This is a relatively new item of speed and power-enhancing kit, which is used by the England rugby team among other élite performers and has only very recently been launched to the wider fitness market. Powerbags are tubular padded sacks made from a rip-stop vinyl, with webbing handles at shoulder width, which enable them to be easily carried, lifted and thrown.

Powerbags, which come in various weights, specifically address core stability, balance and the recruitment of the body’s stabilising muscles – all key elements of speed and sport-specific conditioning. In terms of speed development, they come into their own when conditioning explosive upper body power.

No matter how powerfully you might perform a traditional upper body resistance exercsie, like the shoulder press, it is very likely that you will ‘hold back’ as you come to the end point of the press, simply because you won’t be able to follow through as you would when throwing or pushing an object. With a Powerbag, you can safely condition this explosive, speedy response because you can throw it. The bag can even be caught by a partner and thrown back to develop upper body plyometric power in another way.

For further information on the Powerbag, contact Performance Technology UK on 07941040013, e-mail mail@performt.com or go to www.performt.com.