Bulgarian Bag Training - Advanced Variations

The Bulgarian Bag is a very unique and different looking training tool that was developed by former world class athlete and USA Olympic Wrestling Team coach, Ivan Ivanov. Essentially, this is a crescent shaped, leather bound weighted bag that has a variety of different handles and hand holds, allowing its user free reign to load the various movement patterns of the body. This can be likened to sand bag training, where the tool can be gripped, grappled, moved and manipulated in a virtually endless array of drills and dynamic exercises, without damaging floors and the need for complicated setups.

Due to the Bulgarian Bag’s distinctive shape, the bag contours to the body quite comfortably allowing for simple movements like lunges, squats and thrusters to be performed quite easily. The main handles, which are large with a tapered design, are a continuation of the curvature of the main body of the bag, creating an interesting situation when holding onto the bag and performing movements. These handles force the hand into a semi open position, reducing the overall effectiveness of the grip, and making its user have to squeeze hard to prevent the bag from sliding or slipping out of the hands. Because of the extra effort required and the design of the handles, the Bulgarian Bag is a great tool to improving the grip strength and endurance of the hands.

In terms of exercises, the Bulgarian Bag offers many progressions, variations and different ways that you can hold onto the bag, giving its user tremendous scope in which to train and move. This post covers some of the more intermediate and advanced variations of Bulgarian Bag training, aiming to highlight some of the complexity and multi-planar movements that can be achieved when training with this remarkably unique and multi-faceted training tool.

Holding the Main Handles

All of the exercises in this post utilise the same Main Handles, being the large tapered handles that form the main part or body of the curved bag. Although this may seem quite fundamental, there is a trick to getting an effective grip on the bag to maximise efficiency in all of the movements. The Thumb Crease, being the crease that joins the Main Handles to the body of the bag, is the perfect place to position the thumb when gripping the bag, giving you a place to add grip purchase to the bag. The diagram bellow shows the best method for positioning the hands, and how to dig the thumb into the Thumb Crease to increase the effectiveness of the grip.

The coloured straps are used primarily for the identification of the weight of the bag, as well as some basic forms of exercise. Never swing the bag by the straps, use them to assist the grip by looping the hands through, twisting them around the handle and grabbing hold of the handle. The bellow diagram show the correct method for wrapping the straps for a grip assist. Remember, if you use this method you take away one of the key conditioning aspects of the Bulgarian Bag, so use your own discretion on whether you want to gain the grip strength benefits or not when using the bag.

Bulgarian Bag Exercise Variations

Training scope and movement variety is one of the Bulgarian bags key assets, allowing us to not only focus on singular repetitions of exercise, but link and combine movements together into vast flowing combinations of adaptive movement. Although the combination of exercises is a topic for another post, the diverse nature of singular and particular exercise is what we are about today, aiming to explore exercise in different and multi-planar directions. By changing the nature and direction of the training stimulus, we can expose the body to a variety of different elements, giving rise to the idea that the body will be better able to react and deal with these kinds of forces when encountered further down the track or out in the real world. Of course the world we live in is a vast and 3 dimensional environment that exposes us to force from various angles and positions, which can change dramatically whether we are tying produce, absorb or redirect force in any given situation. It only makes sense that if we want to be effective and efficient in 3 dimensional space, and be able to produce and absorb force from a multitude of different angles, training and movement must include these kinds of variables. Needless to say the Bulgarian Bag is just one of many tools that can facilitate this kind of training and stimulus, allowing us to move away from just focusing on moving in the same direction, and work out into the frontal, transverse and sagittal planes, often all at the same time.

Open Spin

Difficulty: Intermediate

[embed]http://youtu.be/PbysPTU69fc[/embed]

The Open Spin is one of two variations of the Bulgarian Bag Spin, that uses a straight arm swing and rotational weight shift to generate speed and momentum. Although this movement looks fairly simple, there are a few elements that must be mastered before jumping straight into the exercise. Details of the progressions to the Open Spin can be found in the Bulgarian Bag Training - Learning the Open Spin post. Considered a dynamic halo, the Open spin is a rotational conditioning exercise that swings the bag around and encircles the body, opening up and mobilising the shoulders and thoracic spine whilst challenging core stability and taxing the grip.

Purpose

• The Bulgarian Bag Open Spin is one of the quintessential Bulgarian Bag exercises that is a great multi planar, total body movement that teaches skill and coordination from the ground up.
• This exercise is great for developing grip strength and endurance, rotational core strength and stability, mobalises the shoulders and thoracic spine, and also raises the heart rate quite considerably.

Execution

• The set up and execution of this exercise is very similar to all of the progressional exercises that lead up to the spin.
• Set the bag up on the floor so the main handles point to the sky and the bag is resting against the shins.
• Reach down and grab hold of the handles, digging your thumbs right into the handle crease.
• With good alignment, stand up gripping the bag, and widen your stance to about shoulder width.
• Rotating through the hips, swing the bag from side to side with straight arms to generate momentum, shifting your hips and weight away from the direction of the swing.
• Choose which direction you are going to Spin, because this movement creates a continual circular movement.
• Keeping the shoulders and head level, whichever side you are swinging to, the opposite arm will move high as the other pulls in tight and whips in an upward fashion, to bring the bag around the shoulders.
• Aim to perform the same action as the Looping Spin Transition, except this time speed the movement up and keep the bag about 1cm from the body.
• Pass the bag across the back by shifting your weight and using the momentum of the swing.
• Cast the bag away by allowing one arm to pass over the head and pulling down with the opposite arm, allowing the bag to fall and swing across the body once again.
• Continue this circular movement, shifting your weight and smoothly rotating your body with your hips.

Technique Points

• Use the Looping Spin Transition (refer to the Bulgarian Bag Training - Learning the Open Spin) to hone the skills and coordination needed for this movement. Simply start slow and aim to speed the movement up until you are spinning the bag in a complete circle.
• Aim to pass the bag without touching the back, this way you will keep a smooth transition without slowing down the bags momentum.
• Turn the head and body in time with the hips, aiming to keep a slight bend in the knees to assist with the flow of the movement and ease of rotation.
• Remember to pass the back low across the back, keeping the elbows high without ducking the head or twisting the shoulders.
• Never swing the bag by the straps, these are used in conjunction with the handles, by looping the hands through the straps and wrapping them around the handles.

Bulgarian Skier

Difficulty: Intermediate

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCyWRqPHOCQ[/embed]

One of the great aspects of the Bulgarian Bag is the variation that you can achieve with a simple swinging action. Traditional swings and hip dominant drives all revolve around the sagittal forwards and backward motion of the hips, and rightfully so, after all many of the powerful running and jumping movements that we create require the specificity that this type of swing creates. The Bulgarian Skier however uses a frontal plane focused movement that contains large transverse components, forcing the body to stabilise and create force in a very different plane. By training this particular pattern we can increase the bodies awareness and ability for generating and stabilising force in a very different scenario.

Purpose

• The Bulgarian Skier is a frontal plane swinging exercise, that taxes the grip strength and conditions the quads.
• This is a repetitive and low impact exercise that asymmetrically loads the legs and hips whilst stabilising the shoulders and creating rotational stability.

Execution

• Set the bag up on the floor so the main handles point to the sky and the bag is resting against the shins.
• Reach down and grab hold of the handles, digging your thumbs right into the handle crease.
• With good alignment, stand up gripping the bag, and widen your stance to about shoulder width.
• Rotating through the hips, swing the bag from side to side with straight arms to generate momentum, shifting your hips and weight away from the direction of the swing.
• Aim to keep your shoulders stable and in position by packing them into the body, don’t let the bag pull you around or forward.
• Holding on tightly and as the bag reaches the top of the arc, quickly drop into a quarter squat position.
• As soon as the bag begins to fall again, stand up quickly and allow the bag to swing across the front of the body in the opposite direction.
• Continue to swing and squat from side to side, rotating the hips and shoulders to accommodate the swing of the bag, and squatting down and up in time with the peak and fall of the bag.

Technique Points

• As you squat, shift your weight slightly to allow for the rotation of the hips.
• Find the rhythm of the swing and squat, breathing out as you squat and in as you stand up.
• Aim to fully stand between each squat, so make sure the squat is fast and coordinated.
• Turn your head in time with the shoulders and body, watching the bag as it swings.

Chop to Lateral Lunge Arm Throw

Difficulty: Intermediate to Advanced

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hacr5l7sNc[/embed]

The Lateral Lunge Arm Throw combines the acceleration and deceleration of a woodchop style movement with that of a lateral stepping lunge. There are many elements involved with this exercise, so naturally start with no weight or a light Bulgarian Bag to get the rhythm and skill correct before trying to over load it with a heavy bag. Transversely there is rotation through the hips yet degrees of anti-rotation through the torso to move and redirect the movement of the bag. Add to this the frontal plane swing of the bag and the side stepping lunge that uses the weight of the bag plus your own body weight being decelerated and driven from the ground, as well as the sagittal plane anti flexion of the torso to prevent the bag from pushing you out of position, and you can start to see how multi-faceted this movement truly is.

Purpose

• Integrated frontal plane swing that contains rotational and anti-rotational elements, that challenges unilateral hip strength and adductor mobility.
• This exercise is a multi-element movement that challenges grip and shoulder strength, rotational power and stability as well as the posterior chain from a single leg, side stepping lunge.

Execution

• Set the bag up on the floor so the main handles point to the sky and the bag is resting against the shins.
• Reach down and grab hold of the handles, digging your thumbs right into the handle crease.
• With good alignment, stand up gripping the bag, and widen your stance to about shoulder width.
• Rotating through the hips, swing the bag from side to side with straight arms to generate momentum, shifting your hips and weight away from the direction of the swing.
• Once you have generated enough momentum, choose a side to work on, swinging the bag in that direction and stepping out to the side once the bag has swung across the body. Use the momentum of the bag to help you step across to the side.
• Straighten the opposite leg, dropping the stepping leg into a lateral lunge, pushing the hip back and leaning the torso forward. Aim to catch your weight and momentum with the stepping leg, decelerating your movement deliberately.
• As the bag swings upward, pull it in close, wrapping it over your shoulder and absorbing the weight as you step into the lateral lunge.
• Keep a strong posture and allow the bag to hang over the shoulder hooking one arm in front of the body.
• The bottom position is very akin to a lateral single leg deadlift, so keep the torso in a neutral alignment and try and spot the bag over the opposite shoulder.
• Drive hard through the outside foot and hip, aiming to push hard off of the ground and back into your original stance.
• As you step out of the lunge, twist the bag from the shoulders and back into a swing across the body.
• Allow the bag to swing with straight arms and across the body, staying strong through your mid-section and rotating through the hips, moving your weight in the opposite direction to the swing.
• Hold tight and decelerate the bag, aiming to reverse the swing and bring it back and ready for another lateral lunge.

Technique Points

• Really focus on the action of deceleration, both when you are stepping into the lunge and when you are bringing the bag over your shoulder.
• Land the bag softly onto your back, coordinating the movement with the stepping lunge.
• As the bag moves onto your back, slide your thumbs towards your palms. As you throw the bag into the swing, dig your thumbs back into the crease again.
• Aim to keep tension in your stepping leg hip, to help with stability and driving out of the lunge.

Lateral Arm Throw

Difficulty: Intermediate to Advanced

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYLgIO4qxQc[/embed]

This is a very similar variation to the Chop to Lateral Lunge Arm Throw, except now we alternate the arm throw component from shoulder to opposite shoulder, and we weight transfer the lunge from side to side without stepping. This movement really opens up the hips and challenges hip adductor mobility, so adjust the depth of the movement and the width of the stance accordingly. Although the lunge doesn’t step to the side, the movement of the body and the bag onto the bag will still cause you to focus on deceleration in the hips, legs and torso, so remember to catch and soften the impact of the bag with the subtle movement of the whole body.

Purpose

• This exercise is a great hip adductor mobilising and opening exercise whilst strengthening the posterior chain as you move and develop force in the frontal and transverse plane.
• Essentially this exercise is a multi-element movement that challenges grip, shoulder and leg strength, rotational power and core stability all while keeping both feet anchored to the ground.

Execution

• Start in a wider than shoulder width stance, ideally with your feet in a sumo deadlift position, holding onto the Bulgarian Bag’s main handles and digging your thumbs into the handle crease.
• Start to swing the bag from side to side, by shifting your weight and generating rotation through the hips. Aim to swing the bag comfortably from side to side with straight arms to just below shoulder height.
• Choose a side to start the arm throw, and allow the bag to swing across the body starting to pull it closer to the body by bending the arms on the upswing.
• As the arms start to bend, continue to move your body in the same direction as the swing, shifting your weight and bending the hip and knee on the same side leg, moving into the bottom position of a lateral lunge.
• Continue to pull the bag in close, aiming to hook one arm under the chin and bringing the bag around to rest over the shoulder and onto the back.
• With good timing, catch the bag over the shoulder and soften the impact of the bag by hinging at the hip and moving into the deepest position of the lateral lunge.
• Keep strong and neutral posture, straightening the knee of the opposite leg, and keeping your feet planted to the ground.
• If you need to, pause slightly before moving into another repetition, to maintain balance and position.
• Twist the shoulders slightly to shrug the bag into another swing, casting the bag away as you drive strongly through the lunging leg to stand up again, using the hips to power the swing.
• Let the arms straighten as the bag swings across the body and in the opposite direction, towards the opposite shoulder.
• Start transitioning on to the opposite leg as you begin to bend the arms and bring the bag in close to land on the opposite shoulder.
• Same as before, aim to land the bag softly minimising the impact of the bag by hinging at the hip and achieving the deepest position of the lateral lunge.
• Aim to breathe out as the bag lands on the body and in as the bag swings in front of the body.

Technique Points

• To find your ideal stance, practice without the bag.
• Adjust the angle of your feet and the width of your stance, so that wherever your toes point, your knees will also point in the same direction, and that you can move from a side to side deep lateral lunge whilst straightening the opposite leg and keeping both feet on the ground.
• Rhythm and timing is everything in this exercise, so take things slowly so you can learn the movement and technique.
• As the bag lands on the shoulder, shift your thumbs down and away from the bag crease. As you start to swing the bag from the shoulder, dig your thumbs back into the crease to maximise your grip on the bag.
• Remember, the bag should land softly onto the shoulder and back as you try and spot it over the opposite shoulder.

Rotational Snatch

Difficulty: Intermediate to Advanced

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0yQwo-JEvE[/embed]

Depending on your goal and the direction you wish to take your training, Bulgarian Bag Snatches can be performed with either straight or bend arms at the top, which you will see with this variation and the next one. This of course depends whether you are looking to stabilise a weight overhead as in a traditional snatch, or if you are looking to increase range of movement or develop power from that position. For example the success of a log press requires the strong lock out and strength of the shoulders, torso and arms, whereas the range and snap of a soccer ball throw in becomes a very different scenario. Knowing how and why you perform certain tasks will always dictate the appropriate method for training. The Bulgarian Bag allows for these kinds of variations, giving rise to more adaptive training stimulus. The Rotational Snatch is a great rotational exercise, teaching rhythm, timing and power in the hips as well as challenging your balance as you pivot and transfer your weight from one stance to the other.

Purpose

• Tri-planar exercise that builds rotational core strength, balance and coordination.
• Integrates arm, grip and shoulder strength whilst generating power through the hips as you transfer your weight and stability from one stance to another.

Execution

• Start in a shoulder width stance, standing tall and holding onto the main Bulgarian Bag handles.
• Initiate the swing of the bag by rotating through the hips and shifting your weight in the opposite direction of the swing.
• Choose a side to snatch on, and swing the bag through aggressively by rotating strongly through the hips.
• This aggressive rotation needs to be driven by the hips and are powered though the legs and feet. This means that the hips will turn sharply as the feet pivot 45 degrees in the direction of the swing, where the front foot will be planted and the back foot will be on the ball of the foot.
• As you pivot, drive through the ball of the back foot, snapping the hips through and sending the bag faster into the swing.
• As you rotate, aim to rotate around a central axis by staying strong and engaged through your torso.
• Allow the bag to move upward and closer to the body, by bending the elbows and bringing the bag up and over the head.
• Let the bag swing down the back by pushing your elbows upward and keeping the torso in strong alignment.
• Don’t let the bag make contact on your back.
• Stay connected and balanced through your feet, pausing if you need to stay balanced before moving into another repetition.
• Cast the bag away by pulling the bag downward and flicking the wrists.
• Allow it to swing by straightening the arms and getting ready to pivot on the feet and drive through the hips again and into another snatch.

Technique Points

• Remember to practise the pivot without the bag to get a feel for the balance and control needed to swing the bag.
• Aim to use the back leg to power and snap the hips through to create power for the swinging bag.
• The bag should land in the top position, without impacting the body and should rest about 1cm from you back.
• Connect strongly through your abdominals and brace your midsection to prevent any excessive lumbar curvature.

Lunging Swing Snatch

Difficulty: Intermediate to Advanced

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjPl6UoPX4Q[/embed]

The Lunging Swing snatch is another multi-faceted exercise that utilises a very different swing to generate momentum for the snatch. Whereas traditional swings move between the legs creating a stable bilateral platform in which to generate force, the narrow stance side swing asymmetrically loads the hips and body whilst creating transverse and rotational elements. Add the balance and deceleration of the stepping lunge and now you have a rotational hip dominate swing with a unilateral leg strength and stabilising exercise, all before you start talking about what happening with the upper body. This variation uses a straight arm snatch position, looking to strengthen and stabilise the shoulders, so be mindful that the bag will hang behind the head and there must be a strong abdominal connection to allow the thoracic spine to extend and prevent over extension through the lower back.

Purpose

• Alternating rotational snatch variation that builds strength and balance in the legs and hips.
  Works mobility and stability in the shoulders and torso for pressing, as well as training the grip and strength in the core.
  Rotational hip hinge that challenges the transverse plane and builds power in the posterior chain.

Execution

• Start in a hip width stance, holding onto the Bulgarian Bags main handles and resting the bag on the feet and in line with the shins.
• Clean the Bulgarian Bag from the floor, by extending through the hips, ankles and knees with straight arms, and land the bag into the front rack position.
• From the rack position, cast the bag forward and away from the body, and allow it to swing out and towards one side of the body with straight arms.
• Stay strong through the torso, keeping the shoulders connected and hinging at the hips with soft knees, letting the bag swing backwards and past the outside of your knees.
• Drive through your hips, and swing the bag forward, reversing the movement and sending the bag forward.
• As the bag reaches chest height, step the opposite leg to the side you just swung from, and forwards into a forwards lunge.
• Aim to step in a straight line, keeping tension in the hip to stabilise the front leg, maintaining balance as the bag travels upward. Try to keep your front leg’s shin vertical and your foot planted.
• Let the bag travel upward as you drop under it with the lunge, bending the elbows and punching the bag toward the sky.
• Straighten your arms completely, tucking your thumbs out of the way to allow the bag to hang down behind you, staying strong to prevent excessive arching of the lower back.
• Stay in control and pause at the bottom of the movement if you need to, making sure you are balanced before moving to another repetition.
• With your arms held straight, drive through your front foot and aim to push yourself back to a standing position, allowing the bag to fall and swing as you do so.
• Let the arms straighten and swing the bag to the opposite side from your original swing, rotating and hinging at the hips with soft knees again.
• Each repetition you preform will follow an alternating pattern of side swing to opposite leg step, that changes sides and legs with each repetition.
• Swing to the right and step to the left, then swing to the left and step with the right.

Technique Points

• When stepping forward, minimise impact and apply force to slow yourself down, pretend you a stepping onto a fragile floor that you don’t want to break.
  Ensure you keep your knees pointed in the direction of your toes when stepping.
  Remember to tuck your thumps into the handle crease when swinging the bag, and pull them out of the way when you are snatching the bag overhead.
  Make sure you are balanced with each repetition before moving into another swing.
  Breath out with the snatch and in as the bag swings down, holding your breath on the backswing.

Final Thoughts

Remember these variations are fairly advanced in nature, to help illustrate the scope of training that the Bulgarian Bag can present in terms of movement variety and diversity. Take things slowly and practise the exercises without the bag initially to get the feel and flow of the movement before jumping in the deep end with a heavy bag. As with all functional style training tools, there is no one tool to rule them all or no one piece of gear that should stand as the be all and end all when it comes to training. Understanding how the different pieces of equipment work and how the exercises and movements fit into the training continuum is where meaningful and relevant training adaptations occur. The Bulgarian bag however, can create some very unique and versatile training applications, often with a tremendous grip strength and endurance component, that can really expose the body to some exceedingly diverse, movement based strength and conditioning.

Shop Bulgarian Bag

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