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I was recently introduced to Bulgarian Bag training by a local wrestling coach that shares my love of unique training equipment.  Since learning of this interesting training tool I have done some research to learn more about its origin and history, however I have been unable to uncover much.  The primary commercial producer of the Bulgarian Bag is Suples Ltd, founded and owned by a man named Ivan Ivanov who also appears to be the creator of the bag.  Ivanov, a former Olympic wrestler, began his coaching career after retiring from the sport in 1997.  He went on to coach several metal winning athletes using his unique training style which incorporates the Bulgarian training bag.

 

While this unique training tool has its roots in wrestling and is certainly useful in similar mixed martial arts disciplines such as Judo and Jujitsu, it has many applications in a variety of other sports.  Exercises that are unique to this piece of equipment such as the overhead swing, shoulder swing and the halo swing (all demonstrated in the video below) not only strengthen and integrate the stabilizer muscles of the entire body, but also challenge the athlete to maintain his or her center of gravity and control momentum.  This serves to improve balance and coordination in all 3 planes of motion.  There's not an athlete out there in any sport that can't benefit from these improvements. 

 

In the short time I've been using the Bulgarian Bag I have also found it to be very useful for general fitness purposes.  The workout I put together (shown below) is great for the average fitness enthusiast.  The best part is that you only need this one bag for an intense full body workout.  This means that people who are traveling or can't make it to the gym can still get a great workout without a lot of bulky equipment.

 

I have even found myself using a Bulgarian Bag with some of my rehab clients.  I have a client recovering from a shoulder and bicep injury who had difficulty doing lower body exercises because of his upper body restrictions.  He experienced pain when rotating his arm to hold a bar on his shoulders, holding dumbbells by his sides bothered his bicep injury, and holding weight plates at his chest irritated both the biceps and the shoulders.  The shape of the Bulgarian bag ended up being perfect because he could put it on his shoulders but was still able to grip the handles comfortably near his chest.  This afforded us the ability to continue squatting and lunging motions with external resistance while he recovered from his injuries. 

 

The bag I am using in the video is one that I put together myself based on a how-to video I found on YouTube.  All you need is a rubber inner tube, sand, rubber mulch and some duct tape.  I added nylon straps to the handles to better mimic the commercial version and some grip tape to prevent slipping.  The bag I'm using is 30lbs.  I also made a 15lb version for beginner clients.  All you need to do to change the weight is adjust the ratio of rubber mulch to sand when you are filling it.  I recommend not trying to fill it to maximum capacity as this will make it tough to work with.  Also make sure that you alternate between sand and mulch when you are filling it so that both are evenly distributed throughout the bag. 

 

 

 

 

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