Archive for the ‘kettlebell’ Category

Weekend Warrior – Bill Meyer with SteelBells and SandBells

April 30th, 2011

You’ve all seen Bill Meyer, our Monday Morning Muscle guru, come up with hundreds of unique ways to use his Hyper Vest PRO, Hyper Vest COOL, SandBells, and SteelBells.  So, when I asked him to send me pics of anything out of the ordinary he uses them for, this is what I got:

Bill and his bride-to-be, Lauren Sparrow, are not only planning  a wedding, but they are also opening a new fitness facility in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, called Meyer Fitness.  Their tag line is “Serious Fitness, Seriously Fun” and knowing those two it will be beyond fun!  They are both fitness FREAKS and are so passionate to get people active…it’s contagious!  In fact, I owe much of my fitness transformation to the encouragement and support of these two amazing folks!

So, the picture above came with the explanation that this weekend, they would be laying flooring at Meyer Fitness.  Looks to me like the SandBells and SteelBells would be holding flooring in place as they secured it…  If I know Bill and Sparrow, they did a few slams or lunges everytime they picked them up to move to a different area of the floor!

Thanks, Bill, for being a Weekend Warrior!

Now it’s your turn to show us how YOU are a Weekend Warrior!  Send pics and descriptions of how you use your Hyper Wear gear in different ways on the weekends to suzi (at) hyperwear (dot) com and you could be our next Weekend Warrior!

Bill Meyer Combines Hyper Wear with Stronger Grip – MMM #101

April 11th, 2011

Good Monday Morning!

Time for Round Two of the face-off between Hyper Wear and Stronger Grip! These are two fantastic companies that produce fantastic products and information in the health and fitness arena.  And each is led by an amazing man…Hyper Wear’s Cosmo Raines and Stronger Grip’s Ryan Pitts!  In case you missed Round One, you can see it here.

If you haven’t had a chance to pick these guys’ brains on their creative work yet, get in touch and see the brilliance behind their craft.

This week’s combination utilizes Cosmo’s SteelBell and Hyper Vest PRO with Ryan’s loadable kettlebell and monster sledgehammer.  These tools collide to create a fantastic countdown series of muscle-destroying exercises!!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLv2WE8BseQ[/youtube]

Never Stand Still!

Bill Meyer, SCE, USAW
Head Hyper Wear Coach

SandBells yield Irrepressible Enthusiasm!

April 7th, 2011

Today, we want to say, “Thank you!” to Rocannon MacGregor.  He runs Sanctuary Healing Clinic and the Primal Gymnasium and is so uplifting to talk to!  Joe, on of the amazing members of the Hyper Team, described Rocannon as having “Irrepressible Enthusiasm.”  I think it fits…read below and see if you agree!

Hi Joe,

I just emailed this list out to my clients.
I thought you might like to have a copy.

I could have written 100 reasons.
But I thought I would save a few for another email.

Please feel free to use any or all of what I wrote in any way it serves to get the WORD out about SandBells.
I think every school in the nation needs to have them.
SandBells would go a long way to making P.E. Fun & Juicy, instead of boring and dry.

25 Reasons YOU Should get Sandbells

  1. They are fun to play with.
  2. They are so much fun you might actually find someone else to play with you. With only 1 SandBell several people could get a great series of moves going.
  3. You can throw them with your parents, children, friends, strangers…..because they are easy to use.
  4. SandBells are much safer to throw around than a medicine ball. I have been hit by a medicine ball many times and by the SandBells as well. There is a huge difference. SandBells  are soft and they just don’t have the same impact on a body that a hard medicine ball does (or a kettlebell or club or mace or sledgehammer).
  5. They take up very little space but you can get a terrific Nature Playout with them.
  6. They can be used in place of dumbells, clubs, kettlebells etc. And since they are soft, people that are learning can do so more safely with reduced likelihood of injuring themselves. I use SandBells just as a change of pace from Clubs and KBs.
  7. You can have one stashed in your vehicle so that you always have at least one Primal Tool/Toy on hand. And the SandBell will not roll around in the car or scratch/dent anything.
  8. They are safe to use when you are experimenting with new moves.
  9. You can be very creative with the SandBells. I have already developed a huge repertoire of moves using them.
  10. You can smash the SandBells to the ground.
  11. You can throw the SandBells like a shot put or discus or any other way you choose.
  12. The SandBells do not roll when you throw them.
  13. With one or two SandBells you can quickly increase the challenge level your moves from the Daily Dozen Series.
  14. You can do what we call the Hike & Toss when you are out hiking with a friend. Just take a single SandBell and be creative in all the ways you can play with it on the hike with a friend (or by yourself).
  15. SandBells can be used safely by one person, or with two, or many people.
  16. SandBells are exceptionally fun to use with a 6 or more people. You can come up with all manner of challenging patterns of throw, movin’ & groovin’.
  17. SandBells are an excellent tools for rehab or prehab.
  18. SandBells are an excellent choice to blend with bodyweight moves.
  19. SandBells are outstanding for Active Recovery Days.
  20. SandBells are an extremely fun way to Warm Up or Warm Down.
  21. SandBells can be used by people of all ages and skill levels.
  22. You can intersperse SandBell moves between Kettlebell, Club, Sledgehammer or Mace moves to spice up your workout.
  23. You can do a Run & Toss with a partner. This is a great way to spice up a run and to get upper body and core activation going in what is usually and primarily a lower body activity.
  24. Load a few SandBells in your backpack when you are training for a long distance trek. Then take ‘em out and throw ‘em around with your friends.
  25. Take a SandBell to work with you. On your break make it a Movement Break and use your SandBell to get energized. I’ll bet you will soon have someone who wants to do it with you.

Live Large & Loud,
Rocannon MacGregor, Ph.D.
Sanctuary Healing Clinic & Primal Gymnasium

Thanks, Rocannon!  We couldn’t have said it better ourselves!  :)

Improve KettleBell Squat Stability by Training with a SteelBell (Part 3 of 3) = MMM #94

February 21st, 2011

Good Monday Morning!

This week we’re finishing up the Pick 3 Series on Kettlebells and SteelBells. The series showcases my three favorite exercises with SteelBells that assist Kettlebell athletes with their training. Today we’re focusing on stabilization in the shoulder and hip with a Single Arm Overhead Isometric Press with a SteelBell.

To train my lockout of the Jerk portion of my Kettlebell series, I often hold the bell above my head and walk back and forth in my backyard, stepping over and around obstacles which tend to make the bell shift, thus forcing a more stable shoulder activation. The SteelBell from Hyper Wear offers even more instability as the weight inside constantly shifts throughout your grip when attempting to hold it still.

After I’m done with my main work sets of my workout, I will utilize this exercise with both a Kettlebell and a SteelBell for at least 90 seconds on each arm. Check out the video and give it a shot!

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

Never Stand Still!

Bill Meyer, SCE, USAW
Head Hyper Wear Coach
MMM94

Improve Kettlebell Swing by Training with a SteelBell (Part 2 of 3) – MMM #93

February 14th, 2011

Good Monday Morning!

Week 2 in the Pick 3 Series introduces the Kettlebell Jerk and the SteelBell Press and Toss. The Press and Toss offers a great assistance exercise to the Jerk due to its ballistic nature and challenging effort in decelerating a weight coming from overhead.

Use this exercise just like you would a Kettlebell set, roughly matching the number of repetitions with the percentage of weight you have in your SteelBell.

For Example:

75 lb SteelBell = 5 repetitions at a time
40 lb SteelBell = 10 repetitions at a time

The way I incorporate this is to do my Jerk sets with my Kettlebells, and then finish my workout with four sets of 5 or 10 Press and Tosses.

Check out the video and give it a shot!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3znLDKVSirM[/youtube]

Never Stand Still!

Bill Meyer, SCE, USAW
Head Hyper Wear Coach

MMM93

Improve Kettlebell Swing by Training with a SteelBell Part 1 of 3 – MMM #92

February 7th, 2011

Ok gang, time for another “Pick 3″ Series.

This time around we’re taking a closer look at how Hyper Wear’s dynamic equipment works well with Kettlebell Sport training.  To start off the Pick 3, we’re looking at the swing motion of Kettlebell training, which is a foundational movement for improved strength, endurance, and technique for the clean and the snatch.

Watch as utilizing the SteelBell Swing from Hyper Wear improves an athlete’s ability to grip and regrip a Kettlebell for the endurance of a 10-minute competition set.  Also, the added instability of the steel shot shifting about inside of the SteelBell creates a higher demand of grip strength that the solid handle of a Kettlebell doesn’t offer.

With these benefits, an athlete’s swing technique and strength can improve greatly through Hyper Wear training! Check it out!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yey89BDGW4M&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
Never Stand Still!

Bill Meyer, SCE, USAW
Head Hyper Wear Coach

SandBell Gets Face-Time in Real Simple Magazine!

January 14th, 2011

You know how excited we get around here when we get a mention somewhere in the media…  Well, the February edition of Real Simple Magazine includes the SandBells in their “Discounts and Deals – Workout Gear” section!  We love it!!

Check it out:

KettleBell Grip Training via Ballistic SteelBell Throws – MMM #82

November 22nd, 2010

Good Monday Morning!

This week I’m going to show you another great way that Hyper Wear products work great with kettlebell training. I’m back in the “Man Cave” working on my training program from Ken Blackburn and I’m looking for a ballistic way to work on vertical power.  Thankfully, I’ve got myself a garage full of Hyper Wear SteelBells!!

There are several great things about SteelBells: 1) They are available in much heavier sizes than the SandBells; 2) Tthey force me to improve my grip strength; and 3) They’re just as safe as the rest of the Hyper Wear products.  So in this case, I can easily and safely transition from a kettlebell lift to a SteelBell ballistic throw. Check out today’s workout to see how!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btJLVlL1Rgg[/youtube]

Never Stand Still!

Bill Meyer, SCE, USAW
Head Hyper Wear Coach

MMM #82

A Word on Functional Fitness – Hyper Vest PRO & SandBell Style

November 17th, 2010

If you’ve ever spent any amount of time talking with someone from Hyper Wear or watching any of our videos, you know that we LOVE functional fitness.  We believe in the practicality of training the way you move in everyday life.  If you’re a stay-at-home mom, you need muscles that will enable you to pick up the baby, vacuum the floor, put away groceries, etc.  If you are an athlete on the basketball court, you need first-step quickness, rebounding ups, overall quickness, etc. You get the idea.

No matter what you do, you use certain muscles throughout your day.  Why bother building big muscles that don’t actually do anything besides lift a weight in a linear fashion?  We think muscles aren’t just there to look pretty, they should actually serve a purpose – to make what you do every day a little easier.

The Hyper Vest PRO is, of course, the most functional of all.  A weighted vest that you can wear around all the time, no matter what you’re doing, means you are building specific muscles for what you do.  Makes sense, huh?  But our SandBells are also high on the functional fitness scale.  Because they are so safe and so versatile, you can use them to mimic lots of real-world movements without worrying about dropping them on your toe, or bumping some body part with them.

Speaking of bumped body parts, I must confess, I am in my thirties, but my my knees look like the knees of a little kid.  They’re always bruised and scraped from when I miscalculate the speed and / or direction of some other piece of fitness equipment and my knee gets in the way.  I’m just thankful I’ve never been that clumsy with a kettlebell, but that’s mostly because I never use them!  Why bother when a novice user like myself can get all the same benefits from doing the same moves with a SandBell?  Forgive this short commercial break…now back to our regularly scheduled blog post…

The point of all this is to direct you to an article put out by the Mayo Clinic called “Functional fitness training: Is it right for you?“  It’s a good run down of the definitions, benefits, and even equipment of functional training, but someone needs to get those guys a Hyper Vest PRO and SandBells…

The SteelBell Bump for Kettlebell Training

November 8th, 2010

Good Monday Morning!
Hello from Virginia!! I’ve recently finished my move to Norfolk, Virginia, and am ready to get back to training and sharing great bits of information to all of you out there in Hyper-World!

This week we’re focusing on how SteelBells and SandBells can be a great training aid for Kettlebell training. Now, when performing the Jerk exercise with a Kettlebell, there is a slight counter movement, called “the Bump” that helps create a much more explosive and efficient Jerk repetition. The Bump creates a more explosive stretch-shortening cycle in the entire body, so that the athlete doesn’t have to rely on taxing the muscles in the shoulder to perform their best Jerk repetition.

Take a look at this week’s video to see how I use a 40lb SteelBell to create a more comfortable “Bump” to prepare for my Kettlebell competition. Once again, you will see how Kettlebell training can be greatly assisted by using products from Hyper Wear!

Want to know more about what I have been contemplating as I encounter a new job and new individuals to train?  Click here to hear my thoughts on my new life in Virginia.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR0sp_IW_m0[/youtube]

Never Stand Still!

Bill Meyer, SCE, USAW
Head Hyper Wear Coach