The Sandbag-To-Shoulder exercise is becoming an essential aspect of both Strongman and CrossFit competitions. The World’s Strongest Gay, Rob Kearney, decided to release a video addressing this vital exercise, in particular, how to perform the lift correctly. Rob shared the video on his YouTube channel and reflected on multiple ways of performing the lift.
The sandbag-to-shoulder movement is a test of overall strength, power, and technique. It involves lifting a heavy sandbag from the ground and onto the shoulder, with the goal of completing the lift as quickly and efficiently as possible. However, due to its complexity, proper technique is a must have when performing the exercise. Luckily, Rob Kearney revealed how to lift like a pro in just a few simple steps.
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To demonstrate the proper movements, Rob Kearney used a 200-pound sandbag, lifting it multiple times like it was nothing. His first step is positioning, which sees him place the sandbag length-wise between his legs. This means that he places his feet next to the narrower sides of the sandbag.
“In order to get this from the ground to the shoulder most effectively, I like to orient myself in a vertical or lengthwise orientation over the bag. Because when we get this to our lap, we just have to get it to our shoulder. We don’t have to rotate the sandbag in any direction.”
However, if the sandbag is extremely heavy, it becomes harder for Rob Kearney to lift it off the floor as comfortably, so he places it width-wise. While Rob finds the first (lengthwise) orientation more comfortable, it can vary from one person to another. This makes it easier to lift the bag from the floor, but harder to place it on the shoulder. He is also standing straight above the sandbag. If he stood even more forward it would be hard to pick up the sandbag, while standing too far back would also make the task much more difficult.
“If we choose this horizontal (width) orientation for the sandbag, the pick is going to be exactly the same. The only difference is, we will have to rotate the bag 90 degrees for it to be safe and secure on our shoulder.”
Once the time comes to pick the sandbag up, Rob Kearney advises grabbing the sandbag with arms as straight as possible and deadlifting it off the floor.
“We want to pick this thing up with straight arms or as straight as possible… we want to deadlift it with straight arms into our lap.”
Once the sandbag is picked up using the deadlift motion, Rob Kearney’s instruction is to sit into a front squat position, cupping the bag in your lap and re-adjusting the initial grip. The sandbag should also be leaned against the chest, instead of being placed lower down by the belly.
Once that is completed, the most difficult part of the exercise is set to begin. The transition from the squat position to lifting the sandbag to your shoulder will require great coordination and use of momentum. Similar to the Atlas Stones technique, the hip thrust presents one of the most important aspects of this stage.
“We want to squeeze the bag into our chest… We are then going to stand up, thrus our hips forward, and we need to think about the direction where the sandbag needs to go… The sandbag has to move back a little bit to get onto our shoulder. So, we need to think up and back in terms of the direction of the sandbag.”
There are two ways of doing the final stage of the lift. One is the slower way in which you throw the bag upwards and dip slightly to catch it with the shoulder, while the other is an explosive way resembling a traditional power clean. Rob then gave one final tip regarding the stability at the top of the lift.
“When the bag is on your shoulder, make sure that your arm is wrapped around it completely, kind of hugging it on your shoulder.”
Watch Rob Kearney’s video here:
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Rob Kearney has been named as a part of the 10-man roster for the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic, which is scheduled to take place on March 3-4 in Columbus, Ohio. In addition, the 2023 World’s Strongest Man will also take place just over 2 weeks after that, so Rob will have a busy couple of months.
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