing tall, feet shoulder-width apart.
Clean or hoist the sandbag up toward your chest to assume a front rack position.
Activate your core.
Press your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat.
Descend until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
Drive through your heels to rise back up.
Complete 10 reps.

20-Second Bear Hug Carry

Make sure the sandbag is vertical and lift it off the floor.
Wrap your arms around the bag as if you’re hugging it.
Start to walk forward, engaging your glutes and core while maintaining a tall posture.
Walk for 20 seconds.

6 Rotational Slams

Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees soft.
Hold the sandbag ahead of you.
Rotate your hips and torso to the right, bringing the sandbag outside your hip.
Maintain a tall chest.
With power, rotate through the center as you slam the sandbag toward the left side.
Pick the sandbag up off the ground and rotate to the other side.
Complete 6 reps per side.

Trainers: This Unexpected Piece of Equipment Will Level Up Your Workouts first appeared on Men’s Fitness on Jul 31, 2025

This story was originally reported by Men’s Fitness on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.