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About Steve
What is a 'Bulgarian Training Bag'?
The Bulgarian Training Bag is the ultimate extreme fitness tool for both serious Olympic caliber athletes and the average fitness enthusiast. If your looking for a method of training that maximizes your strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular fitness, mobility, and overall explosiveness then continue to read. The shape of the bag is designed to allow for both upper and lower body training while emphasizing grip strength at all times. The three different types of handles allow the athletes to execute exercises by using different grips. Every size bag and weight can be identified by the different colors of the strap handle.

What are the benefits of training with the Bulgarian Training Bag?
The Bag strengthens and increases your muscular endurance of your grip, wrists, arms, shoulders, back, legs, rotational muscles, core musculature, coordination, proprioception and overall shoulder and joint mobility. Sandbags, rice, bales, sacks loaded with hemp, heavy stones and war clubs were all used for the development of strength by wrestlers and combat athletes long before the invention of the iron barbell. Bulgarian Training Bags are small to extra large sized, manufactured with pride in Bulgaria and built with the toughness and durability to handle everything you can throw at them. Most, if not all, of the exercises that can be performed with Kettlebells, dumbbells or barbells can be performed with the Bulgarian Training Bag. Athletes of every sport can benefit from the unique training techniques and solutions, which can be offered by training with these training Bags.

Here are a few examples: Wrestlers and MMA athletes can use Bulgarian Bag training to develop quickness and agility with a "live" weight" that can be struck, thrown or used in ways that solid iron weights simply can't. The Bulgarian Bags can also provide an excellent way to "warm up" or "cool down".

The Bulgarian Training Bag is an incredibly valuable tool for every athlete; these are just a few drills that can be done with them. There is no doubt that just about any movement that can be done with the Bulgarian Training Bags. The Bulgarian Training Bags are available in 5 different weights. The recommended weight really depends on your current strength and overall athletic ability. Remember that there is a cumulative training effect with using the bag. Most exercises are designed for short rest periods, so don’t let the weight of the bag fool you. A medium bag is plenty of weight for even a 180-200 lb. conditioned athlete! Below are some sample guidelines, please look at the bag descriptions on the right for more information.

Bulgarian Training Bags are perfect for a variety of unique exercises for every athlete and sport because they deliver extreme all-round fitness. No single other tool does it better, not even the Kettlebell.

What would a sample Bulgarian Bag workout look like?

Muscular Endurance Training with the Bag:

  • Training with the bag is designed mostly for building strength and conditioning by performing high repetition training with a short time allotment for rest.

  • The number of repetitions for each exercise can be anywhere from 15-30 repetitions per set or 30-60 seconds per set with only 10-15 seconds rest time in between each set.

  • The sets for each exercise can be anywhere from 2-5 sets. Remember the bag training is not about lifting it only few times per set, it is about pushing through when you are tired and fatigued. (This is my special recommendation for athletes that have set high goals with their sports)

Explosive Power Training on the Bag:
The most common exercises when building explosive power with the training bag are:

Upper body:
Spinning the bag to the right then the left, power snatch, shoulder throw imitation or baseball swings, throwing the bag over chest - body lock throw imitation, body twists, partner bag throws, trunk rotations and many more!

Lower Body:
Long jumps, squats jumps, lunges, jumping over the bag sideways, scissors with the bag, swing squats, sprinting with the bag on level surface or on a incline like bleachers or hills.

During the training for explosive power you want to stay with 3-5 sets of 12-15 reps per exercise with 60 to 90 sec. rest time in between.

Using the bag as warm up equipment:
The bag can be very helpful during your warm up before physical activity and mainly before a weightlifting work out. Some of the best exercises for loosening up your muscles are: Spinning the bag, bend over-good mornings, body twists left to right , squats, lunges and others.

Bulgarian Training Bag FAQ’s

Why was the Bulgarian Training Bag developed?
It was developed by Ivan Ivanov, U.S. Olympic Greco Roman wrestling coach at the Olympic training center in Marquette Michigan. Ivan needed to create a tool that would offer benefits that could not be achieved with current or traditional tools or methods. Being a champion in wrestling most of his life, he knew that he needed a tool that allowed the athlete to push, twist, swing, pull, bend, rotate, squat, lunge and throw. All of these exercises had to duplicate wrestling movements and had to be done in a dynamic fashion that was movement based. These exercises needed to be done in a group or individual setting and/or could be used by one or more athletes working together. Hence the development of the ultimate tool for extreme all-round fitness, the Bulgarian Training Bag.

How do I learn to use the Bulgarian Training Bag?
The Bulgarian Training Bag in the past has only been used for Olympic and professional competitive level athletes to include wrestling, various martial arts, and, increasingly, MMA athletes. Recognizing the value of this training tool and the extreme benefits to all athletes at any level, Ivan Ivanov has teamed with Competitive Performance Strategies, Inc. to educate and expose the world to this incredible training tool. Currently we are working on the production of training DVD’s to cover all aspects of training with the Bulgarian Bag for the fitness world. Coming soon!

Is the Bulgarian Training Bag appropriate for use by women?
Absolutely! Women can train just like men. The benefits of the bag are based on muscular endurance, strength, stability and coordination. This tool is appropriate for use by women training for a variety of sports and skills. The spectrum ranges from judo and other martial arts to triathletes!

What weight bag should the average woman start with?
Training with the bag incorporates grip strength development along with the other aspects of use. Because of this, most women like to begin training with the small bag to get a good feel for its use. However, most women can easily start with the 26 lb. bag for some exercises, but will probably have to use the small bag for many of the upper body movements. The cumulative effect of the bag is demanding, so just because the bag initially feels light, don’t get too cocky... However, a few hard women may use the large 37 lb. bag, but in my experience, not many.

Does the Bulgarian Training Bag replace all other training tools?
No. Unlike claims that the Kettlebell replaces all other training tools, I believe that these are tools in your arsenal that should be used for desired outcome based on your training goals and objectives. The Bulgarian Bag has unique properties and should be used together with a variety of hardware such as Kettlebells, barbells, dumbbells, dips, thick bars, trap bars, lever bars, medicine balls, grip devices, and cardio equipment as part of a well-rounded training program.

Does the Bulgarian Training Bag come with any warranties
or guarantees?

Yes, the Bulgarian Training Bag is guaranteed and warranted to be free from manufacturing defects. Normal use will result in normal wear and tear on the bag, which usually only amounts to a settling of the inner sand and wool compartments. However, if within six months of original purchase date your bag leaks sand or wool, tears, or becomes unstitched due to normal wear and tear, return the bag and you will be shipped a new replacement bag.

What is normal wear and tear?
Normal use gives the Bag a more pliable feel and seasoned look and feel. The more use the bag gets, the easier it is to work with. Excessive slamming of the bag on the ground is not considered normal wear and tear. The bag is a high quality product and has undergone years of rigorous testing under extreme training conditions at the U.S. Olympic training center and only five bags in the last five years have been damaged.


Extra-Large Training Bag - 50 lbs.
Recommended for physically well prepared athletes
with good strength and conditioning
Black handles
Large Training Bag - 37 lbs.
Recommended for athletes up 210 to 250 lbs.
Silver Handles
Medium Training Bag - 26 lbs.
Recommended for athletes 150-190 lbs.
Red Handles
Small Training Bag - 17 lbs.
Recommended for athletes 100-150 lbs.
Green Handles
Light Training Bag - 11 lbs.
Recommended for athletes 60-100 lbs
Yellow Handles

Why the Bag....

"You must believe that improvement/goal attainment is possible. When you truly believe that you can reach your goals and objectives, you most certainly will. Belief in yourself and your abilities is real, and it is tangible. It's this belief that creates the passion that will prompt you to willingly sacrifice for your personal success."

With this philosophy in mind, I have always been motivated by challenges that involved physical and mental aspects. I’m always looking for new ways to challenge myself and after having trained and been certified in all three Kettlebell certifications (AKC, RKC, and CKT), I found that while Kettlebell training is both effective and challenging, it was still somewhat limited in providing dynamic movements addressing multiple planes of movement during a single exercise. I needed something that was more effective in addressing not only muscle strength, but dynamic muscle strength and endurance.

Want does fitness look like to most people? Paul Chek provides a great definition, “To be able to do what you want to do when you want to do it.” To be fit includes many aspects – including mobility, flexibility, strength, power, and the ability to perform dynamic moves when needed. So this meant that I needed to find solutions for fitness that were movement based and not isolated, as in bodybuilding-type movements. They need to include the integration of many muscle groups working in unison. Many exercises, including Kettlebells, are primarily sagittal plane movements. Therefore, a large portion of training does not cover frontal or transverse plane movements. With that in mind, I needed a tool that provided a compliment to what the Kettlebell was lacking, i.e. a movement based tool that integrated all planes of motion in unique exercises.

My motivation for finding this tool was to improve my own training and ability to perform at higher levels, while providing an effective training solutions for my clients. I wanted better tools to meet their fitness needs while understanding that they were hiring me to provide the best formula for them for their given goals and objectives. That means that often they need to put down the Muscle and Fitness-type bodybuilding, aesthetically driven sources of information and really look at functionality. I think the word “functional” has been overused ad nauseam and I really don’t want to cover that… But, what I want to share is that for most people, mobility, flexibility, and general strength training are, indeed, the key to maintaining a healthy, balanced level of fitness that also provides the aesthetic benefits that they seek.

The tool I needed to accomplish this also required a degree of mental toughness and willpower that were inherent in its design and use. Again, the goal was to find a compliment for a complete training solution that touched all corners as a balanced training program.

Looking to increase my grip strength, I came across a tool that looked so simple, yet so intriguing. I had to have one! Researching the background of this tool, and how it is used to train Olympic-caliber Greco-Roman wrestlers, I realized that this tool was no gimmick. Only sand and leather and your own willpower and imagination are needed to generate the force to unleash the mental/physical potential within you.

This tool is the Bulgarian Training Bag.


Understanding the benefits of this tool, and also realizing the effectiveness of training with the Bulgarian Training Bag based on numerous Olympic medals to vouch for its credibility, my only question was, “Why haven’t I ever seen this before?” As a SEAL for over 20 years, we were often exposed to the most cutting edge and technologically advanced tools for physical and mental training. But this, I had never seen. I immediately realized that the Bulgarian Training Bag needed to be shared with the fitness community.

I then contacted the developer of this fabulous tool, Ivan Ivanov. He was working at the US Olympic training Center in Marquette Michigan as the head coach for the Greco-Roman wrestling team. Ivan and I immediately hit it off and we created a partnership to expose the benefits of the Bulgarian Training Bag to the fitness market. With Ivan’s expertise creating wrestling champions, and with my experience creating warriors (aka SEALS), we found the perfect combination.

Competitive Performance Strategies is the exclusive marketing agent for the Bulgarian Training Bag in North America for the fitness industry. Here, you will learn anything and everything there is to know about the Bulgarian Training Bag.

What makes Competitive Performance Strategies unique is the dedicated and educated integration of the whole, which includes 23 years of toughened SEAL experience, CHEK principles, Mental Game Coaching, physical training expertise, and nutritional foundations that are necessary for a complete training solution. Addressing one component while ignoring the others is like driving a Ferrari on regular gas (nutrition) with an inexperienced driver (mental aspect). You can never achieve optimal performance without having all the proper elements in place. And if anyone tells you differently, politely say, “Thank you very much for your information.” Then come see me and we can develop and implement an effective and personalized training program to meet your specific needs and objectives.

~ Steve