Generally, a typical route at a comp takes four minutes or so—are you able to static-hang for that long? Most likely, no. Increasing a climber’s grip and forearm strength is the best way to improve climbing ability at any level. The SandBell^® and SteelBell^® are the most efficient and effective training tools to increase forearm, grip and shoulder strength, as well as for total body conditioning.

Constructed from stretchy, durable neoprene bags and filled with sand or steel shot, the active movement of sand and steel challenge grip ability and work multiple arm and grip muscles. Exercises that require the user to grip into the bag will engage, work and strengthen gripping and arm muscles, as well as challenge the muscle groups activated during regular exercise execution.

For an intense grip, forearm and core challenge take the Sand or SteelBell and stand in an athletic position, grip the outside of the bell with both hands, extend arms to shoulder height and move the bell in quick, shorts bursts left and right. Climbers can also improve dead point and smoothness with Sand and SteelBell exercises. To strengthen shoulders and grip muscles, replace dumbbells with SandBells when doing any type of arm raise or shoulder press. Gripping into the meat of the SandBell engages hand and grip muscles that are not activated with traditional dumbbells or kettlebells.

Weight vest training in the Hyper Vest^® PRO gives climbers the ability to add resistance during any type of training or exercise, whether in the gym or during real-time practice. The patented control design of the weight vest secures weights snugly to the core, and eliminates uncomfortable rubbing, slipping and shifting. Whether upside down, right side up, in the gym or on the mountain, the Hyper Vest PRO is the perfect resistance training weight vest to increase strength, cardio stamina and climbing agility.

For climbers, substantial upper body strength is also essential. When cross-training, take pull-ups to another level by wearing the Hyper Vest PRO. Adding weighted resistance increases the complexity and muscle requirements of every exercise; enabling you to get the most out of each movement. What’s more, climbers need strong obliques to control twisting and body tension. To work the internal and external obliques, wear the weight vest during hanging side crunches and twists to challenge and strengthen muscles even more.

“The vest is fantastic for climbers — absolutely brilliant!”- Pamela Shanti Pack, member of the Sierra Salve, awarded the Golden Piton Award in 2009 by Climbing Magazine, and featured climber in Reel Rock

Believe it or not, there’s a Hyperwear product perfect for every person in your family.

Still looking for a gift for grandma or grandpa? Well, look no further than the Hyper Vest PRO! Numerous studies have proven the effectiveness of weighted vest in preventing and treating osteoporosis. Thin, comfortable and allowing for complete range of motion, the Hyper Vest PRO is the perfect gift for adults of all ages looking to stay fit, no matter what type of activity their doing.

Need a present for the child that has everything. Then wrap up a WaterBell, the gift that keeps on giving. Hyperwear’s newest product is similar to the SandBell and SteelBell, but instead contains a water-filled balloon inside its neoprene sleeve. Sloshing water inside the Bell makes it challenging and fun to hold steady, catch and throw. Playing with this product is so fun kids will forget they’re also getting a workout in!

Lastly, for the sports fanatic, animal obsessed, workout enthusiast, never-satisfied, crafts loving, or crazy-uncle-twice removed person left on your gift list, you can’t go wrong giving a SandBell or SteelBell. These products are guaranteed to bring a smile to their recipient’s face!

With endless workout possibilities, you can be sure the person who receives this jack pot of a gift can spend all year exercising and never get bored. Heck, you can even take the SandBell outside after unwrapping all the gifts and do a fun SandBell challenge to get everyone in the family moving around and having fun! And don’t worry, even if that crazy uncle doesn’t exercise you can sign him up to receive the weekly Hyper Training Lab videos so he can start building his SandBell exercise arsenal.

So, get to shopping! And don’t forget, now through December 31 receive 20% off ALL in-stock products online!!

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!