The title of this post may sound a little bit like a line from the Wizard of Oz. That is not by accident. But, as I tell this story, you will understand how I would rather face the Wicked Witch of the West and the Flying Monkeys, than to think about repeating this particular workout in the future. But something, just something tells me that I will face it again and will ACCOMPLISH it again!!
Our normal training group bounced into the gym on our normal workout on a Wednesday with Brandon. I’m always the one that either, before we get there, or while we are warming up asks, “What are we doing tonight?” My answer this particular night was, “sandbags.” Hmmmm… Sandbags … sounds interesting. But then we all see his little sly smile, and the rubbing of the palms together, and the chuckle going up the stairs to our workout area. Oh my!!!
We proceed into our room we often get to use for our workouts. The overhead fans are on, the exercise music is playing, and we see our floor mats and SANDBAGS ready and placed for us. We have never seen the sandbags before. Just a little sand-filled long tubular bag, with a handle on it similar to a gym bag handle. A sandbag! Brandon then begins to demonstrate that we are going to hold these sandbags, end to end initially. We are going to do sumo squats first, and when we come to standing position out of the sumo squat, we are going to press the sandbag over our heads. Kind of like an arm press with weight. Well allrighty then! Sounds pretty simple. And remember, his famous saying, “you can do anything for 30 seconds.” So we start out with our sandbag, squat, press, squat, press, squat press … 30 seconds!! After about 15 seconds, that sandbag was beginning to get on my nerves. He tells us to “rest.” We’ve heard this word many times before, and it always sounds like a gift from heaven when it is heard … just sayin’. So four rounds of the squats and overhead presses with the sandbags. Yes, the arms, quads, and bootie are burning a bit.
Not to be outdone by the sumo squats and presses, Brandon then demonstrates that we are going to do either a regular burpee or a reverse burpee, and yes holding the SANDBAG. Burpees have to be one of the hardest exercises ever, let alone with a SANDBAG. And, yes, you are correct in your assumption … four rounds of 30 seconds each. Now, not only are the arms, quads, and bootie burning, but now we wheeze, and huff and puff, and appear to be an asthmatic in the final throws of a major attack. Just a little cardio to get our bodies going!!! Mine feels like it has already went.
Now we journey to the track, and you guessed it, with our SANDBAGS. Our direction now is to run, RUN, a lap carrying our sandbags. We can carry them by the handles, we can carry them on our shoulders, or, we can carry them like footballs. Doesn’t matter how we carry them. Just carry them. Then to add insult to injury, after we RUN this lap, we are to stop and do triceps curls holding a sandbag in each hand, by the handle. Well, let me tell you … all that sand sinks to the bottom, and you feel like you are carrying and lifting the weight of the world!!! I might mention, that I did ask a few times, “How much do these weigh?” My answer, “not sure.”
The first lap, I carried my sandbags by the handles. Oh my!!! I could have just had easily drug a dead body along with me. We got all kinds of sympathy from others just walking or jogging the track. Many looked at us and said, “Bless your hearts.” Yes, indeed, bless them!!
I was so happy after the first lap, because I was so tired from running that I actually looked forward to the triceps curls. My mistake. Triceps curls with SANDBAGS are the demon!!! I didn’t know anything could hurt like that. That first lap complete, we are then told, “first lap down, two more to go.” My response, “Seriously? Seriously? SERIOUSLY?? Oh, yes, seriously!
The second lap, I tried putting the sandbags on my shoulders. Well my shoulders are about 3 inches from neck to end, and I made it all of about 25 yards before they both fell off. Now my sandbags are in the middle of the track and I’m trying to heft them back into my arms. I think I should have gotten extra credit for this extra maneuver, but I don’t think I did!! I approach the end of the second lap with one sandbag slung over my forearm, and the other one dangling from my hand. What a site!!! Thirty more seconds of triceps curls, and then one more lap.
The third lap, I just draped both of them over my forearms, and drug my poor tired body around the track for one more lap. Then one more set of triceps curls.
Sounds like cool down time to me. But, nope!! Back to our little room. Now we are going to work on our core and abs. Oh joy!!! Down on our backs we go for flutter kicks, yes holding our SANDBAG over our chests with arms extended. Four rounds of 30 seconds each. I’m trying to remember that I can do anything for 30 seconds!!! Then followed by full sit-ups, again holding our SANDBAG in our hands with arms extended with each sit-up. Four more rounds of 30 seconds each.
For the grand finale, we are asked to put the sandbag on our shins, legs straight, lay flat, and do leg raises. I'm not sure, and I don't remember when someone nailed my feet to the floor, but they surely did!! I could NOT MOVE MY LEGS!!! No amount of effort or grunting or groaning helped me get my legs off the floor. Not even one-quarter of an inch. A mere one-quarter of an inch!!!! I'm told that just trying was working, so just keep trying!!! That, I did!
Workout complete!!! Good job!!!
Now, I’m one of those folks that avoid a scale at all cost. But I was determined to find out just how much those sandbags weigh. I happily jumped on the scale, weighed myself, then got off, picked up my sandbags, and reweighed. I weighed 20 pounds more!! So each sandbag was 10 pounds. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but believe me, it was AMAZINGLY A LOT!!!!
But here is the real story behind this story … It seemed absolutely ominous to us, as we were doing this workout, the weight of those sandbags. They did weigh a total of 20 pounds. But last year, I carried not only 20 pounds around that track, I carried 77 pounds around that track. Not only around that track, but each and every day of my life, for 15 plus years, I carried 77 pounds around with me. Yes, that is my total weight loss to date. So, when I have those days that the scale is being a brat and showing a little gain, or when I want nachos, or candy, or egg rolls, or pizza, or meatballs … I think about those SANDBAGS and that workout designed for us by Brandon. I didn’t think those sandbags were my friends, and I thought Brandon had really challenged us, but now I realize they are both my friends . The sandbags put into perspective the unhealthy weight I had carried for far too long, and with Brandon’s guidance, my body has very healthily and very efficiently been taken to a new level.
God put me in the right place, at the right time, with the right people. Sit-up's and burpees and sandbags … oh my!!! I’ve never been happier!!
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