Drill Thrill #1: Heave Ho

1. Divide students into pairs and give one SandBell per pair.
2. Direct partners to lie in the sit-up position, with their toes barely touching each other.
3. One partner begins by hugging the SandBell across their chest.
4. Both partners simultaneously do a sit-up, and once they meet at the top the partner with the SandBell hands it over to the other partner who holds it as they lie back down.
5. Repeat the sit-ups with alternating SandBell hand-off. Challenge students to see how many sit-ups they can complete in 30 seconds.

Drill Thrill #2: Hoist the Sails

1. Divide students into pairs and give two SandBells per pair.
2. Direct partners to sit facing one another, legs extended, with the SandBells at their feet.
3. Working together, partners “hoist the sail,” i.e. balance one SandBell on their feet and then lift it as high as they can without dropping it.
4. Challenge pairs to lift both SandBells when they become accomplished at lifting one.

Now go out and have your students give these games a try! Remember, you can always incorporate these games into a circuit or relay to switch things up and get everyone moving!

Drill Thrill #1: Ding Dong

1. Arrange students into pairs, giving one SandBell per pair.
2. One partner begins by standing on top of the SandBell, while the other partner stands on the floor.
3. Partners clasp each other’s wrists.
4. The student standing on the SandBell jumps backwards onto the floor, while their partner simultaneously jumps onto the SandBell.
5. Challenge students to stay in rhythm jumping on and off the SandBell for as many “ding dongs” as possible, or see how many they can do in 30 or 60 seconds.

Drill Thrill #2: Pound It!

1. Arrange students into pairs, giving one SandBell per pair and direct partners to face each other with three to four feet between them.
2. One partner holds the SandBell at chest height with arms extended, gripping the colored rim so that the logo is facing the floor.
3. The partner without the SandBell stands with their arms outstretched at chest height and hands balled in fists.
4. At the sound of the whistle, the student begins pounding the bottom of the SandBell in an up and down alternating-arm motion.
5. The student pounds the SandBell as fast as they can for 30 seconds, and then switches roles with their partner.

*Variation: Students can stand stationary while pounding the SandBell, or the partner holding the SandBell can slowly move the SandBell up and down or side to side. The other partner must then move and follow the SandBell and continue to pound it as they are guided around.

Challenge students to complete these drills as fast as they can to amp up the complexity! Now go put these drills into action and check back in a couple weeks to uncover even more great partner drills!

When you begin racking up those miles, your body not only increases endurance, but also the production of free radicals, which are produced naturally by our bodies. What’s more, the more you run, the more your body produces these agents that over time can slow recovery and increase your susceptibility to disease.

In order to combat these muscle-damaging radicals, there are several foods that aid in protecting your body and keeping nutrient stores full. Matthew G. Kadey, in his article “Natural Defense” for the September issue of Runner’s World, sheds some insight onto just what foods runners should be sure to incorporate into their diets.

First up, black rice, which is loaded with antioxidants that fight off those free radicals, have been shown to provide a defense against cancer and heart disease. Next, Brazil nuts contain a plentiful source of selenium that the body uses to create a “crucial antioxidant enzyme.” Kadey recommends adding Brazil nuts to salads or blending with milk and fruit for a smoothie.

Kadey’s third recommendation, egg yolks, are a primary source of lutein and zeaxanthin that combine to protect your retina and eyes. Egg yolks also contain selenium, vitamin E, high-quality protein and choline, which can help to keep your ticker healthy.

Adding lentils to your diet is said to help improve muscle recovery and decrease risk for chronic diseases. Lentils are a nutritional powerhouse that contain protein and tons of essential vitamins and minerals. A delicious way to incorporate lentils into your next meal is by replacing half the meat with cooked lentils when grilling burgers, says Kadey.

To read the full article and uncover a few more foods essential for runners, you can view Kadey’s article here. Try out some of these foods or incorporate them into recipes of your own and let us know how they turn out!

Drill Thrill #1: Scissors

1. Give each student a SandBell.
2. Instruct students to start in a forward straddle position, with one foot in front and one foot in back.
3. Students begin by placing one foot on top of the SandBell, and when a whistle is blown they jump and scissor their feet back and forth to alternate landing each foot on top of the SandBell.
4. Challenge to see how many “scissors” students can do in 30 or 60 seconds.

*Variation: If there are not enough SandBells for each student to have their own, arrange students in groups and they can take turns executing the exercise and then compare their numbers with one another.

Drill Thrill #2: Straddle On

1. Give each student a SandBell.
2. Instruct students to start in a straddle position, placing the SandBell on the floor between their feet.
3. Begin exercise by squatting and jumping to land with both feet on the SandBell and then jumping back out to the straddle position.
4. Challenge to see how many “straddle ons” students can do in 30 and 60 seconds.

Drill Thrill #3: Slalom

1. Give each student a SandBell.
2. Instruct students to stand with both feet on the SandBell, then jump to one side of the SandBell and then immediately back on top of it.
3. Jump to the opposite side of the SandBell and then back on top again.
4. Repeat alternating side and center jumps for 30 seconds.

These short, quick drills are great exercises to add to relays, circuits or game challenges. You can also combine today’s drills to make a feet-focused challenge circuit that’s sure to get everyone’s heart pumping and faces laughing. So, go on out and give these drills a try!

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]

Super-set Example #1

1. Pull-ups
2. Full body slam with SandBell

Super-set Example #2

1. Side lunge with dumbbell
2. Skaters with SandBell reach

Both of these super-sets can be executed with repetition ranges that apply to strength and power endurance by using lower resistance and higher volume. They can also focus on higher intensity/lower repetition ranges with less volume to target the true complex super-set that translates to higher power in performance.

Whether you’re a football player, or an in-preseason women’s basketball athlete, these are examples of how to really target the increasing need for strength and power in your program.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRGsgbqdzz4[/youtube]

Lucky for us, we can use this technologically-savvy world to our advantage. The smart phone application craze has resulted in a number of apps that distract and consume us, ahem—Angry Birds, Words With Friends, the list goes one, but also some that can help us stay in shape, track workout progress and improve overall health.

In an online article for BostInnovation.com, Justin Bomberowitz gives the low-down on the top 10 health and fitness iPhone apps. Of his picks, our favorites are as follows:

1. Runkeeper: This free app tracks and maps your outdoor workouts, measures speed and average calories burned.
2. Calorie Tracker: Developed by Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong.com, this also free app acts as a calorie counter and nutrition database for the caloric value of thousands of foods.
3. Medscape: Use this free app to look up diseases, symptoms, conditions, medical news and a multitude of drug references.
4. YOGA Free 250 Poses & Yoga Classes: This one probably doesn’t need much explanation, download this app to see hundreds of yoga poses and put together your own yoga program.
5. Locavore: Unsure of where your local farmers market or healthy food distributor is located? Then download this free app to direct you to the nearest fresh food vendor!

Have you used any of these apps before, if so, what did you think? Let us know if you have any great ones you want to recommend, we’d love to hear your feedback!

Thrill Drill #1: Bam Slam

1. Student holds the SandBell with two hands, high above their head, arms fully extended.
2. SLAM the SandBell down onto the floor.
3. Challenge students to see how loud of a noise their slam can make, or how many slams they can do in 30 seconds.

Thrill Drill #2: Wood Chopper Slam

1. Instruct students to stand in a straddle position, holding the SandBell with two hands.
2. SLAM the SandBell from side to side.
3. Challenge students to see how many slams they can do in 30 seconds, or place colored dot “targets” on each side of their feet and have them slam the SandBell onto each target.

Thrill Drill #3: Slam and Surf

1. Bam slam each SandBell onto the floor.
2. After the SandBell has landed, have the student jump onto the SandBell and try to balance when they land.
3. Challenge students to see if they can jump with one foot onto the SandBell and balance, or jump and turn before landing.

That’s it for this week’s Thrill Drill! Give these drills a try, come up with your own or have your students get inventive with their own drills. As always, we’d love to hear your feedback so let us know what you or your students think!!

What exactly is functional training and what does it mean, is probably one of the first questions you may ask yourself upon hearing this widely used term.  At its most basic level, functional training is training for everyday movement and activity that involves multi-planar, multi-joint and multi-muscle exercises that mimic real life activity, according to Angie Miller’s article in the July/August American Fitness Journal.

Functional training challenges your body and mind to use your muscles as an integrated whole, as opposed to focusing on one singular movement at a time, to achieve efficient movements that train your body and mind to work together.  In doing so, you can better prepare your body to prevent itself from injury when the unexpected slip, fall or twist happens.

Why should you use and incorporate functional training? Lets let the National Academy of Sports Medicine, Elements of Personal Fitness Training textbook answer that question.

“Today, more people work in offices, have longer work hours, use better technology…and are required to move less…this produces more inactive and nonfunctional people and leads to dysfunction and increased incidents of injury…An integrated approach should be used to create safe programs that consider functional ability for each individual person.”

In sum, functional training prepares your body to handle anything that may be thrown at it. There are a million ways to implement functional training tactics, and using our SandBells and SteelBells are undoubtedly some of the best tools to work with.

The shifting weight in the Sand and SteelBells provides a constant challenge to your grip, hand and arm muscles. Exercising with either product works your core and stability muscles in a whole new way because the active movement inside the Bells causes your body to work and adapt to stay in control of your movements. The Sand and SteelBells also make functional training fun, especially when used in circuits or partner work. Visit our website to purchase your own and start your functional training TODAY!

Super-Set 1:  Strength to Stability

1. Dead Lift
2. Step over lunge with one-hand SandBell carry

Super-Set 2:  Strength to Stability

1. Bench Press
2. Rolling push ups with the Hyper Vest PRO

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9ZIe3t7y5I[/youtube]

Now go out, give these super-sets a try, and let us know what you think!

Drill Thrill #1: Tug It

1. Divide students into pairs, giving one SandBell per pair.
2. Instruct students to stand one to two feet away from each other.
3. Both students grasp the SandBell, making sure to dig in and grip the middle of the SandBell, not the rim, and then work to tug, push, pull and move the SandBell away from one another.
4. Students should try to stay planted in their original positions without moving their feet for one round, and then on the next round be allowed to take steps forwards, backwards, etc.

Drill Thrill #2: Calf Tag

1. Divide students into pairs, giving one SandBell per pair.
2. One student holds the SandBell with two hands and tries to tag their partner’s calf with the SandBell while the other partner tries to avoid being tagged.
3. Reverse the roles and repeat.

Drill Thrill #3: Partner Passing Tag

1. Divide students into two, equal parallel lines that are 15 to 20 yards apart, and instruct the two lines of students stand so they’re facing each other.
2. The first people in each line act as partners and move to the middle of the two lines, standing three to four feet away from one another.
3. The pair tosses the SandBell back and forth.
4. Once a whistle is blown, the student that does not have the SandBell tries to run back to their line, while the student with the SandBell chases his/her partner and attempts to tag them before the partner reaches their home line.
5. Repeat activity for every pair of students.

Now get out there and give these drills a try! Let us know what you think, and check back in a couple weeks for more exciting Drill Thrills!

Well, for those of you wondering just what are 2011s top fitness trends according to fitness industry leaders, look no further than here!

Jessica Belasco, blogger for mysanantonio.com discloses the findings from IDEA Health and Fitness Association’s Fitness Program and Equipment Trends Report in her blog “Boomers influence fitness trends.” The report, whose findings come from a survey sent out to top fitness program directors and facility managers, gets the scoop on what’s making waves in the health and fitness world.

According to the report, the top five programming trends in 2011 are balance training, functional resistance training, mind-body programs (i.e. yoga and tai chi), body-weight leverage training and personal training shared by two clients.

The underlying theme of “functional training” that guides these top five trends reflects the needs of baby boomers who are looking to improve their quality of life, reduce injuries and stay active as they age, says IDEA’s Executive Director Kathie Davis.

And as for 2011s top fitness equipment, body-weight leverage equipment, like the TRX suspension trainers, foam rollers, kettlebells and stability balls were among the top five.

What’s the best thing about this report? Our Hyper Wear products can be used in each and every top five programming trend. The SandBell, SteelBell and Hyper Vest PRO have shown to be successfully incorporated into nearly every type of workout. Wear the PRO vest while doing yoga, running, resistance training, etc., and use the SandBells or SteelBells in place of traditional weights to make your workouts even MORE challenging, dynamic and safe.

Our prediction for 2012 and beyond is that Hyper Wear is here to stay. No matter what fads and trends come and go, your can rest assured that using and abusing our products will get you fit and keep you fit, no matter what fitness ideology you’re following at the moment.

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 week’s challenge circuit still focuses on strength endurance and conditioning, while pushing the personal limits of clients and athletes.  The details, so you can do your own circuit in your home or facility, are as follows:

• Always begin with a proper dynamic warm-up
• For demo purposes each station shown here is 30 seconds, but the actual challenge can last 30-60 seconds depending on the exercise and intensity of the chosen movement.  Each person is instructed to perform within their on ability and focus on their personal best.
• Different metrics you can use: challenge by number of repetitions completed in a specific time frame, or total time it takes to complete the task.
• The challenge can be administered as a single exercise challenge or an entire circuit for the ultimate challenge.
• In this particular challenge we are counting our repetitions and the key to success is providing clear and precise descriptions of what a “good” rep entails in order to be counted.
• When using a circuit challenge I recommend a rest period of 15 seconds in between stations and then 2 minutes in between sets for 2-4 sets depending on the level of ability and training age of the participant.

And last, but not least, the fun part!  The exercise list:

1) Total Body Slam

• Start with hands on the knees in an athletic position and SandBell on the floor.
• When signaled to start, squat down and grab the SandBell with a two-handed grip
• Use Triple extension of lower body and reach overhead with SandBell to load for the slam.
• Fully extend SandBell above your head so there is visible space between head and SandBell.
• Slam SandBell on the floor, finishing with good athletic position and proper neutral posture.
• Each slam is one repetition

2) Rotational Push Up

• Start in a push up position with SandBell underneath the chest
• Perform a push up and touch the SandBell, then as you are pushing up into your rotation grab the SandBell from floor
• Rotate all the way on the side of your shoes, turning hips completely perpendicular to the ground
• Then Reach up with full extension of the arm toward the ceiling to create a T-position.
• Each time your chest touches the SandBell in the bottom position is one repetition.

3) V Ups

• Start laying flat in a supine position with arms extended with SandBell over-head.
• Perform a V-up position by hinging at the hips and keeping the torso and legs extended
• Pay attention to neutral spine posture and do not compromise the low back.
• Touch your toes with the Sandbell and then return the Sandbell to floor by laying back flat and arms extended for each good repetition

4) Icky Shuffle with Ladder

• Start at one end of the half ladder (full ladder can be used).
• Perform the Icky Shuffle with two feet in, one foot out pattern.  Then change direction while advancing through the ladder
• Helps for client or athlete to understand the rhythmic pattern or sound the proper foot pattern makes as they hit “right, left, right” or “1, 2, 1”
• Each time you successfully hit all the steps advancing through the ladder and turn around is a repetition

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hFTskTaTwE[/youtube]

In 2008, researchers estimated that Australians over 25-years-old watched nearly 9.8 billion hours of TV. They then calculated that every hour spent watching shortened viewer’s life expectancy by 22 minutes. It was from these figures they generalized that “watching TV for six hours a days could take off five years of your life.”

Numerous research studies have shown that lifelong smoking can decrease life expectancy by four years for those 50 years and older.

“Using the same risk framework designed to monitor the impact of too much TV, the study calculated just one cigarette could cut 11 minutes from smokers lives – equal to watching 30 minutes of TV,” says Thom.

The authors of the Australian research report say that because watching TV is a universal pastime, which consumes large quantities adults leisure time, its effect are significant on our population’s overall health.

So get off that couch and turn off the TV! The great thing about this finding is that it’s completely avoidable. Go for a run, hit the gym, play with your dog, or pick up a new hobby. There are a million ways to spend your time that will benefit your health and actually prolong your life!

And one more thing, don’t forget to wear your Hyper Vest PRO while exploring new avenues for excitement!

Today’s Drill Thrills will consist of group and partner games that focus on executing a single drill repeatedly.

Drill Thrill #1: Figure Eight Slam Pass

1. Divide students into as many groups as necessary, as long as there are an equal number of people in each group.
2. Designate each group to their own area in which they will form a single-file line, making sure to allow three to four feet between each person.
3. Hand out one SandBell per line/group.
4. To begin, the first person in each line makes a complete figure eight motion between their legs with the SandBell, slams it to the ground and then passes it to the person behind them.
5. The goal is to be the first line to have each person complete the exercise and get the SandBell all the way down the line first.

*Variation: Instead of providing just one SandBell per team, you can give each team a stack of four to six SandBells and have them perform the activity until all the SandBells reach the end of the line.

Drill Thrill #2: Granny Toss Partner Slam

1. Divide students into pairs and have them spread out across the room facing each other with five to six feet separating each pair.
2. Give each pair a SandBell.
3. One student stands with the SandBell in a straddle position, holding the SandBell with both hands just below the knees.
4. The student with the SandBell granny tosses the SandBell to their partner, just above head-height.
5. Partner catches the SandBell and then immediately reaches up and slams it down to the ground.
6. Repeat six to eight times, and then switch so the other partner begins throwing the SandBell.

*Variation: Place four to five color dot targets near the person throwing the SandBell and challenge the person catching/slamming to hit the different targets upon catching the SandBell.

So now, go out and give these drills a try! Let us know how your students liked each game, or if you have any ideas or drills of your own, and keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates on the next PE Drill Thrill blog!

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]

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 circuit is for conditioning and building foundational strength although we are bumping up the intensity from Week 1.  The details, so you can do on your own or in your facility are as follows:

*  Always begin with a proper dynamic warm-up and movement preparation

*  For conditioning, perform 45 seconds to 60 seconds of work followed by 15 seconds of rest in between each station.

*  Four-exercises in each circuit

*  Three to four rounds or circuits with 60-90 seconds of rest in between rounds for entire workout

And last, but not least, the fun part!  The exercise list:

1. Ribbon Lunge

• Focus is on great frontal plane movement and lateral movement that is essential to agility and changes of direction
• Lateral lunge as you sweep through the rotational pattern (“ribbon”)
• Sit back into the hips on lunging hip

2. Bent Over Row

• Grip factor is awesome on this
• Start with Flat, neutral back and knees slightly bent
• Pull SteelBell to chest with a 45 degree angle with the upper arms
• Look forward to keep cervical alignment with the rest of the spine

3. Side Plank with Knee Tuck

• Stack the feet with great total body alignment from heels, hip, up to the shoulder.
• Knee Tuck challenges core strength and rotary stability
• Keep shoulders quiet
• First Progression: Plank on forearm
• Second Progression: Plank on Hand.

4. Single Leg, Single Arm Reach

• Focus on dynamic balance and lower body alignment for the plant leg
• This builds strength and stability that translates into locomotive skills
• Tones down the overall intensity of the circuit by adding this balance move.
• Hips stay parallel to ground and don’t roll out

Have fun and let us hear your feedback!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQvIal8d2-8&feature=related[/youtube]

In this first video, Diane introduces a routine based on body movements, not just body parts.  The four categories of movement in this circuit are:

1. Level Changes – lower body dominant movements
2. Push/Pull – upper body dominant movements
3. Rotary Stability/Rotation
4. Locomotion and Standing

This circuit is for conditioning and building foundational strength.  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

*  45 seconds of work followed by 15 seconds of rest in each station

*  Four-exercise circuit

*  Three to four rounds or circuits with 60-90 seconds of rest in between rounds for entire workout

And last, but not least, the fun part!  The exercise list:

1. Unilaterally Loaded Squats
2. Prone Row
3. SandBell Exchanges in V-Sit
4. Sagittal Jumps or Hops

Have fun, and let us hear your feedback!

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

Enter, Texas Tech alum Bret Hutchens, Hyper Wear Director of Sales. Bret graduated a Texas Tech management major in 2004, but spent the early part of his life growing up in Round Rock, Texas. Upon graduation, Bret took a six-month intership with EDS Byron Nelson Champtionship Salesmanship Club of Dallas, an elite sales professionals organization. Bret was eventually connected with Hyper Wear CEO, Denver Fredenburg, while working in Nike’s timing, sunglasses and Nike + division.

Joining the Hyper Wear team in June, Bret is planning to begin making sales trips and meetings in August to further expand the Hyper Wear brand. What’s more about Bret, this avid golfer likes to spend his free time on the course, going to country concerts, playing washers—and of course, working out in his Hyper Vest PRO.

Our second addition, Ramona Miller, is filling the position of Director of Supply Chain Management. The former Global Purchasing Manager for Nike’s timing, sunglasses and Nike + division, attended Sowela Technical Community College concentrating in computer programming. Like Bret, Ramona worked with Devner over at Nike, and also at Seiko International. The two have been connected for more than 10 years, and when Denver offered Ramona the Hyper Wear position, she jumped at the opportunity.

Ramona is currently working to manage inventory growth, and seeking out ways to fulfill demand.  Her favorite part about working for Hyper Wear? She loves seeing the positive responses from happy customers, and is thrilled to be apart of this rapidly growing company.  When not helping Hyper Wear grow, Ramona spends her time reading, gardening, and hanging out with her kids and two dogs.