Make Your Own Sandbags for Fitness

Sandbags provide a different way to participate in both aerobic and anaerobic training. Making your own sandbags for fitness is not very difficult, and can be accomplished in a couple hours at most. Sandbags can replace the majority of weight lifting movements, such as deadlifts, squats, bench presses, and shoulder presses, and can also be used to perform cardiovascular training. Purchasing sandbags from a retailer can cost you several hundred dollars, so making them yourself can save you a great deal of money.

Purchase all materials from a hardware store. If you wish to make more than one size and weight of sandbag, purchase one canvas bag, one box of Ziploc bags, one roll of duct tape and the appropriate amount of sand, based on how heavy you want the bags to be.

Fill up one Ziploc bag at a time about 3/4 of the way full with sand. Seal the top of the bag and reinforce the seal by lining a piece of duct tape along it. Wrap two more pieces up duct tape around the bag perpendicular to each other, forming a cross shape.

Fill the freezer bags with the smaller bags until the freezer bag is 3/4 of the way full. Use the duct tape to seal the top, and then wrap a tape "cross" around the freezer bag, until the bag is thoroughly sealed.

Set the canvas bag on the scale. Begin filling the canvas bag with the individual freezer bags until the sandbag is the weight you want it. If there is too much slack inside the bag, then stuff old clothes or pillowcases inside the canvas bag until the sandbag is comfortable to pick up.

Test the bag before using by picking it up and slamming it against the floor and against the wall. Open the canvas and check for leaking sandbags and any tears or rips. If everything appears to be intact, then your sandbags are now ready to use.

Repeat the process above for each additional sandbag you would like to make.