Sandbag Deadlift

A step-by-step form guide from the Ægir Iron exercise library: how to do the lift, what to watch for, and the muscles it trains.

HOW TO PERFORM

Stand with the feet about shoulder width, or a little wider to clear the bag, with the bag against your shins over the middle of your feet.
On a bag with handles, take the neutral handles in a double overhand grip. On a bag without, scoop both hands right underneath the body of the bag rather than pinching the fabric at the sides.
Set the shoulders back and down, squeeze the armpits to engage the lats, and brace hard against a full breath.
Drive through the heels and extend the knees and hips together, keeping the bag raked against your body the whole way up.
Finish standing tall by squeezing the glutes, without leaning back.
Hinge the hips back and guide the bag down under control to the start.

A sandbag shifts as you lift it, so the brace matters more here than it does on a bar and the load that feels heavy will be well under your barbell deadlift.
Do not use a mixed grip. An even grip on both sides is what keeps the bag square, and there is no bar to hold a mixed grip against.

Log it in Ægir Iron to track your PRs and estimated 1RM, and to see the sets each muscle gets every week. Free for individual lifters.