11 Effective Sandbag Exercises

Sandbags can replace traditional weights in a variety of movements. Discover what exercises you can use this type of equipment for to work a variety of muscles.

Beginners and experts alike want to remember to warm up before these exercises, especially the more explosive ones. This can help you avoid a lot of trouble and improve performance.

1. Sandbag clean

The sandbag clean is typically done with a lot of weight but if you are new to this exercise you likely want to start light and build up from there. Take the following steps to do the exercise:

1. Stand up straight with your feet slightly more than shoulder width apart in front of the sandbag.
2. Slightly fold your legs at the knees and tilt your upper body forward to grab the sandbag handles that come closest to being shoulder width apart.
3. Tilt back your upper body and stretch your legs in one continuous motion in an explosive way so you can raise the sandbag enough for the following steps. It is very important to keep your back in a straight line during this step.
4. Most of the upward force of the sandbag will come from your legs but you can pull it upward slightly higher.
5. Move under the sandbag in a position where you can do the next step. You will have to “swing” the sandbag over your wrists.
6. Catch the sandbag on the front part of your shoulders/upper arms with your hands still holding the sandbag handles. Your hand palms will point upward, your upper arms should be about horizontal, and your legs should be in the lowest part of the squat movement.
7. Raise your hips by stretching your legs in a somewhat controlled motion until you stand up straight with the sandbag on the front part of your shoulders/upper arm.

Even if you don’t plan to focus on this exercise, you want to get familiar with the clean because it is used to get the sandbag in place for a variety of other movements.

The sandbag clean works your glutes, hamstrings, lower back, quadriceps, calves, forearm grip muscles, trapezius, biceps, and deltoids in an explosive way.

You can also do a similar movement with one of the round strongman sandbags. With these, you go over an extra step where you squat down with the sandbag on your knees and against your chest.

You also typically drop the strongman sandbag behind you.

2. Sandbag carry

A sandbag carry is typically done with a strongman sandbag without handles but you could also use other workout sandbags. Take the following steps to do a sandbag carry:

1. Stand in front of the sandbag with your feet at about shoulder width. Put your hands below the edges of the sandbag and hold it.
2. Raise your hips by stretching your legs and tilt your upper body back until it is straight in an explosive way while keeping your back straight. Move your arms around the sandbag while it is in the air. Clamp it against your chest/waist.
3. Walk a certain distance or amount of time with the sandbag held against your body. Keep your body more or less straight up without swaying your hips too much.

A sandbag carry is typically done to improve muscle endurance in your forearm grip muscles, biceps, chest muscles, trapezius, and core muscles.

You also engage your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and calves to some extent but likely not enough for individuals somewhat experienced with resistance training to see significant progress.

3. Sandbag squat

The walkthrough assumes you use a sandbag with handles but you could also do different variations with other designs. Take the following steps to do a sandbag squat:

1. Clean up (the movement) the sandbag high enough for the next step.
2. Guide the sandbag in the air towards your upper back, slow it down somewhat with your arm muscles, and catch it on your upper back with your knees slightly bent.
3. Stand up straight with the sandbag on your upper back and feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
4. Slowly lower your hips by bending your knees. How far depends on different factors like knee health but at your lowest point you want your hips to be at or lower than your knee height. You will likely have to bend forward for balance but keep your back in a straight line throughout the movement.
5. Push yourself up again into the position of step 4 by stretching your legs.
6. Lower or drop the workout sandbag after your desired number of repetitions.

In short, this is the sandbag version of the popular barbell back squat.

Using a sandbag is more challenging to get in position and the instability engages a few stabilizing muscles like inner thigh muscles, outer thigh muscles, core muscles, and ankle muscles to a larger extent.

There are other sandbag squats to choose from too. These will have their own advantages and disadvantages.

4. Sandbag get-up

If you are new to the sandbag get-up, you definitely want to start with a light weight. Additionally, you preferably have a model with handles. Take the following steps to do the exercise:

1. Lie on your back with the sandbag right next to your shoulder. Put the foot on the side of the sandbag flat on the ground.
2. Put the hand closest to the sandbag on the middle handle and push up the sandbag upward until your arm is slightly less than stretched. Keep the sandbag in the air throughout the rest of the exercise.
3. Stretch the arm without the sandbag, place it at a 90-degree angle to your side on the ground, and roll your upper body sideways to that side.
4. Raise your upper body while still leaning on the elbow of the arm without the sandbag.
5. Raise your upper body even more so that you are leaning on the hand of the arm in contact with the ground.
6. Elevate your hips and move the stretched leg under you. Put it with its knee on the front of the foot on the ground.
7. Get off the ground with your hand and move your upper body upright.
8. Stand up entirely.

Sandbag get-ups are mainly done to improve mobility and work your deltoids, trapezius, and other scapular muscles. With how easily the sandbag swings you will likely engage your scapular muscles more than a kettlebell.

5. Sandbag deadlift

For the next exercise you preferably have a sandbag with handles. Once you have that, take the following steps to do a sandbag deadlift:

1. Stand up straight with your feet at more or less shoulder width in front of your sandbag.
2. Slightly fold your legs at the knees and tilt your upper body forward to grab the sandbag handles closest to slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
3. Tilt your upper body back and stretch your legs in one continuous motion until your upper body and legs are stretched in one straight line. When doing a deadlift it is very important to keep your back in a straight line during the exercise.
4. Slowly move back into the position of step 2 by first tilting your upper body forward (with a straight back) and then folding your knees.

If you are not familiar with the deadlift exercise you want to start with a light sandbag. After that, most people need a relatively heavy sandbag to train strength in the strong muscles involved in the deadlift.

Some of these muscles include the glutes, hamstrings, lower back muscles, quadriceps, and calves. You may need something like workout gloves to avoid fatiguing your forearm grip muscles before these bigger muscles.

While you can use a sandbag for deadlifts, a loaded barbell is typically more effective. This is because the handles of the sandbag likely make it so your range of motion under tension is smaller.

6. Sandbag shoulder press

Sandbag shoulder presses are more convenient with handles but the round strongman sandbags can be used too. Take the following steps to do the exercise:

1. Clean up (the movement) the sandbag to shoulder height right in front of you with your hands at about shoulder width apart. Your elbows can point slightly more forward than just a horizontal line with your shoulders.
2. Slowly move the sandbag up until your arms are slightly less than stretched.
3. Lower the sandbag back to shoulder height in a controlled motion.

Shoulder presses are a beginner-friendly sandbag exercise to train shoulder, tricep, and trapezius muscles.

Due to the instability of the sandbag, you will likely engage your shoulder stabilization muscles and core muscles a bit more compared to a regular barbell shoulder press.

7. Bent-over sandbag row

Most people want to do bent-over rows with a sandbag with handles to avoid forearm grip muscles fatiguing before the main target muscles of the exercise. Take the following steps to do a bent-over sandbag row:

1. Stand in front of it the sandbag with your feet at about shoulder width, grab the sandbag handles closest to shoulder width apart with an overhanded grip, and lift up the sandbag with your legs until you stand up straight. Keep your spine straight throughout the exercise.
2. Slightly fold your knees and tilt your upper body forward until it is at about a 45-degree or smaller angle to the ground. Let your arms hang down to the ground for now but hold the sandbag handles tightly.
3. Bend your elbows and move your shoulder blades back until the sandbag reaches your body. The goal is to mainly make your back muscles support this movement. Keep your upper arms close to your body, your spine in a straight line, and your feet in the same position during the movement.
4. Lower your hands again to the position of step 2 in a controlled motion.

This sandbag exercise mainly works your latissimus dorsi, biceps, and trapezius muscles. Make sure you go through the full range of motion for optimal strength and mass increases.

In the bent-over row, using a sandbag instead of something like a barbell does not change a lot. You still get a bit more instability but not enough for any big differences.

8. Sandbag good morning

For the good morning you can use any sandbag that sits comfortably on top of your upper back. Take the following steps to do the exercise:

1. Clean up (the movement) the sandbag high enough for the next step.
2. Guide the sandbag in the air towards your upper back, slow it down somewhat with your arm muscles, and catch it on your upper back with your knees slightly bent. Stand up straight.
3. Tilt your upper body forward as far as is comfortable with a good posture (but not farther than a horizontal line). At the same time bend your knees a small amount.
4. Return to the position in step 2 in a controlled motion.

This exercise mainly works your glutes (butt), hamstrings (back thigh muscles), and lower back.

The sandbag good morning can be a good choice for individuals who want to work these muscles but not their quadriceps (front thighs).

Using a sandbag instead of a barbell, weighted vest, or other weights does not change the exercise too much besides the initial clean movement you have to do.

9. Sandbag suitcase carry

The suitcase carry simply involves picking up a sandbag with handles with one hand and walking a certain distance or time. Keep your body straight up during the walk.

This movement will be challenging for your oblique core muscles and trapezius but your forearm grip muscles will likely still be the first to fatigue.

Your glutes, quadriceps, calves, and hamstrings will have to work to a certain extent too but likely not enough to see any significant muscle growth or strength progress.

10. Sandbag crunch

Any good sandbag will do for this next core exercise. Take the following steps to do a sandbag crunch:

1. Lie down on your back with your body straight and feet flat on the floor. Hold the sandbag against your upper chest.
2. Slowly raise your shoulders from the ground as much as possible while keeping your lower back on the floor. Make sure you use your ab muscles to do this movement.
3. Lower your shoulders and head in a controlled motion until you are back in the starting position.

Crunches are a core exercise that focuses on training strength in your ab muscles. By adding a sandbag you make the movement harder which can in turn lead to more muscle growth faster.

At the same time, you don’t want to use too much weight either. Resistance training beginners may need to stick to the bodyweight version for now. You want a weight where you are able to do 6 to 12 repetitions in a row.

11. Sandbag lunge

Similar to the good morning, any sandbag that can comfortably rest on your upper back/shoulders can be used. Once you have that, take the following steps to do a sandbag lunge:

1. Clean up (the movement) the sandbag high enough for the next step.
2. Guide the sandbag in the air towards your upper back, slow it down somewhat with your arm muscles, and catch it on your upper back with your knees slightly bent. Stand up straight with your feet shoulder width apart.
3. Take a big step forward and lower your hips so that both of your knees are at about 90-angle degrees. Keep your upper body more or less straight up.
4. Push yourself up again into starting position by stretching your front leg.
5. Repeat the same number of repetitions with the other leg first.

If you have trouble staying balanced you can put your feet wider apart horizontally speaking. This is also the case with something like barbell lunges but the instability of the sandbag makes it slightly worse.

Because most of your weight rests on one leg, the sandbag does not have to be as heavy as for example the squat. This makes the initial clean movement easier.

Sandbag lunges can be a great way to train strength in and grow your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and calf muscles. Your core muscles will have to work to a certain extent to keep your upper body upright.