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How to make a sandbag for $10

by Scott Bird
November 2, 2006
7 comments

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DIY workout gear doesn’t come much cheaper than this. If you’ve got 10 bucks in your pocket and an hour to spare, pop down to the nearest hardware store and grab the following :

8-10 heavy-duty freezer bags (the ‘snap lock’ ones are great if you can get them)
large hessian sack
large heavy-duty garden sack (to fit inside the hessian one)
roll of cloth tape
ball of twine
about 20kg(45lb) of sand (any kind with a fairly small grain)

Assembly

Assembly is a straightforward process.

Making mini sandbags Half fill each of the freezer bags with sand (until you run out of sand - I used 6, but it’s good to have spares).

Mini sandbags taped up Seal and tape each bag tightly - make sure you squeeze all the air out.

Completed sandbag Place the garden sack inside the hessian one, and fill it with the small sandbags.

Tie up the sacks with twine.

That’s it! Obviously there’s a bit of trial-and-error involved, but you really can’t go too far wrong.

Changes I would make

I’ll use it a few times before I really start changing things, but a couple of likely culprits :

I’d probably double-bag the smaller sandbags. Just in case.
I may increase the cost slightly and start with more than 20kg of sand. It’s a good weight to start with, but a couple of weeks may suggest that more is necessary.

Further reading

You may be wondering what to do with your new toy. Here are a few ideas.

Sandbag Training for Ultimate Abs And Core
Josh Henkin

Effective sandbag training
Josh Henkin

7 Reasons Why You Should Incorporate Sandbag Training Into Home Gym Trainees [.pdf, 207kb]
Josh Henkin

Sandbag lifting
John Brookfield

Videos

273lb sandbag clean and press (streaming, 962kb .flv download via KeepVid)

Sandbag assault movie (streaming, 3.7mb .flv download via KeepVid)

Sandbag high pull (streaming, 773kb .flv download via KeepVid)

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Comments

As a fast-converting Vern Gambetta functional training fan, I think these bags are a great idea.

Posted by: harrowdrive | November 3, 2006 2:11 AM

Vern does some great stuff. I’m a little frustrated though - it’s raining here (which is actually a good thing, as it hasn’t rained for weeks and we’re in drought), and the sandbag isn’t exactly an indoor toy. So unfortunately the great ideas will have to wait a couple of days :)

Posted by: Scott | November 3, 2006 7:12 AM

I have some silly questions:
1. why isn’t it an indoor toy? Is it the lack of indoor space, or the danger of sand escaping?
2. what is a garden sack made of? and,
3. ok to use duct tape rather than cloth?

Posted by: Mich | November 4, 2006 10:49 AM

Hi Mich, things in Kansas still keeping you busy?

A few answers :

The only reason I don’t use the sandbag indoors is danger of sand escaping. The bag itself is fine, but the lawn has a lot less in the way of sharp objects than the home gym. Other than that there’s no reason it wouldn’t be suitable for use in an apartment.

The garden sack is made from a woven plastic (the name escapes me right now, but it’s a bit like a thin, flexible sheet of fibreglass). Anything fairly tough would be fine - using two hessian sacks would be just as good.

Duct tape is great stuff, and I’m sure it’d be a good match for this. I used cloth tape because I’d used it before when fattening up the chinning bar, and it’s good stuff. I actually ran out near the end of the sandbag construction though, which is why a couple of the mini-sandbags are a different colour (I used packing tape for the remainder).

When you get a chance to make one, post a photo or two. It’s a great little toy.

Posted by: Scott | November 4, 2006 1:02 PM

Thanks dude. I was just about to tackle the Sandbag thing and this may be the route I’ll go. I like the sandbag training websites because the “bag” he uses has handles in various places that allow it to be lifted in various ways.

thoughts on that?

Posted by: Former Fat Guy | September 6, 2007 8:19 AM

Hi Rob. The idea of having handles is a bit like wearing gloves. Inappropriate most of the time (especially if you’re trying to work grip strength); but useful occasionally. I guess it just depends on your goals, and the intended use of the bag.

Personally, I like the fact that this one doesn’t have handles, and is a little awkward to pick up. More effort required, which is exactly what I want.

What sort of exercises did you have in mind? They’ll steer you in the right direction.

Incidentally, if you decide to go with the handles, just get a cheap duffel bag from an army surplus store. Fill it the same way.

Posted by: Scott | September 6, 2007 11:39 AM

after thought and some looks at the types of bags and the exercises, I’m going to make a version without handles. Just a plain sand bag

Posted by: Former Fat Guy | February 21, 2008 12:29 PM