Throwing Sandbags for Height: Strongman’s Ultimate Power Test
The Evolution of Throwing Events in Strongman: From Highland Games to World’s Strongest Man
Throwing events have long been a defining test of explosive power and technical precision in strength sports. From their deep roots in Highland Games and heavy athletics to their evolution on the World’s Strongest Man (WSM) stage, these events demand far more than brute strength. They require timing, coordination, and mastery of power transfer—qualities that separate the good from the elite.
Today, sandbag throws have become the dominant format, but it wasn’t always this way. To truly appreciate the importance of throwing in strongman, we need to trace its history—from its ancient Scottish origins to the ever-changing spectacle of modern WSM events.
Throwing Events and Their Highland Games Origins - No Throwing Sandbags for Height
The roots of throwing events in strongman can be traced directly to the Highland Games, a Scottish tradition dating back over 1,000 years. These games weren’t just athletic competitions—they were a way for clans to showcase their warriors' strength, skill, and dominance.
Some of the most iconic throwing events in the Highland Games include:
✅ Weight Over Bar – Competitors throw a 56lb weight (or 28lb for lightweight divisions) over a high bar, similar to strongman’s sandbag or keg toss.
✅ Sheaf Toss – A weighted bag (16-20lbs) is thrown over a high bar using a pitchfork, requiring both raw power and precision.
✅ Caber Toss – Arguably the most famous event, where athletes attempt to flip a massive wooden log end-over-end—a raw display of strength and control.
These events weren’t just for entertainment—they were early tests of functional strength, mimicking real-world tasks like throwing heavy objects over obstacles. Sound familiar?
It’s no coincidence that strongman competitions later adopted and modified these classic events. The mechanics of Highland throws are nearly identical to modern strongman throwing events, with the key difference being the implement used.
Throwing Events in World’s Strongest Man: A Changing Landscape
Throwing made its way into World’s Strongest Man (WSM) in the 1980s and 1990s, quickly becoming one of the most exciting tests of athleticism in the sport. Over the years, it has gone through several iterations more recently, each with its own challenges and technical demands. This isn't including some of the alternative events and the dominance of Highland games style weight over bar in the early days.
1. The Keg Toss Era
For years, the Keg Toss was the standard throwing event in strongman. Athletes had to hurl beer kegs over a high bar, showcasing both explosive hip drive and precision release.
Some of the most memorable performances include:
🔥 Mariusz Pudzianowski’s dominance in the 2000s, where his freakish power made the event look effortless.
🔥 Hafthor Bjornsson’s consistent record-breaking keg tosses at Giants Live, WSM and the Shaw Classic.
The keg toss was a crowd favorite, but it had some downsides:
❌ Hard to train safely—kegs are awkward and can cause injury when mishandled.
❌ Limited accessibility—most athletes don’t have a collection of throwable beer kegs at their gym.
2. The Kettlebell Toss: A Short-Lived Experiment
The kettlebell toss briefly replaced the keg toss in some strongman competitions. It introduced a more compact and unpredictable implement, requiring extreme precision in release timing.
While it added a unique challenge, kettlebells were ultimately less popular due to:
❌ Erratic flight paths, making them harder to control.
❌ Dangerous landings, as kettlebells tend to bounce unpredictably (or break) after hitting the ground.
❌ Expensive if damaged.
This led to the rise of the sandbag throw, which has since become the standard in modern strongman competitions.
3. The Rise of the Sandbag Throw
Enter Throwing Sandbags for Height. The sandbag throw is now the preferred implement for throwing events in strongman—and for good reason:
✅ More Accessible – Sandbags are easy to find, fill, and adjust in weight.
✅ Safer to Train – Unlike kegs or kettlebells, sandbags (generally) won’t break bones if they land wrong.
✅ Progressive Overload – Athletes can gradually increase sandbag weight to systematically build power.
In Strongman, throwing events usually take two forms:
1️⃣ Max Height Throws – Athletes throw a single implement over a bar, with the height increasing each round.
2️⃣ Progressively Heavier Throwing Series – Competitors must throw a series of implements(each heavier than the last) over a fixed height as quickly as possible.
Both variations require a combination of explosive leg drive, technical precision, and efficient power transfer—not just raw strength.
The Mechanics of an Elite Thrower
Despite its brutal simplicity, the sandbag throw is a technical event that rewards efficiency just as much as power.
Key Technical Factors:
🔹 Triple Extension – Success in sandbag throwing mirrors Olympic lifts, requiring full extension of the ankles, knees, and hips to generate max power. 🔹 Controlled Release – A well-timed wrist flick and follow-through can add crucial inches to a throw. 🔹 Upright Posture – Unlike a kettlebell swing (which moves forward), throws should drive upward, transferring energy directly into height.
Mastering the Sandbag Throw: The Key to Explosive Power in Strongman
Throwing a sandbag for height might look like a simple feat of brute strength, but in reality, it’s an incredibly technical movement that rewards efficiency, timing, and proper execution just as much as raw power.
The best throwers aren’t just strong—they’re explosive, technically precise, and able to generate maximum power with minimal wasted effort.
If you want to consistently throw higher and farther, you need to understand how to optimise your positioning, generate force effectively, and follow through correctly.
The Fundamentals of an Elite Sandbag Throw
Most strongman athletes fail at sandbag throwing because they treat it like a kettlebell swing or rely too much on their upper body.
The best throwers, on the other hand, treat it like an Olympic lift—focusing on hip drive, triple extension, and precise release mechanics.
1. Positioning & Set-Up
Before you even think about launching the sandbag, proper setup is key.
✅ Starting Position
The sandbag should start low, positioned between your legs.
Feet should be hip-width to slightly wider, ensuring a strong base to drive from.
✅ Body Posture
Unlike a kettlebell swing, where the upper body leans forward significantly, the sandbag throw requires a more upright posture.
The initial movement is a hip hinge, but the transition into the throw is more vertical than horizontal.
✅ Grip & Handling
Keep a firm, but relaxed grip—squeezing too tightly restricts wrist movement on release.
Some lifters prefer a cupped hand grip underneath the sandbag, while others use a side grip—experiment to see what allows the best control.
2. Generating Maximum Power
Power = Strength x Speed.
Throwing a sandbag isn’t about brute force—it’s about explosive hip drive, timing, and coordination.
✅ Triple Extension: The Key to a Successful Throw
The best throwers use full-body power, not just their arms. This is why triple extension (the coordinated extension of the hips, knees, and ankles) is critical:
Hips: The main driver of power—think of a powerful hip thrust.
Knees: Extend forcefully to drive the sandbag up, not just back.
Ankles: A strong calf drive helps fully extend the movement and generate max force.
✅ Legs Over Arms
The arms should guide the throw, but the real force comes from the legs and hips.
If your arms are doing most of the work, you’re leaking power instead of transferring it efficiently.
✅ Think of It Like a Vertical Jump
The best analogy? It’s a weighted vertical jump.
The initial movement is a hinge, but the actual throw should be straight up.
If your sandbag is traveling backward instead of up, you’re leaning too far forward.
3. Follow-Through for a Higher Release
A powerful throw doesn’t stop at the moment of release—the follow-through dictates trajectory and efficiency.
✅ Chest & Head Should Follow the Bag
The biggest mistake lifters make? Throwing with their arms and not following through with their body.
Your chest and head should naturally follow the sandbag’s trajectory to ensure a clean, high-angle release.
✅ Release Angle: More Up, Less Back
Aim for a steep, efficient angle, rather than just throwing it forward like a kettlebell swing.
If you release too early, the sandbag will fall short; if you release too late, it’ll shoot backward instead of up.
Optimal Hand Placement for Throws
Proper hand placement is key to maximising leverage, control, and efficiency in the sandbag throw. I recommend gripping the sides of the bag near the top, rather than underneath, as this allows for a smoother release and better trajectory. This grip keeps the wrists in a strong position, prevents excessive reliance on the arms, and ensures that the power is driven primarily through the hips and legs—which is exactly where it should be. If your grip is too low, you’ll likely lose control at the top of the throw or waste energy muscling it up instead of generating force efficiently.
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Throwing Power
Even elite lifters mess up throwing events if they don’t practice proper mechanics. Here are the biggest red flags to watch out for:
❌ The Sandbag is Too Low to the Ground on the way down - Think high on the back and low to the ground as you begin to accelerate.
❌ Overusing the Arms – If your arms are doing all the work, you’re leaking power instead of transferring it.
❌ Leaning Too Far Forward – Turning the throw into a reverse kettlebell swing ruins efficiency.
❌ Not Extending Fully – Cutting the movement short before reaching full hip and knee extension reduces max height.
Fix these issues, and you’ll see instant improvements in your throwing power.
How to Program Sandbag Throws for Maximum Gains
Adding throws to your training isn’t just for competition prep—it’s one of the best ways to develop explosive power for all strength sports. Height and Weight should be dictates by Competition height and weight, training experience, etc. Percentages are a guide as hard to gauge 100%. Base off speed, power and technique breakdown.
Best Programming Approaches for Throws:
Contrast Work at the Start of ME LB Days
🔹 Purpose: Uses post-activation potentiation (PAP)—pairing a heavy compound movement with an explosive movement to maximise force output.
🔹 How to Implement:
Squat or deadlift near-maximal load (85-95%), followed immediately by a set of explosive sandbag throws.
3-4 rounds for maximum carryover to competition.
2. Secondary Movement on Max Effort Lower Body (ME LB) Days
🔹 Purpose: Improves explosiveness and hip drive immediately after heavy squats or deadlifts.
🔹 How to Implement:
3-5 sets of 2-3 reps at max effort.
Progressively increase weight or height goal.
3. Fatigued Throws at the End of Max Effort Lower Body (ME LB) Days
🔹 Purpose: Reinforces explosive power under fatigue, improving force production when the body is taxed—critical for strongman competitions where throws often come late in events.
🔹 How to Implement:
Perform 3-4 sets of 2-3 throws immediately after completing all ME LB accessories.
Use moderate weight sandbags (not max effort) and focus on efficiency and technique under fatigue.
Prioritise smooth execution and hip drive despite exhaustion.
Can be paired with contrast training (e.g., sled drags, jumps) for additional power output benefits.
4.. Replacement for Loading Events on DE UB Days
🔹 Purpose: Since loading and throwing share similar movement patterns, sandbag throws can replace traditional loading medleys on Dynamic Effort Upper Body (DE UB) days.
🔹 How to Implement:
4-6 sets of 3 throws, focusing on speed and efficiency.
💡 Bonus: Pair throws with Olympic lifts (snatches, cleans, high pulls) for a more complete explosive training system.
Rather than always training full throws, you can also focus on sandbag swings as an accessory movement to build strength, endurance, and positional awareness. By performing high-rep swings, you accumulate a large volume of work, reinforcing the mechanics of the throw while developing hip power and grip strength. This is best programmed on lower body accessory days, where you can perform 3-4 sets of 12-20 reps to condition the posterior chain without excessive fatigue. Key technical points: Keep the bag close to your hips on the way down to maintain control and avoid excessive forward swing, then drive it close to the floor on the way up, mimicking the natural path of an actual throw while reinforcing proper movement patterns.
No Sandbag? No Problem. Alternative Exercises for Throwing Power
If you don’t have access to competition sandbags, you can still train the movement pattern effectively.
Alternatives for Max Height Throws:
🔥 Explosive Medicine Ball Tosses (lighter weight, higher velocity)
🔥 Jump Squats with a Weight Vest
🔥 Snatch-Grip High Pulls (mimics the extension phase)
Alternatives for Progressively Heavier Throws:
🔥 Heavy Kettlebell Swings (focus on driving through the hips)
🔥 Hip Thrusts with Bands or Chains (for accommodating resistance)
🔥 Reverse Band Deadlifts (teaches explosive finishing drive)
Even without specialised equipment, you can still train the athletic qualities that make elite throwers.
Throwing Sandbags for Height: FAQs
❓ Is a sandbag throw the same as a kettlebell swing?
🔹 No. While both movements involve a hip hinge, the trajectory of the bag is completely different. A kettlebell swing moves forward; a sandbag throw moves UP. The finishing position is more upright, closer to an Olympic lift than a swing.
❓ Should I train throws heavy or light?
🔹 Both.
Lighter throws (30-50% effort) develop speed and accuracy.
Heavy throws (70-90% effort) build maximal force production. Mixing both allows for well-rounded power development.
❓ How do I know if my technique is good?
🔹 If your sandbag isn’t going as high as it should, you’re probably not fully extending or relying too much on arm strength. If your throws feel smooth and efficient, you’re on the right track.
Mastering the Art of the Sandbag Throw
Throwing events are one of the best tests of explosive power in strongman—and one of the most underutilised tools in training.
By adding sandbag throws into your program—whether as an explosive accessory, contrast movement, or substitute for loading events—you’ll build more power, better triple extension, and superior athleticism.
And if you’re serious about optimising your strongman programming, refining technique, and implementing Conjugate principles effectively, I’ve got you covered.
🚀 Sign up for coaching and take your strongman game to the next level.
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