Bulgarian Bags

Bulgarian Bags: Weaponised Sandbags With Commitment Issues

Bulgarian bags are croissant-shaped bags full of sand that refuse to behave nicely - and that’s exactly why we love them at the Commando Temple.

They were invented by Ivan Ivanov. He was the USA Olympic wrestling team coach in the late 90s, early 00s. He wanted something soft that could be used on mats to train wrestlers, but also challenge strength and conditioning and especially grip endurance.

The inspiration for the shape comes from farmers carrying lambs back from market. They’d grab the animals by the legs and throw them on their shoulders! Would you believe it

They’re used for:

• rotational strength (twisting, turning, flinging)

• full-body conditioning without boring cardio

• hips, core and shoulders learning to cooperate

• building strength that transfers to real life

Because they’re soft and awkward, Bulgarian bags don’t let you “cheat” with momentum or rigid positions. You have to move with them, not against them.

They’re especially good if you:

• hate treadmills

• want strong hips and a resilient spine

• enjoy training that looks unhinged but feels great

• prefer your strength training slightly unpolished

In short: Bulgarian bags are chaos training, but the productive kind. Expect your hands, biceps and shoulders to get absolutely rinsed! Juicy as a tin of beans.

How can I get my hands on the bags?

I train many 121 clients with the bags. If 121 isn’t for you, every week, myself and Marcus run a FREE bag club session at the gym. It’s 9am each and every Friday. Get in touch via the button and register your interest. We also have workshops from time to time, as well as an annual competition involving the bags, you can click the events button to see if we have one coming up!

Get yourself involved in the bag life today! You won’t regret it