subject: The Bulgarian Bag [print this page] The Bulgarian Bag The Bulgarian Bag
The 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.
