Sandbag Lift, Squat and Press Combo

I have no video of this yet - but it's an easy movement. You pick up a sandbag from the floor, then press it above your head. Then bring it back down to your chest and hold it there, resting it on your pecks. Do a squat. Then put the sandbag back down. That is one rep. ... Read more

Sandbag Clean and Throw

Use the technique shown here to clean the sandbag, then throw it into the air as high as you can, slightly forwards, so that it doesn't come back and hit you. This adds a plyometric (explosive) element to the movement you cannot get with a dumbbell or barbell because of the damage you would cause if you released them!

Clearly you need a sandbag that's not so heavy that it cannot be thrown - the one being used in the clean and jerk video is perhaps a little heavy... ... Read more

Shoulder Press

This can be done with dumbbells or a barbell, either seated or standing up. With a barbell, there is the question of whether to bring the bar to the front or the back of the neck. My experience has been that the behind-the-neck variation is awkward and can lead to injury especially if the bar brought all the way down to the traps.

The videos show a couple of the combinations.

When I was doing this exercise with heavy dumbbells, I found that if I allowed my upper arms to go below the horizontal position I developed injuries over time. People would tell me that I needed to get the full range of movement, but I am not convinced this is necessary.

These days I only do shoulder press with light weights as part of a circuit, usually standing up.

Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Seated Front Barbell Shoulder Press

Even though it has a bit of a muscle-head emphasis, I picked this video because it shows the arms going no lower than the horizontal, which as I mention above, I think reduces the likelihood of injury.

With Sandbag

As seen in the first few seconds of this video. If you are just using the sandbag to press and not for the other exercises they go on to do, then a heavier bag would be needed. Mine is 28kg and I can manage no more than 15 good reps from fresh.


... Read more

Clean and Press (or Jerk)

This is basically about getting an object above your head at arms length. It's basically a clean or power clean followed by pressing the weight above your head.

Whether or not you do a 'press' or a 'jerk' really depends on the extent to which you recruit your legs to give initial momentum to driving the weight above your head. It's a fine line. Just do what feels best for the weight you are using and let other people worry about semantics!

N.B. I am not including the snatch here - just pressing or jerking the weight above the head.

Barbell

Dumbbell

Sandbag

... Read more