[Hannibal]

(04-15-2015 04:01 PM)Gumbril Wrote:  

Hello All,

I have been following SL 5x5 for about 2-3 months now and starting to experience positive results. I finish each workout off with neck and grip strength work. I also roll BJJ once or twice a week, but would do 3-4 if time permitted. Ideal for me would be at least 5-6 hours of mat time a week.

I'd like to complement the strength program by doing some conditioning for say 2 sessions a week.

Mostly I am interested in building my forearms, grip and endurance for grappling with bodyweight exercises and kettlebells.

Dude, get into sandbag training. Wrestlers have been using sandbags and odd objects to train with since wrestling was a sport.

Kettlebells are not a good return for the amount of money you throw at them. 24 kg too easy? Better spend another $230 to get a pair of 32 kg. Anything you do with a kettlebell, you could do with a dumbbell. The best part is that most gyms have heavier dumbbells than they do kettlebells.

They're real hyped up by a certain company, but you could do high rep barbell or dumbbell snatches and get basically the same cardiovascular effect. There is nothing magical about kettlebells.

Sandbags are cheap, versatile, and a great return for the money. Do reps, add sand, rinse and repeat. It's like throwing around a dead body. If you get a sandbag without handles on it, you will get a great workout for your grip. Even with handles it's still a pain in the ass to use (which provides good carryover for grappling).

I would do the two workouts for time.

Workout A
Sandbag shouldering, as many reps as possible in 20 minutes. Shoulder the sandbag, slam it on the ground, throw it back up to the other shoulder, rinse and repeat. Add some weight when you reach a rep goal (could be 50, could be 100, depends on how much endurance you want).

Workout B
Sandbag clean and press, as many reps as possible in 20 minutes. Add some weight when you reach a rep goal (could be 50, could be 100, depends on how much endurance you want).

Finisher if you're into that sort of thing.
10 minutes of sandbag carries. Alternate different carrying styles and grips when you get tired, once it hits the ground you're done.

If you really want you could also do zercher squats for time. It's not the best use of a sandbag but it's decent cardio and your legs and arms will get some extra work.

You could go the Brute Force sandbag route if you want a durable bag designed for workouts. It has handles. It also has two (or maybe three) bags inside of it, one you fill with sand and the other ones go around it to prevent spills.

If you want something cheaper you could go the homemade route.