The Aqua Bag AKA Hydro Bag share many similarities to the Bulgarian Bag.
The Aqua bag is based on the same unique design as the Bulgarian bag and can be used in an identical way.
There are two main differences though;
- The Grip
- The Filling
Grip Strength
For building grip strength the Bulgarian bag is superior, the main handles are designed to work the crush grip and the side handles will build pinch grip strength. Swinging a traditional Bulgarian bag will work the forearm flexors like nothing else and because your’e gripping onto the bag I find you have a little more control than when swinging the Aqua bag.
The Aqua bag uses straps which are wrap around the wrist, this means you don’t use the same crush grip when swinging or spinning the bag and you lose the ability to train your grip strength.
However, with the extra leverage of having the straps of the Aqua bag so far away from the centre of mass, the Aqua bag will swing faster and will really challenge you in a unique away.
The Filling: Water Vs Sand
The other difference is the filling. The Bulgarian bag is filled with sand and the Aqua Hydro bag is filled with water.
Sand will give you a more consistent response with very little movement inside of the bag.
Water on the other hand is the complete opposite. No two reps will feel the same and the force of the water hitting you will activate your core muscles like nothing else. Your body will have to engage all of the smaller stabiliser muscles in order to control the constant movement of the water. This is something that makes the Aqua bag lot’s of fun and very challenging to use.
