Posts Tagged ‘exercise’

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The WaterBell travels to Brazil!

July 19th, 2011
,,,,,, - Hot Topic Tuesday - HyperWear - WaterBell - beach workout - burn calories - exercise - fitness - workout

It’s true! The WaterBell did indeed travel all the way to Brazil with one of our Hyper Interns while vacationing with her family. Our newest Hyper Wear product, the WaterBell, exhibits the same look and feel as the SandBell and SteelBell, but because it’s filled with water, the WaterBell’s versatility enters some areas untouched by the Sand and SteelBells.

One of the great things about the WaterBell is that it’s the perfect travel companion. Like the SandBell and SteelBell, the WaterBell is designed with the Nozzle apparatus that makes filling and emptying simple and easy. Also, adjusting the amount of water in the Bell affects the air to water ratio, which changes the weight, water movement and difficulty of your exercises.

The following paragraph details Carol’s Brazilian WaterBell experience.

“As a summer intern for Hyper Wear, I’ve been eagerly searching for ways to incorporate their wide variety of products into my workout routines. When I left for Brazil on June 15th, I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to take the 10-pound WaterBell with me to get in some beach workouts. While visiting the island, Ilha Grande, I filled up the WaterBell and set off on a 2-hour hike along one of their gorgeous beaches. The hike itself was a grueling workout, but having the WaterBell along for the ride made it even more intense! I tried several methods of carrying the WaterBell: holding it tightly in both hands, swinging it back and forth alternating arms, resting it on my shoulder, and even zipping it up in my backpack at one point. No matter which method I was using, carrying the extra 10 pounds was a fun and exciting challenge throughout my hike!

What a great way to turn a tough hike into an intense cardio and strength-building workout! Carol’s experience exemplifies to a T just how versatile and functional Hyper Wear products truly are. I mean seriously, would you consider toting a 10-pound dumbbell on an international flight, especially since airlines jump at the opportunity to charge you an arm and a leg for checking a bag in the first place.

The WaterBell makes it easy to keep up with your workouts even when traveling, and better yet it makes them fun. So visit www.hyperwear.com, buy a WaterBell and go out and take it for a hike, or a bike ride, or when you’re out playing with your kids. Hey, go WaterBell crazy because you can take this baby ANYWHERE!

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The Perfect Solution for Sad Muggles (following the end of the Harry Potter series…)

July 15th, 2011
,,,,,,,,,,,, - Cooling Vest - Harry Potter - Hyper Vest COOL - Hyper Vest PRO - Muggles - SandBell - SteelBell - WaterBell - exercise - fitness - sandbag - weight vest - wellness - workout

I did not see Harry Potter yesterday and I will not see it today.  In fact, I won’t see it this weekend.  I may not even see it this month.

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!

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How the Hyper Vest COOL is making running fun again

July 12th, 2011
,,,,,, - Hot Topic Tuesday - Hyper Vest COOL - athlete training - endurance - endurance exercise - exercise - training - workout

For those of you who missed last Tuesday’s blog, it was all about the Hyper Vest PRO and how it can improve your training and fitness. So appropriately, today’s blog is going to provide you with a first-hand account of how incredibly amazing the Hyper Vest COOL is!

As one of Hyper Wear’s summer interns, part of my job has been to familiarize myself with all things Hyper Wear. Being an avid runner, this was much more of an exciting opportunity than a “job.” A couple weeks ago I was given a Hyper Vest COOL to test out during one of my runs. Put simply, words cannot describe how unbelievable running in the COOL vest was!! As soon as I started running I could tell a world of a difference; with each mile that passed by I found myself less fatigued, and running with better form. I didn’t feel sloppy, slow and heavy, it was like a hot weight had been lifted off of my body and replaced with a light, cold sleeve.

The day prior to running with the COOL vest, I went out for a 3 p.m. run and completed 8 miles around Town Lake in 66 minutes. For me personally, that time was nothing to be proud of and also much longer than it normally takes me when the temperature is anywhere below 90 degrees. Granted, running at three in the afternoon was probably not the smartest idea, but it was the only time I had that day.

The next day I ran in the COOL vest and completed the same run at the same time of day. There are not enough adjectives to describe how much better I felt, my energy and attitude were soaring and I was actually enjoying a summer run in this ridiculous Texas heat. Also not only did I feel better, but the time it took me to complete the 8 miles decreased by 6 minutes. I was shocked to say the least, especially considering I was just coasting and reveling in the glorious run I was having, if I had picked up the pace who knows how much time would have been shaved off!

Even if running isn’t your workout of choice, we can all appreciate how miserable it can be exercising when it’s 103 degrees outside. Well, I’m here to tell you that all your reservations about working out in the heat can be completely diminished by throwing on a COOL vest. We shouldn’t have to be punished by the sun for wanting to reclaim our afternoon workouts! Stick it to the man, or the sun in this case, and get a COOL vest of your own so you can reclaim the fun in your workouts this summer!

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The Hyper Vest PRO walks the walk and talks the talk

July 5th, 2011
,,,,,,,, - Hot Topic Tuesday - Hyper Vest - Hyper Vest PRO - HyperWear - endurance - endurance exercise - exercise - functional fitness - training - weight bearing exercise - weight vest - workout

Here at Hyper Wear, we love our products and want everyone to use them, enjoy them and maintain healthy lifestyles with them! Today, we want to take a moment to relay to you how fun, functional, safe and truly effective the Hyper Vest PRO is. Sure, we could go on with great adjectives to describe why you should train with our vest, but we thought it’d be a better idea to let some testimonials and research do the talking.

An article on Livestrong.com, “Benefits of a Weight Vest,” by Andy Chasse discusses how and why weight vests are so effective, and provides some research to back it up. For example, a study conducted at Texas Tech University consisting of two groups of athletes, one training with and one training without a weight vest, revealed that after six weeks both groups improved in various tactical areas, but the one training with the vest improved substantially more.

Weight vests are a great tool to amp up workouts and challenge muscles so they don’t get used to repetitive movements. When you’re pressed for time and can’t come up with new exercises to keep the body guessing, just throw on a vest.

“This unconventional exercise method allows us to throw our systems off whenever necessary,” says Chasse.

Still not convinced? Well then consider the findings of another study in Chasse’s article—a study published in the “European Journal of Applied Physiology” found that of 12 distance athletes, the group running with a weight vest “emerged victorious with improvements in both their VO2 max (a measure of the body’s ability to consume oxygen) and lactate threshold (the exercise intensity at which lactate begins to accumulate in the blood), two crucial factors affecting endurance exercise.”

US Olympic Decathlete, Trey Hardee trained with the Hyper Vest PRO prior to his 2009 season. In a testimonial to Hyper Wear, Hardee had the following to say about the Hyper Vest PRO.

“I have never seen or used a weight vest like the Hyper Vest PRO. It stays tight, comfortable and cool on my body enabling me to increase my bodyweight while training. It makes adding resistance to my workouts effortless…”

So believe the hype! The Hyper Vest PRO is the real deal when it comes to seeing results and improvement. Visit hyperwear.com to purchase your own vest and see why so many people are boasting the great benefits weight vest training has to offer!

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Staving off the doctor, one legume at a time

June 28th, 2011
,,,,, - Hot Topic Tuesday - HyperWear - exercise - fitness - weight loss - workout

An apple a day keeps the doctor away… we know, we know. But what about the orthopedic, podiatrist, rehab therapist, chiropractor, and all the other doctors out there that prescribe the fitness enthusiasts equivalent to the death sentence. “Well, by the looks of this (enter injury here) you’re going to have to take at least six to eight weeks off.”

We try to train smart, recover well and say no to seconds all in the hopes of maintaining a fit and healthy body that’s ready for whatever sweat-pouring workout we plan to endure tomorrow. But sometimes, that’s just not enough.

An apple a day may have given the stiff arm to the doctor when you were 4-years-old, but now your body needs a myriad of nutrients to ensure that all systems are a go. Fruits, vegetables, whole-grains and healthy oils—interpretations of these foods, and some additions of a few others, may be just what you need to ditch the doctor and keep hitting the gym.

In an online article, Best Health rated the top seven fitness foods, some of which may be common sense and others just might surprise you. First up, chocolate milk. Too good to be true? Think again. This childhood favorite is a great post-workout recovery drink because of its ability to help repair muscles. Be sure to choose a low fat variety to ditch the unnecessary fat, and relish in knowing you’re repairing your muscles and taking in more than 10 essential nutrients.

To pack in some protein, fiber and vitamin E, grab a handful of almonds, or toss some on your salad. According to the article, almonds have shown to lower bad cholesterol and help in weight management. Drop some excess weight, and if your joints could write you a thank-you card, they’d send 10.

Beans and legumes are also waist-whittling foods that help to slow digestion and keep you feeling full. A cup of beans has almost as much protein as two cups of milk, and when paired with whole-grains they contain all the essential amino acids. Avocados deliver both insoluble and soluble fiber, which keep your digestive system running smoothly. Avocado oil has also been found to reduce the risk of heart disease, as well as bone fractures.

So say, “bye, bye” to the doctor and “hello” to the gym, because fueling up on these, and other fitness super foods, will help to keep that strong body of yours ready and willing for your workout of choice! To read up on the rest of the foods that round out the top seven, just click on the following link: Best Health’s Top 7 Fitness Foods.

**Looking for some healthy recipe ideas? Why don’t you try Hyper Wear Facebook fan, Megan Callahan’s pancake interpretation: 5 egg whites, 1/4c old fashioned oats, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp truvia. Blend in the blender till smooth, then cook in non-stick pan with a little pam/non-stick spray until done on both sides. I put my 1 tbsp raw almond butter on top and voila! Hungry for another? A favorite snack of Dee Fit’s is vanilla chobani, 1/4c Kashi GoLean Crunch and 4 sliced strawberries!

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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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Why listening to music while working out might be better than you think

June 21st, 2011
,,,,,, - Hot Topic Tuesday - burn calories - endurance - exercise - training - workout

For many of us, hitting the gym is a de-stressing, head-clearing, endorphin-pumping, mini vacation from all the craziness consuming our lives. Most of us can attest to running next to the guy who wants everyone around to enjoy the rock concert blaring through his headphones at a tone-deafening volume, as well as the person who’s staring so hard at the wall you begin to think it might actually move if they concentrate hard enough.

Well lo and behold there might actually be a method to rock-concert-man’s madness!

“Listening to the right songs before and during training boosts performance by up to 20 percent,” says Dr. Costas Karageorghis, of Brunel University in an online article on BBC News.

As you might imagine, fast tempo music is better for high intensity workouts, and slow tempo songs are appropriate for your warm-up and cool-down. The article goes on to mention that as you begin exercising, music tempos can be synchronized to work rates, which will help control movement and increase performance. Synchronizing music to workout intensity can also help to focus your attention on the task at hand, firing up those muscles, and will keep your mind from drifting elsewhere and inciting the onset of fatigue.

What are the best songs to workout to? Mensfitness.com compiled a list of the 10 best workout songs, we’ll name the top five and you can click the link to view the rest!

  1. “Lose yourself” by Eminem
  2. “Stronger” by Kanye West
  3. “Romantic Rights” by Death from Above
  4. “Let’s Go” by Trick Daddy
  5. “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes

As for some local recommendations, several of Hyper Wear’s Facebook friends revealed some of their favorite workout songs: Ben Adair breaks a sweat to “Breathe” by The Prodigy, Shawna Aubin suggests songs by the group Avicii, Robyn Pettinger likes “More” by Usher, Dee Fit recommends Static X and Drowning Pool, Rhonda Glick prefers A-Trak/Nike run on iTunes and BOTH Megan Callahan and Dee Fit agree that the Black Eyed Peas are a great group to crank up the volume to.

So, try out the suggestions above, or download your own heart rate-raising tunes. Whatever you choose, pump up the jams and hit the gym because you know that person monotonously exercising in the trance next to you sure wishes they had remembered their iPod!

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Chill Out: Why your next workout should be followed by an ice bath

June 14th, 2011
,,,,,, - Hot Topic Tuesday

Feeling the burn after yesterday’s workout? Logging strenuous workouts will inevitably yield muscle inflammation as your muscles slightly rip and tear in order to build up mass. To decrease recovery time, as well as your aching and moaning, stop by a gas station, pick up several bags of ice and prepare to chill.

Cryotherapy, or “cold therapy,” constricts blood vessels and decreases metabolic activity. This works to reduce swelling and tissue breakdown, which we associate with pain and the “I’m never doing that again,” mentality. “Ice baths don’t only suppress inflammation, but help to flush harmful metabolic debris out of your muscles,” says David Terry, M.D. Additionally, ice baths work by producing greater and longer lasting change in deep muscle tissue, and are a more efficient means of cooling larger groups of muscles at the same time, says physical therapist, Nikki Kimball.

While there’s no exact formula for how long you should soak, or how cold the temperature should be, specialists recommend keeping temperatures between 50 and 59 degrees Fahrenheit, and soaking times between 10 and 20 minutes.

Need another GREAT way to not only post-cool, but pre-cool as well? The innovative and stylish Hyper Vest COOL was created to chill the body’s core temperature and lower heart rate with gel or phase change cooling packs. The Gel pack, designed for deep, low temperature cooling, around 32 degrees Fahrenheit, maintains its temperature for up to an hour. While the Phase Change pack cools at 58 degrees for two to four hours.

Pre-cooling with the Hyper Vest COOL allows the body to reduce the amount of energy spent on maintaining and cooling its core temperature.  For recovery cooling, the vest is a quick and efficient means of cooling vital organs simultaneously, while allowing the user to move around freely. Check out the YouTube video below to see Hyper Trainer Bill Meyer using the Hyper Vest COOL, and discussing the importance of properly cooling and recovering after a workout.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx-IAhegQaI[/youtube]

Moral of the story, recovery and pre-cooling are both important components that build strong, healthy bodies, and ease the road to recovery. So after your next grueling workout, or before one for that matter, try out an ice bath or COOL Vest and take note of the positive results they will have on your performance, endurance and recovery.

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Monkey Bars = FUN Pull Movement Pattern! Give Pull-Ups a Rest!

May 30th, 2011
,,,,,,, - Bill Meyer - Hyper Vest PRO - Monday Morning Muscle - exercise - pull ups - weight vest

Good Monday Morning!

Pull-ups are a fantastic strength exercise throughout the upper body.  Unfortunately, not all athletes or students can achieve a great amount of them, or even one for that matter!  So set them up for success by practicing the drill from this video!

As a child, I can’t remember anything else on the playground more challenging but more fun than swinging from the monkey bars.  Zip up your Hyper Vest PRO for an added challenge and give the pull-ups and chin-ups a rest for a while!

For additional support, add in an appropriate level of superband to aid in the movement, and climb til you can’t climb no more!

Enjoy!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhZ7f3glAp8&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Never Stand Still!

Bill Meyer, SCE, USAW
Head Hyper Wear Coach

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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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