Hyper Wear - Weight Vests and Training Equipment » personal trainer http://www.hyperwear.com/blog Train Heavy - Play Light - Stay Cool Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:00:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Hyper Training Lab: Speed, Strength and Linear Movement http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/11/08/hyper-training-lab-speed-strength-and-linear-movement/ http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/11/08/hyper-training-lab-speed-strength-and-linear-movement/#comments Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:00:19 +0000 HyperCosmo http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/?p=1347 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.
]]> http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/11/08/hyper-training-lab-speed-strength-and-linear-movement/feed/ 0 Hyper Training Lab: Challenge Core Strength With One-Sided Load http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/10/25/hyper-training-lab-challenge-core-strength-with-one-sided-load/ http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/10/25/hyper-training-lab-challenge-core-strength-with-one-sided-load/#comments Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:00:16 +0000 HyperCosmo http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/?p=1324 Welcome back to the Hyper Training Lab! In this week’s lab, Diane Vives brings you a great circuit that focuses on challenging core strength with a one-sided load. Rotary stability is the ability to resist unwanted movement and maintain excellent posture and control.  The benefits of training your body to execute good posture come into play when you perform movements that require core strength and stability.

The following exercises are a great way to improve strength training movements and overall performance, and also have the added benefit of loading one side of the body, which places an additional emphasis on targeting rotary stability muscles.

Core Challenging Circuit Exercises:

  1. Squat with one arm carry- Using a SteelBell
  2. Lunge with lateral exchange – Using a SandBell
  3. Upper-body one arm curl to press- Using a SandBell
  4. One leg dead lift with one arm reach – Using a SandBell

All of these exercises are a great addition to building your exercise menu for stability challenging movements. Also, be sure to tailor the weight and number of repetitions to fit your individual workout requirements. Go out, give this circuit a try and let us know what you think!

]]> http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/10/25/hyper-training-lab-challenge-core-strength-with-one-sided-load/feed/ 0 Hyper Training Lab: Total Body Combos for High Intensity Circuits http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/10/18/hyper-training-lab-total-body-combos-for-high-intensity-circuits/ http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/10/18/hyper-training-lab-total-body-combos-for-high-intensity-circuits/#comments Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:30:15 +0000 HyperCosmo http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/?p=1310 In this week’s Hyper Training Lab, Diane Vives focuses on building combination movements throughout an entire circuit. This works to create a more aggressive conditioning circuit by intensifying each exercise. Building intensity throughout the circuit sets can boost overall energy demands, and also allow for great strength endurance when handling higher workloads.

Total Upper and Lower Body Combos:

  1. Squat to band row
  2. Slide knee tuck to push up
  3. Lunge with arc
  4. Rainbow slam

To view this week’s Hyper Training Lab video, click here. Use these movements to build your exercise archive and improve total body performance. This is a great metabolically challenging circuit that can be incorporated into a variety of settings, and used by anyone from fitness enthusiasts to athletes and trainers. Go out, give it a try and let us know what you think!

]]> http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/10/18/hyper-training-lab-total-body-combos-for-high-intensity-circuits/feed/ 0 Monday Morning Scoop: What it takes to be an Olympic athlete http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/10/10/monday-morning-scoop-what-it-takes-to-be-an-olympic-athlete/ http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/10/10/monday-morning-scoop-what-it-takes-to-be-an-olympic-athlete/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:30:51 +0000 HyperCosmo http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/?p=1266 For most, finding the motivation to log in time at the gym is a daily struggle. The priority of making time to exercise seems to creep further toward the bottom of the list with jobs, kids and all of life’s daily stresses.

But, imagine being a professional athlete or Olympian.

Working out and staying fit is your job, and that time from 9-5 spent gazing at a computer now becomes eight hours of work, sweat and complete dedication. That hour on the treadmill doesn’t seem so bad now, does it?

“People don’t know the process which athletes undertake in their individual sports to reach the Olympic level. You get there by sticking it out. There are a lot of people that try and give up,” says Jim Ochowicz, men’s professional road racing team Olympic athlete, in the article, “How to Train Like An Olympian” on Forbes.com.

The online article goes on to say that on average, athletes spend four to eight years preparing and training before making an Olympic team. Also, training schedules aren’t planned weekly or monthly, but yearly to ensure they reach specific performance goals.

While less than one percent of us will ever be able to call ourselves Olympic athletes, you can still employ some of their training techniques so you can look and feel like one. The online article, “Go for Gold! Learn to train like an Olympian” reveals some great fitness tips from various professional coaches.

Below are several key training tips from the article:

“Weights are great, but don’t underestimate the power of body-weight exercises. They provide you with a body awareness that you just can’t get with plates or dumbbells, and that translates into more explosive power in the ring and more agility in the real world,” says Larry Nelson, USA Boxing’s 2003 developmental coach of the year.

“Along with flexibility and body control, balance is an essential component of weight lifting. The best way to bolster it is with an overhead squat,” recommends Mike Burgener, father and coach of Casey Burgener—top-ranked US power lifter in Beijing.

“Whether you’re trying to log a faster 10K or just keep up with your bean-thin teen, the key to running more efficiently is to reduce the amount of time your feet spend on the ground. One of the best ways to do this is with hill sprints…” says Brad Hudson, champion marathoner and current coach of Olympic gold medal marathon hopeful Dathan Ritzenhein.

Bottom line, being an Olympic athlete and training like one takes time and dedication. Putting in an hour a day will make you feel better, look better and live a long and healthy life. So, next time you decide to put off the gym because you “just don’t have enough time,” think about those people logging in eight hours a day, every day, of mentally and physically strenuous training, and march yourself straight into that gym!

]]> http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/10/10/monday-morning-scoop-what-it-takes-to-be-an-olympic-athlete/feed/ 0 Hyper Training Lab: Partner Circuit Examples w. Diane Vives http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/10/04/tuesdays-training-lab-partner-circuit-examples/ http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/10/04/tuesdays-training-lab-partner-circuit-examples/#comments Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:30:42 +0000 HyperCosmo http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/?p=1268 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!

]]> http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/10/04/tuesdays-training-lab-partner-circuit-examples/feed/ 0 Hyper Wear DVD Shoot – Elements of Training the Combat Athlete. http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/05/19/hyper-wear-dvd-shoot-elements-of-training-the-combat-athlete/ http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/05/19/hyper-wear-dvd-shoot-elements-of-training-the-combat-athlete/#comments Thu, 19 May 2011 19:37:48 +0000 HyperCosmo http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/?p=1069 Wednesday, May 18th, Hyper Wear conducted its first of many shoots for DVD content.  It was an amazing day!  There are so many people to thank, it’s hard to know where to begin… So, in no particular order, let me give a few shout-outs to the folks that made this amazing day happen!

Our athletes / trainers for the shoot included Diane Vives, Hyper Wear’s Director of Training; Daryell Harmon, Avery Moore, and Joe Lopez of Police Training Group out of Dallas, TX; and Sayif Saud of Octagon Fitness, also out of Dallas, TX.  It was truly humbling to be in a room with so many amazing athletes from such varied backgrounds, but all with the desire to present SandBells and SteelBells to the combat athlete world.

Behind the cameras were Dennis Weaver and Timothy Chew.  Sound was run by John McDaniel (who had a lot of ambient noise to deal with from the ice machine in the warehouse behind us to the birds pecking on the roof to the police sirens at various points to large trucks rumbling by).  And Nikita Lance graced us with her wonderful slate abilities!

Cosmo, Diane, and Dennis put the whole shoot together and between the three of them did an amazing job of setting up shots, coaching the trainers for what would look best on camera, and handling wrenches that got thrown in at the last minute.

And there was of course the wonderful folks at H.E.A.T. Bootcamp who were so kind and accommodating to let us use their space!  Founder and creator, Cody Butler, met with some of our crew to show them around the space and help figure out logistics.  On Wednesday, he was around all day, always checking on us to make sure we had what we needed.  They even moved their sessions outside so we could have full use of the facility.  And Marshall Ryan Priest let us in to set up Tuesday evening and showed us the ropes.

Our fabulous interns, Jordan Pratt and Carol Martins, helped me do any odd jobs that needed doing.  Dirk Buikema stopped by with Video Release Forms and Joe Atocha and Ben Buikema held down the fort back here at the office.  And I shouldn’t leave out Denver Fredenburg who gave a big thumbs up to the whole deal!!  I even want to thank the kind and helpful folks at Rudy’s and Subway who took our food orders and carried the big boxes to the car for me (even when I was parked a block away!).

It was a lot of work, but we all agreed that it was well worth it!  We can’t wait to get the DVD done and out there – it’s gonna rock the Combat Athlete’s world!

]]> http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/05/19/hyper-wear-dvd-shoot-elements-of-training-the-combat-athlete/feed/ 0 Intro to Play-Based Training MMM #106 http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/05/16/intro-to-play-based-training-mmm-106/ http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/05/16/intro-to-play-based-training-mmm-106/#comments Mon, 16 May 2011 17:51:07 +0000 HyperCosmo http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/?p=1059 It’s summertime and for most of us, that means it’s time to get outside and PLAY! So to celebrate this wonderful weather, I’m putting a different spin on some traditional exercises and movement patterns to help remind us all to allow room for play to be a part of our training sessions.

Whether you’re a strength coach, personal trainer, bootcamp instructor, physical education instructor, or just a fitness enthusiast, this video series is for you. No matter the athlete or student, there is always room for play (or there should be).  You would be surprised at the reaction of your athletes when you allow for an activity or a game instead of the traditional lifts, presses, and throws. I would be willing to bet that the relationship between athlete and coach/instructor would greatly improve if there was an involvement of play in the workout program from time to time.

Hyper Wear’s products allow for safe, effective, play-based fitness and can be used for serious training, as well as serious fun.  The SandBells and SteelBells allow for resistance training, while the Hyper Vest PRO takes any activity, exercise, or game to a higher level with added resistance in a safe manner.

Bottom line: Never forget to have FUN with your training!!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrdv-ydD1nA[/youtube]

Never Stand Still!

Bill Meyer, SCE, USAW
Head Hyper Wear Coach

]]> http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/05/16/intro-to-play-based-training-mmm-106/feed/ 0 Bill Meyer of Meyer Fitness and Monday Morning Muscle Fame! http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/05/05/bill-meyer-of-meyer-fitness-and-monday-morning-muscle-fame/ http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/05/05/bill-meyer-of-meyer-fitness-and-monday-morning-muscle-fame/#comments Thu, 05 May 2011 11:00:30 +0000 HyperCosmo http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/?p=978 Today, our shout of “Thank You!” goes out to Bill Meyer.  Bill has been a supporter of Hyper Wear pretty much from the beginning.  He was one of the first guinea pigs to try out the current version of the Hyper Vest PRO and was a key tester for the SandBell in her many iterations.  He put himself through a grueling workout to prove the effectiveness of the Hyper Vest COOL and tried the myriad fabrics we looked at to make the SteelBells sturdier.

But that’s just on the product testing side!  You’ve seen him in almost every single one of the 100+ Monday Morning Muscles we’ve put out over the last couple of years.  You’ve met him at tradeshows and seen him do awesome presentations ranging from the basics of the SandBell to its supreme level of safety.  He’s posed for pictures.  He’s given up weekends.  He’s created some truly unique and dynamic workouts using only SandBells.

Bill recently moved with his lovely fiancee, Lauren Sparrow, to Virginia Beach, VA, where they will be wed this June.  He has continued to produce the Monday Morning Muscle and helps at tradeshows when possible.  In addition to planning a wedding, he just remodeled and opened his own workout facility – Meyer Fitness.  Yes, he really does have that much energy!!

We would not be where we are today if it were not for the hard work, dedication, and support of Bill Meyer.  We look forward to many more years of working with this amazing trainer and incredible human being!!  If you are ever in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, drop in for a workout.  Tell him Hyper Wear sent you!

]]> http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/05/05/bill-meyer-of-meyer-fitness-and-monday-morning-muscle-fame/feed/ 1 Weekend Warrior – Bill Meyer with SteelBells and SandBells http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/04/30/weekend-warrior-bill-meyer-with-steelbells-and-sandbells/ http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/04/30/weekend-warrior-bill-meyer-with-steelbells-and-sandbells/#comments Sat, 30 Apr 2011 13:00:17 +0000 HyperCosmo http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/?p=954 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!

]]> http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/04/30/weekend-warrior-bill-meyer-with-steelbells-and-sandbells/feed/ 0 Hot Topic Tuesday : Jillian Michaels Needs SandBells and a Hyper Vest PRO! http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/04/19/hot-topic-tuesday-jillian-michaels-needs-sandbells-and-a-hyper-vest-pro/ http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/04/19/hot-topic-tuesday-jillian-michaels-needs-sandbells-and-a-hyper-vest-pro/#comments Tue, 19 Apr 2011 11:00:05 +0000 HyperCosmo http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/?p=934 Hot Topic Tuesdays are all about interesting articles and studies we’ve found lately.  We like to take a look at these current issues and talk about how Hyper Wear’s products can help!

After reading this article I feel sorry for Jillian Michaels…  She needs some SandBells and a Hyper Vest PRO!  They make working out FUN!  Anybody have her address?  I’d love to send her some!

]]> http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/04/19/hot-topic-tuesday-jillian-michaels-needs-sandbells-and-a-hyper-vest-pro/feed/ 0 Time for Change… http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/04/15/time-for-change/ http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/04/15/time-for-change/#comments Fri, 15 Apr 2011 18:13:07 +0000 HyperSuzi http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/?p=942 If you’ve read our blog or watched our older Monday Morning Muscle videos, you know about the great relationship we have with the CATZ facility here in Austin, TX.  CATZ stands for Competitive Athlete Training Zone and they offer the best functional fitness classes I have ever seen.  They train athletes at all levels from kids ages 3-6 in a program teaching movement skills to adult fitness classes.  They hire top-notch coaches and product high-quality athletes.

Hyper Wear would not be where it is today if it were not for CATZ.  Their coaches have graciously and brutally tested our products every step along the way.  We’ll hand them a prototype and tell them to try to break it.  They’ll manhandle and workout with that piece of equipment until it busts or until they decide it is unbustable.  That’s why the Hyper Vest PRO, Hyper Vest COOL, SandBells, SteelBells, and WaterBells (coming soon!) are so amazingly durable – CATZ coaches put them through the ringer before they ever saw the light of day!

Hyper Wear LOVES CATZ!

On a more personal level, Cosmo and I  have had the awesome privilege of participating in CATZ classes since about 2006.  We began taking classes under the direction of Tim Meyer and our bodies have never been the same!  We can both honestly say we are in the best shape of our lives!

Today marks the end of an era – it is Tim’s last day as a trainer at CATZ.  He is moving on to some other great ventures that we know he’ll be awesome at, but CATZ just won’t be the same without him.  If you want to know more about Tim, you can check out his blog.  He promises to start up some outdoor bootcamps in the Cedar Park area, so look him up if you are in the mood for an awesome workout!

Love you Timmy!!  :)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05dpVirpTLw[/youtube]

]]> http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/04/15/time-for-change/feed/ 1 Alabama Vacation Workout: The Versatile Hyper Vest PRO – MMM #72 http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2010/09/20/alabama-vacation-workout-the-versatile-hyper-vest-pro-mmm-72/ http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2010/09/20/alabama-vacation-workout-the-versatile-hyper-vest-pro-mmm-72/#comments Mon, 20 Sep 2010 10:00:17 +0000 HyperCosmo http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/?p=619 Good Monday Morning!

Today we come to you from Grand Bay, Alabama! Yes, I’ve gone on a little well-deserved vacation this week to my father’s house out in the countryside, but never fear, I haven’t forgotten about you! Today’s series shows some fun outdoor activities you can accomplish with your own body weight, the elements, and a form-fitting Hyper Vest PRO!

Take a look at the episode and feel free to leave feedback! Also, try to count the number of times my black labs get into the camera shot, just like their dad, they love the camera! I think they stole the show personally! Enjoy!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT0pAFOqOTU[/youtube]

Never Stand Still!

Bill Meyer, SCE, USAW
Head Hyper Wear Coach
Performance Director, CATZ-Austin

MMM #72

]]> http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2010/09/20/alabama-vacation-workout-the-versatile-hyper-vest-pro-mmm-72/feed/ 0 Jessica Estrada Rocks http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2010/01/01/jessica-estrada-rocks/ http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2010/01/01/jessica-estrada-rocks/#comments Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:34:58 +0000 HyperCosmo http://hyperwear.com/blog/?p=200 Just wanted to show you a cool blog: Live and Learn.

Jessica is a rockin’ personal trainer who just happens to workout with us at CATZ. She may be tiny, but she’s tough and we think she’s the bomb!

Thanks for the shout-out, Jess! You rock!

]]> http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2010/01/01/jessica-estrada-rocks/feed/ 0