The Bulgarian Bag Spin is the most iconic Bulgarian bag exercise and something very unique to this training tool. If you haven’t done so already check out our 3-part spin prep movement series showing you how to break down the movement into smaller parts. This exercise is excellent for building explosive power, upper body strength…
The Bulgarian Bag Slow Spin Transition is the final prep movement in the series. The 1st prep exercise teaches you how to whip the leading hand over the top the head using a halo type movement. The 2nd prep exercise teaches you where the line the bag must travel through during the top of the…
The Bulgarian Bag Side Swing To High Park is the second prep movement in the series and teaches you the line the bag should travel through during the top of the movement. The main difference between this progression and the last is that with this movement the elbows finish high and the bag sits between…
The Bulgarian Bag Side Swing To Shoulder Park is a preparation drill used to teach the spin. It’s a similar movement to the Lamb swing except instead of taking the bag from the floor, you perform a high swing. This movement will teach you how to correctly perform the ‘halo’ type movement of quickly whipping…
Bulgarian Bag Mills are my favourite Bulgarian bag exercise and are excellent for building explosive strength whilst being metabolically demanding. The exercise is quite similar to the side swipe except you complete the movement by casting the bag out to the opposite direction it came from.
The Bulgarian Bag Lamb Swing is a traditional Bulgarian bag exercise that takes the bag from the floor, just outside of the mid-line… and places it in the back position. The trick with this movement is to rotate the thoracic at the top of the upswing and to whip the leading hand quickly round the…
The Bulgarian Bag Pivot Snatch is a fun transverse plane movement the combines the snatch with slight hip rotation and foot pivot. This exercise will teach you balance, coordination and timing as is fantastic for developing rotational core strength, shoulder stability and upper body strength.
The Bulgarian Bag Rotational Snatch & Lunge is a very tricky movement to get right and should only be attempted when you can perform both the snatch and the lunge with proficient technique. Break the movement down into two 1) The Snatch 2) The Lunge with the bag held overhead. Then, when you feel confident…
The Bulgarian Bag rotational snatch is all about timing. Punch vertically to early and the movement will resemble a press, punch vertically to late and the bag will slap the back of your wrists at the top of the movement. Practice this exercise with a lighter bag before to master the technique.
The Bulgarian Bag rotational high pull is similar to the sagittal plane high pull, but performed in the transverse plane (rotational). There are many similarities in technique, except with the transverse version there will be some thoracic rotation at the bottom of the swing. Stand with your feet close together to ensure there is enough…
The Bulgarian bag rotational clean and press combines the rotational clean with the rotational press. You can alternate between sides on the clean or stay on one side.
The Bulgarian Bag Rotational Press is basically a shoulder press but with the extra movement of hip rotation with a pivot from the back foot. This rotation will engage the core differently and add a more athletic element to the traditional press.
The Bulgarian bag walking oblique swing is very similar to the rotational Bulgarian bag swing, but, with a small step. Try to keep the steps fairly small otherwise you will lose control of the bag as you step to far forward, this movement really isolates the hamstring on trailing leg.
The Bulgarian bag rotational swing aka shovelling swing is the transverse plane version of the traditional linear swing. The movement is quite similar but there is some thoracic rotation toward the bottom of the swing plus, you will need to keep your feet close together at hip width apart so the bag can swing outside…
The Bulgarian bag rotational deadlift is the same as the traditional linear deadlift… but in the transverse plane. This is an excellent movement for developing leg strength, rotational core strength and a powerful grip.
The Bulgarian bag arm throw is a traditional Bulgarian bag movement. It’s an excellent full body exercise that will develop power, build rotational core strength, grip strength and leg strength.
The Bulgarian Bag lateral lunge and clean is a great frontal plane movement. Your legs get worked with the lateral lunge and the upper body is challenged through the clean.
The Bulgarian bag side swipe is basically the same exercise as the sagittal plane Bulgarian bag swipe. However, the side swipe is performed in the frontal plane. The Bulgarian bag side swipe is a preparation movement for the Bulgarian bag mill.
The Bulgarian bag 180 is an exercise similar to the Bulgarian bag side clean, but… instead of finishing the movement at the bottom of the swing, complete a full half circle.
One of the key benefits of the Bulgarian bag is it’s ability to move multi-planar. When performing the side clean be sure to charge your weight in the opposite direction to counter the weight of the bag as it moves laterally across the front of the body.
The Bulgarian bag side swing squat aka Bulgarian skier is the lateral version of the traditional Bulgarian bag swing squat. This exercise is fantastic for developing leg strength, building rotational/anti-rotational core strength… and creating shoulder stability.
The Bulgarian bag side swing is the same as the swing, but performed laterally. There are 2 types of Bulgarian bag side swing. The High-to-high and the low-to-high, in the video above I’m demonstrating the low-to-high swing.
The Bulgarian Bag side rock-it is a frontal plane movement that teaches you how to shift your body-weight laterally as the bag moves sideways passed the body.
The Bulgarian Bag Walking Spin is essentially the spin but with a small step forward at the top of the movement. It’s an extremely tricky exercise to master so only attempt the Bulgarian Bag Walking Spin when you can perform the regular spin with proficient technique.
Only perform the Bulgarian bag snatch once you have mastered the high pull. The snatch is basically a higher high-pull with a punch upwards once the bag reaches the top of the head. Make sure you lock the elbows out overhead and keep your shoulders packed down. The microphone grip is the preferred way of…
The Bulgarian bag high-pull is a swing based exercise and is a movement that is important to the snatch. If you would like to be good at performing a snatch, first you must master the high-pull.
Bulgarian bag Swipes are a fantastic exercise that I took from heavy steel clubbell training. I prefer to perform Bulgarian bag swipes for high reps at the end of my workouts for conditioning. This movement combines both the swing and the arm cast so challenges multiple muscles all at once.
The Bulgarian bag clean and press is a combination lift that combines both the clean and the press. To perform this exercise with proficient technique you’ll need to follow the teaching cues for both exercises.
Bulgarian bag cleans are a dynamic movement that moves the Bulgarian bag from a pendulum swing into a rack position. So, before you can perform a clean you should be proficient in the rack position. Although the Bulgarian bag clean is a fairly simple exercise it can be a tough one to master.
The Bulgarian bag swing squat is a similar exercise to the swing, except as the bag reaches the top of the upswing you immediately drop into a squat. This movement is a great leg builder with the quads getting hit with the squat and hip dominant muscles getting worked with the swing.
The Bulgarian bag swing is a similar movement to the kettlebell swing. This exercise can be used as an exercise to challenge the posterior chain, a transitional exercise or used within a combination lift or flow
The Bulgarian bag front rock-it is a great exercise I learned with clubbell training. This movement teaches you how to move your body around the weight as a counter balance when swinging a heavy weight.
The Bulgarian Bag military press is a great upper body strengthening exercise that will work the shoulders through the entire range of motion, builds shoulder stability whilst increasing overall core strength.
Bulgarian bags can be used in various ways for rowing type exercises depending on goals. If your goal is to build strong upper back muscles the main handles will allow you to lift a heavier weight. If your goal is to build pinch grip strength then use the side handles.
Bulgarian bags are great for adding external weight to push ups as the crescent shaped bag contours the body perfectly with the straps being used to hold the bag in place. Normally to add extra resistance to push ups you would need to wear a weight vest or have a gym buddy place a weight…
Bulgarian bag Lunges are a fantastic unilateral exercise that will improve your balance and coordination. The Bulgarian bag can be held in multiple different positions which will all challenge the body very differently. Most beginners will actually find performing forward lunges more challenging than performing reverse lunges, so we always start with the latter.
Bulgarian bag Good mornings are a great hip dominant exercise that challenges the posterior chain and most especially the hamstrings. Quite a similar exercise to the Romanian deadlift but because of the increased leverage of holding the load further away from the fulcrum (hips), far less weight is required as the weight will feel heavier.
Bulgarian Bag Deadlifts are a staple part of exercise program and is the technique we use for picking up the Bulgarian bag from the floor for many linear Bulgarian bag movements.
When performing Bulgarian Bag squats the bag can be held a number of ways, holding the bag differently will challenge the body in different ways. For example, placing the bag on one shoulder will unilaterally load the body whereas the headlock hold will target the arms. Try holding the Bulgarian bag in different holds to…
The unique shape of the Bulgarian Hydro Bag is ideal for traditional strength training exercises like squats, lunges, squats and good mornings. The Bulgarian bag contours around the body perfectly making adding additional weight comfortable and easy. The bag also has various straps that can be used for pressing and pulling movements as well as…
The Bulgarian Hydro bag spin is an excellent movement for building rotational core strength, shoulder strength, cardio conditioning as well as grip strength. You don’t get to rest with the Bulgarian bag spin which makes it very metabolically demanding and tough exercise to perform.
The Bulgarian Hydro Bag side clean is basically a clean, but it’s executed laterally in the frontal plane. This movement is great for building rotational core strength and is a useful preparation movement for some of the more complex Bulgarian bag exercises.
The Bulgarian Hydro bag squat & lunge is a perfect example of how you can use the Bulgarian bag for regular strength training exercises. The crescent shape of the Bulgarian bag is ideal for wrapping around the shoulders to add additional resistance to body-weight movements.
Mills (milling) is a traditional club exercise but can also be performed with the Bulgarian Hydro Bag. This movement when performed with the Bulgarian bag is particularly fun because the bag moves so fast around the body it really challenges you to control and stabilise the movement, something that is made even harder with the…
The Bulgarian Hydro Bag Lamb Swing is an excellent exercise for working the shoulder, arms, legs and core. The Bulgarian bag lamb swing exercise was originally developed in Bulgaria where shepherds would pick up small farm animals from the floor and carry them on their back when wandering with their herds.
A similar exercise to the Bulgarian hydro bag front swing, but with the squat swing you immediately drop to a squat as you reach the top of the upswing. The Bulgarian bag swing squat is a great exercise for building leg strength with the hip dominant muscles getting worked during the hip hinge and quad…
Simple To Complex When learning a new skill like Bulgarian bag training it’s important to start with simple movements before moving onto movements that require complex skills. A baby first learns how to crawl before learning how to walk, and so it is with Bulgarian bag training. Start with basic movements in the sagittal plane.…
The Benefits Of Water Bag Training Water bags AKA Hydro bag / Aqua bag; harness the volatile, super reactive properties of water to create a uniquely challenging unstable strength training tool. IRT (Instability resistance training) develops stability from the floor up and is scientifically shown to improve core activation. No two repetitions ever feels the…
Most strength movements require bio-mechanical breathing where inhaling is performed during the eccentric phase of a movement, and exhaling is performed during the concentric phase. For example, with a Bulgarian bag shoulder press you would inhale during the lowering phase and exhale during the lifting phase. For dynamic Bulgarian bag movements that involve spinning and…
The Bulgarian Bag Spin The spin is one of the fundamental Bulgarian bag exercises and something unique to this incredibly versatile training tool. This challenging movement is very dynamic in nature and will build rotational core strength, circular shoulder strength, grip strength whilst elevating the heart rate. The following exercises will give you a simple…
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