An NFL Workout - No Gym Required :

[Kramer]

The World's Simplest Workout

By Mike Morris

Strip fat and strengthen your total body with an unlikely fitness plan used by gridiron warriors
As you might imagine, an NFL weight room sparkles with state-of-the-art fitness equipment.

But as the headstrength coachfor the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I can tell you that our players don't spend their off-seasons with electrodes slapped to their muscles.

No, they're outside carrying, flipping, and dragging sandbags.

I know that sounds like a miserable summer job, but it's also a highly effective training regimen. The ever-shifting shape of a sandbag makes it nearly impossible for you to settle into a lifting groove like you do with free weights or machines.

So every workout is unique and challenging. And besides, wouldn't you rather sandbag it outside in your backyard than be stuck inside the gym all summer?


The Sandbag Workout

Your first step, of course, is to bring home a 50-pound sandbag from your local home-improvement store. Any shape will work. Next, use my four pillars ofsandbag trainingbelow to build a stronger, leaner, and more athletic body. Simply follow the directions and perform the exercises in the order shown. After you've completed all four, rest a minute or two and repeat the circuit a total of 3 to 5 times.

1. Shoulder the Load

Like a power clean, shouldering a sandbag — lifting it from the floor to your shoulder in one explosive movement — requires a coordinated effort from yourcore, upper body, and legs. It also challenges your balance, because the bag's weight distribution shifts as you lift it.

How to do it:Place the sandbag on the ground directly in front of you. Bend at your hips and knees while maintaining the natural arch in your lower back, until you can grab the bag by its sides. In one powerful movement, rise to a standing position and lift the bag to your right shoulder by forcefully straightening your legs, thrusting your hips forward, and pulling the bag with your arms. Reverse the movement, and repeat.

Your charge:Do 6 repetitions to your left shoulder, followed by 6 reps to your right. Rest 1 minute and then proceed to the next exercise.

2. Walk Off Your Gut

With its awkward shape, a sandbag requires you to expend more energy to lift it. But in addition to burning calories, you can also challenge your toughness and increase stamina with the bear-hug walk.

How to do it: Wrap your arms around a sandbag (or hold it overhead) and walk while maintaining perfect posture — that is, standing tall with your abs braced, chest up, and shoulder blades pulled back and down.

Your charge: After you've completed your 1-minute rest in the first exercise, perform the bear-hug walk for 30 seconds. Then proceed to the next movement in the circuit.



3. Grip, Row, and Grow


Hold the bag as if you're hugging it.

There's no convenient place to grip a sandbag. To hang onto it, especially in muscle-making moves like bent-over rows, you must crush the bag with your hands and pinch it with your fingers. As a result, you'll train all the muscles in your hands and forearms while intensively training both your back and biceps.

How to do it: Grab the bag with both hands and stand with your knees slightly bent. Maintaining the natural arch in your lower back, bend forward at your waist until your upper body is almost parallel to the floor. The bag should hang straight beneath your shoulders. That's the starting position. Now, without moving your torso, pull the bag as close to your lower rib cage as possible. Pause and then lower the bag to the starting position.

Your charge: Do 8 reps, rest 1 minute, and repeat the bear-hug walk before going on to exercise 4.


4. Squat for Strength

Sandbag lifts don't have to be complicated to be effective. And few exercises can compare to the classic squat for building total-body strength and muscle.

How to do it: Stand holding a sandbag in a bear hug. Initiate the movement by pushing your hips back. Lower your thighs until they're at least parallel to the floor, and then press back up. Too easy? Pause for 2 or 3 seconds in the down position of each rep.

Your charge: Perform 5 reps, rest another minute, and do the bear-hug walk again. Then start over with the first exercise.

[ZoomVT]

good stuff dude.
this is money....

[paves11]

interesting

[paves11]

interesting

[scott77]

interesting

[QuadzillaXXX]

I've been a pseudo gym rat for years and definitely wouldn't mind trying that out.

[be47320]

Originally Posted by Kramer

The World's Simplest Workout

By Mike Morris

Strip fat and strengthen your total body with an unlikely fitness plan used by gridiron warriors
As you might imagine, an NFL weight room sparkles with state-of-the-art fitness equipment.

But as the headstrength coachfor the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I can tell you that our players don't spend their off-seasons with electrodes slapped to their muscles.

No, they're outside carrying, flipping, and dragging sandbags.

I know that sounds like a miserable summer job, but it's also a highly effective training regimen. The ever-shifting shape of a sandbag makes it nearly impossible for you to settle into a lifting groove like you do with free weights or machines.

So every workout is unique and challenging. And besides, wouldn't you rather sandbag it outside in your backyard than be stuck inside the gym all summer?


The Sandbag Workout

Your first step, of course, is to bring home a 50-pound sandbag from your local home-improvement store. Any shape will work. Next, use my four pillars ofsandbag trainingbelow to build a stronger, leaner, and more athletic body. Simply follow the directions and perform the exercises in the order shown. After you've completed all four, rest a minute or two and repeat the circuit a total of 3 to 5 times.

1. Shoulder the Load

Like a power clean, shouldering a sandbag — lifting it from the floor to your shoulder in one explosive movement — requires a coordinated effort from yourcore, upper body, and legs. It also challenges your balance, because the bag's weight distribution shifts as you lift it.

How to do it:Place the sandbag on the ground directly in front of you. Bend at your hips and knees while maintaining the natural arch in your lower back, until you can grab the bag by its sides. In one powerful movement, rise to a standing position and lift the bag to your right shoulder by forcefully straightening your legs, thrusting your hips forward, and pulling the bag with your arms. Reverse the movement, and repeat.

Your charge:Do 6 repetitions to your left shoulder, followed by 6 reps to your right. Rest 1 minute and then proceed to the next exercise.

2. Walk Off Your Gut

With its awkward shape, a sandbag requires you to expend more energy to lift it. But in addition to burning calories, you can also challenge your toughness and increase stamina with the bear-hug walk.

How to do it: Wrap your arms around a sandbag (or hold it overhead) and walk while maintaining perfect posture — that is, standing tall with your abs braced, chest up, and shoulder blades pulled back and down.

Your charge: After you've completed your 1-minute rest in the first exercise, perform the bear-hug walk for 30 seconds. Then proceed to the next movement in the circuit.



3. Grip, Row, and Grow


Hold the bag as if you're hugging it.

There's no convenient place to grip a sandbag. To hang onto it, especially in muscle-making moves like bent-over rows, you must crush the bag with your hands and pinch it with your fingers. As a result, you'll train all the muscles in your hands and forearms while intensively training both your back and biceps.

How to do it: Grab the bag with both hands and stand with your knees slightly bent. Maintaining the natural arch in your lower back, bend forward at your waist until your upper body is almost parallel to the floor. The bag should hang straight beneath your shoulders. That's the starting position. Now, without moving your torso, pull the bag as close to your lower rib cage as possible. Pause and then lower the bag to the starting position.

Your charge: Do 8 reps, rest 1 minute, and repeat the bear-hug walk before going on to exercise 4.


4. Squat for Strength

Sandbag lifts don't have to be complicated to be effective. And few exercises can compare to the classic squat for building total-body strength and muscle.

How to do it: Stand holding a sandbag in a bear hug. Initiate the movement by pushing your hips back. Lower your thighs until they're at least parallel to the floor, and then press back up. Too easy? Pause for 2 or 3 seconds in the down position of each rep.




Your charge: Perform 5 reps, rest another minute, and do the bear-hug walk again. Then start over with the first exercise.

read this article in this months mens health, interesting stuff, makes sense.

[QuadzillaXXX]

Originally Posted by be47320

read this article in this months mens health, interesting stuff, makes sense.

Thanks be.
Anyone ever try something like this?

[BigdaddyQH]

I do an NFL Workout every evening. I drink. Isn't that what the NFL players do best (or worst)?

[Bobtheicon]

F*cked up my back filling and moving sand bags in the Army. Be careful with this.
I still throw it now now and again and can't move for like a week. Sucks.

[PHILLYBIRDS20]

did alot of sandbag drills in wrestling. Definitely increases stamina and strength. But as was stated watch ur back as it does put a tremendous amount of strain on it if done incorrectly or over done

[jim1701]

I do too much sandbagging in Spades...but this one sounds better. rofl! w00t!

[pittviper]

read this, and always open for new workout routines.. bought a 44 pound sand bag from home hardware today.. they only had 44 pounds and 60 pounds.. and ill be trying this routine, 4 times a week, and going to the gym once a week..

might change that to 3 and 1 if too much work

going to start this tommorow and attempt to do this for 8-10 weeks, and see the results