Complicated, time consuming and body part isolation exercises will not give you the best fitness results.
In fact, they may just sour your motivation, make you prone to injury and sink your fitness goals and quality of life.
Over the years, I have learned to practice sustainable fitness concepts and exercises while getting rid of exercises and training styles that ran counterproductive to a powerfully balanced life.
Did I practice and follow poor training concepts in my early health and fitness endeavors?
You bet I did – and more than I care to remember, unfortunately!
My body of work I share with you is based on “paying my dues” over the years testing training concepts and learning from quality mentors, fellow trainers, fitness enthusiasts and hours of research and trial and error.
It’s still a tough but interesting fitness journey, but I hope some of my concepts can help you focus on what works to maximize your learning curve without wasting your precious time.
You will really hit the fitness jackpot when you can identify high value total body exercises that are simple to learn, sustainable to perform and can be scaled to any fitness level.
Check out this weighted carry workout that fits this description to a tee:
For demonstration purposes, I am using the Ultimate Sandbag created by smart fitness cat and solid strength coach, Josh Henkin.
Walking with weight or load is a true blue total body workout leaving no muscle untouched.
Explore my site for tons of variations for you to practice and apply in your own worthy training program.
What’s Going On And Why Does This Work?
I am picking weight up off the ground
This has a profoundly intense metabolic effect that fires up the entire body to produce powerful fitness results
I am driving the weight (sandbag) overhead
All muscles are totally engaged head to toe
I am thoughtfully walking with the sandbag
All muscles continue to be activated – notice a trend?
I’m training barefoot
This transfers better stimulus to the brain recruiting maximum muscle fibers. It feels good too!
I’m training in sand
Training in a “live” terrain environment like sand forces you to recruit more stabilizer muscles as you must meet the intense challenge of constantly compensating for the subtle shifting the sand imposes. These weighted walks are highly challenging on solid ground, so don’t enter the sand until you’re comfortable with basic solid terrain.
Discovering your core
Ever wonder where your core musculature is everyone spouts about? Don’t worry as you will definitely feel it as these weighted carries are real core crushers!
Suggested Ways To Perform
Walk a fixed distance of 50 steps using short strides and erect posture without collapsing your arms
Don’t hold your breath – I have to tell (sometimes yell) this to trainees of all fitness levels as they don’t realize they are not breathing because these weighted walks are total body taxing exercises and require way more concentration than they think.
So try breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth constantly as you walk
Dump the weight to end the exercise – just be careful where you dump it!
Rest 30 seconds to 2 minutes based on your fitness recovery level.
Repeat 4- 6 times or set the clock for 10 minutes to see how many quality walks you can perform
Experiment with the weight and distance walked. The heavier the load the shorter the walk
End the exercise before going to complete muscle failure – keep a few steps in reserve so as you don’t counter productively blitz your entire central nervous system.
If your form and technique falter – usually indicated by your arms collapsing or you find you can no longer brace your core and go all loosy goosy – immediately end the walk and take enough recovery time to come back strong in the next round.
Training in this manner is deceptively intense, challenging, brief and will reward all fitness levels with powerfully satisfying results.
Give it a shot and break from the fitness herd – Your body will thank you!
Related: The Ultimate Carry Workout
Related: Are You Impressive Or Unremarkable?
Related: Why Sandbags Upgrade Your Training Results
I’m Mark Mellohusky and I may be one of the few people you know who can justify bringing sand to the beach.
My last name looks like an eye chart, but is not too bad to pronounce – Mellow-Husky
While I share a lot of tips, techniques, fitness, financial and well being philosophy on my site, it is unrealistic to try to adopt it all into your overall life fitness plan as we all have different health and fitness gaps in our programs we need to address.
So take what you need to succeed even if it’s just one concept and fill those fitness gaps, dare to get out of your comfort zone and experience the thrill of doing what works and realizing your worthy life goals!
Remember in life: If you act like a sap, expect to get treated like one.
I eat tuna steaks and walk around with weights!
Seven Stars Fitness