Bulgarian Bag:

What is the Bulgarian Bag?

The Bulgarian bag is a very unique piece of training equipment that allows you to do literally millions of workouts with a single piece of equipment. It is essentially a leather bag filled with sand that has several handles on it. The Bulgarian bag has two main handles on each end of the apparatus and they are accompanied by a strap. There are also three different grips on the top of the bag that allow you to use different hand positioning for different angles.

How do you use the Bulgarian bag?

You can use the Bulgarian bag like you would use any other type of weight, with the exception that this particular piece of equipment is flexible so you can do things that you wouldn't dream of doing with a barbell or a dumb bell. For example you can place the Bulgarian bag on your back across your shoulders and do jumps or run or whatever your mind can come up with. Most people would not try to do broad jumps with a weighted barbell. It would pose too high of a risk of injury. You can use the bag in other dynamic exercises such as throwing the bag and retrieving it. I am sure that if you were throwing a dumb bell inside a house or a gym that it definitely would not go over very well with the owner.

Why should I use the Bulgarian bag, can't I just get a good workout using weights?

Sure you can use regular old weights, but the exercises that are done with the Bulgarian bag involve so many muscles at once that you can get a great fat burning, strength, and muscular endurance building workout in a very short period of time. You can set a goal to do 100 reps of spins with the Bulgarian bag and you will be sweating and have your heart pumping hard within just a couple of minutes into your workout. You can also travel with the Bulgarian bag which is a huge bonus. There are a variety of bags ranging from about 10 pounds up to 50 pounds so it is very easy to take this piece of equipment with you, and if you do decide to take the bag with you, it is like having an entire gym in one small piece of equipment.

Who came up with the Bulgarian Bag?

The creator of the Bulgarian bag is Ivan Ivanov of Bulgaria. He trained with a variation of the bag as a youth and continued to do so throughout his competitive Greco roman wrestling career. During his competitive career as an athlete he was able to win a silver medal at the Greco roman World Championships as well as represent Bulgaria in the Olympic Games. He now trains world class athletes that are preparing for the Olympic Games as well, and a bulk of their strength training involves using the Bulgarian bag for various exercises and drills. He has coached 8 athletes to winning medals at the World championships and Olympic Games. He also coached numerous athletes that have won national titles for the United States.

The Bulgarian Bag – The Ultimate Training Tool

The Bulgarian bag is the ultimate training tool when it comes to getting in great shape fast. There are so many exercises that can be done with this one piece of equipment, and it is also very easy to transport, thus, giving you an accessible workout wherever you may go. These two attributes combined give the Bulgarian bag its great advantage as a training tool, especially for those fitness enthusiasts who are looking for a workout that will challenge them and provide an experience that is different from your regular gym attendance.

The exercises that are done with the Bulgarian bag require many muscles to work together in order to maintain your balance and stability. With the Bulgarian bag you can do a lot of swinging and heaving motions and it are these exercises that bring all of your stabilizer muscles into play. One of these exercises is "spinning" with the bag. Basically this exercise involves you swinging the back up and around your head in a circular motion. The movement of the bag requires you to always be ready for where the bag is swinging, and you need to have a good rhythm to keep the bag spinning.

Perhaps the biggest group of people that has discovered the value of the Bulgarian bag is fighters, grapplers, and other combat athletes. There are many movements and actions that take place in fights or combat situations that require the athlete to be able to generate or apply force while moving and at the same time resist the force of their opponent. By putting themselves in challenging positions with the bag, they are better prepared for that situation when they are fighting or competing.

Even though the bag is a great tool for combat athletes, it is also a great training aid for anybody that is looking to get in better shape and to do it quickly. Men, women, and youths can benefit from using the Bulgarian bag in their training regimens. Using the bag during training can help you to build strength and muscle mass. The workouts done with the bag can also be very intense which will allow you to build your aerobic capacity, muscular endurance, and burn off fat faster than you could if you were participating in a traditional body building routine.

With the benefits of this piece of equipment being versatile, easily transported, and dynamic, it is no wonder that it has become so popular among combat athletes as well as made its presence known in the general fitness community. The Bulgarian bag is definitely a great tool that will benefit anybody that uses it, and it can definitely be considered the ultimate training tool that you can use to get in shape fast.

BULGARIAN BAG SPIN

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and planted firmly on the ground. Hold the bag by its main handles and spin it in a clockwise direction, moving your body while keeping your knees soft and core engaged. Perform 12 to 15 repetitions. Then spin in an anti-clockwise direction.

Works: Forearms, shoulders, back and core muscles

BULGARIAN BAG SQUAT

Place the bag on the shoulders, securing its placement by holding the main handles. Squat to the point where the knee joint is at 90 degrees, and return to the standing position. Keep the back in a neutral position throughout the movement. On the downward movement, ensure that the knee doesn’t come too far forward over the foot. Perform 12 to 15 repetitions.

Works: Glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings

BULGARIAN SIT-UP

Sit on the floor holding the bag in the baby-carry position and squeeze it into your chest. Keeping your feet and knees together, and the bag squeezed close to the chest, go into the lying position and return to the start. For best results, the bag must be kept close to the top of the chest.

Works: Abdominals and core muscles