Sandbags and kettlebells are both useful tools for a variety of training goals. Both are designed to allow users to get a full-body workout with relative safety and low cost, which is essential for beginners or those on a tight budget.
Let’s take a quick look at the differences between Sandbag and Kettlebells to help you decide which type of equipment to use in your workouts.
What are sandbags?
A sandbag is a simple way to add weight to an exercise and is an excellent option for home workouts. Sandbags are also portable and easily stored, making them ideal for traveling or working out at home.
Sandbags come in different shapes and sizes, so you can choose one that fits your needs. Some people prefer a flat bag for lifting, while others prefer a rounded shape for exercises like squats because it provides back support.
The weight of the sand in your bag will vary depending on the size of the bag and how much sand you put in it. A typical 20-pound bag may have between three and five pounds of sand. The more sand in your bag, the heavier it will be when complete!
Sandbags can be used for:
Weight training
Sandbags are ideal for weight training because they allow you to train your muscles naturally. When you lift an average weight or barbell, you have to stabilize the weight with your hands and arms. When you lift a sandbag, however, the sandbag will naturally shift around as you lift it, which forces your body to stabilize itself when lifting the sandbag. This helps build stronger muscles throughout your whole body.
Endurance training
Sandbags are also great for building endurance in your upper body because they require more effort than traditional weights do when using them for exercises like push-ups or planks. Using sandbags forces you to work harder than standard weights due to their instability, which will help build endurance throughout your entire upper body.
Core strength training
Core strength training involves strengthening your abdominal and lower back muscles — these muscles help support our spine, so they are essential! Sandbag exercises strengthen these muscles because they require more stabilization than other exercises, such as dumbbells.
Powerlifting
Sandbags are a great way to add resistance to your lifts. They’re especially helpful if you’re training alone or in a commercial gym where it’s hard to find equipment that will allow you to load up with as much weight as you’d like. You can also use them for mobility and strength training, though.
Resistance training
Sandbags add weight and resistance to exercises like squats and lunges. They can also help build grip strength, which is something everyone needs!
Plyometrics and mobility training
Sandbags are versatile enough for plyometrics, mobility work, and even agility exercises like jumps or lateral sprints. This makes them an excellent addition to any athlete’s training program!
What is a kettlebell?
A kettlebell is a cast-iron ball with a handle. It’s not just a piece of equipment; it’s an exercise tool that can be used in many different ways. Everyone uses kettlebells, from professional athletes to people just getting into fitness.
Kettlebells are perfect for developing strength and power in your lower body muscles, including glutes, hamstrings, and quads. They’re also great for working your core muscles — the muscles between your hips and shoulders that help stabilize your torso during exercises like squats and deadlifts.
Kettlebells also improve balance and coordination because they require more control than other weightlifting equipment. This makes them especially popular among older adults who want to stay active and fit without risking injury from heavy weights or machines requiring excessive balance or coordination.
Why choose sandbags over kettlebells?
Here are reasons why you should choose sandbags over kettlebells:
- Sandbags provide more stability than kettlebells because they’re not spinning around your hand/wrist as you move them around your body. This makes it easier to perform exercises with proper form and technique, which will help you progress faster towards your goals.
- Sandbags can be used for dynamic exercises such as swinging and static holds bottoms-up carries. Kettlebells are usually used only for dynamic activities because their shape doesn’t allow for many other exercises besides swings and cleans.
- Sandbags can be loaded with more weight than kettlebells because there’s no handle at the top which reduces the amount of weight that can be loaded on each side compared to a dumbbell or barbell, where both sides can be weighted equally.
- Kettlebells are also not as versatile as sandbags, which means you have to buy several different kinds of them to cover all of your needs, which can get very expensive.
- Sandbags offer more resistance than kettlebells due to their weight distribution and the way they are held in your hands, and this means that you can use them for a wider range of exercises than traditional kettlebells.
- Sandbags are also much easier to handle than kettlebells because they have no handles and therefore do not need any particular kind of grip strength to use them effectively. This makes them perfect for beginners just starting with fitness training.
- Sandbag training is more functional than kettlebell training because it gives more when using it on unstable surfaces like in the real world. Kettlebells have little provided because they’re rigid and solid; they don’t show when you drop them or someone steps on them — only when you swing them around explosively. Sandbags, however, have some give because they’re filled with sand or gravel, so they’re much more similar to what we encounter in everyday life, like carrying groceries.
Conclusion
Sandbags are cheaper than kettlebells because they are filled with sand, which is much cheaper than iron. The durability of a sandbag is superior to that of a kettlebell. While a kettlebell can only withstand a few drops on the floor, a sandbag will last through many drops. Sandbags provide continuous tension and resistance during exercises, as opposed to kettlebells, where the weight is increased through momentum during each movement set. Overall, this article should help you decide whether or not it’s better to use sandbags over kettlebells in your workout routine.