Workout sandbags are an excellent tool for functional strength, building stability, and endurance. Here is a full breakdown of the best workout sandbags and why everyone should train with them.
Looking to mix things up with your training?
Develop functional strength?
Then load up a workout sandbag and let’s go to work!
Inherently old-school, workout sandbags are a great way to train at home as they are relatively cheap, don’t require expensive racks and benches, and are surprisingly versatile for such a “basic” piece of workout gear.
There are a lot of reasons that I love training with sandbags.
? In a hurry? The best workout sandbags with handles I’ve ever used are the Rogue Sandbags. You can check today’s pricing on them at Rogue’s website by clicking here.
Here are just a few:
? Stability 9000. Lifts in the gym are predictable and fixed. Weights go up, weights go down. Because the contents of the bag are shifting and uneven, you end up working a lot of stabilizer muscles that often get ignored in the gym.
? Soul crushing. It’s funny how something as simple as a bag can cause a lot of misery (in a good way, obviously ? ), but sandbags are hard to move around! You might be able to move a lot on a barbell, but repeatedly moving a sack that is trying to slip back to Earth is tough.
? Direct applications to real life. Because of the awkward form of resistance, sandbags help you to stabilize and brace your body to lift weird-shaped objects (kids, groceries, a 90s era tube television). Most of the things we carry or lift in real life aren’t on a barbell.
? Endlessly versatile. Workout sandbags can be easily formatted to provide a full-body workout. Improve speed and power with throws. Crank up the anaerobic endurance by doing bouts of uphill walks with it on your back. And so on. Workout sandbags are a tool that can easily be applied to your training goals, no matter what they are.
Okay, okay—I will stop there, because I could go on forever about why workout sandbags are a killer addition to your training.
Let’s get to the best workout sandbags.
Rogue Sandbags
⭐Best heavy-duty workout sandbag with handles
It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Rogue’s gear. You don’t need to be a CrossFit athlete or enthusiast to appreciate their line of epic workout gear, whether it’s their tank of a leg press machine or flat workout benches.
Rogue’s Sandbags come in four different sizes and are made of 1000D MIL spec nylon with heavy duty stitching. Each bag has seven handles for lugging, carrying and pressing. Maximum weight capacity of each bag depends on the material you put in the filler bags, but the largest of the four is rated for around 220 pounds.
Made in the USA, the bags are a couple shades of green and range in sizes from 20 to 42” in length. The interior walls of the bags are lined to help give the bag form and shape.
Load it up with sand and drop it on weight sled for some sledding or ruck it up the stairs at a local stadium. However you end up using the Rogue Sandbags, your lungs and muscles will thank you for it. (Maybe not right away tho.)
You can order through Rogue’s website, with the bags ranging in price from $80-120 plus the cost of the filler bags.
? Price: Starts at $80 (check to see availability at Rogue Fitness)
Meister Elite Fitness Sandbag
While most workout sandbags with handles come with one set of handles, Meister decided to up the game and cover their Elite Fitness Sandbag head-to-toe with handles.
Eight different handles mean you can do farmer carries, curls, goblet squats, presses and on and on.
The shell is made of PVC, and an inner foam frame gives the bag form and rigidity. Up to 50lbs of sand can be stuffed inside.
As a bonus, Meister packages their workout sandbag with three sand kettlebells.
? Price: $149 (check latest price on Amazon)
SKLZ Super Workout Sandbag
SKLZ makes some of my favorite fitness gear, including what I believe to be the best ab roller wheels on the market. They nail it with the Super Sandbag, which is well-priced and can handle up to 40lbs of weight for killer strength and aerobic capacity training.
Six handles give you plenty of grip options. The exterior of the bag is made of durable PVC, but it isn’t made for slamming or hard dropping (as a couple of reviewers have sadly noted).
Great for functional training, the SKLZ Super Workout Sandbag provides and adjustable resistance training workout that you can do in the comfort of your living room or backyard.
? Price: $59 (check latest price on Amazon)
Rubberbanditz Workout Sandbag
Rubberbanditz, besides being a lot of fun to say, makes a killer sandbag that is easy on the wallet. Made with reinforced PVC, the bag is ready for battle and can be filled for up to 50lbs of weight.
Six individual sacks, fabricated with ripstop stitching and a double-layered Velcro opening, are included and can be dropped in the main PVC bag that has seven handles.
Backed with a lifetime warranty, the Rubberbanditz provides an endless number of training options.
? Price: $59 (check latest price on Amazon)
Suples Bulgarian Sandbag
Best workout sandbag for MMA, wrestling, and boxing
Pre-filled with sand, the Suples Bulgarian Bag is primarily used for boxers and fighters. This pre-fill is awesome as it removes the headache of properly filling the bag. This also means the weight in the bag isn’t shifting around when you are working out.
Available in a range of weights, from 6 to 84lbs, the Bulgarian Bag has a couple of handles and a U-shaped bag that can used as a modified weighted vest, for swings, and the usual presses, carries, and push exercises that can be done with traditional workout sandbags.
Unfortunately, because of the bag’s unique design and appeal for fighters and athletes, they are frequently sold out.
If you do manage to get one, the workout sandbag ships with a two-year warranty and instructional tips and videos for how to make the most of training with the Bulgarian bag.
? Price: Check Amazon for availability
Garage Fit Workout Sandbag
Going back to the traditional duffel bag design is the Garage Fit Workout Sandbag. Eight handles line the heavy-duty PVC shell. Sand goes into double-lined inner compartments.
Garage Fit’s workout sandbags provide the most amount of choices, whether it’s sizes or colors.
The bags are rated in a variety of weight ratings. On the low end, Garage Fit offers a bag that stocks up to 25lbs of sand, and on the higher end of things, a bag that can be filled with up to 200lbs. Athletes looking for some color choices will appreciate this workout sandbag as it is available in nearly a dozen different colors.
? Price: Varies by model and size (check to see availability at Amazon)
