Build Real World Strength Using Sandbags & Slamballs 

I "work for a living" in a stone quarry in Eastern PA. A 180 lb. stone is bare minimum for cleaning dead off the ground. Mark is right. And none of the guys here are ripped or even in shape - ages from 22-62 but they are all strong. 10 hours a day baby. BTW I lift stones for fun at home and I find sandbags to be much more difficult to exercise with, but I love them. They are ironically "constant" while every stone is a rubix cube as to how the best way to clean it off the ground.

Mark: "This is not really heavy, but it is 200 lbs..."

An AtG, 200lb sandbag squat while giving clear, concise instruction is legit.

Mark, I don't think I could ever stop leaning from you. Nearly every day I can, I watch a video from you. Thank you so much for sharing you knowledge with the world. If my Dad would have had someone like you he would be walking more upright than he is from his spinal injury while working in da mine in da Upper Penninsula of Michigan. Da UP. People from da UP are hard working people called Yoopers. You just reminded me of my childhood picking up rounds of wood after my Dad cut them with chainsaw to carry them with my brother to da back of pick up truck. Take a rest. Then my brother and I would have to pick up the round of wood same way a d clean it to da tailgate of da truck and shove it in to fill the truck. Once we collected all da rounds my dad cut, we switched to playing in da woods climbing trees and whatnot, to the sounds of my Dad running running da chainsaw making more rounds. When the sound of chainsaw stopped it was time to go collect all da rounds he had cut the sane way and pile in da back of da truck. My father, my brother and I worked as team to get firewood to heat our home. As my Dad aged with his spinal injury he could do that less and less. He ran loader at da mine sitting da cab for many hours a week. Since he was not able to do da work of being In da wood like our many gradfathers before us and there was no one like you in the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s, and finally 2020s, we got you, helping us all being the best we can be. To work, play, and thrive for our whole lives. I am 49 going on 50, and thanks to you my body feels like it is getting younger, helping me be able to work hard and provide for my family. As the Finns say, Ketos, which means.... Thanks.

I like what you said about 'poisonous movements.' I work on the production line in a dry foods processing plant and I lift bags filled with 100lbs of beans off the ground just like that every day. Practice this. Good technique prevents injury.

6:09 “Sandbags are generally annoying” 😂 I needed that. I’ve been training with sandbags for 2 years now, and it’s never been as fun as barbells, just heavy ass unsexy objects

YES!! More sandbag content!

There's not a more valuable content maker for me than MW. I'll come back to this one when ready

My God, what a wonderful video!! It's like 5 videos combined into one! Mobility training; sandbag training; slam ball training; strength training principles & programming....... Even after 3+ years of watching your videos & experiencing your channel, you still continue to surprise with your excellence & creativity, Mark! 👌👌👌🙏🙏🙏

I got a kettlebell to do squats with it instead of using a barbell on my shoulders. Then I got infected by the kettlebell bug, and now I do inverted goblet squats every day along with the rest of my kettlebell and club exercises. PS: Of course I got the kettlebell bug because I found Wildman Athletica. 🙂

The mobility and strength demands of a deep sandbag squat really are real world. My mom, who can't get around very well, fell recently, and I was able to do a bridal carry squat to pick her up and put her back in her chair. Also useful for doing judo strength and conditioning training at home. I have one of the longer bags with the handles, so it also can work for back squats, cleans, suitcase deadlifts, etc.

Nothing like sandbag work. A 200 lb bag is a load and Mark’s talking while lifting it. He’s a strong dude. On the question of rounded back, I have lumbar herniations as do most people over 30, I find if I breath in and brace through the lift and almost “sip” in breaths if I’m doing a carry or a squat, I’ve never had a problem.

I’m a simple man. I see a new Mark Wildman video, I click.

Thank you so much . Functional strength is the key to real strength . 👍

You made that 200lb bag look light. I have the 150 and the squat is still beyond me.

Mark, I'd love to see more conceptual videos - why should you do pressure breathing for a strength training exercise (what's pure strength training anyway?), the significance of squeezing glutes and activating lats and so on. Take those fundamental ideas and explain them by themselves so people understand the why and not just the how.

Pure gold. Like always Mark.

Howdy Mark, I am 68 year old Veteran and in serious need of reshaping my strength and stamina. From 2005 to 2019 I was a care giver to my Veteran father 24/7/365. I stopped working, eventually exercising fell to the way side as well as my eating a balanced meal plan, and a bunch of other things because I took care of getting him up to getting him back to bed at night. When he passed away I was ready to go back to work but C_ovid happened. So I am in a bad way both physically and nutritionally. I spend time reading or watching videos on correcting my nutrition and I found your channel a few weeks ago. My biggest challenge I think is that I am alone and despite I just can't get myself into a good routine so I guess I can ad to my challenges a Mental failure challenge to over come. I watch your videos and think ok I have to do this but I am no closer now than I was when I watched your first video. I have a feeling that I have gone well past anything you can help with but i had to ask. Any suggestions besides calling it quits? (I would never do that buy the way, Its a figure of speech)

Well the 50kg sandbag “this will do for a warm up” just gave me a huge slice of humble pie 😂

I like how he’s just chilling with a 200lbs bag, like it’s nothing.

Great content as always Mark

More videos on sandbag training, please. Mark, you're awesome!

Thank you very much! Great video!

proper instruction, sir. thanks and kind regards from Texas.

I shoved a 50lb bag of play sand in a nice cheap backpack from Sierra trading post. Been rucking with it almost everyday for a year and use it as a sand bag now and then

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Very interesting!

I've been training with kettlebells, clubs and slam balls for a couple of years with much of my training being MW programs. Regarding lifting heavy objects, I had one of those WTH moments recently when I was carrying those 40 lb. bags of water softener salt pellets to my basement. I realized that in the past, I dreaded carrying those bags and I would get winded. Now, I throw a bag over my shoulder and scamper down the stairs like it's nothing! I'm 60 years old and I'm seeing some great gains in strength, endurance, and adding muscle with this type of training. Also, my squat depth is now about 3 inches from my tailbone touching the ground. Lastly, I do ocassionally have a little knee pain; however, the pain is substantially less than in the past. Squatting is a benefit to knees, not a detriment as said by some!

One of my favorite ways of incorporating this is to do 3 to 5 squats, and then end the set with a 50ft+ bearhug carry, without ever setting the bag down. That gets pretty spicy once you get over 200lbs.

Thanks mark !!! Great stuff do you try stone lifting?

Yes sandbags my jams

Goals💪🏻👍🏻

My hips need this program.

Last time I heard the term "slam balls" I quickly realized I was in the wrong nightclub 😳😬

7:14 If it feels like your hip is being ripped apart, you're probably doing it right.

Really like this line of thinking. I'm sick of seeing supposed healthy fitness experts advocate thinking that would never allow you to lift a finger as a farmer, mason, landscaper etc. I'd like to learn and get stronger, but remain a man that can accomplish some useful work. They have everyone scared to death to lift anything heavier than a set of bands at this point.

I am currently going through the slam ball program. I cannot widen my squat enough to get the elbows to track inside. Knees hurt too much, but when my feet are closer I can go all the way down. Do I just keep trying to fight the pain and widen my feet on the squat?

I am skeptical about these, but hear me out: i suffer from degenerative disc disease in my low back, but have been able to get back to training weights somehow over the last couple of years, but am growing more and more concerned about my condition which, even though it's not worsened (MRI scans prove it) it's definitely not getting better either - i can hear my spine crack every time i get into a deep squat, which is something i do to lengthen the spine and release some pressure off the vertebrae. Would training with sandbags / slamballs be a viable option for me? Before you say it Mark, i've talked about this with specialists but sadly where i live they are completely oblivious of this type of exercise and immensely biased. P.S. by the way, love the sound you make at 5:11 - that's a hydraulic lift right there. So strong Mark, well done ;-)

Hey Coach, where does this sand bag come from?

4:35 - is that safe to do Mark? Getting it up like that is a bit like doing a half deadlift (not so much a stiff-legged deadlift as a half deadlift with the trunk parallel to the ground). I am currently trying to figure out the best way to pick up my sandbag (i have zero experience with them) and i need to be extra careful because i have a bad low back. I've worked with my physiotherapist who's instructed me on how to perform a half deadlift (as well as the kettlebell swing) safely but i am still taking my time because this time i am on my own. Can you tell me if a slight rounding of the spine would be ok when picking it up or that is better avoided? Is the half deadlift pickup proper form? Is it safe to perform with lower back injuries?

3:36 - please tell me Mark, i really need to know this as i am starting sandbag training on my own and wouldn't want to injure myself more than i already am: is that a leg-driven lift or are you lifting the sandbag with your arms or with the back? I've never figured that first lift out, the one where you get it off of the ground and to your lap into a bear hug position. Thanks.

How to warm up and cool down when pressed for time?

👊🏾👊🏾👊🏾

I have had a few gym goers humbled by my sandbags

Anyone have equipment tips for this ?

I know he doesn’t reply but did he weigh that sandbag because my 90kg sandbag is WAY bigger than that one tbh

The act of bending over to pick up a sandbag can damage spinal discs

Second time I can remember where a weight made you grunt. It's like you're human or something.

4:35 - again, is this the proper technique Mark? Aren't your hips a bit too high? You're almost performing a sort of stiff-legged deadlift here. Can you please break down the proper technique for lapping a sandbag from ground to lap position?

I have an artificial hip that won't allow me to go below 90 degrees

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Pitty I can't like your videos more than once.

I like you, but I'm calling BS on the 200 pound bag. 💩

You need to work your feet man, they’re severely lacking. You can tell when you’re hinging the sandbag on the way up.

Yes! Just in time for my leg workout today. I don't care what you say, a 200lb sandbag is not light. At 85 lbs myself, and it is a heart thumper when I throw it repeatedly over my shoulders. Hoping to work up to 200lbs some day.