5 new fitness gadgets
October 20th 2008 12:25
Category: Miscellaneous
There are so many different types of fitness gadgets that you can buy and use, but you never really know what they are for unless you look it up. I mean yea the box or package will tell you what the gadget does, but does it work? Well, most of the fitness gadgets do work if you know how to use them properly and use them on a regular basis. And, if all else fails, you can go to your nearest gym and ask them for recommendations for fitness gadgets and products.
The following 5 fitness gadgets are just five that you may want to consider checking out. I mean, they won't work the same for everyone, but to some degree if you use the following products you may see some improvement as long as you use them on a regular basis and use them right.
The SuperBand
What it is: A 3-foot-long, half-inch-wide band. "There are no handles on it; it's just like a big rubber band," says Mark Seebaran, a personal trainer at Trophy Fitness in Uptown.
What it can do for you: Mr. Seebaran says that the beauty of the band is the resistance it creates; as you stretch it, the tension increases. "You can really work your entire body. And you can work it from any angle," he says.
Exercise examples:
Suplex lift: With the band connected to the lowest part of a door, a heavy chair or a couch, loop the other end of the band around the crooks of your arms and bend your elbows to 90 degrees. Step away from the door (or chair or couch) until the band is taut and at a 45-degree angle. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your torso forward and bend your legs until your elbows are almost at your knees. Reverse the movement and come back up to a standing position.
Standing incline fly: For this move, which works the chest, Mr. Seebaran likes to attach the band to a pole. Then loop the band around your torso and turn so your back is to the pole. Grab the bands with an overhand grip about twice shoulder width apart. Raise your arms out to your side until they're shoulder level. Step forward until the band is tight. With a staggered stance, pull your hands together in front of your body so you're doing a fly action with your chest.
Get one: The JC SuperBand can be found on www.ihpfit.com
Cost: $14.45 for the ½ -inch wide version
Weighted gloves
What they are: One-pound gloves that Velcro onto your hands.
What they can do for you: Bobbie Williams, the Group Fitness Department Head at Premier Place Life Time Athletic, has participants wear them in her Strike class (an intense form of cardio kickboxing, she explains). She says that while one pound on each hand may seem like a cinch, after 60 minutes of punching, they really work the biceps, forearms and shoulders. "You forget that you even have the gloves on," she says. "It's like taking it to another level without having to do a lot."
Exercise examples:
In Ms. Williams' class, participants do all kinds of punching drills: jabs, body blows, upper cuts and hooks. They also wear the gloves while doing moves with weighted bars, making the workout even more challenging.
Get them: www.everlast.com
Cost: $19.99
BOSU ball
What it is: BOSU stands for "Both Sides Utilized," and it's that blue dome that you see people standing on, trying to hold their balance.
What it can do for you: Because the BOSU is a dynamic surface, it forces you to keep your abs tight when you stand on it to do a squat or a bicep curl.
Exercise Examples:
The plank: The move may not be new to you, but Mr. Poku's variation on it just might be: Perform a regular plank by holding yourself in the upward part of a push-up. But instead of keeping your toes on the floor, put them on the BOSU. This "elevates your feet which makes your abs get more action," says Mr. Poku.
Squat press: Turn the BOSU over (flat side up) and stand on it while holding heavy dumbbells. (Beginners should start with 10 pounds, says Mr. Poku.) As you squat down, bend your knees, as you come back up, stand and press the dumbbells over your head.
Get one: You can find them at retailers like Target, or go to www.BOSU.com (where you can also get a DVD to show you how to use it).
Cost: $99.99
Dual adjustment pulley
What it is: A strength machine at gyms that's made up of a frame and two sides that are independently suspended.
What it can do for you: Just about anything, according to Eric Gunn, the lead personal training manager at Life Time Fitness in Flower Mound. "You have a selectorized stack that goes up to 100-plus pounds on each side," Mr. Gunn explains. You can use the pulleys as they are or add an attachment like a crossbar for a standing chest press. Plus, he points out that it has four different overhead grips for pull-ups and hanging abdominal exercises.
Exercise example:
Lunging chest press: Holding onto the crossbar with your back to the machine, step out in a forward lunge while doing a chest press. "Your abdominals and your lower back muscles are actually having to be recruited to keep your upper torso stabilized," says Mr. Gunn. Repeat by stepping forward with the opposite leg.
Get them: Since it could cost you thousands of dollars to have one of these in your home, you're better off using the one at your local gym.
Gliding discs
What they are: Two purple, round discs that glide on hardwood floors or carpet.
What they can do for you: The gliding discs make exercises dummy-proof, according to Donna Fisher, Pilates director at the Cooper Aerobics Center. "It's hard to mess up the exercise because the gliding disc is sliding, so it's not like your arm can go in a different direction," she explains. She has class participants stand on them for lower-body moves like lunges or put their hands on them for Pilates moves like the bridge. The gliding discs make it "easy for people to do some very dynamic multi-joint exercises that can really make a difference," she says.
Exercise examples:
The Bridge: Lie on your back with your feet on the gliding discs. Lift your tail bone and glutes up off the mat. "Instead of your feet being planted on the ground and just going up and down, you could go up, glide your feet out, pull your feet in. You'd have knee flexion and lots of hamstring and glute work," says Ms. Fisher.
Lunges: Perform a lunge just like normal but put the leg that is doing the movement on the gliding disc. Ms. Fisher says it helps you to have perfect form when you lunge. "You can also go behind you 45 degrees; you can take it to the side," she says.
Get them: www.glidingdiscs.com
Cost: About $25 including shipping and handling.
The following 5 fitness gadgets are just five that you may want to consider checking out. I mean, they won't work the same for everyone, but to some degree if you use the following products you may see some improvement as long as you use them on a regular basis and use them right.
The SuperBand
What it can do for you: Mr. Seebaran says that the beauty of the band is the resistance it creates; as you stretch it, the tension increases. "You can really work your entire body. And you can work it from any angle," he says.
Exercise examples:
Suplex lift: With the band connected to the lowest part of a door, a heavy chair or a couch, loop the other end of the band around the crooks of your arms and bend your elbows to 90 degrees. Step away from the door (or chair or couch) until the band is taut and at a 45-degree angle. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your torso forward and bend your legs until your elbows are almost at your knees. Reverse the movement and come back up to a standing position.
Get one: The JC SuperBand can be found on www.ihpfit.com
Cost: $14.45 for the ½ -inch wide version
Weighted gloves
What they can do for you: Bobbie Williams, the Group Fitness Department Head at Premier Place Life Time Athletic, has participants wear them in her Strike class (an intense form of cardio kickboxing, she explains). She says that while one pound on each hand may seem like a cinch, after 60 minutes of punching, they really work the biceps, forearms and shoulders. "You forget that you even have the gloves on," she says. "It's like taking it to another level without having to do a lot."
Exercise examples:
In Ms. Williams' class, participants do all kinds of punching drills: jabs, body blows, upper cuts and hooks. They also wear the gloves while doing moves with weighted bars, making the workout even more challenging.
Get them: www.everlast.com
Cost: $19.99
BOSU ball
What it can do for you: Because the BOSU is a dynamic surface, it forces you to keep your abs tight when you stand on it to do a squat or a bicep curl.
Exercise Examples:
The plank: The move may not be new to you, but Mr. Poku's variation on it just might be: Perform a regular plank by holding yourself in the upward part of a push-up. But instead of keeping your toes on the floor, put them on the BOSU. This "elevates your feet which makes your abs get more action," says Mr. Poku.
Squat press: Turn the BOSU over (flat side up) and stand on it while holding heavy dumbbells. (Beginners should start with 10 pounds, says Mr. Poku.) As you squat down, bend your knees, as you come back up, stand and press the dumbbells over your head.
Get one: You can find them at retailers like Target, or go to www.BOSU.com (where you can also get a DVD to show you how to use it).
Cost: $99.99
Dual adjustment pulley
What it can do for you: Just about anything, according to Eric Gunn, the lead personal training manager at Life Time Fitness in Flower Mound. "You have a selectorized stack that goes up to 100-plus pounds on each side," Mr. Gunn explains. You can use the pulleys as they are or add an attachment like a crossbar for a standing chest press. Plus, he points out that it has four different overhead grips for pull-ups and hanging abdominal exercises.
Exercise example:
Lunging chest press: Holding onto the crossbar with your back to the machine, step out in a forward lunge while doing a chest press. "Your abdominals and your lower back muscles are actually having to be recruited to keep your upper torso stabilized," says Mr. Gunn. Repeat by stepping forward with the opposite leg.
Get them: Since it could cost you thousands of dollars to have one of these in your home, you're better off using the one at your local gym.
Gliding discs
What they can do for you: The gliding discs make exercises dummy-proof, according to Donna Fisher, Pilates director at the Cooper Aerobics Center. "It's hard to mess up the exercise because the gliding disc is sliding, so it's not like your arm can go in a different direction," she explains. She has class participants stand on them for lower-body moves like lunges or put their hands on them for Pilates moves like the bridge. The gliding discs make it "easy for people to do some very dynamic multi-joint exercises that can really make a difference," she says.
Exercise examples:
The Bridge: Lie on your back with your feet on the gliding discs. Lift your tail bone and glutes up off the mat. "Instead of your feet being planted on the ground and just going up and down, you could go up, glide your feet out, pull your feet in. You'd have knee flexion and lots of hamstring and glute work," says Ms. Fisher.
Lunges: Perform a lunge just like normal but put the leg that is doing the movement on the gliding disc. Ms. Fisher says it helps you to have perfect form when you lunge. "You can also go behind you 45 degrees; you can take it to the side," she says.
Get them: www.glidingdiscs.com
Cost: About $25 including shipping and handling.
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