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!

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.

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!

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!

As a reminder the four categories of movement in the circuit are:

1. Level Changes – lower body dominant movements, dropping and raising the center of mass
2. Push/Pull – upper body dominant movements
3. Rotary Stability/Rotation – focusing on core strength
4. Locomotion and Standing- athletic movements that increase coordinative skill

This third circuit is for total body conditioning and increasing the demands of the energy systems.  The details, so you can do your own circuit at home or in your facility are as follows:

• Always begin with a proper dynamic warm-up
• For conditioning, perform 45 to 60 seconds of work followed by 15 seconds of rest in between each station
• Four-exercise circuit
• Three to four rounds or circuits with 60-90 seconds of rest in between rounds for the entire workout

And finally, what you’ve been waiting for…the exercise list:

1. Clean
   • Explosive variation based on Olympic lift.
   • First Progression: One SteelBell/SandBell
   • Second Progression: 2 SteelBells/SandBells to create dynamic challenge.
   • Strong,neutral wrist position.
   • Grip into SteelBell
   • Movement generated from the strength of the hips
2. SteelBell Flips with Push Ups
   • Great for Shoulder stability.
   • Shift weight back and forth on single arm.
   • Dynamic movementfor upper body and great challenge for core strength
   • First Progression: SteelBell Flips
   • Second Progression: SteelBell Flips and Push Ups
3. Star Pattern
   • Athletic position with braced core
   • Covering many movements in one pattern with star pattern
   • Involves great shoulder to opposite hip rotational patterns
4. Lateral Shuffle with Lateral Lunge
   • Frontal plane movement.
   • Lateral shuffle over SandBell, immediately to lateral lunge
   • Lateral lunge emphasizes strength needed for changes of direction.
   • Push off outside foot.
   • Higher in metabolic demand than a balance movement for increasing overall work load of circuit
   • First Progression: Only body weight, no SandBell
   • Second Progression: Perform with resistance of SandBell

As always, we’d love to hear your feedback, so let us know how this circuit was for you!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6DfqMPMKck[/youtube]

Don’t get me wrong, I will see it, but the trouble is three-fold:

1.  I don’t want to sit amongst the throngs of die-hards that will attend this weekend.

2.  I didn’t see the last one (part one to this part two).  I know – horror of horrors!  But I hate the suspense!  I couldn’t bear seeing the first half and then having to wait for the second.  So, first I have to watch that one.  In fact, while I’m at it, I think I need to watch all of them again in a row so I remember the flow of the story…

3.  I don’t want to slip into the deep depression feared for many Muggles according to this article:

Grief counseling for Muggles mourning final ‘Harry Potter’ film

But have no fear!!  Hyper Wear has a solution!

Do you know what’s great for dealing with depression and grief?

Exercise!  That’s right!  It gets the endorphins flowing that give you happy feelings and it helps you look great so that when you look in the mirror you love what you see and when you get the one-eyebrow-raised-half-smile-with-the-head-nod at the gym, you know it was well-deserved.

We have a whole channel on You Tube with tons of videos with ideas for exercises to do!

So, for all you sad Muggles out there mourning the end of an era, chin up!  We’ve got just the thing!

The most popular bending exercise on the planet is probably the Deadlift and its multiple variations. In this week’s video I show you a spin on the traditional exercise by playing a vertical version of “Move the Mountain,” a traditionally horizontal activity.

No matter the age of the student/athlete, Hyper Wear can provide you with the right size of SandBell or SteelBell to make this activity fun, safe, and effective!

Enjoy!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAv3vPM5L8k[/youtube]

Never Stand Still!

Bill Meyer, SCE, USAW
Head Hyper Wear Coach

“A strong body improves your biomechanics, which enables you to train harder and more effectively without increased injury or risk,” says Matt Dixon, M. Sc., a San Francisco running coach. It makes sense that, if you want to train harder, your muscles are going to have to be strong enough to support the extra miles you’ll be pounding on the pavement. Another perk of strength training is the injuries you’ll avoid as your miles add up. Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, a Men’s Health Fitness Advisor and author of Turbulence Training for Fat Loss, conducted his own informal experiment of strength-training’s impact and concluded, “the more strength and muscle you have, the less likely you are to get chronic overuse injury.” He went on to say that being thinner may allow runners to attack hills faster, but will also leave them prone to more injuries.

What’s the safest, most effective and definitely most fun way to incorporate strength training workouts? By using our SandBell sandbags, SteelBell weights and Hyper Vest PRO weight vest, OF COURSE! The Hyper Wear blog archive contains hundreds of tips, videos and workout plans, and is a great resource to come up with your own muscle-building routines. Check out the video below for some SandBell exercises, take a look at previous blogs, or search Hyper Wear on YouTube for even more videos and demonstrations!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94KncdoUm3k[/youtube]

Regardless of the exercises you choose to do, strength training is an essential workout component that should not be overlooked, especially for runners. So pick up a SandBell and let those muscles feel the burn!

Health Needs a Hero is a powerful and inspirational documentary detailing the epidemic of our childhood health issues, told through the hearts of children and key stakeholders.  And it is fantastic.  Take a look as Jen Olson, the film’s director, tells a little more about the project.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVGoeUFL68E[/youtube]

In conjunction with the documentary, Ms. Olson started the PE3 foundation which incorporates mind, body, and spirit.   We would love to work with Jen in this worthy cause since SandBells are such an easy and natural fit for P.E. students.

From the PE3 website:

According to the Texas Health Institute (THI), one in three (35%) of Texas children – more than double the national average – are considered to be overweight or obese. Texas ranks 6th highest in the nation for obesity in 10 – 17 year olds.

Overweight children at 12 have a 75% likelihood of being overweight adults, in danger of serious medical issues. For the first time in 120 years, the life expectancy of Americans decreased in 2008.

The Texas Department of State Health Services estimates that if nothing is done, the number of overweight or obese adult Texans will continue to increase, growing from 10 million (63%) today to 20 million (75%) by 2040. In Texas, as in the US, obesity occurs at a much higher rate for African-Americans and Latinos than for Anglos; and within these populations, persons of low socio-economic status appear to be particularly affected.

We look forward to more interactions with Ms. Olson and PE3 and are proud to be on the front lines with such mighty warriors in the battle against childhood obesity.

This week I’m taking a different approach to the traditional push-up. I can’t think of another exercise that our young children despise more than the push-up, and why wouldn’t they? They’re in such a new developmental stage where their bodies are growing, their head is usually bigger proportionately than the rest of their body, and there we are, the teacher making them get on the ground and crank out push-ups over and over again with each passing day.

Why not create a game out of it? Try the Plank Position Dot Toss game in this video, and bonus points go out to everyone out there that has SandBells to use instead of dots! This game doesn’t have to be the end-all-be-all…create ways to integrate the students or athletes to work together, encourage each other, and work out their minds all at the same time!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq0aqMDqv9A[/youtube]

Never Stand Still!

Bill Meyer, SCE, USAW
Head Hyper Wear Coach

Here at Hyper Wear, we like them.

They included our SandBell and SteelBells in some of the training they did last weekend.  The circuits looked really fun, but really intense.  Check it out for yourself (be sure to watch out for our own Denver sporting the Hyper Vest PRO around minute 2:05…way to represent, Denver!):

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRYTeUdHuvY&feature=share[/youtube]

Check these guys out and if you get to train with them, tell ‘em howdy from Hyper Wear!

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!

Austin ISD has SandBells in every Physical Education classroom in the district, which is a wonderful beginning, but we realize just owning the product is not enough.  We take every opportunity we are given to go to schools to talk with teachers and kids about fitness.  We participate in Wellness Days, present new ideas to teachers at inservice days, and show kids how much fun exercising can be.

It is no easy task so we want to commend all of you hard working P.E. administrators and teachers who are so passionate about physical fitness for yourself and the children whose lives you influence every day.  We know a lot of the Texas P.E. administrators and teachers personally and we know that they are working hard to turn things around.  Thank you for the dedication and perseverance.  Let us know how we can help!

Are you a parent of a child in P.E.?  When was the last time you thanked your child’s P.E. teacher?  What can you perhaps do to help further instill the message of health in your children?

Are you a P.E. teacher?  Do you have SandBells in your classroom?  If so, what are your kids’ favorite activities with SandBells?  If not, why not?!

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

In the June / July 2011 issue that is on stands now, there is an article about Major League Baseball’s Joey Votto.  The article is all about his preseason training , complete with some notes on the actual workout he does at IMG Baseball Academy under the direction of trainer, Corey Stenstrup.

He just happens to use Hyper Wear’s SandBells!  Take a look at this awesome full-body, SandBell slam:

All I can say is, that SandBell is fixin’ to prove its worth!

]]> http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/05/13/joey-votto-at-img-baseball-academy-combine360/feed/ 1 http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/05/12/great-oaks-elementary-wellness-day-sandbells-sandbells-everywhere/ http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/2011/05/12/great-oaks-elementary-wellness-day-sandbells-sandbells-everywhere/#comments Thu, 12 May 2011 17:13:18 +0000 HyperCosmo http://www.hyperwear.com/blog/?p=1037 We got invited to a nearby Elementary School to take part in their Wellness Day last Friday, May 6th.  We are always honored to be part of the efforts of schools to educate their kids about living a healthy life!

Great Oaks Elementary in Round Rock, TX, did such an excellent job of organizing their wonderful Wellness Day!  We welcomed seven classes of about 20-25 fifth graders to the gym for blocks of 20 minutes.  We played two highly intense and highly fun race-against-the-clock games that the kids absolutely LOVED!

Who would have thought exercising could be so fun?  But shhh…don’t tell the kids they were exercising – they just thought they were playing!

These kids use the SandBells in their Physical Education classes, but had never gotten to use a 50-pounder.  They entered the gym with wide-eyed wonder to see such a large SandBell in the middle of the room!  One of the games required the teams of 5 or 6 kids to work together to get their 50-pounder from the center of the gym to their team’s corner.  It’s amazing to watch how much fun they have lifting something heavy!

So, thank you again, Great Oaks, for the great day!  Keep doing what you are doing to fight the battle against childhood obesity – we’re proud to be on the front lines with you!