You can develop a great deal of strength in the weight room, but traditional barbell lifts won't help you to perform a real-life tasks on the job like sandbag lifts and rope pulls will. I recommend adding odd object lifting to your exercise regimen to increase functional strength and add variety to your program. Read our feature, " Odd Object Training ," for the full story.
Odd Objects
Rope pulls and other similar exercises build core strength as well as grip strength.
Grip strength, which this rope walk helps to improve, is much underrated. In a physical confrontation, it is highly important for pulling and controlling a subject.
If you tie one end of a rope to a bar you can perform rope walks by walking your hands up the rope and then back down.
To complete a 100-pound sandbag lift, lift the sandbag dynamically from the floor to the shoulder in one continuous motion. Keep your back as straight as possible and exhale forcefully when lifting the sandbag.
When training with water-filled objects, such as this stability ball, water accelerates within the object to create more resistance when reversing the motion of the exercise.
Sandbags are one great way to develop the functional strength you require on the job. The sandbag lift is a total body exercise that enhances motor control and core strength. This is the start point of a 100-pound sandbag lift.
Water-filled objects challenge balance, motor control, and core stability/strength, depending on the exercise being performed.
You can drape 10- to 11-foot lengths of climbing rope over a bar to use for rope pulls.
Training with water-filled objects adds another dynamic to an exercise: inertia. The following three photos demonstrate how to use this to your advantage by moving this ball in a chopping motion.
If you have a training partner you can perform two-person pulls. Just remember that you must maintain constant tension on the rope for this exercise.
You can use a PVC pipe filled slightly with water to perform a shoulder press, as shown here. Water-filled pipes require you to push or pull evenly, forcing you to use your core to balance.