Archive for the ‘grip strength’ Category

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Hyper Training Lab: Speed, Strength and Linear Movement

November 8th, 2011
,,,,,,,,,,,,, - Circuit training elements - Diane Vives - Hyper Training Lab - Hyper Vest PRO - HyperWear - SandBell - SteelBell - Training the Female Athlete - Tuesday Training Lab - athlete training - circuit training - endurance exercise - female athlete - fitness - functional fitness - grip strength - personal trainer - squats - stability - strength training - training - wellness - workout
Join Hyperwear Training Ambassador, Jim Bell, as our guest coach in this week’s Hyper Training Lab! Today’s focus targets the athlete, or those who approach aggressive training as their sport of choice. Here, Jim takes movements that use linear speed strength and power to create a challenging circuit for the athlete.
Focus Movements:
1. Shotgun squats: speed squat with explosive chest press
2. Explosive chest toss with jump
3. Broad jump
4. Band resisted sprints
Add these exercises to your next workout, and don’t forget to tailor weight and repetitions to fit your training needs. Remember, it’s your move!
CLICK HERE to view this week’s Hyper Training Lab video.
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Monday Morning Scoop: Improve grip strength with the SandBell

October 24th, 2011
,,,,,,,,,,,, - HyperWear - Monday Morning Scoop - SandBell - SteelBell - Stronger Grip - athlete training - burn calories - endurance - endurance exercise - fitness - football - functional fitness - grip strength - sandbag - strength training - training - workout

Good Monday morning! As you’re beginning the week, planning your schedule and figuring out when to squeeze in those workouts, consider exercising an area that is generally over-looked.

When deciding which muscle groups you’re going to work on during a particular workout, you’re probably not saying to yourself, “Okay, I’m going to do back today, legs tomorrow and grip-strength/forearm on Wednesday.” But, you might want to consider adding in some grip-strength and forearm focused exercises for a number of reasons.

Your finger movement and dexterity is controlled by all of the muscles in your hands and forearms. Having strong hands and fingers means more than a confident and firm handshake. Think of ALL the daily movements you do that require your hands—locking doors, blow drying hair, tying shoes, buttoning a shirt, assembling equipment, changing the radio station. Almost everything you do requires exerting activity from your fingers and hands, even the activities you do almost unconsciously.

“Improved gripping strength produces faster results in the gym because you are able to hold onto heavy weights… In sports requiring the use of a racquet or bat, you’ll be able to swing it harder without losing your grip,” says David Benjamin in the online article “Benefits of Hand Grip Exercises” on livestrong.com.

Want an easy way to improve grip strength, while still completing your everyday exercises—PICK UP A SANDBELL!! Seriously.

The active, shifting movement of the sand inside the SandBell (or steel inside the SteelBell), constantly activates and challenges the muscles in your hands and forearms. Practically every exercise you can do with a SandBell will also challenge those grip strength muscles that you now know are so important.

For SandBell exercise ideas, view our Hyper Training Lab videos. The videos are a great tool for expanding your fitness knowledge and uncovering new ways to challenge your body, get fit and increase your performance levels.

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Hyper Training Lab: Metabolic Circuit for Lower-Body w. Diane Vives

October 11th, 2011
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, - Britny Fowler - Circuit training elements - Diane Vives - Hyper Training Lab - HyperWear - SandBell - Stronger Grip - Training the Female Athlete - Tuesday Training Lab - athlete training - balance - circuit training - dynamic warm up - endurance - endurance exercise - exercise - female athlete - fitness - grip strength - kettlebell replacement - sandbag - single leg - squats - stability - strength training - training - weight bearing exercise - weight vest - workout

In this week’s Hyper Training Lab, Diane uncovers a great metabolic circuit that focuses on lateral movements of the lower body.  This not only increases the energy demands by doing a four-exercise circuit that targets one movement area, but also includes lateral movements that many of us neglect.  Lateral lower body exercises allow us to train movements needed for changes of direction and frontal plane (left to right) stability, which can enhance running efficiency and injury prevention.

Lateral Lower Body Blast:

  1. Lateral Speed Squat: Start in wide position, making sure to sit back in proper position, and lunge from left to right without picking up the feet.
  2. Lateral Lunge with Reach: With this lunge you introduce a step, be sure to load the SandBell on the outside and pay attention to the grip-strength muscles being activated.
  3. Lateral Box Shuffle: It’s important with this exercise to really push off the outside leg. The SandBell load helps emphasize the change in direction when transitioning over the box step.
  4. Skaters with SandBell Reach: Make sure to push off each foot and to take the SandBell toward each shoe to load on your basis of support.

Build from 12 repetitions per exercise for 2-3 sets, once a week for beginners, and more advanced exercisers can begin at 24 repetitions per exercise for 3-4 sets, once a week.

This circuit is a great challenge to keep in your arsenal of training tools. Incorporate these exercises, and ones similar to it, to make sure you’re strengthening those lateral movement muscles. Go out, give this a try and let us know what you think!

To view this week’s Hyper Training Lab video with Diane Vives, click here!

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Hyper Training Lab: Partner Circuit Examples w. Diane Vives

October 4th, 2011
,,,,,,,,,,,, - Diane Vives - Hyper Training Lab - HyperWear - SandBell - Tuesday Training Lab - athlete training - endurance - exercise - female athlete - functional fitness - grip strength - personal trainer - stability - strength training - training - weight loss - workout

Partner Circuit Examples

Welcome back to this week’s Hyper Training Lab with Diane Vives! There are many great applications that make the SandBells and SteelBells great tools for partner work.  This could be a station within a bigger circuit, or a great way to set up an entire circuit for partners. The SandBell movement actions of tosses and strikes add a fun and effective element to the workout.

  1. Split lunge with flips (Pillar Two – Level Change): Great isometric hold to increase leg strength while creating a fun stability challenge with the SandBell tosses
  2. Partner Plank Flips – Mirror/Follow Leader options (Pillar Three – Upper Body Push/Pull): Trains the upper body while keeping you motivated with the great interaction of a partner.  Great stability strength and single arm strength while performing the flip action.
  3. Partner side strikes (Pillar Four – Rotary Stability/Rotation): Focus on turning the shoulders as a unit with the action of the mid-torso.  Great for core strength and the rotational strength needed in changes of direction in sports agility movements
  4. Partner shuffles  (Pillar 1 – Locomotion/Biomotor Skills): Here we focus on lateral locomotion and challenge hand-eye coordination with the chest pass.  Great for increasing the energy demands of the overall circuit and still maintaining the fun factor with partner work.

Look out for more great challenge circuit ideas in next week’s Hyper Training Lab that are perfect for conditioning and pushing toward your personal best!

Click to view this week\’s Hyper Training Lab video!

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Hyper Training Lab #8: Conditioning Circuit with Upper-Body Movements w. Diane Vives

September 27th, 2011
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, - Body movements - Diane Vives - Hyper Training Lab - SandBell - Tuesday Training Lab - athlete training - balance - burn calories - core - endurance - endurance exercise - exercise - grip strength - push ups - stability - strength training - training

In this week’s Hyper Training Lab, Diane focuses on creating a metabolically challenging circuit that concentrates on upper-body movements. These exercises are a fantastic way to amp up your conditioning routine, as well as improve on upper-body strength endurance.

Upper-Body Blast:

  1. Dive bomber: Start in pike position, pull chest through to low position to challenge shoulders and create a great extension through the lower body
  2. Upper-body  step-ups: Start at the top, executing great range of motion, and as you step up work to stabilize and get single arm involvement
  3. Slide shuffle: This exercises involves the challenge of doing an upper-body shuffle on the slide, works the stabilizer muscles and strength of the upper-body
  4. SandBell punches: Focuses on grip strength and getting a controlled, punching strike with each movement

Make every rep count and follow good form.  It’s your move!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv5U9Ut15gY[/youtube]

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Workout Wednesday: Warehouse Edition 6.22.11 Circuit training with SandBell and TRX Suspension Trainer

June 22nd, 2011
,,,,,,,, - HyperWear - SandBell - Stronger Grip - TRX - Workout Wednesday - balance - burn calories - core - exercise - functional fitness - grip strength - squats - stability - suspension training - training

It’s summer, it’s hot and honestly, beating the heat just isn’t an option. So, embrace it! This week, the Hyper Wear staff took to the warehouse to bring you one intensely-fun circuit workout using SandBells and the TRX Suspension Trainer!

Set-up: Depending on how many SandBells you own, you can complete each circuit using the same SandBell, or create each circuit station with multiple SandBells. You’ll also need to find a place to securely attach your TRX Suspension Trainer for the t-pull station.

Warm-up: Five to ten minutes of jogging, jumping-jacks, jumping rope, etc.

Duration: 45 seconds at each station, with a 15 second transition in between stations.

Station 1. Level change with dead lift – For this two handed Romanian dead lift, begin with feet hip-width distance apart, keep your back flat and knees slightly bent. Raise and lower the SandBell to the floor, hinging at the hips and making sure the back is flat and that you’re completing the drill within your range of motion

Station 2. T Pull – Using the TRX Suspension Trainer, set your back and shoulders so you’re in a solid plank position leaning backward with feet slightly raised off the ground. With hands outstretched, forming a “T” shape with your body, bring hands together and apart, slightly lowering and raising your body. This drill focuses on posterior shoulder muscles, so be sure to keep your arms straight and extended and that each motion is smooth and controlled.

Station 3. Prong plank with alternating leg lifts – Begin in the plank position, elbows each resting on a SandBell (this is for comfort, if you don’t have two SandBells then complete the exercise with elbows on the floor). Make sure to keep everything from your shoulders to trunk still and straight, and then alternate raising each leg six to eight inches off the ground. When alternating, raise the leg straight up and not out to the side and focus on maintaining core stability.

Station 4. Scissor locomotion – Start with legs split, in a slight lunge position and feet hip-width distance apart. Slightly jump while “scissoring” your legs front to back and maintaining the lunge position, keep feet hip-width distance apart at all times and land on the balls of your feet.

Station 5. Figure eight – Start with feet spread and knees slightly bent in a squat position. Grab and hand off the SandBell to each hand while making a figure eight motion, going under and over each leg. Focus on grip strength and hand-eye coordination to improve agility, stability and overall coordination.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRDk7fFvI-Y[/youtube]

Repeat the circuit four or five times, and be sure to end with a five minute cool down. For those of you wanting to take this circuit to the next level, complete this circuit series while wearing your Hyper Vest PRO!

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Workout Wednesday ~ 5.25.11 ~ SandBell sandbags & Hyper Vest PRO weight vest

May 25th, 2011
,,,,,,, - Hyper Vest PRO - SandBell - Workout Wednesday - exercise - fitness - functional fitness - grip strength - push ups - sandbag - squats - stability - weight vest - workout

Need a quick workout mid-week that incorporates Hyper Wear’s versatile products?  Try the following mini-workout wearing your Hyper Vest PRO and use whatever size SandBells you prefer.

5 min. warm up (jumping jacks or walking in place work well)

Throw on your Hyper Vest PRO and let’s get started!

1 min. each of the following (count reps)

1.  Push Up & Row – Get into push up position with a SandBell on the floor between hands.  Perform a push up, allowing your chest to touch the SandBell before pushing back up.  At the top of the push up, grip the SandBell with one hand and twist your body as you lift the SandBell into the sky (your body will make a T position at the end of the movement).  Lower the SandBell back to start and repeat, using the other arm for the row.

2.  Split Stance w/ Back Foot on Box Squats – It’s a mouthful!  Using a plyobox or other stable raised surface, get into a split stance with the toes of your back foot up on the box.  Holding a SandBell at the chest, on the back, or out in front of you with straight arms, squat and return to standing.  Switch legs for next round.

3.  Standing Twists, Straight Arms – Hold your SandBell with both hands at chest level.  Extend arms straight out in front of you.  Holding your core tight, keep your arms straight and hands at chest level, twist right to left.

4.  SandBell Reach – Split stance, holding a SandBell in the hand opposite to the front leg.  Bend forward, stretching the SandBell as far out in front of you as you can go without extending the front knee past the front foot.  In one smooth motion, bring the SandBell back to your chest and then reach back behind you with it, as far as you can.  Straight line with the body; hips pushing forward; front toes raise off the ground.  Switch to other side for next round.

5.  Slow Motion Slams – A new favorite!  Same motion as slams, but in slow motion!  Begin with SandBell overhead and then lower it slowly to the floor, arms stay relatively straight, as you squat all the way down to lightly touch it to the floor.   Slowly return to standing with SandBell overhead.  This one is not about speed, but about how slow you can go, so the lower number of reps in a minute, the better!

Repeat whole series and try to beat your number of reps from the first round

5 min. cool down

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Workout Wednesday ~ 5.18.11 ~ Hyper Vest PRO weight vest + SandBell sandbag weights

May 18th, 2011
,,,,,,,,,,,, - Hyper Vest PRO - P.E. - SandBell - SteelBell - Workout Wednesday - balance - burn calories - exercise - fitness - grip strength - sandbag - stability - weight vest - wellness - workout

Need a quick workout mid-week that incorporates Hyper Wear’s versatile products?  Try the following mini-workout wearing your Hyper Vest PRO and use whatever size SandBells you prefer.

5 min. warm up (jumping jacks or walking in place work well)

Throw on your Hyper Vest PRO and let’s get started!

1 min. each of the following (count reps)

1.  Scoop Toss – Grip SandBell with two hands, take a wide stance, hang SandBell low between legs.  Swing SandBell up and out and release as your knees and back straighten (you are going for distance on the toss).  Run to the SandBell you just tossed, pick it up and toss it back in the other direction.

2.  Side Lunges – Holding a challenging weight of SandBell on one shoulder, begin with feet about hip distance apart.  Step right leg out far to the side, pointing toes at a 45 degree angle.  Keep the left foot toes all pointing straight forward.  Left leg will straighten and right knee will bend to about 90 degrees (don’t let knee extend past toes on right foot).  Push off of right foot to return to standing and lunge in the other direction.  Switch which shoulder the SandBell is on after two lunges on each side (and continue lunging and switching for the entire minute).

3.  Standing Twists – Hold your SandBell with both hands at chest level.  Elbows pointing out (not by your sides).  Holding your core tight, twist right to left.

4.  Crab walk – Remember this one from PE class?  Sit on your bottom, then put your feet and hands down onto the ground.  Lift bottom off the ground so that you can walk around on hands and feet.  Two options with SandBells: Place a SandBell on your stomach and keep your core tight as you crabwalk around OR Put the SandBell in front of your feet and kick it as you walk along, moving it forward by turning it over slowly with one foot then the other.

Repeat whole series and try to beat your number of reps from the first round

5 min. cool down

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Workout Wednesday ~ 5.11.11 ~ SandBell sandbags and Hyper Vest PRO weight vest

May 11th, 2011
,,,, - Hyper Vest PRO - SandBell - SteelBell - Workout Wednesday - grip strength - push ups - sandbag - weight vest - workout

Need a quick workout mid-week that incorporates Hyper Wear’s versatile products?  Try the following mini-workout wearing your Hyper Vest PRO and use whatever size SandBells you prefer.

5 min. warm up (jumping jacks or walking in place work well)

1 min. each of the following (count reps)

1.  SandBell Kettlebell Double Arm Swings – Stand with feet wider than hip-distance apart.  Get a good grip on the SandBell (grip into the sand, not just the rim), using both hands.  Bending at the hips, swing the SandBell between legs and then forward until level with the ground.  Change directions to swing the SandBell back down between the legs.

2.  Sumo walk – Set up two SandBells on the ground (as cones) about 20 feet apart.  Pick up two other SandBells to use as your weights.  Get into squat position and keeping the knees bent in squat position, side step from one cone to the other.  While you are moving with your legs, do shoulder presses with your arms, holding the SandBells.

3.  Knee Drives – Hold a SandBell in front of you with both hands, arms bent at 90 degree angles.  Lift your right knee, driving it into the SandBell and quickly returning it to the ground.  Repeat with the left knee.  You will feel like you are marching with high knees, driving the knees into the SandBell and keeping the SandBell as still as possible.

4.  Quick feet SandBell flutter kicks – You will need a partner for this one…  One person lays on their back, knees up bent at a 90-degree angle.  Partner stands near the feet with the SandBell held near the partners feet.  Partner kicks in small, flutter-kick movements, aiming to hit the SandBell with the laces of the shoes.  This is more tiring than it sounds, so we recommend doing this for 30 seconds then flipping to your stomach for the last 30 seconds.  Now, your partner is in the same position, but you are kicking the SandBells with your heels.

5.  Floor scrubs – You will need a slick floor for this one.  Kneeling next to the floor, take a SandBell in each hand and keeping the core tight, lean forward and “scrub” the floor with your SandBells.  You can move your hands just back and forth or side to side or push them out and do a push up.  Just get creative and have some fun with it!

Repeat whole series and try to beat your number of reps from the first round

5 min. cool down

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SteelBell + Stronger Grip Loadable Sledgehammer MMM#105

May 9th, 2011
,,,,,,,,,, - Bill Meyer - Hyper Vest PRO - Monday Morning Muscle - SandBell - SteelBell - Stronger Grip - grip strength - sandbag - sledgehammer - training - weight vest

Good Monday Morning!

The final week of the Pick 3 Series is upon us. It’s time to work some conditioning with my favorite tools in the toolbox: the SteelBell from Hyper Wear and the Loadable Sledgehammer from Stronger Grip. Equal movement patterns, equal results, two times the fun!!

With proper instruction, the sledgehammer can be utilized for fantastic conditioning and power development. Make sure the focus is on the technique and the speed of the movement. Be sure to never overload your athlete with something they can’t handle.

The SteelBell is safe to slam on all surfaces; however, be careful to avoid any sharp surfaces with rocks or debris. Both movements compliment each other with the SteelBell being more appropriate for younger and inexperienced athletes before using the sledgehammer.

Check it out!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xz_QxmuEdo&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Never Stand Still!

Bill Meyer, SCE, USAW
Head Hyper Wear Coach

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