Sandbags are the perfect strength training tool for developing big, fast, explosive football linemen. Gone are the days of big slob-type lineman. Take a look at the top Lineman in College and the top guys in the NFL now. Sure, some of them still are a little fat, but they are a far cry from the damn-near 400lbs of the 90's. Lineman today are big, fast, insanely strong and quick. Defensive linemen especially are becoming leaner and much quicker each year.
At the base, lineman need to be extremely strong. They need to do tons of heavy, Max Effort work in the weight room with movements like Box Front and Back Squats, Deadlifts, Snatch Deadlifts, etc. Without these, a lineman will never be successful. Remember, maximum strength is foundational to all other elements of athleticism...speed, explosiveness, agility...so, without building maximum strength, no other skills can be acquired on the line.
However, all that max strength training is useless if you can't learn to transfer that strength to the football field. Lineman on both sides of the ball need to build strength in body positions and from angles that simply cannot be trained in the weight room alone. This is where Sandbags come in.
We refer to this gap between the weight room and the football field as strength leakage. The undertrained lineman will literally leak power from the knees, hips, or shoulders and be unable to transform that 600lb Squat into pancake blocks.
When a lineman who can Bench a ton and Squat a Buick but can't bring his hips into a block, he has big time strength leaks. Simply, his hips, legs or shoulders either aren't strong enough in all the necessary angles or they aren't strong enough in relation to the bigger, stronger muscles of the hamstrings, glutes, quads, pecs, etc.
Sandbags, because the force you into awkward angles, low positions and have you lifting a "weight" that continually moves and shifts, are an excellent remedy for fixing these leaks. They can build the necessary strength in the smaller but all important stabilizer muscles so the big muscles can do their job.
While all Sandbag exercises are helpful, here are the top 3 for building explosive lineman and eliminating strength gaps.
Sandbag Shoulder and Throw
This is an excellent way to teach transfer of power from the ground up. The Sandbag Shoulder and Throw looks a bit like something you'd see in pro-wrestling but its oh-so-good for football lineman.
Grab a sandbag and shoulder it. Now, while still in a bear-hug grip, bend forward and let the bag come between the legs, stop the backward momentum, pop the hips and "throw" the bag behind you. For you wrestlers out there, this looks a bit like a German Suplex.
This movement is great for teaching that explosive hip strength needed to block while working against a "live" weight and staying in body positions that are very similar to those on the field.
You can use this movement as a hamstring/glute finisher on your leg day, at the end of the workout. Three sets of five throws is plenty. If you can't bring the hips hard and the bag just flops down, you're going to heavy.
-Sandbag Clean & Push
And we come right back with another Sandbag exercise that is a coach's dream come true when it comes to building explosive lineman. The Sandbag Clean and Push comes about as close to replicating the body motion that takes place by O and D lineman as anything I've ever seen, blocking sled included!
Grab a heavy bag, clean it forcefully and catch it in a half-Squat. Now, immediately explode upwards like you would in a Clean and Jerk, but rather than press straight up, you push violently up and out (more line an Incline Press) and actually release the bag.
With a barbell, this is impossible, unless you want to break your equipment. Plus, with the bag not only are your hams, quads, glutes, shoulders and low back firing, so are the pecs, obliques and abs in stabilizing roles.
And, of course, there's the fact that because the bag shifts, no two reps will be the same...just like no two blocks are exactly the same. This is something that too many players and coaches miss. We don't always want our training to be perfect. This is why machines have limited application when training football players and, really, all athletes. You build raw strength with barbells and use exercises like the Sandbag Clean and
Push to transform it into usable power on the football field.
-Sandbag Swing with Band
The Sandbag Swing has quickly become one of our favorite exercises for building speed & explosiveness in lineman. It is the perfect storm of unstable weight, accommodating resistance, speed, explosiveness and coordination.
We love Kettlebell Swings for building football speed and explosiveness but they have a major drawback.
Despite their crazy-effectiveness, guys let their ego get in the way, and, instead of using an appropriate weight to get the needed snap (eliciting the stretch reflex), they grab a bell that's way too heavy and end up doing a slow swing. This is exactly what we don't want.
With Sandbags it's difficult to see how much weight someone is using so the ego factor is out.
Plus, with the Sandbags, you can position the hands so the palms are facing each other (like when blocking) and by adding the band, you accommodate resistance and keep the tension from bottom to top.
But, you have to use a small band. Too big of a band and you'll defeat the purpose. You want to use a light band and a medium-heavy bag and snap the hell out of your hips.
Again, stay in a good body position that is exactly like you would use on the field. This is a violent movement, you should think of using the Sandbag to knock an opponent out...wield that bag like a weapon...there's no room for slow movements here.
Use Sandbag Swings after your main heavy movement on leg day. But, beware, the extreme speeds can cause big-time soreness.
-Bearhug and Duckwalk
If there is one thing that just kills me it's watching a big, strong lineman lose all of his power, strength and explosiveness because he doesn't have the flexibility or strength necessary to hold a low position. Because their hips are tight and their low back and mid back aren't strong enough when stretched, they lean forward when trying to block or tackle. I don't care if you're as big and strong as Reggie White, if you lean forward, anyone can beat you. Its simple physics...get 300lbs rolling forward and tilted down at high speeds and you'll see 300lbs hit the ground.
Stretching helps and must be done, but, to really work that position and correct this problem, you need the Bearhug and Duckwalk.
All you need to do is Bearhug a heavy sandbag, drop into a low squat and waddle along. The key is to keep your upper body upright while staying in this extreme low position. Yes, I realize we don't Squat this low on the field, but, build that kind of flexibility and strength in such an extreme position and the normal body angle will be a piece of cake (lineman usually like cake).
The key is to sink down and keep your abs and obliques tight. This movement will do more for you hip flexors than any stretch you can imagine. Don't round you upper back, keep your chest up and shoulder blades pulled together, just as you would on the field. This is not an easy exercise but it's one that will pay enormous dividends when it comes time to take the field.
Use this either as a finisher on leg day or as a conditioning exercise. 3 - 4 sets of 10-yards is a good start...a little goes a long way.
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