ONE-PIECE WORKOUT

The arm candy that can turn your training around in just five simple but absolutely killer moves. Get ready for the gains…

Get a hold of the sandbag

Kit doesn’t come much more functional than the sandbag, and this military training favourite can be easily incorporated into your full-body workouts to maximise results. ‘It forces your body to work harder to control each movement, thanks to the shifting weight of the sand inside,’ explains Third Space personal trainer Risqat Fabunmi-alade. ‘This means the oft-underused stabilising muscles in your core take a beating.’ Sound good? Course it does, you masochist. Let’s get going.

1 HAMMER CURL Targets: Biceps, lower back, core

(a) Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart. With your arms relaxed, hold the sandbag by the handles in front of your thighs. (b) Brace your core, then hinge at the elbows to lift the bag to your shoulders. Now, with control, slowly lower it back down to the starting position. Repeat, keeping your feet planted, elbows tucked in and back straight throughout.

2 BURPEE INTO OVERHEAD PRESS Targets: Full body

(a) Start in a wide-legged squat, holding the handles of the sandbag – it should be resting on the floor slightly in front of your feet. (b) Keeping hold of the bag, jump your feet back into a wide plank. (c) Now, jump your feet back in and stand up, using the momentum to lift the bag off the ground and straight above your head. Then lower it back down to the floor with control. That’s one rep. Only 11 more to go.

3 REVERSE LUNGE WITH GOOD MORNING Targets: Glutes, quads, hamstrings, core

(a) With your feet hip-width apart, place the sandbag on your shoulders and hold the handles. Take a big step back with your left foot and lower into a lunge. Then return to the starting position.

(b) Slightly bend your knees and slowly hinge forward 90° at the hips. Then reverse until you’re upright and go again from the beginning, alternating feet on the lunge. Keep your spine aligned throughout and don’t allow your chin to collapse on to your chest.

4 SUMO SQUAT INTO HIGH PULL Targets: Glutes, quads, traps, deltoids

(a) Start with your feet wide and your toes slightly turned out. Keeping your back straight, squat down to retrieve the sandbag from the floor in front of you.

(b) Now, squeezing your glutes, explode upwards to bring the bag straight up in front of your chest, until your elbows are in line with your shoulders. Then squat down to lower the sandbag back to the floor and repeat. Oof.

5 GLUTE BRIDGE WITH PULL OVER Targets: Posterior chain, chest, lats, core

(a) Lie on your back with your legs bent, feet planted on the floor and the sandbag across your hips. Keep hold of the handles as you thrust your hips upwards until your knees, hips and shoulders are in a straight line. Then slowly lower your bum to the ground. (b) Now, lift the sandbag up until your arms are straight above your shoulders. Then, in a controlled movement, keeping your lower back on the floor, lower it behind your head. Don’t let the bag touch the floor. Slowly reverse to bring the bag back to your hips, then repeat from the beginning.