It may sound a bit cliché, but as a strength and conditioning professional for over 24 years I have literally ‘seen it all’. I have had the opportunity to meet and observe some of the best and worst fitness and conditioning professionals in the world. I have also had the opportunity to experience just about every ‘training tool’ or piece of equipment ever made.

Another phenomenon that I have witnessed quite recently is the evolution of the ‘internet trainer’. These creatures are characterized by a few common traits: lack of real-world experience, a disregard for actual practitioners in the field and their experience, a disregard for the education process, and false promises based on false experiences.

In my experiences hands-on hours in the trenches working with actual clients and athletes is where you BEGIN the journey to becoming a successful trainer. I have found that the best coaches and trainers are the ones who continually seek continuing education in an attempt to hone in and sharpen their knowledge base and skills. In this process, we are able to not only find what works for us but we can also objectively analyze what and why something doesn’t work for us. With the multitude of coaches and trainers out there you would think there would be a very large percentage of them that fall in this category of ‘lifelong learners’, sadly this isn’t the case. Most trainers and coaches don’t really want to learn new things; they simply want to surround themselves with information and people that validate the things they are already doing.

In the case of tools or training equipment I have found that we very often get caught up in the latest ‘cool’ training toy and often implement these tools for the sake of using them. The biggest problem is that most of the time the tools themselves are just that…tools. There isn’t any sort of educational system behind its implementation and use in a training program; therefore it’s easy for us to treat it as a toy or gimmick that can easily be eliminated from our training.

So why am I pointing these things out?

Enter Josh Henkin and his Dynamic Variable Resistance Training (DVRT) system.

I have had the great fortune to become good friends with Josh and I cannot say enough about how much I have benefitted from his knowledge and his Ultimate Sandbags. Josh is, for lack of a better term, a ‘renaissance man’ when it comes to training and conditioning. His background as a former Division I athlete along with his academic preparation, host of other certifications and 20 plus years of experience has afforded him a great eye when it comes to analyzing and dissecting human movement and conditioning. Josh is the perfect example of the lifelong learner I described earlier. The DVRT system he has developed is based on sound movement and mechanics and more importantly, it is grounded in sound progressions and regressions based on individuals. This is a one of a kind training system that actually focuses more on movement than the tool itself. It is often hard to grasp this concept especially when we are talking about a training tool like the Ultimate Sandbag but in Josh’s system, the tool itself almost seems secondary to the sound message that his education conveys. They truly go hand-in-hand with each other like no other training I have ever experienced.

Josh is constantly observing, interacting, and consulting with coaches and trainers all over the world, and by doing so, he has developed one of the most sound and effective/efficient training systems I have ever seen.

Josh travels the world presenting and educating fitness professionals and has built a very strong group of DVRT certified trainers. In fact, Josh has revolutionized the functional fitness industry in a very short period of time. His DVRT program has became a cornerstone for elite programs like the US Army Special Forces Recruiting Battalion, SWAT teams, and top fitness facilities from around the world. Coaches from over 80 countries are now using the DVRT system worldwide…and this population is growing at a record pace. Why? IT WORKS.

While Josh’s Ultimate Sandbags themselves are amazing training tools, without his DVRT system and his constant stream of updated education for its implementation, it would simply be a bag full of sand thus making it a tool that could easily be removed from any training program. With the combination of the tool and the education system, the Ultimate Sandbag has become a vital piece of our training programs; I can confidently say that they will be a part of my programming for the duration of my career.

I am very fortunate to have Josh Henkin as a mentor, resource, and friend. He is a selfless individual who is always ready and willing to help anyone, a master at creating amazing training methods and exercises, and he’s also one of the smartest people I know. Now you have the great fortune to be introduced to him and his training systems…. hold on, this is going to be an exciting journey!

Robert dos Remedios, MA, CSCS, MSCC
Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Coach / Author
2006 NSCA Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Professional of the Year
CSCCa Master Strength & Conditioning Coach